Solar Storm: Homeward Bound

by Vincent Keith

  Ray took the guys to visit his Log Home construction company to get things rolling. The houses would be preassembled in the construction yard and each log marked for position. Then the house would be taken apart and loaded onto trucks. With an experienced crew the entire outer shell could be constructed in only a few days.

  Steve and Ash headed to his parents for Christmas while Marty and Annie went to her mom’s. Jack, Henry, and Ray put together their own little feast at Ray’s, and they all took time off for Christmas.

  Everyone was back to work on January 2, except Ray and Henry, who supervised the kids. Ray was so impressed with Jenny and Karen he offered them part-time work at his company until they graduated. He was hoping they would stick around rather than running off to college for some useless degree. Neither girl was interested in science or technology although Karen had a flair for bookkeeping she’d picked up from her mother.

  Jack’s shop had its official grand opening on March 15. Annie supplied a catered lunch for the guests, and Jack gave the tour to just over thirty new friends. The idea was to show everyone the level of quality he planned to provide and build some additional interest. No one made any firm commitments for new guns, but he got a dozen jobs including repairs, refinish work, a couple of scope mounts, one trigger job, and three rifles that needed new stocks.

  Jack spent a few days interviewing high school students who’d taken at least a couple of machine shop classes and found Zak Parker. Zak had learned to weld from his dad and was much better at it than Jack. He also had an excellent grasp of machine work.

  What Zak really wanted to do was work in robotics. With that in mind, he was getting ready to apply to Stanford University. Once he had his degree, he figured he’d have to move to one of the big cities where that kind of work could be found. In the meantime, Zak was happy for the job, and Jack was happy to have the extra help. Jack also learned quite a bit about welding in the process.

  Jack scheduled longer times on custom work, knowing in a few months he would be spending most of his days building the house, and evenings working on guns. He also learned just how often unexpected problems arose. By the end of summer, the house was done except for the interior finish work and cabinets. Henry convinced him that moving in before he’d finished the drywall, paint, tile, and cabinets was a bad idea. Jack continued working on the house in the evenings unless he was on the road going to shooting events trying to drum up more business.

  Spring was approaching, and things were going fairly well. Jack’s only real problem was finding someone who could do the coatings he needed. The first company had promised him a one-week turnaround and had taken five. The second had used the wrong colors. A mix-up he’d have understood, but pink wasn’t a color he’d picked for any of his guns. He found one guy who did excellent work but his lead times were beyond what Jack’s customers would accept. No one wanted their gun in the shop for five months.

  If the phone had been less expensive, Jack might have thrown it across the shop. For the third time in as many weeks, he was looking at freshly coated guns that he could not return to their owners. Jack spent the next several hours on the phone, first calling customers to apologize for the delay then calling dozens of businesses who did coatings trying to find someone who could do the job in a timely fashion. He finally found a shop that would prioritize his work. He lost money on all three guns, but at least the customers were happy.

  The frustration and damage to his reputation were more than he could bear, and he finally decided to do future coatings himself. The work on the house slowed as he created a new business plan. After several discussions with Henry, Ray, and Ray's accountant, he figured that at worst he'd break even. The hardest part was getting enough business to justify the cost of a second shop building.

  While doing his research, he discovered that powder coating was simple to apply, and very durable. And while it was not useful for most gun work, it was ideal for a lot of other things. He got an idea and decided to run it past Denny.

  “Denny, this is Jack.”

  “Jack, son it’s good to hear from you, how are things going up there?”

  “Good, I’ll be shipping your guns out in about a month.”

  “No rush, but if they get here before our busy season, I expect you’ll get more business.”

  Jack chuckled, “Great, no pressure then. Look I have an idea I want to run by you.”

  “Shoot.”

  “I’m buying some equipment for applying finishes to guns. Bluing, or color coating, stuff like that camo job I showed you.”

  “Thought you planned to send that out?”

  “I did, but I’ve had too many guns that had to go back for rework. I’m on my fifth coater. The only guys I know I can count on for the quality are so backed up, I just can’t make it work.”

  “Yeah, it’s pretty frustrating when your subcontractors screw up like that. It makes you look bad and fixing it costs you money and causes delays. Late projects can cost you future business.”

  “Yes, exactly. So, I’ll be doing my own. Anyway, while I was doing the research, I was looking into powder coating. Since I need to be set up to do acid dips and media blasting, I figured I could set up for powder coating as sort of a side business. I found a couple local kids who have some real skill with a paint gun. They’re not in the same league as Reggie, but they’re talented. So I’m thinking I might hire them and set up the coating shop. I’m wondering if bike builders might be interested in having frames powder coated?”

  “Sure, bike builders, trailer builders, custom auto shops, and off-road fabricators. As long as it’s not your only business I’m sure you can make it pay. If you were in Spokane, I’d say you could make a living at it, but being out in the sticks…”

  “Huh, maybe I should cover all the welders and machine shops around here too. There are a few paint shops around, but the closest powder coaters are in Yakima or Spokane. I figured it would be good to have income from more than one source.”

  “If you can afford the startup without putting yourself in a bind, I don’t think you’re going to lose any money doing it. You might not make a lot, but then again, you might. Let me know, I’ll send a few frames up for you to try. If it works out, you can have all my powder coating business.”

  “Jeez Denny, you don’t have to do that, the shipping will add quite a bit to the cost won’t it?”

  “I have to ship them now anyway. About one in four bikes get powder coated. I prefer the enamel which is what Reggie does. He’s got an oven that really speeds up the curing time. I think it looks better and it’s easier to touch up. But lots of guys like the powder coat durability. Let me know, I’ll send up a couple frames that will never get used. You can do one flat black, and the other glossy red or yellow. Then I’ll have something to show, and I won’t feel as bad about those frames.”

