I think every server, and maybe all other computers too, have what is called access log files. This is a file containing useful information about nodes that access the computer which is compiling the log file. Time and date and IP address is all standard documentation. There can be other information such as referral sites and destination sites after the visitor leaves. Thus, you can not only tell what they did on your site, but you can tell where they came from and where they went afterwards. All that is cool information, but the most valuable information is the user_agent string created by the browser to identify itself. There is some bare minimum information in that string but a lot of things beyond browser identification can be included. Given that browser ID and the fact that such things as MAC addresses and S/N's can be milked by cookies, anybody who is interested can get a lot of information about your specific identity. This is the exact information that marketers are interested in because it doesn't change while you are on the same hardware, usually. There are browsers wherein you can put anything you want into the string and replace what is naturally there. If you are running the Tor browser, for example, you can change the string to say you are using Moziolla, for example.
All of that information gathering is kind of SOP and has always been in place. The fact that people like Farcebook make a living documenting all those unique ID's is novel but not a surprise. System admins have been doing it since day one. So, the software for this site allows the administrator to view those user_agent strings right from the administrator's account. The same thing can be viewed from the server logs and via the server Control Panel to which I have access. Back when this was a truly interactive website, I used to look at those logs to see who was driving by. It was surprising on many occasions but we never had been hacked seriously. In theory we could identify the hacker's unique user_agent and IP location and narrow things down quite a bit. And, while I could not get the identity of any specific computer user, it is possible to pressure the ISP for such information especially if you work with the FBI, CIA, or NSA. By the way, I know the FBI has visited us and may be tracking us. LOL
The first time this place slowed down enough for me to generate a trouble ticket was last July. They did some server tweaking and things settled down for a while. We had access problems from time to time but they were all transitory and generally cleared up on their own. When the current problem arose I had reopened that July ticket and they tweaked the php software, but that only helped for a short time. They kept denying anything was amiss on the host server and implied I should fix my software instead because they are perfect and they don't touch their client's software. Same story I've heard a few times before. Then, quite by chance, I noticed the bottom line on our index page telling me the max number of users we had online at one point exceeded 500. WFT was that?
I know Google and the rest of them have the ability to make a few dozen queries simultaneously, but 500+ is unbelievable. Who would want to crawl this measly old web site with 500 bots anyway? And for what purpose? Well I don't know why, but I do know who. Looking at those user_agent strings every one of them had a different IP address but the same operating system: Linux-Android. That told me they were all mobile devices which is typical of a botnet. The main bot master infects a million (literally) smartphones and uses them to make queries like the ones we were being bombarded with. It's often malicious and intended to shut down the site. But this wasn't of that magnitude. I was able to identify the master as AspiegelBot.
Looking up AspiegelBot revealed that they are known malicious web crawlers; malicious in the sense of the tactics they use as opposed to their intent. I curate 4 websites in the brainformation.com domain and in total there were more than 2000 connections as guest. I could have banned 2000 IP addresses, or whole countries, but that would be a massive job that likely would prove futile. The information I've read says when doing that they just generate new IP's from different countries. The best approach is to use those unique user_agent strings and shut down specific types of machines. The spam bots typically have something in their ID's that don't occur in normal users, and that is the key. Normal banning lists are futile so that something like modifications to robots.txt or .htaccess is needed. And that is what I spent the last few days trying to figure out and implement. I didn't touch the robots.txt file because that is a option depending on the honor system. The bots do not have to obey the rules in there. However, .htaccess is an Apache server protocol that controls what happens in specific directories. Bots can't change or ignore that.
Needless to say I updated al the .htaccess files in our domain. When AspiegelBot figures out it has been short circuited, it will find a new way to harass us. That's fine because now I know what to do. But there is a question in my mind about how they found us. Lately I've been getting spam e-mail to the admin accounts which I never got before. It all started with my investigation into LINUX, believe it or not. I've been to probably a dozen Linux support sites and created a profile in most of them. When asked for a web site reference, I give them this web site. BINGO! That's how the bots found us. It may be too late to do anything now, but I created a honeypot. All I need to do now is to find all those profiles I created and change the URL to the honeypot. The bots can read embedded URL's so that I simply added a graphic with our URL in that image. It will now be the burden of any interested humans to type in our address instead of clicking a link. I doubt that will turn off anybody other than the bots. We seldom get real people driving by anyway.
The Rest Of The Story
Re: The Rest Of The Story
Interesting!
Although I rarely look at it, my host shows the number of hits to my website, the number of unique hits, and the number of returned hits. At first I didn't know why the numbers didn't add up, turns out they don't include bot hits in either the unique or returned list of hits, but do show it in the total number of hits. But then there are other parts of the list that show how many hits went on to another page besides the index page. This is the one I was interested in because it also showed which pages got the most hits. But if I want more than they are already showing for free, I have to upgrade to another type of account, which is something I don't really need anyhow.
On a totally different note:
Across the street, to the right of the IT guy is a vacant house that is kept up well. I was offered to buy it when I first moved down here and turned them down, I felt the price was too high for what it was. Also there were problems with the plat maps showing infringements on the neighbors property the IT guy is in, plus another one for the house on another street behind it. Looked like more worms than I wanted to deal with.
Our newest neighbor directly across the street was talking to them, wanting to put up a privacy fence between the two houses. The man told her he had already talked to a company about that very thing, but with the house being sold and the new folks moving in, he had to put it on hold, because he wants it on the property line which makes both homeowners own the fence. He said he will pay the full-price of installation if they agree to put it on the property line.
Naturally they said yes!
Also, while they were talking, he said he just bought the vacant house on the corner, so there will be some activity over there as he has working starting in a couple of weeks to renovate the place. Asked if he was going to rent it out, and he said no, it will just be for some of my equipment is all, and after it is done, he will have a landscaper take care of both of his yards, so things should start looking good by mid-summer.
All I can say is he must be doing good with whatever it is he is doing over there.
On yet another note:
We have a ceramic faced block building not far from us on the west side of Sims Road. It looks like a normal house, built around the 1950's and it is well maintained. Yard mowed, trees and bushes trimmed, and two flower beds that are well maintained. It has one concrete driveway (rare for down in this area) from the road that runs beside the house, but no garage, and never a car parked there. Occasionally a KUB truck might be there for an hour or two.
I just learned last night that this is a power substation for the projects and residences west to a road I can't remember the name of off hand, and south of the train tracks all the way to Brown Road. Besides the projects of about 350 or more apartments, it only serves about 280 private homes. I never thought there were that many houses over there, looks like all woods from here, hi hi. But then if you go down some of the side streets there are small subdivisions back in there.
Although I rarely look at it, my host shows the number of hits to my website, the number of unique hits, and the number of returned hits. At first I didn't know why the numbers didn't add up, turns out they don't include bot hits in either the unique or returned list of hits, but do show it in the total number of hits. But then there are other parts of the list that show how many hits went on to another page besides the index page. This is the one I was interested in because it also showed which pages got the most hits. But if I want more than they are already showing for free, I have to upgrade to another type of account, which is something I don't really need anyhow.
