Drone testing and we

After a long arduous search for the perfect low cost camera platform for aerial filming, we settled on the Autel X Star premium drone. Even after just a couple of weeks with it, I am very pleased with its perfomance and mostly its camera footage. Check out a couple of short aerial tours I have filmed with it already

https://youtu.be/YYu5wKIvj3E

https://youtu.be/PzlGQeUIaos?list=PL_Vr3myPHTxmLxUSJ9adpShTyYD8YZKep

J35 Sailing videos

Check out these J35 sailing videos we made from this summer!

https://youtu.be/WAcuoSXiRZk

https://youtu.be/SpY46BfVNIM

Firefly videos in 4K!!

Our J35 is one amazing sailboat!! Check out the video links below to see our last two days of fun!

https://youtu.be/SZQ5BMPppuI

https://youtu.be/WAcuoSXiRZk

Firefly and lady bugs

J35 Firefly in Racine WI

Our delivery of firefly from Waukegan IL to Racine WI went flawlessly and as an added bonus, about halfway through the trip, a whole bunch of ladybugs landed on firefly and enjoyed the ride with us. Lady bugs are said to bring luck and prosperity in many cultures and the lady bug is a central image used in feng shui. Thanks to Brendon and RP for going along. It took a full day to organize and unload Fireflys' inventory after our arrival but Darla and I had an amazingly beautiful day in which to accomplish it. We look forward to making some great memories with Firefly! Check out the delivery video below shot in 4K

https://youtu.be/cw-nVzczCrg

Here we go again!

1986 J Boats J35

    Here we go again!
 I guess the winter was a little long this year--just long enough for the sailboat bug to bite us again! We've owned a number of sailboats in the past, but the last two years we've been boat-less and missing the sailing on Lake Michigan. Not in 2016! We knew that we wanted a 35 foot boat, so I spent all winter checking out everything from 32-38 footers within a reasonable distance from Milwaukee. I found a 33 foot Endeavor at Larsen Marine that looked promising, and after wife approval, made an offer that was accepted. The survey revealed a few items I was simply not in the mood to deal with, so we ended up walking on that one. Which brings us to FireFly, a 1986 J Boat J35 that I'd fallen in love with (and tried to buy) a few years ago. The owner and I just couldn't agree on a price at the time.She remained unsold for the last three years.  Fast forward to last week, and guess what? While not a perfect family boat (tiller, running back stays), I felt she was worth one more try on the price. I submitted an offer and held my breath...wait for it.... It was countered quite a bit above my offer. After some thought, I felt I needed to stick to my guns, and I did. The seller almost immediately reversed and took my first offer--whew!! The boat itself is in amazing shape. We're waiting for it to be put in the water for a sea trial, and hopefully close by late next week. I will post updates, but in the meantime, check out some of the video and photos I took...

https://youtu.be/BNrRQ8powrk Exterior

https://youtu.be/xULCmfaBVYY  Interior and deck

Folding prop and faired bottom

Fin Keel 6'10 draft

Gorgeous Dark Blue Imron paint

Port Bow

Starboard

Starboard Rudder

aft starboard quarter/transom

under cover for three years!

port cockpit

aft port/transom

port side rudder

. 

Snowboarding Mount Bohemia!

Lac Labelle (frozen) and Lake Superior in the background

Well 2016 has started out the right way! A few weeks ago, a good friend of mine told me about his dream to snowboard Mount Bohemia in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan--what?-- where??? Of course I had been to the UP but I had never heard of Mount Bohemia. The lack of snow had kept Bohemia closed until January 16, but last week they had been getting hammered with snow so we decided to hit it-- and it was worth the nearly 7 hour drive from Milwaukee each way.

Driving in from Bohemia to Copper Harbor

We left Milwaukee late afternoon and as we got closer to the Pine Lodge resort in Copper Harbor, this is what the roads looked like!

greeted with warmth!

Pine lodge resort is a little dated but had reasonable rates and was a decent place to stay-- also they served a good breakfast!

           The next morning we were greeted with 5 inches of fresh snow and a perfect sunny day! Give        yourself about 30 minutes to drive from Copper Harbor to Bohemia.

Beautiful winter landscapes

The photos are great but please check out my you tube video at the link below to really do the resort some justice. This is an expert only resort--no groomed runs, but well worth the trip!!!       https://youtu.be/nU2JswfhHkY