Snobs moving to the country

[blackrams]

I think Harley riders are different...

I think HD riders bought into some of the best marketing this planet has ever seen and bought into the HD Cult mindset but, to each their own. I'll ride with just about anyone except very loud and stupid. I won't ride with either of those two guys.

Rams :drink:

 

[Industrial Toys]

Of course she didn't understand! She didn't say alligator after it!

 

[Einthewoods]

I wasn't going to reply to this thread and even tried to not read it because I knew it would bring out the worst in me....

Where I live in Northern MI, it is all pretty rural. Good people that do the wave thing and help each other out, fish dinners on Friday night, etc. etc. I love it, the whole reason I live here.

Each weekend the folks from the downstate city areas (think Detroit) come up North to their cabins to drunk snowmobile in the winter and ride ATV/dirt bikes, boating, etc. in the summer. That is all fine and good if they respected the land and the people who live here. But those dang cidiots just don't. They tear the **** out of stuff, liter and are just a plain nuisance to humanity in general.

A couple of the homes on the road I live on are such cabins. I have talked to some of them as they stop by my house to chat, though always with that tone like they are getting some rare opportunity to talk to a local bumpkin. I'll be polite as that is how I was raised and have even helped them out with things around their cabins when they needed an extra hand or given advice on things as they often dont have what Northerners would consider common sense/knowledge.

With that being said, the one thing that kills me the most is that many of them have the dream of leaving the city at some point and moving up here. That could go a couple different ways:
1. they live here full time and settle down and start respecting why people live here full time in the first place. Finally assimilate to the lifestyle
2. continue their cidiot ways

Just glad that I don't need to leave my property very often and when I do I go during the weekdays while they are down sucking exhaust fumes in the city.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Isn't that the way? I'm not innocent in these matter either. They want the quietness of nature, then start firing guns or mount the BOSE speakers on their decks that you can hear a mile away at night! It's always all right as long as it's your noise/music.

Or turn the virgin country side into a junk yard with all manner of man made garbage.

If I had new neighbors that turned out to be into motocross or running a dog kennel, well let's just say, that probably wouldn't end well.

Live and let live, only seems to work if you can't see, smell or hear the other!

 

[ultrarunner]

It may be minor in the scheme of things... but, I think you can tell a lot about a region and it's people by the amount or lack of litter and graffiti.

 

[MossRoad]

What I can't understand is how do people have the time to put so much graffit on train cars. We have an extremely busy rail corridor here. So I get the opportunity to watch trains almost daily. The majority of cars on the Candaian National tracks are covered front to rear with graffit on both sides. Some of it is really amazing art talent, but vandalous, nonetheless.

As for Germans.... :laughing:

Growing up we had older (to me, probably late 50s at the time) German neighbors. The man was very business-like with little conversation. The woman was a bit friendlier. She taught my dog to speak German over the fence.

Anyhow, one day the man came to our door, covered in sweat, dirty and in extreme panic. He asked if I could come help him and to get my father. He was in quite the hurry. So I yelled for my dad, he came, the neighbor kept panic motioning for us to follow him, but wouldn't say much. He was kind of like walking in shock. We follow him over to his house, walk around back, and he's pointing down the escarpment. We all lived on the edge of a very steep high bank on the outside bend of an oxbow lake. Our yard was about 90' down to the water, his was about 75'. It was probably about a 65-70 degree drop. We look over the edge and see nothing but smashed down brush, but then I realize he's saying "mower".... :shocked:

He was riding his little Snapper riding mower, backed up too close to the edge, the rear wheels went over the edge, and it went over backwards with him on it! The thing was probably about 10' from the water, so he rode it down summersault-style several times about 60' down that cliff.

My dad got him to sit down and got his wife to get him some water. We kept asking if he was OK, but he kept saying "mower" with big wide eyes. Man, I thought he was going to have a heart attack.

So after he got calmed down, and we were sure he wasn't injured, we got another neighbor, and the four of use carried that little Snapper rider over to the stairs that went down to the water, then walked it up to the top for him. Took it to the neighbors house for repairs.

After that incident, he always waved to me, and stopped and asked how I was doing, what was going on in my life, etc... and his wife started sending over really good, heavy German bread every so often. Ended up being pretty good friends for many years, even after I got married and moved across town. I'd alway catch up when visiting my parents.

 

[ultrarunner]

Thing about the Germans I know is they don't like being in debt... so if they feel they owe you there is nothing you can do about it...

 

[Wagtail]

Thing about the Germans I know is they don't like being in debt... so if they feel they owe you there is nothing you can do about it...

True. But it's one of those unspoken 'rules' in a rural community... If I borrow a horse float, there's a case of beer or favourite libation 'dropped off' after the occasion. Even when when they were happy to let you borrow it in the first place.

I help bring in the hay crop with my 4105 (fetching the rounds and loading the lorry). I buy my hay from them and, to me, it's all 'tractor fun' = no 'charge'. They always deliver a lorry load (7 rounds) and flatly refuse payment.

It's just the way it is.

 

[PILOON]

I purchased my land here in 1957 and am a permanant resident for about 25 years now.
Locals always referred to us as tourists and even the city manager just last year called us squatters.
When I pointed out to him that I pay taxes while a squatter does not he became upset.
When it came to street lights a city councillor (publically) said that we should stay in the big city if we wanted lights.

In my case I rather soon got accepted by the locals because I always hired local and in many cases helped find them good deals on things the desired as being a sales rep covered much territory and also had a wide interest in all sorts of mechanical things.

What really got me on the good side was when I contracted with a local to cut, peel and deliver me logs for my cabin.
I prepaid 1/2 in the fall with balance COD May 1st.
The 4 walls cost me $200.00!
Oh he needed to float them across the lake as we had no road.
That local 'woodsman' was related to about 80% of the locals.
Back then work was very rare for those guys and I possibly provided him 1/2 his budget for the winter.
That was 1957.

Over the years I hired about 2/3 of that clan for one thing or the other.
Even more recently I sub contracted them to build 3 modern homes under my supervision for clients.

Now on the upside my cabin was never squatted or robbed as I had my 'look out crew' constantly on the job.
Not saying they were dishonest but we all have different sets of values.
I never locked and they knew they could borrow as long as they returned.

 

[ultrarunner]

My brother had a rather quick acceptance because of the effort made... didn't change a lot of local traditions, was involved with community events and hired locals.

One of the neighbors had keys for all the gates... each year he would host a Holiday party and would use a small section of the farm for parking... with spotters.

The first day he came over with the keys and contact information... they talked and decided no reason to make any changes now... the neighbor was also strategically located and has been very helpful stopping dumping...