Could Iowa be ready for Aquaculture?

There I go again....I'm in this state less than a month and I'm thinking "what could my next business venture be here?" Cheryl thinks I'm crazy! And after Oak and Chisel, Allenbrite, Picklejar books, and great lake vending all going the way of the Dodo, I'm thinking I'm crazy as well! So here is the scoop: There are only a handful of current operating aquaculture facilities here in Iowa according to my latest Google search. Most of them focus on fee fishing or pond stocking operations. None, That I had researched, grow fish for the seafood industry. You could look at it as 'I've moved the the wrong place!' Or you could look at it as 'this is the Perfect place to get something started!' I'm the latter. Thinking that I, with my limited knowledge and business experience could actually make a go of bluegill aquaculture here. Oh! Have I mentioned that I'm still broke! Yes! Starting another business with no start up capital! Perhaps this is why Cheryl and I are not as successful with our business ventures. Lack of funding! Anyway, here are the reasons that I think that Iowa in general and Wellman/Kalona specifically, could have the potential to spearhead the bluegill aquaculture industry. These small towns are located near several small rivers and tributaries. ( supply of water) I have also seen several plots of land with small ponds already existing on them. Wellman and Kalona seem to be small towns that, after several years of downsizing, are now back on the rise with new blood, new people, and new ideas ready to grow their small town back to its former glory. In Wellman, there are a number of vacant building s that once were used to grow and produce turkeys! When this business folded, it took several families down with it and currently, no one is operating the property. ( a convenient location next to a skilled labor force) So now all I need is MONEY! Money makes life happy and helps grow business like fertilizer to a plant. I also am wondering what the town council would think of my idea and if there is some legal mumbo jumbo that has to take place before we can get the ball rolling. But first, I have to secure my place here and that means getting back in the black and out of the red with our current job. I have not been blogging lately, but this rant has been building up. I can't wait to get some pictures on the blog because the countryside is very pretty. And a picture is worth 1000 words and are not as challenging to read. Hope everyone has a great weekend! Update! I just found an interesting article on the web about just this subject! And...get this....They got their study fish from IOWA! But they are doing the research in Missouri. Anyway, here is a link to the article.

All is Well In Wellman!

I have been wanting to say that ever since we moved here. This is one of those towns that has it's sleepy charm. You really have to get out of your car and walk around to appreciate the charm of this place. There are really nice parks, beautiful homes and a charming downtown that is on its way back from the dead apparently. We visited the hardware store that is itself new to the area. It has only been in business for a few months! The manager told us that it is rebuilding the town to its once former glory. So who knows where we will end up after the dust settles. Perhaps this place will draw us in for a longer duration than we had first planned. I Still can't get my pics to go on the computer here, but in the mean time, I will show a few of the sites I borrowed off the net. Other than that, things are looking good here, Cheryl found a dress for her sisters wedding in august, Pearson has another project starting August 4, and the cats are enjoying the apartment, even thought they still beg to be let outside so they can chase the many squirrels and rabbits.

Getting a feel for the area on our Anniversary

So Cheryl and I have been checking out the area for the last couple of days. Monday we put an application in for the ACT scoring place, but did not get any immediate results. Pearson, however, wants us back for another project in August. YEAH! The Wellman Library is pretty cool for a small town. IT is rather large but still cozy, with computer access and a nominal selection of DVDs and VHS movies you can check out for free! The only bad thing is that it looks like I won't be able to post any pictures from this computer. It is unfortunate because I took several cool ones of Wellman, Kalona, and Washington. These towns are exactly what I imagine they used as a reference for making Pleasantville. Now Cheryl and I didn't have much money to sample the local culture much, but when we do finally get paid on Friday, I'm thinking there are some local cheeses and corn that will have to be sampled! OH! Almost forgot to mention that Cheryl and I have been married 14 years as of the 20th of July. Sometimes it seems like just yesterday we had nothing and were just starting out... Oh wait....that was yesterday! Hehe! P.S. The images on this page are borrowed from the web.

Achieving the Impossible!

"The difficult we do immediately, the impossible takes us a little longer. " I'm not sure who said it first, ( someone in the SeaBees) But I believe Cheryl and I have truly lived this Phrase over the last several months. Well we can now call Iowa our home of Residence! We found a cute apartment in Wellman, Iowa and will move there probably tomorrow. It has been a stressful Journey, but we did it! If you are wondering why I'm so excited about moving to Iowa, let me bring you up to speed. Since the beginning of the year, Cheryl and I have been looking for Jobs in Michigan since our "business" had hit the fan and stopped producing any cash flow. With most of our resources gone, we landed a part time gig in Lansing Michigan ( 2.5 hours away from Grand Haven) when that project ended, we heard that there were more projects for the same company in other states. With not enough money to move, Cheryl and I traveled to Iowa to Check out the Rumor and were hired on the spot in Iowa City. The catch was that it was not going to start until July! We had to survive on vanishing funds until then and questioned whether we would even have enough money to make it there when July arrived! The solution! Sell EVERYTHING, and MOVE THERE! And that is what we did! The only items we have left from our former lives is our cats, a few dishes and some photos. Only what we could fit in the two cars! We have no furniture, no bed, no linens, and no cookware. We sold it all to raise the money needed to make the move. ( about $1200) IT has been very stressful for the past few days, but I feel like we have passed a major milestone. I'm not sure when I will be able to post again because we still do not have any computer or Internet access of our own and we are planning on leaving the hotel tomorrow. But I'm sure if there is a way, it will reveal itself in time. I'd like to thank the Howard Johnson and the Travel lodge for helping us out with the cats, lodging and week long check in. Also all the people at Pearson have been very friendly and encouraging. And to all the people in Grand Haven and Spring Lake that purchased our stuff and gave us the cash to make the move. Thanks to All!