On a totally different note:
Across the street, to the right of the IT guy is a vacant house that is kept up well. I was offered to buy it when I first moved down here and turned them down, I felt the price was too high for what it was. Also there were problems with the plat maps showing infringements on the neighbors property the IT guy is in, plus another one for the house on another street behind it. Looked like more worms than I wanted to deal with.
Our newest neighbor directly across the street was talking to them, wanting to put up a privacy fence between the two houses. The man told her he had already talked to a company about that very thing, but with the house being sold and the new folks moving in, he had to put it on hold, because he wants it on the property line which makes both homeowners own the fence. He said he will pay the full-price of installation if they agree to put it on the property line.
Naturally they said yes!
Also, while they were talking, he said he just bought the vacant house on the corner, so there will be some activity over there as he has working starting in a couple of weeks to renovate the place. Asked if he was going to rent it out, and he said no, it will just be for some of my equipment is all, and after it is done, he will have a landscaper take care of both of his yards, so things should start looking good by mid-summer.
All I can say is he must be doing good with whatever it is he is doing over there.
On yet another note:
We have a ceramic faced block building not far from us on the west side of Sims Road. It looks like a normal house, built around the 1950's and it is well maintained. Yard mowed, trees and bushes trimmed, and two flower beds that are well maintained. It has one concrete driveway (rare for down in this area) from the road that runs beside the house, but no garage, and never a car parked there. Occasionally a KUB truck might be there for an hour or two.
I just learned last night that this is a power substation for the projects and residences west to a road I can't remember the name of off hand, and south of the train tracks all the way to Brown Road. Besides the projects of about 350 or more apartments, it only serves about 280 private homes. I never thought there were that many houses over there, looks like all woods from here, hi hi. But then if you go down some of the side streets there are small subdivisions back in there.
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Aside from the server logs there are several different analytic programs I can run from the server to see the site's stats. It's pointless these days but back when we had some real traffic it was interesting to see where people came from and migrated to. I think if you're selling something those numbers would have more significance. For a site like this one it's just interesting information and nothing else. I was always amazed, however, at how much data the web server actually collects. Some of the terms are ambiguous at best. There are visits, hits, clicks, and the gods only know what. They all have some special significance but I think some of the terms overlap. That's why the totals never add up. Some things get counted twice while other things never get counted.
Real estate is way too complicated for me to understand. Whenever I bought and sold a house nothing could be done until those plats of survey were made and any issues resolved. Then and only then could we talk about titles. The homes in back of me here have zero lot lines which means there is no space between some of the units. I don't see that as a problem in theory but damage on one side of the wall causing damage to the other adjoining wall could be a legal nightmare. In my old neighborhood you could not sell your house if a fence or other permanent structure was sitting on (or crossing) the lot line. It seems to be more of a problem for the insurance companies than anybody else. But, I was told that's one of the reasons for the plat survey.
You have quite a diverse neighborhood there, and fortunately it seems to be well kept. I miss that down here because all the houses are made of the same ticky-tacky and look like neat well planned little boxes. Then I have to pay them $400 a year to make stupid rules to keep it all looking insanely identical. I suppose it's possible that a lot of those little boxes surrounding me could in reality be thriving closet businesses. How would I know? I don't talk to the neighbors much. But then there is nothing unusual going on until this epidemic thing came along. I now see real people out there walking their dogs, jogging, riding bicycles, skate boarding, and on family outings around the neighborhood. Even the local police now come down our street twice a month just to check on things. All those things happened before this pandemic, but rarely. I never saw kids outside playing like I do now that they are out of school. Families are doing things together daily instead of once a week if the weather was nice. It looks like a real neighborhood now. I'm thinking I'm going to put some lilac siding on my house just to see what happens. I hear the fine is only $75 a year from breaking the rules. Heck, I can live with that. LOL
Real estate is way too complicated for me to understand. Whenever I bought and sold a house nothing could be done until those plats of survey were made and any issues resolved. Then and only then could we talk about titles. The homes in back of me here have zero lot lines which means there is no space between some of the units. I don't see that as a problem in theory but damage on one side of the wall causing damage to the other adjoining wall could be a legal nightmare. In my old neighborhood you could not sell your house if a fence or other permanent structure was sitting on (or crossing) the lot line. It seems to be more of a problem for the insurance companies than anybody else. But, I was told that's one of the reasons for the plat survey.
You have quite a diverse neighborhood there, and fortunately it seems to be well kept. I miss that down here because all the houses are made of the same ticky-tacky and look like neat well planned little boxes. Then I have to pay them $400 a year to make stupid rules to keep it all looking insanely identical. I suppose it's possible that a lot of those little boxes surrounding me could in reality be thriving closet businesses. How would I know? I don't talk to the neighbors much. But then there is nothing unusual going on until this epidemic thing came along. I now see real people out there walking their dogs, jogging, riding bicycles, skate boarding, and on family outings around the neighborhood. Even the local police now come down our street twice a month just to check on things. All those things happened before this pandemic, but rarely. I never saw kids outside playing like I do now that they are out of school. Families are doing things together daily instead of once a week if the weather was nice. It looks like a real neighborhood now. I'm thinking I'm going to put some lilac siding on my house just to see what happens. I hear the fine is only $75 a year from breaking the rules. Heck, I can live with that. LOL
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I don't doubt they collect every bit of information they can about us and who visits us, hi hi.
Yes, Real Estate deals can be quite complex, and/or they can be overly simple.
Depends on how and where you buy.
For example: You NEVER want to buy a house at auction from the courthouse steps.
This is because the house comes with all the liens and encumbrances already on them.
However: The best place to buy a house with no liens or encumbrances, is from a private REO auction by a bank, or a third party holding REO auctions for the bank. You always get a perfectly clear title!
And don't kid yourself, the bank has made back their money big time already, else they wouldn't be sold as REO's.
The second best way to buy is directly from the owner, through a title agency so you are insured a clear title.
Going through a Realtor ensures a much higher price, usually a Retail Sale, and many hidden fees the buyer pays for.
Most subdivisions are cookie cutter houses, perhaps a selection of 4 floor plans with 5 or 6 choices for the front.
Sometimes they only have two different foundations they build on, whether a 2-story or single story house.
Some foundations are placed backwards to give a different front, or back appearance.
It is rare to find a place that allows less than 30 feet between houses, unless they are in an already overly crowded city.
Although I've found many areas with houses only 10 feet a part, and some with only a 3 foot space between them.
Most counties require a fence to be installed 3 inches inside your property line, and often not forward of your front set-back. In other words no fences in the front yards as you find in cities so often, even here where the fence can go around your entire property.
Yes, Real Estate deals can be quite complex, and/or they can be overly simple.
Depends on how and where you buy.
For example: You NEVER want to buy a house at auction from the courthouse steps.
This is because the house comes with all the liens and encumbrances already on them.
However: The best place to buy a house with no liens or encumbrances, is from a private REO auction by a bank, or a third party holding REO auctions for the bank. You always get a perfectly clear title!
And don't kid yourself, the bank has made back their money big time already, else they wouldn't be sold as REO's.
The second best way to buy is directly from the owner, through a title agency so you are insured a clear title.
Going through a Realtor ensures a much higher price, usually a Retail Sale, and many hidden fees the buyer pays for.
