Quote from: Uomo Senza Nome on June 12, 2026, 10:46:43 AMMAJH - I spoke at length to the owner, a retired Field Artillery Officer and businessman who said he never planned on moving. His wife split, the kids went off to college and then his parents became sick in another state so he is moved there to take care of them. He had planned on living there till he died and then be buried there.

He had 15 more acres but sold them off when he moved. The new owner put them back on the market at double the price. The interesting thing here is that they are essentially the side of the hill, most of which has a 10-15 degree slope. I'm not sure I would buy a steep hillside unless I was raising goats. So a new builder would have to spend a fortune on site prep or build at the bottom of the hill.

Reminds me of my uncle who's a retired CWO5 (yes, a unicorn). He and his wife got willed a parcel of land maybe 30 minutes outside of San Antonio and it has amazing views. It's not built like a bunker as yours, but he's noted the sightlines and views of the approaches are phenomenal. You can watch the main highway 5 miles out all day from the porch. He asked if I can find him some topo maps of the surrounding area and if I can find a shop that still sells or prints them. I kidding him if he was planning on setting up a range card or not. He didn't laugh.

Hopefully that'll keep those adjoining acres undeveloped for a good long time.

MAJH - I spoke at length to the owner, a retired Field Artillery Officer and businessman who said he never planned on moving. His wife split, the kids went off to college and then his parents became sick in another state so he is moved there to take care of them. He had planned on living there till he died and then be buried there.

He had 15 more acres but sold them off when he moved. The new owner put them back on the market at double the price. The interesting thing here is that they are essentially the side of the hill, most of which has a 10-15 degree slope. I'm not sure I would buy a steep hillside unless I was raising goats. So a new builder would have to spend a fortune on site prep or build at the bottom of the hill.

Quote from: Uomo Senza Nome on June 11, 2026, 07:16:02 PMI put a contract on a new to me home. It is a rural home located on a hilltop.

The basement was of particular interest to me. It was blasted out of limestone rock and the basement is 12' below grade and 15' below the main level. The main level has a poured concrete floor essentially making the entire finished basement a storm shelter/ fallout shelter, which is about 2300 sqft.

I think the concrete floor is about 3" but when combined with the overall  roof height it appears to provide enough protection to keep things low rad.  It still needs a decent over pressure ventilation system. The support pillars are carbon fiber wrapped.

Other nice features:

500 gallon cistern
5 acres of rich arable land, 6 acres wooded
28000 gallon swimming pool (also blasted out of the rock)
1200 sqft shop
Tractor shed
Wood burning fireplace and a separate gas log fire place
Additional detached three car garage
Great lines of sight in all directions, yet the house is hidden from the road
Gated, fenced and cross fenced
There is an existing concrete pad suitable for a very large greenhouse. Current owner was using it for a basketball court
Located very near a private tactical training facility that I have access to
Because the basement is so deep and surrounded by limestone It stays 65 degrees year round without heat or AC
Enough room to house all of my family and most of the extended family comfortably
I already know the closest neighbors. One is a chief of police for a nearby town and the other is an ER doc at the local hospital.

I have that new house excitement

That's like a deluxe buffet of preparedness!

I put a contract on a new to me home. It is a rural home located on a hilltop.

The basement was of particular interest to me. It was blasted out of limestone rock and the basement is 12' below grade and 15' below the main level. The main level has a poured concrete floor essentially making the entire finished basement a storm shelter/ fallout shelter, which is about 2300 sqft.

I think the concrete floor is about 3" but when combined with the overall  roof height it appears to provide enough protection to keep things low rad.  It still needs a decent over pressure ventilation system. The support pillars are carbon fiber wrapped.

Other nice features:

500 gallon cistern
5 acres of rich arable land, 6 acres wooded
28000 gallon swimming pool (also blasted out of the rock)
1200 sqft shop
Tractor shed
Wood burning fireplace and a separate gas log fire place
Additional detached three car garage
Great lines of sight in all directions, yet the house is hidden from the road
Gated, fenced and cross fenced
There is an existing concrete pad suitable for a very large greenhouse. Current owner was using it for a basketball court
Located very near a private tactical training facility that I have access to
Because the basement is so deep and surrounded by limestone It stays 65 degrees year round without heat or AC
Enough room to house all of my family and most of the extended family comfortably
I already know the closest neighbors. One is a chief of police for a nearby town and the other is an ER doc at the local hospital.

I have that new house excitement

I'd encourage you to flash a radio to Meshcore and see what you think. It takes less than three minutes and I think you'll be impressed. Of course, you can just as easily flash back to Meshtastic.

Quote from: Crimson_Phoenix on June 06, 2026, 02:24:29 PMno more plying Fury Road to get home when I'm burned out, etc.

I have a hundred mile round trip commute. But I play a more Gran Turismo style while listening to electronic trance music mixes and counting all the people that are on the highway driving for the first time ever, all the while trying to set a new personal best in MPG efficiency by watching my instant mpg graph, and possibly set a transit time personal best, all that to kill the time and not others.   

Sebastian Bohm

One way personal bests
43 min
42.6 mpg

Tank personal best
40.5 mpg

I have not seen a station out of gas here during this, and prices have been dropping the last 2 weeks and are now at ~$3.79 for regular. [down from ~$4.50ish]

Irony is, I see so many folks carrying around ditty bags, shoulder bags, fanny packs, etc. with MOLLE webbing and tactical this and that. Other than I still wear my Tru-Spec tactical pants I wore when I was with the Sheriff's Office because they're comfortable and the cargo pockets are useful, I now wear hot weather fishing shirts and New Balance dad shoes anymore. My go to bag is a mid-sized Jansport laptop work bag in navy blue. Meanwhile, most folks seem to see "grey man" as all tactical kit in FDE and Ranger Green, but you end up looking like a plainclothes cop or PMC.

Not on Meshcore at this point and even my Meshtastic devices are more for back up radio to radio if cellphone coverage goes down and I'm out and about with family or even for around the house. Even when I had my devices in Boston proper, the open primary channel was just filled with tests and random non-sensical messages.

I moved within 1.5 mi of my office in 2024 and don't regret it. No more 30-45 minute commutes, no more plying Fury Road to get home when I'm burned out, etc. I fill up once a month now. Still considering picking up a bicycle though.