The Cats are Adjusting Well.

We have been in a small space for almost two weeks now and the cats are doing great, even though they want to go outside to explore. At first I was afraid that the maid would let them out accidentally or that they would get into trouble while Cheryl and I were at work. But I'm very happy that they have adjusted. By the way, we have moved to a place that is closer to the job. The Travelodge is a pretty nice place that has a pool, hot tub, and a full breakfast ( with Belgium waffles!) And best of all it welcomes pets and is literally a stones throw away from the job! The cats seem to like it and Rasha was first to make herself right at home. Cheryl likes it because for the first time ever, the cats seem to like curling up with her. Usually they avoid her unless it is dinner time. So at the moment, I'm at they lobby computer with a cup of coffee ( 24 hour free coffee! Yes!) and a cookie trying to log in a quick post. Iowa city is pretty cool. They have 10 cent sweet corn that Cheryl and I have been indulging in from time to time. ( It's one of the cheapest snacks we can get!) I can't wait to explore the area without worry of getting lost or "spending money". Until that first paycheck clears, I will have to be very tightfisted. Hope everyone is having a great week!

And now for the rest of the story...

Ok, to be blunt, much has happened since we arrived in Iowa a little over a week ago and I have not been able to post anything because of our lack of technology. So I will try, for the next couple of days, to fill in the missing stories that I'm sure all of you are dying to hear. I actually lost a follower while on my small "vacation." So I didn't really get a good pic of the cars as they where stacked up to the hilt with all the remaining belongings that we own. But this one should give you a hint of how things where packed. Picture me in the driver seat instead of Domo. And then there was the cats to think about. Now before you get the wrong Idea, they did not travel quite this luxurious as Red here. They were secure and snug in their little traveling cases so they would not get out of hand while on the drive. As for the time being, they are all in the room and all our stuff remains in our car. With a little luck, we will be able to find a permanent place to stay within the next week or so. Wish us Luck!

Finally a Computer In Iowa!

Finally we found a computer in Iowa so I can upload a few pics and give a few updates. So I wonder where I should start. First off, I should say that it is once again raining here. It has been raining pretty much every day since we arrived, with a few exceptions. I have been texting ( I'm new to "texting") Cheryl's family with a few things as they progress. But mostly I wanted to offload these pics to my blog before I lost them. I'll Have to go back in time to put them where they are suppose to be as well. So be sure to check back with previous posts.

We have Arrived!

Ok! It has been several days since my last post, but we have been rather busy while at the same time trying to be patient. Does that even make sense? Basically we begin work on Thursday and have to do several things in the short time leading up to then. We checked in to the place to get our Id's and located the motel where we were to stay. Now we are trying to find a place that is a little more permanent. The cats were awesome during the trip. No escapes, freak outs or any other bad behavior to note. They seem to have taken a liking to their new surroundings as well. Currently we are here at an Iowa library doing all our online stuff. Cheryl is looking at past email to see what still needs our attention. I must say that I never thought I would miss the computer in such a way. Even though I don't get on it for hours at a time anymore, it still is a nice thing to be able to sit down any time you want and check things out. Well, Until we are able to get pics on the blog again, I'll have to keep this short and try not to ramble.

The BIG move days Approaches!

The days are moving right along and I have a few updates to post. First of all I am frustrated that I can't post any pics from this computer. I'm thinking that I will go back and post them later when I get to a place where I can. ( does that make any sense?) Anyway, I have lots of great pics of this moving experience and I can't log them in for referance. So the Antlers and GONE! Yeah! The guy on Ebay told us that we could cut them in half and ship them in a smaller box. ( I know...why didn't I think of that???) Actually I did, but Cheryl was afraid that guy would say that the product was not as described and file a claim. She is still gun shy about Ebay, and I can't blame her. ( read previous posts when we were shipping carved toilet seats!) And yesterday I sold the loveseat and our kitchen table. My whole goal was to sell them yesterday and we sold them just before the sun set. Talk about cutting it close! So now there is all the little detail stuff that is left. Mailing address chance, closing bank acounts, etc. We have been taking the cats out on short drives to get them used to the moving experience. So far the brothers are behaving the best with Rashi settling down after about 10 minutes. She still whines, but then again, she is the only cat that was never in a small cage before ( Red and Hiro were both bought at the pet store...Rashi just showed up and invited herself inside one day and has never left.) There is much more to tell, but without pics, it will get boring. I can't wait to be able to show off the antler cutting process..It was fun. Perhaps next time I blog...I will be blogging from Iowa! Update! New PICS added!