Most subdivisions are cookie cutter houses, perhaps a selection of 4 floor plans with 5 or 6 choices for the front.
Sometimes they only have two different foundations they build on, whether a 2-story or single story house.
Some foundations are placed backwards to give a different front, or back appearance.
It is rare to find a place that allows less than 30 feet between houses, unless they are in an already overly crowded city.
Although I've found many areas with houses only 10 feet a part, and some with only a 3 foot space between them.
Most counties require a fence to be installed 3 inches inside your property line, and often not forward of your front set-back. In other words no fences in the front yards as you find in cities so often, even here where the fence can go around your entire property.
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You are correct about sub-divisions. It all has to do with city planning, zoning, and ordinances. Aside from all that, the developer wants to keep things simple so that he can control the costs. All that is well and good. By far the majority of people I know live in those circumstances. My last house, however, was situated on a plot of unincorporated land between two subdivisions. The one to our east was in existence for a dozen years before we got there. To our west was a huge chunk of land, maybe 20 acres, that was developed into what we termed mini-castles. The starting price 20 years ago was $750,000 and some sold for a million plus. Me and a few neighbors on one acre lots loved the fact that those expensive homes were built. Mine must have come off as a service residence. LOL I think it was due to those expensive houses that I was able to get the price I did for mine. What I never did understand is how all those million dollar houses were purchased. The neighborhood I lived in was middle class and diverse as the United Nations. Why in Hell anybody wealthy enough to afford those mini-castles would want to is beyond me.
The few of us who didn't live in the subdivisions had houses as different as could be. Mine was a red brick ranch, all 1500 sq ft of it. I had the drainage stream in my back yard but my neighbor had the sewer into which it poured. That neighbor built a Victorian blue style house with turrets and all. He claimed the turrets cost as much as the rest of the house because they both had to be custom built. The neighbor on the other side was a Frank Lloyd Wright wannabe architect. He built a passive solar house that was very modernistic in style. It was the talking point of all the neighbors and I was totally amazed when he eventually moved. I didn't think anybody would buy such a monstrosity, but he personally helped the new owner finance the purchase which helped things along. My dentist neighbor had a 5000 sq ft two story estate. I used to kid him that my going to his office for dental work paid for some of the bricks they used to build it. He agreed.
The few of us who didn't live in the subdivisions had houses as different as could be. Mine was a red brick ranch, all 1500 sq ft of it. I had the drainage stream in my back yard but my neighbor had the sewer into which it poured. That neighbor built a Victorian blue style house with turrets and all. He claimed the turrets cost as much as the rest of the house because they both had to be custom built. The neighbor on the other side was a Frank Lloyd Wright wannabe architect. He built a passive solar house that was very modernistic in style. It was the talking point of all the neighbors and I was totally amazed when he eventually moved. I didn't think anybody would buy such a monstrosity, but he personally helped the new owner finance the purchase which helped things along. My dentist neighbor had a 5000 sq ft two story estate. I used to kid him that my going to his office for dental work paid for some of the bricks they used to build it. He agreed.
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Compared to St. Louis County, where you knew how much money folks made by where they lived. If you got out of the county to an adjoining county, then it was like what you experienced.
FWIW: My house too was in an unincorporated area, although the rest of our subdivision was. But it was only my house, and the neighbor on each side of me. It had to do with the once commercial zoning changed to residential, after Maryland Heights got part of the old subdivision, and Creve Coeur part of the new subdivision. We were still unincorporated when I moved south, but we all agreed the next time Creve Coeur tried to annex us to go with them, and not the other cities trying to take over our area. I was out of there before that vote would come up again. Nevertheless we still had to go by the subdivisions HOA rules, because we were in the same Tempo subdivision.
There is a river rat town along the river named Valley Park. It was mostly poor folks and low grade housing. It has come up some over the years. But what most folks don't know is there was a subdivision of all million dollar homes built back in the woods to the west of but still inside of Valley Park. High up well above the flood plain. I only knew about it because I delivered to them a few times over the years, but for the most part, most folks don't know they are up there.
Same think in Kirkwood, there are some really expensive homes tucked in pockets you can only see if you are going down one of the private drives that take you back to those subdivisions. Now most of them are gated also!
Here in TN, you may have a mansion, next to a shack, next to a mobile home, next to a normal house. Really strange to me how that worked out down here.
But unlike most towns with a river where everything along the river is shacks. Down here it is just the opposite, only millionaires can afford to live along the river. This is party due to the fact TVA controls the water level to within 1/2 inch so they don't flood or have low water conditions. They will allow the drinking water reservoirs to run dry before allowing the water level in Ft. Lauden Lake to fluctuate or go down. That's what MONEY buys you, hi hi.
Missouri is the opposite. They will try to fit 55 billion gallons of water into an area than can only hold perhaps 55 million gallons, and in so doing end up destroying homes that have survived hundreds of floods. When the levee's they build break, the onrush of water is like a bulldozer taking out everything in its path. Without the levee, the water would spread out and come up a few feet, for which most of the homes were designed to handle. But they can't handle a wall of water hitting them all at once when the levee breaks, and it will, they always do!
FWIW: My house too was in an unincorporated area, although the rest of our subdivision was. But it was only my house, and the neighbor on each side of me. It had to do with the once commercial zoning changed to residential, after Maryland Heights got part of the old subdivision, and Creve Coeur part of the new subdivision. We were still unincorporated when I moved south, but we all agreed the next time Creve Coeur tried to annex us to go with them, and not the other cities trying to take over our area. I was out of there before that vote would come up again. Nevertheless we still had to go by the subdivisions HOA rules, because we were in the same Tempo subdivision.
There is a river rat town along the river named Valley Park. It was mostly poor folks and low grade housing. It has come up some over the years. But what most folks don't know is there was a subdivision of all million dollar homes built back in the woods to the west of but still inside of Valley Park. High up well above the flood plain. I only knew about it because I delivered to them a few times over the years, but for the most part, most folks don't know they are up there.
Same think in Kirkwood, there are some really expensive homes tucked in pockets you can only see if you are going down one of the private drives that take you back to those subdivisions. Now most of them are gated also!
Here in TN, you may have a mansion, next to a shack, next to a mobile home, next to a normal house. Really strange to me how that worked out down here.
But unlike most towns with a river where everything along the river is shacks. Down here it is just the opposite, only millionaires can afford to live along the river. This is party due to the fact TVA controls the water level to within 1/2 inch so they don't flood or have low water conditions. They will allow the drinking water reservoirs to run dry before allowing the water level in Ft. Lauden Lake to fluctuate or go down. That's what MONEY buys you, hi hi.
Missouri is the opposite. They will try to fit 55 billion gallons of water into an area than can only hold perhaps 55 million gallons, and in so doing end up destroying homes that have survived hundreds of floods. When the levee's they build break, the onrush of water is like a bulldozer taking out everything in its path. Without the levee, the water would spread out and come up a few feet, for which most of the homes were designed to handle. But they can't handle a wall of water hitting them all at once when the levee breaks, and it will, they always do!
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I'm not sure I want to know where the levees are in Missouri. LOL I do know New Orleans had problems one hurricane season when their levees broke. That city is below sea level and it's damned lucky that they didn't all get buried in salt water that year. It will be one of the first places to disappear from our coastline when the ocean rises a few more inches.
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When I was working for Sverdrup & Parcel, some of my work was on the St. Louis Floodwall. I mainly worked on the movable gates that would block the roadways to the riverfront.
In that case, since St. Louis ran uphill from the river, and the Illinois side was basically flat and flooded anyhow, by adding the floodwall, it didn't really change how bad it would be over in Illinois if there was a flood. If the water came up 10 feet whether we had the floodwall or not, it would still come up 10 feet on the Illinois side before the natural land rise would prevent it from spreading any further.
However, when you get out on the Missouri River, that's a whole different story. The natural flood plains which would take care of the billions of gallons of water with only a 3 to 5 foot rise, they wanted to develop. So, building a levee would supposedly prevent the billions of gallons of water from spreading out across the floodplain. Trouble with that is, those floodplains covered hundreds of acres, and trying to squeeze all that water into a tiny little river just won't work. Engineers thought it would, but everyone else knew you could not empty a 55 gallon fish tank into a 5 gallon bucket without it overflowing. And once a levee overflows, erosion eats it back down rapidly, and/or the pressure of the water just moves the levee out of the way like opening a gate.
That too is the difference between a flood wall and a levee. A levee is usually just dirt and rock piled up to make a bigger hill. The floodwall is solid concrete and goes below grade as far as it is above grade, and steel pilings are driven down to bedrock for each panel of the floodwall. Supposedly, no way for it to be breached.
Even where the original roads were, where a gate was installed, the road was cut out, and the bottom part under the road was constructed like the rest of the floodwall, and a steel slot is what he flood gate locked into. This was a self-cleaning slot by the way so the flood gate would never not be able to close. Even the side slots it slid into were self-cleaning to make sure kids or vandals did not render the system inoperable or do something to prevent a solid closure.
Handling the thousands of sewer lines took more engineering design than the actual floodwall did. It would do no good to have a floodwall if all the sewers could carry the floodwater to the other side of the wall, hi hi.
Not only sewers, but electric wire conduits, natural gas conduits, telephone service conduits, etc. all had to be addressed and modified. And to make sure the overhead loop if used would not become an automatic siphon as well.
As far as the sea level goes, it is going to rise no matter what, and not just because we are still on the warming side of the current ice age, but also from erosion of the land which eventually ends up in the ocean. All of our mountains are actually getting a bit smaller everyday, only slightly noticeable over a century or two, but every rain carries a little more of the mountain down and eventually all the way to the ocean.
The only time the oceans may drop again is after the current ice age ends, and the next ice age begins and our water ends up piling up at the poles again, and half way across the continents. If the poly-TICK-ians really believed the ocean was rising from what they called Global Warming that would drown us by 2012, they wouldn't be building multi-million dollar mansions down at our current sea level, like Obama just did.
One other thing, if you look up the lifespan for concrete structures, even those made with the best of the high quality forms of cement to make concrete. Then think about when all of the hydroelectric dams were built. I don't think you would be buying a house below these old dams, no matter how much sealer they keep adding to the water side face.
Think of all the iron in those dams. Humidity alone can cause iron to rest, lose strength, decay. Even if not visible by cracks from it expanding. How much pressure has built up around those iron pilings and rebars over the years.
Now look at all the new subdivisions being built downstream from these old dams.
Makes ya want to go Hmm, don't it!
In that case, since St. Louis ran uphill from the river, and the Illinois side was basically flat and flooded anyhow, by adding the floodwall, it didn't really change how bad it would be over in Illinois if there was a flood. If the water came up 10 feet whether we had the floodwall or not, it would still come up 10 feet on the Illinois side before the natural land rise would prevent it from spreading any further.
However, when you get out on the Missouri River, that's a whole different story. The natural flood plains which would take care of the billions of gallons of water with only a 3 to 5 foot rise, they wanted to develop. So, building a levee would supposedly prevent the billions of gallons of water from spreading out across the floodplain. Trouble with that is, those floodplains covered hundreds of acres, and trying to squeeze all that water into a tiny little river just won't work. Engineers thought it would, but everyone else knew you could not empty a 55 gallon fish tank into a 5 gallon bucket without it overflowing. And once a levee overflows, erosion eats it back down rapidly, and/or the pressure of the water just moves the levee out of the way like opening a gate.
That too is the difference between a flood wall and a levee. A levee is usually just dirt and rock piled up to make a bigger hill. The floodwall is solid concrete and goes below grade as far as it is above grade, and steel pilings are driven down to bedrock for each panel of the floodwall. Supposedly, no way for it to be breached.
Even where the original roads were, where a gate was installed, the road was cut out, and the bottom part under the road was constructed like the rest of the floodwall, and a steel slot is what he flood gate locked into. This was a self-cleaning slot by the way so the flood gate would never not be able to close. Even the side slots it slid into were self-cleaning to make sure kids or vandals did not render the system inoperable or do something to prevent a solid closure.
Handling the thousands of sewer lines took more engineering design than the actual floodwall did. It would do no good to have a floodwall if all the sewers could carry the floodwater to the other side of the wall, hi hi.
Not only sewers, but electric wire conduits, natural gas conduits, telephone service conduits, etc. all had to be addressed and modified. And to make sure the overhead loop if used would not become an automatic siphon as well.
As far as the sea level goes, it is going to rise no matter what, and not just because we are still on the warming side of the current ice age, but also from erosion of the land which eventually ends up in the ocean. All of our mountains are actually getting a bit smaller everyday, only slightly noticeable over a century or two, but every rain carries a little more of the mountain down and eventually all the way to the ocean.
The only time the oceans may drop again is after the current ice age ends, and the next ice age begins and our water ends up piling up at the poles again, and half way across the continents. If the poly-TICK-ians really believed the ocean was rising from what they called Global Warming that would drown us by 2012, they wouldn't be building multi-million dollar mansions down at our current sea level, like Obama just did.
One other thing, if you look up the lifespan for concrete structures, even those made with the best of the high quality forms of cement to make concrete. Then think about when all of the hydroelectric dams were built. I don't think you would be buying a house below these old dams, no matter how much sealer they keep adding to the water side face.
Think of all the iron in those dams. Humidity alone can cause iron to rest, lose strength, decay. Even if not visible by cracks from it expanding. How much pressure has built up around those iron pilings and rebars over the years.
Now look at all the new subdivisions being built downstream from these old dams.
Makes ya want to go Hmm, don't it!
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I live a couple or three miles from those Missouri River flood planes and the rivers don't have to be overflowing for them to accumulate water. It's hard to say how much the water would have to come up before it crosses Rt79, but we are up hill from that. Not a lot uphill, but the neighbors claim our neighborhood never got flooded. My first house was about 5 miles from the Des Planes River which flooded almost every year. Maybe once every five years it would rise enough to reach some of the homes along the river. It always amazed me that those folks who get flooded out never move and always rebuild when there is damage. I can't imagine who would insure those homes.
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In Missouri, you cannot build a home in a flood plain. Heck, they don't even let you put up fishing shacks on stilts anymore either, because they invariable become used as houses.
However, there is always someone who comes up with a plan and gets it approved somehow to build a home on a steel framework with the bottom of the house well above the 100 year flood level. Usually some super rich dude with ties to the government.
There was one such house fairly close to where my brother had his fishing cabin. It had a bridge that ran from the just past the railroad crossing all the way to his house, and into his garage. His house, garage, decks, and a small outdoor parking area for guests was all like 25 feet above the ground. A good 4 feet above the 100 year flood height, but the water would have to come up to at least 6 feet over the 100 year flood to actually get into his house. Which would also put it over the train tracks which is highly unlikely in 200 years, hi hi. No flood ever, crossed over the tracks.
But then the government did something weird and allowed Earth City to be built. It's just prior to the bridge over the Missouri.
However, there is always someone who comes up with a plan and gets it approved somehow to build a home on a steel framework with the bottom of the house well above the 100 year flood level. Usually some super rich dude with ties to the government.
There was one such house fairly close to where my brother had his fishing cabin. It had a bridge that ran from the just past the railroad crossing all the way to his house, and into his garage. His house, garage, decks, and a small outdoor parking area for guests was all like 25 feet above the ground. A good 4 feet above the 100 year flood height, but the water would have to come up to at least 6 feet over the 100 year flood to actually get into his house. Which would also put it over the train tracks which is highly unlikely in 200 years, hi hi. No flood ever, crossed over the tracks.
But then the government did something weird and allowed Earth City to be built. It's just prior to the bridge over the Missouri.
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I only know one thing about Earth City. That's the location of the UPS distribution hub. LOL I only know that from the tracking information they send me.
I like water and enjoy vacationing in resorts along lake shores. I've seen a few homes up in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, that I would not mind owning. From what I understand they belong to Chicago Mafia overlords. No chance of me getting into that neighborhood. Other than the vacation aspect of living by the lake shore, sea shore,or river bank, I see no real benefit. Most of the time it stinks from mold and dead fish. LOL The open waters are also fertile grounds for major storms. We get storms inland, but nothing like they do in Florida, for example. Then there is the added expense of making the residence safe. Those 100 year floods have a way of occurring more often these days too. Actually it has nothing to do with time frames. The 100 year flood designation simply means that such a storm only has a 1% chance of occurring. When I lived by Chicago we experienced several 100 year storms. And no, I didn't live there that many years. LOL
'
I like water and enjoy vacationing in resorts along lake shores. I've seen a few homes up in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, that I would not mind owning. From what I understand they belong to Chicago Mafia overlords. No chance of me getting into that neighborhood. Other than the vacation aspect of living by the lake shore, sea shore,or river bank, I see no real benefit. Most of the time it stinks from mold and dead fish. LOL The open waters are also fertile grounds for major storms. We get storms inland, but nothing like they do in Florida, for example. Then there is the added expense of making the residence safe. Those 100 year floods have a way of occurring more often these days too. Actually it has nothing to do with time frames. The 100 year flood designation simply means that such a storm only has a 1% chance of occurring. When I lived by Chicago we experienced several 100 year storms. And no, I didn't live there that many years. LOL
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My cousin Larry and I took a Winter job up in Maine. The job was simple, keep the fireplaces going in the mansion. We would soon be snowed in and could not leave until spring. The entire lobby and one hallway was filled with wood for the fires. Four freezers were filled with food, as were the pantries. The stove was bottled gas, even though they had natural gas there, it could be cut off. Plus we had like four generators and over 500 gallons of fuel in an underground tank.
Free food, housing, and a nice chunk of change. I didn't mind it, but poor Larry was going stir crazy after we were snowed in. Two of the generators were only used for the freezers and small fridge. The big fridge was turned off and left open.
It did get boring after a while, but I had fun doing it. It was a lot more work than we imagined, but still fun, and for a couple of teens, the money was great too.
I brought that up for two reasons. One of our relatives lived up north and was always covered with lake affect snow, but not for months on end, at most maybe a week or two.
And although I only lived outside of Chicago for about five months, maybe it was only four, we drove down to the Chicago Yacht Club several times, since our boss was a member we could get in.
Two of the times we were there, the wind was so strong, it did a lot of damage on the marina area of the club.
And along with those strong winds comes a wave of water that sunk a couple of the smaller boats in the marina they didn't have up on those lifts like they were supposed to. Even so, some that were on the lifts got lifted off of them.
After that second time there, we decided not to go back again. Too long a drive from Oak Brook/Hinsdale only to get blown away again, hi hi.
In any case, sorta makes me wonder why anyone would want to live near a big lake.
Free food, housing, and a nice chunk of change. I didn't mind it, but poor Larry was going stir crazy after we were snowed in. Two of the generators were only used for the freezers and small fridge. The big fridge was turned off and left open.
It did get boring after a while, but I had fun doing it. It was a lot more work than we imagined, but still fun, and for a couple of teens, the money was great too.
I brought that up for two reasons. One of our relatives lived up north and was always covered with lake affect snow, but not for months on end, at most maybe a week or two.
And although I only lived outside of Chicago for about five months, maybe it was only four, we drove down to the Chicago Yacht Club several times, since our boss was a member we could get in.
Two of the times we were there, the wind was so strong, it did a lot of damage on the marina area of the club.
And along with those strong winds comes a wave of water that sunk a couple of the smaller boats in the marina they didn't have up on those lifts like they were supposed to. Even so, some that were on the lifts got lifted off of them.
After that second time there, we decided not to go back again. Too long a drive from Oak Brook/Hinsdale only to get blown away again, hi hi.
In any case, sorta makes me wonder why anyone would want to live near a big lake.
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You know ... location, location, location. That's the one and only draw to living downtown Chicago. Well, I suppose if you are young enough and wealthy enough to take in the awesome variety of entertainment, downtown is THE place to be when in the Chicago area.In any case, sorta makes me wonder why anyone would want to live near a big lake.
The lake effect snow was more of a problem for the folks on the east side of the lake than it was for Chicago proper. I guess that had something to do with the prevailing winds. Also, that lake effect snow didn't come very far inland when it hit Chicago. On the other hand, I recall several winters where it snowed in late November and the ground was not seen again til late February or early March. It wasn't that we got that much snow, although we did get a lot, but the temperatures stayed below freezing for most of the winter.
I've been to that Yacht Club on a charter to go coho salmon fishing. I was not impressed one way or the other with the landscape or the weather. Plus, the six of us had to share the one and only salmon that was caught. It was the only time in my life I actually went onto Lake Michigan fishing. I've fished off shore a few times but was only on the water once. The city sure is beautiful from five miles out.
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It was way back in the '70's when I was up there. Since I was mostly out in the suburbs, and in a more affluent part of the area, living there a short time was a pleasant experience.
I worked on the farm in Frontenac where my grandfather was a lifelong caretaker.
I was first hired by the owner to repair and renovate the house, barn, stables, tack room, and a few other things.
Then when grandfather died, I took over his job, which meant I had to get up much earlier to feed the horses, get them in, and ride each one before turning them out. Part of riding was whacking a ball with a polo mallet so they kept their training to follow the ball.
I got so good at it, that I played a few practice games with the team, and then just as they were going on tour, one of the players got injured and I was asked to play the real games.
One of the toughest teams to play was Kraml Dairy up in Chicago. They had won like 30 straight games.
Now realize I was not a member of the elite crowd, I was technically a stable boy.
I was offered a motel room while there, but chose to live in the tack room bunks like other stable hands, because I was responsible for all the horses we had brought with us. Easier for me to stay there than go back and forth.
However, because I was on the team, the owner of the Oak Brook team treated me much better than the other stable hands on the place. At least up until we beat the pants off them and destroyed their long-standing record.
Since they beat Kraml Dairy, the next major game was in Memphis, TN. However, they only had to bring about half of their horses, so left me behind to take care of the rest. They would have a fill-in guest player while paying the Memphis team. I don't remember where they went after that, because I was busy loading up the horses to drive back to St. Louis, but we were supposed to arrive back home within a day or two of each other.
I can honestly say I was scared to death with such a huge responsibility, and making the long trek back home by myself.
Normally we have two trucks and two cars so if we have a problem we have a crew to help. And I was driving their oldest truck which always seems to have something go wrong with it. I got lucky and had not problems getting home, and ironically, the truck didn't break down until I was backing up to the ramp, which wasn't a problem really, because the truck had it's own ramp, but I had to leave it parked almost to the dock ramp and knew the boss would be furious he couldn't back up to it when he got there.
I used the tractor to pull the truck over to the side of the barn the next day, and he still didn't show up until the next day.
I worked on the farm in Frontenac where my grandfather was a lifelong caretaker.
I was first hired by the owner to repair and renovate the house, barn, stables, tack room, and a few other things.
Then when grandfather died, I took over his job, which meant I had to get up much earlier to feed the horses, get them in, and ride each one before turning them out. Part of riding was whacking a ball with a polo mallet so they kept their training to follow the ball.
I got so good at it, that I played a few practice games with the team, and then just as they were going on tour, one of the players got injured and I was asked to play the real games.
One of the toughest teams to play was Kraml Dairy up in Chicago. They had won like 30 straight games.
Now realize I was not a member of the elite crowd, I was technically a stable boy.
I was offered a motel room while there, but chose to live in the tack room bunks like other stable hands, because I was responsible for all the horses we had brought with us. Easier for me to stay there than go back and forth.
However, because I was on the team, the owner of the Oak Brook team treated me much better than the other stable hands on the place. At least up until we beat the pants off them and destroyed their long-standing record.
Since they beat Kraml Dairy, the next major game was in Memphis, TN. However, they only had to bring about half of their horses, so left me behind to take care of the rest. They would have a fill-in guest player while paying the Memphis team. I don't remember where they went after that, because I was busy loading up the horses to drive back to St. Louis, but we were supposed to arrive back home within a day or two of each other.
I can honestly say I was scared to death with such a huge responsibility, and making the long trek back home by myself.
Normally we have two trucks and two cars so if we have a problem we have a crew to help. And I was driving their oldest truck which always seems to have something go wrong with it. I got lucky and had not problems getting home, and ironically, the truck didn't break down until I was backing up to the ramp, which wasn't a problem really, because the truck had it's own ramp, but I had to leave it parked almost to the dock ramp and knew the boss would be furious he couldn't back up to it when he got there.
I used the tractor to pull the truck over to the side of the barn the next day, and he still didn't show up until the next day.
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You are waking up memories that I never realized I still had. LOL Kraml milk was popular when I was a wee lad and I am sure it was force fed to me by my well intended mom. I recall the name and drinking it, but that's about all I can bring to consciousness right now. When I lived at home my grandpa was still running his dairy business and that's the milk which was a staple in our kitchen. Eventually the dairy business closed, and I think that's when Kraml came about. Apparently the Muppets did some advertising for them. Who would have thought?
Also, I've seen that Oak Brook Polo Club a dozen times while traveling about for one reason or another. It stands out in my mind because it is the most unlikely sport to be played in Chicagoland. Well, I thought it was the most unlikely, but apparently they did well for quite a few years. One day while carousing about I discovered the Polo Club to be shut down. I don't know if that's because you beat the pants off them or not, but I was disappointed to see them go. I don't recall what they did with all that vacant land. Didn't get that way very often.
Also, I've seen that Oak Brook Polo Club a dozen times while traveling about for one reason or another. It stands out in my mind because it is the most unlikely sport to be played in Chicagoland. Well, I thought it was the most unlikely, but apparently they did well for quite a few years. One day while carousing about I discovered the Polo Club to be shut down. I don't know if that's because you beat the pants off them or not, but I was disappointed to see them go. I don't recall what they did with all that vacant land. Didn't get that way very often.
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Hmm. I haven't checked in a few years, but only about three years ago, Chicago still had SIX Major Polo teams, and Kraml was still one of them.
You would never know our St. Louis Polo teams Polo Field ever existed, mainly because it is at the end of a Private Road with several gates along the route too. About the only way to see it is from a satellite image, and then you can't really tell what it is for sure.
One thing a lot of folks don't realize is that a polo field, like ours in St. Louis, normally has a slate bed, sorta like a pool table, except it is drilled like a pegboard. Over that is a mat that in the old days had to be replaced every few years, but now they last 8 to 10 years. Without the mat, the sod would slide on the slate and be worse for the horses than a few moles digging around.
Mat replacement was not done all at once back in the '70s when I was there. It was removed in strips about 10 to 30 feet apart. A sod cutter would cut the sod just above the mat and it was laid over on top of the sod next to it. Then the old mat was rolled up, pulling roots out of the holes in the slate, a device sorta like an aerator was used to punch the dirt out of the holes, and then a new roll of mat rolled out, and the sod folded back over it. When this was done, the field could not be used for about a month until the sod roots got down into the mat to hold it from tearing apart.
That being said, I have no idea how they do it today, or how they did it elsewhere.
Chicago had one of the highest rated Polo Schools in the country! Probably still do too!
Definitely a game only the very rich can afford.
It is also usually only and Old Money sport.
While Golf is the attraction for upcoming and New Money.
Golf is where all the deals are made.
Polo ancestors have already swung all the deals and the next generation are not looking to do more.
We had a large dairy named Woodlawn Farm Dairy, they were into many things, but never got into polo.
But they did provide several baseball fields for the Khory League teams, some of which became city parks.
The entire dairy business, much like many other horticulture or agricultural businesses began to change drastically as the big agro-businesses took over and ran them out of business.
Folks though our greenhouse business was big, when they learned of our many other greenhouses in other areas of town.
But we were like a drop of water in a bucket compared to a new company Hymos, who kept building cheap greenhouses one after another in any place they could get enough land to do so.
The way they did business was quite unlike the way we did business, or most of those in horticulture.
They had the money, machines, and space to do things in a way no other company could.
Plus modern technology and plastics changed things a lot too.
I won't get into how it is all done, for the sake of saving boredom here, hi hi.
But I will give a simpler example you will understand for sure.
When we raised tomatoes for example, if we start from seed, we only pot up once, before placing them out in the garden. Then as each fruit ripens, we pick the tomatoes. So do normal tomato growers work that way.
Not so in agri-business.
They cultivate and propagate tomato plants in such a way it branches out and blooms all at once.
Acres are planted using planting machines. Then when the crop is ready to harvest, they harvest the entire fields, plants and all are pulled up, separated, and then the tomatoes go to a sorting room. Most of this sorting is done mechanically, and only the grading was done visually, until computers learned how to scan a tomato to get the grades they are sold in.
Although all the machines cost a fortune, their labor costs are next to nil.
You would never know our St. Louis Polo teams Polo Field ever existed, mainly because it is at the end of a Private Road with several gates along the route too. About the only way to see it is from a satellite image, and then you can't really tell what it is for sure.
One thing a lot of folks don't realize is that a polo field, like ours in St. Louis, normally has a slate bed, sorta like a pool table, except it is drilled like a pegboard. Over that is a mat that in the old days had to be replaced every few years, but now they last 8 to 10 years. Without the mat, the sod would slide on the slate and be worse for the horses than a few moles digging around.
Mat replacement was not done all at once back in the '70s when I was there. It was removed in strips about 10 to 30 feet apart. A sod cutter would cut the sod just above the mat and it was laid over on top of the sod next to it. Then the old mat was rolled up, pulling roots out of the holes in the slate, a device sorta like an aerator was used to punch the dirt out of the holes, and then a new roll of mat rolled out, and the sod folded back over it. When this was done, the field could not be used for about a month until the sod roots got down into the mat to hold it from tearing apart.
That being said, I have no idea how they do it today, or how they did it elsewhere.
Chicago had one of the highest rated Polo Schools in the country! Probably still do too!
Definitely a game only the very rich can afford.
It is also usually only and Old Money sport.
While Golf is the attraction for upcoming and New Money.
Golf is where all the deals are made.
Polo ancestors have already swung all the deals and the next generation are not looking to do more.
We had a large dairy named Woodlawn Farm Dairy, they were into many things, but never got into polo.
But they did provide several baseball fields for the Khory League teams, some of which became city parks.
The entire dairy business, much like many other horticulture or agricultural businesses began to change drastically as the big agro-businesses took over and ran them out of business.
Folks though our greenhouse business was big, when they learned of our many other greenhouses in other areas of town.
But we were like a drop of water in a bucket compared to a new company Hymos, who kept building cheap greenhouses one after another in any place they could get enough land to do so.
The way they did business was quite unlike the way we did business, or most of those in horticulture.
They had the money, machines, and space to do things in a way no other company could.
Plus modern technology and plastics changed things a lot too.
I won't get into how it is all done, for the sake of saving boredom here, hi hi.
But I will give a simpler example you will understand for sure.
When we raised tomatoes for example, if we start from seed, we only pot up once, before placing them out in the garden. Then as each fruit ripens, we pick the tomatoes. So do normal tomato growers work that way.
Not so in agri-business.
They cultivate and propagate tomato plants in such a way it branches out and blooms all at once.
Acres are planted using planting machines. Then when the crop is ready to harvest, they harvest the entire fields, plants and all are pulled up, separated, and then the tomatoes go to a sorting room. Most of this sorting is done mechanically, and only the grading was done visually, until computers learned how to scan a tomato to get the grades they are sold in.
Although all the machines cost a fortune, their labor costs are next to nil.
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As you might surmise, I'm not one of those old money families. I'm not all that into new money either. However, I do know polo isn't a sport for the ordinary man. The club I'm talking about was out of place, to my way of thinking anyway. It was in the thick of Chicago suburbia and not out in the country next to an estate as I would imagine. We had some pretty well to do suburbs in the collar counties of Chicago, but none where the quality I'd expect to see a polo league. That's not to say old money does not exist in and near the big city. Motorola came into being out of a family that I'd expect to go to polo matches. LOL The Sears and the Wrigleys are just a couple families that I can think of now which might support a polo club, but still. I was very surprised to see it where it was.
I'm amazed by your description of a polo playing field. It never would occur to me that bed rock was part of the construction.
I think farming and land usage is probably on the way out. Some of the things being grown with hydroponics are truly amazing. An entire farm can be run from inside a couple tractor trailers and very few if any humans are involved. It's vertical farming and robotic. Every plant I saw in the documentary was identical. LOL So yeah, they would all come to maturity at the same time. No doubt some creative genetic engineering is going on there too. The small farmers still in existence today are having a hard time. At least that's the case with the few I've talked to personally. Replacing land with trailer trucks, or warehouses, isn't that too terrible of an idea when you consider what we are doing to Mother Earth. Then, too, if we ever do explore other worlds, they will be growing their own food on the trip and it won't be in dirt.
I'm amazed by your description of a polo playing field. It never would occur to me that bed rock was part of the construction.
I think farming and land usage is probably on the way out. Some of the things being grown with hydroponics are truly amazing. An entire farm can be run from inside a couple tractor trailers and very few if any humans are involved. It's vertical farming and robotic. Every plant I saw in the documentary was identical. LOL So yeah, they would all come to maturity at the same time. No doubt some creative genetic engineering is going on there too. The small farmers still in existence today are having a hard time. At least that's the case with the few I've talked to personally. Replacing land with trailer trucks, or warehouses, isn't that too terrible of an idea when you consider what we are doing to Mother Earth. Then, too, if we ever do explore other worlds, they will be growing their own food on the trip and it won't be in dirt.
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I used to know the names of the six main teams in Chicago. But most of them were team names, not necessarily the name of the owner as Kraml Dairy was.
I remember the year the owner of Oak Brook painted everything olive drab, so we called it Fort Brook, hi hi.
All I can say is, excluding the work to get there, it was an enjoyable experience getting to brush shoulders with the elite, and playing on their team the year we beat Kraml Dairy. It got my name in a couple of papers and club booklets that season, hi hi.
I may or may not have mentioned that although my family was in the flower and plant business, I spent many years working in hydroponics and hydroculture. Developed a feed growing system used at the St. Louis Zoo, however, after about six years, they started using it as a hatchery for some rare birds, hi hi.
Long before I started Wonder Plants, I was designing and building rooftop greenhouses on the tops of office buildings down in the city. Had five different building we built these on top of. Lot's of obstacles to overcome, especially with government, hi hi. Then of course I got involved with the underground Pine Tree farms over in Illinois for a short time.
The biggest project I was ever involved in was the Kraft Land Exhibit at Epcot Center.
Sounds glamorous now, but at the time, it was a mosquito infested swamp filled with Crockagators, and I had to have a chain link fence around my little Hupmobile Trailer to keep them from chewing the tires off, and to protect me as well.
Although my main job was getting the designs for growing systems developed by advertising men to work, they did build on of my designs. It is one of the few things that was still in operation as designed 20 years later. It was still working well when my wife was down there a few years ago, although the control console was changed.
When I visited Epcot back in 1986, I was bragging to one of the gals who worked there, that I was the designer of the A-Frame Misting Cabinet she was working with at the time. I could hear her mumble, yeah right buddy, hi hi. Since it still had the original control panel on it at that time. I took out my drivers license so she could see my signature, and told her to open the cover and look in the lower right hand corner of the cover, and see if she don't see my signature there. She was reluctant to do so, since it was above her pay grade, but did so anyhow and looked. Once she verified my name was there and gave my drivers license back, nearly everyone standing around listening ran over for me to autograph something they had bought there. Sorta made my day, and got a feather in my cap with the new attorney I had hired. Yeah, the one that robbed me blind and ended up dying in prison.
Not that it has anything to do with the above. I also helped out over at the Living Seas when it was being constructed. This is where I met Julian Sprung, when he was a snot nosed kid, and asked me a zillion and one questions. Later on he became an authority on Reef Aquaria and sorta well known in the field.
We bumped heads a few times after that, as I developed things used in the Aquaria Industry.
I remember the year the owner of Oak Brook painted everything olive drab, so we called it Fort Brook, hi hi.
All I can say is, excluding the work to get there, it was an enjoyable experience getting to brush shoulders with the elite, and playing on their team the year we beat Kraml Dairy. It got my name in a couple of papers and club booklets that season, hi hi.
I may or may not have mentioned that although my family was in the flower and plant business, I spent many years working in hydroponics and hydroculture. Developed a feed growing system used at the St. Louis Zoo, however, after about six years, they started using it as a hatchery for some rare birds, hi hi.
Long before I started Wonder Plants, I was designing and building rooftop greenhouses on the tops of office buildings down in the city. Had five different building we built these on top of. Lot's of obstacles to overcome, especially with government, hi hi. Then of course I got involved with the underground Pine Tree farms over in Illinois for a short time.
The biggest project I was ever involved in was the Kraft Land Exhibit at Epcot Center.
Sounds glamorous now, but at the time, it was a mosquito infested swamp filled with Crockagators, and I had to have a chain link fence around my little Hupmobile Trailer to keep them from chewing the tires off, and to protect me as well.
Although my main job was getting the designs for growing systems developed by advertising men to work, they did build on of my designs. It is one of the few things that was still in operation as designed 20 years later. It was still working well when my wife was down there a few years ago, although the control console was changed.
When I visited Epcot back in 1986, I was bragging to one of the gals who worked there, that I was the designer of the A-Frame Misting Cabinet she was working with at the time. I could hear her mumble, yeah right buddy, hi hi. Since it still had the original control panel on it at that time. I took out my drivers license so she could see my signature, and told her to open the cover and look in the lower right hand corner of the cover, and see if she don't see my signature there. She was reluctant to do so, since it was above her pay grade, but did so anyhow and looked. Once she verified my name was there and gave my drivers license back, nearly everyone standing around listening ran over for me to autograph something they had bought there. Sorta made my day, and got a feather in my cap with the new attorney I had hired. Yeah, the one that robbed me blind and ended up dying in prison.
Not that it has anything to do with the above. I also helped out over at the Living Seas when it was being constructed. This is where I met Julian Sprung, when he was a snot nosed kid, and asked me a zillion and one questions. Later on he became an authority on Reef Aquaria and sorta well known in the field.
We bumped heads a few times after that, as I developed things used in the Aquaria Industry.
Re: The Rest Of The Story
I think you made your mark in the world many times. You certainly are one of the most interesting people I've met anytime recently. Nobody gets through this life as being unimportant. We all have a purpose and mission of sorts even if it's limited to our immediate families and nobody else. You're not up there with Jeff Besos or Bill Gates, but the scope of influence your inventions cover is huge. Even those people that don't know you personally will long remember what you did with your time. I think that's pretty cool. The other day they announced that funerals will now only be allowed to take place with ten people or less in attendance. I'm not sure I know that many who would come to mine. That's how significant my contributions are. 
Re: The Rest Of The Story
When my first baby died, my parents insisted on a funeral. We thought that odd, but did as they asked.
Over 250 people signed the guest book at the funeral home. I couldn't believe it!
But then I discovered someone else was laid out at the same time, and when folks saw our name on the marquee board, they thought it best to sign in there too.
Most of my older relatives had about the same amount at their funerals too.
But then when we got up to my mom and dad, not so many, a little over 100 for dad, and less than 50 for mom.
Even my sister, who died a year before mom only had a grand total of 35 visitors, and most of them were relatives or friends of my mom.
When uncle Clarence died, if you exclude his immediate family, namely sons and daughters, only about 25 showed up.
We only expect maybe four or five that will come to my funeral, and that is only if they are able to come.
I really know nobody down here. Never joined any of the clubs I should have, etc. I've basically become a Hermit, hi hi.
Which is just fine with me!
There was nothing significant at the time, for many of the things I did. Just happen to be working for a company as a draftsman, and my drawings were selected, which allowed me to scribe the etching masks as well for the Gemini XII drop chute door. And at the time, we had no idea what we were working on in our department, other than making drawings from plot graphs. It was only after the fact, when they ask me to do the scribe work that I learned what the item even was, and then what it was used on. Sorta made my day!
Most of the other things I was just trying to get ahead with something to make a living.
I learned early on, no matter how much time you put into something to make it fly. If it is too far ahead of its time, you are going to fail no matter what you do. Also there were often many brick walls that held you back that need chiseled down.
I've had several businesses I started and made profitable, but tired of them really fast, so sold them, mainly so I could pursue something else I was working on. It was not unusual for me to have 5 to 7 different small businesses going all at the same time, and for the same reason investors invest in different things and not put all their eggs in one basket. It also keeps one from getting bored so easily. Gotta stay out of that RUT I saw everyone else in.
Over 250 people signed the guest book at the funeral home. I couldn't believe it!
But then I discovered someone else was laid out at the same time, and when folks saw our name on the marquee board, they thought it best to sign in there too.
Most of my older relatives had about the same amount at their funerals too.
But then when we got up to my mom and dad, not so many, a little over 100 for dad, and less than 50 for mom.
Even my sister, who died a year before mom only had a grand total of 35 visitors, and most of them were relatives or friends of my mom.
When uncle Clarence died, if you exclude his immediate family, namely sons and daughters, only about 25 showed up.
We only expect maybe four or five that will come to my funeral, and that is only if they are able to come.
I really know nobody down here. Never joined any of the clubs I should have, etc. I've basically become a Hermit, hi hi.
Which is just fine with me!
There was nothing significant at the time, for many of the things I did. Just happen to be working for a company as a draftsman, and my drawings were selected, which allowed me to scribe the etching masks as well for the Gemini XII drop chute door. And at the time, we had no idea what we were working on in our department, other than making drawings from plot graphs. It was only after the fact, when they ask me to do the scribe work that I learned what the item even was, and then what it was used on. Sorta made my day!
Most of the other things I was just trying to get ahead with something to make a living.
I learned early on, no matter how much time you put into something to make it fly. If it is too far ahead of its time, you are going to fail no matter what you do. Also there were often many brick walls that held you back that need chiseled down.
I've had several businesses I started and made profitable, but tired of them really fast, so sold them, mainly so I could pursue something else I was working on. It was not unusual for me to have 5 to 7 different small businesses going all at the same time, and for the same reason investors invest in different things and not put all their eggs in one basket. It also keeps one from getting bored so easily. Gotta stay out of that RUT I saw everyone else in.