  “What’s wrong with the frames?”

  “Early experiments. I screwed up the geometry so they’re unusable. They’ve just been sitting in the back of the storage room. I keep thinking I’ll get around to cutting them up, but I never do.”

  “It’ll be mid-summer before I can get started. I don’t have space in the shop, so I’ll need to build a separate building.”

  “That’s a better solution anyway. Give Reggie a call, he can set you up with a guy he knows who builds paint shops for a living. He’ll get all the little details right.”

  “Thanks’ Denny, tell Judy I said hi, and…you know, I think I’ll come down for a short visit when your guns are done. I’ve been working my ass off so a week off would be nice, assuming you guys have any rooms left.”

  “We always have room for you, Jack. You’re family. Never forget that.”

  “Thanks. So, I’ll call you in a couple of weeks, and we can pick a date.”

  “Good, hang in there Jack. See you soon.”

  “You too.”

  Jack hung up the phone. Each time he talked with Denny or Judy he felt the grief-filled rift in his
soul. Each time it was a little less, and the happy memories came a little easier. He was healing just like everyone said he would. He’d known they were right. It was just hard to believe it.

  34

  A GOOD MAN

  Just over three years after opening the shop, Jack hit what he felt to be a milestone. He’d managed to pay back the loan he’d made to himself for both the workshop and the paint shop. Buying used equipment had made a huge difference in total costs. Jack was making more money than all but his best year doing photography. It wasn’t a fortune, but it was more than enough. If he just looked at revenue, it was more than he’d believed possible. By the time he took out for labor and the fixed and variable costs, the net was nearly twice what he needed to live on.

  Taxes on income, Social Security, Labor and Industry, Sales Tax, State and local business taxes, insurance for the house, truck, bike, business, and health all combined to account for seventy percent of his living expense. This is insane, how did we get to the point where the average person spends over half their income on taxes and insurance? Neither of which added much benefit beyond some peace of mind. But even that was mostly marketing.

  He considered dropping the insurance on the house. The basement had required blasting and was solid as could be found, and with no mortgage, nobody could make him pay for insurance. He wasn’t particularly worried about a break-in either. The biggest concern was an out-of-control forest fire. He had no choice when it came to the vehicles. Dropping it for the business would be stupid. With two full-time employees he needed to keep a sizable liability policy.

  The coating business was pulling in more revenue than the gunsmithing, but the costs were also higher, and Jack was happy to leave the work to the boys. He brought in a new part-time worker recommended by the high school shop teacher. The kid was slowly finding his way, but it proved to Jack just how hard finding a replacement for Zak was going to be. In eight short months Zak would be off to college to study engineering at Stanford. Jack thought he probably should bring on a third assistant now. With a little luck, the two of them just might make up for Zak leaving.

  Zak thought he’d be working full time and trying to go to school at the same time. Jack had been putting away money and now had enough to cover almost a year’s worth of living expenses saved up for the young man. Zak would still need to come up with tuition and books, but the kid had a good head, and a strong work ethic and Jack didn’t think he’d have much trouble.

  DENNY AND JUDY came up for a visit that Fall and became part of the clan. Judy, Ashley, and Annie put together a huge feast and invited everyone who had helped with the construction. They hosted the event at Ray’s place, which was the only house big enough. Near the end of the evening, Henry pulled Zak and Jack aside.

  “So I have a present for you Zak, and Jack has a bit of a surprise.”

  “That sounds ominous,” said Zak.

  Jack reached into his back pocket and pulled out an envelope. “This should make it easier to get set up at school, consider it a bonus for doing such a great job, and teaching me so much about welding.”

  Zak opened the envelope, and when he saw the amount, he tried to give it back.

  “Nope, you earned it. I’d be two years behind where I am now if it weren’t for you Zak. You’re smart, and you’re a hard worker, and you’ve added more to the business than I figured possible. So, just take it. When you get down there, don’t go working for cheap. Show them what you can do and make them pay.”

  “Thanks, Jack. I just, well it never felt like you were paying too little, heck it was like getting paid to do what I would have been doing anyway.”

  “And that’s about the best you can hope for. Getting paid to do what you love. Most folks have to settle for getting paid to do what they can bear. There are a lot of folks who expect the world to pay them for doing nothing useful. Take pride in what you can do. The world needs your skills, just don’t give them away.”

  “Son you got what it takes,” said Henry. “I think when you see how most of them do business, you’ll be ready to come back here but until then… I got you a going away present too.”

  He led Zak over by the front door and pulled a backpack out of the closet.

  “This here is a bug-out bag I set up for you. I know you young kids don’t think much about how things might go wrong, but you’ve been around long enough to know. Keep this in your car, or close by, and if things ever turn ugly, you grab that bag and get the hell out of the city. Head back here, it’ll be a hard road depending on what happens, but you’re always welcome.”

  “Mr. Monk, I already have a good pack.”

  “Keep this one loaded and ready. Use your other pack same as always. You’d best go through it and see what all is in there, but put it all back. It’s all got a reason for being there, and since you have a pack for camping, you won’t be tempted to raid this one. Just keep it close.”

  Zak nodded. He’d heard old Henry talk about bug-out bags and such, he just had never given it much thought. “Thank you, sir, I’ll keep it at the apartment unless I go more than walking distance, I promise.”

  Zak headed home, wanting to be up early to pack up his truck and hit the road. He was excited and a little afraid. He’d been to Spokane and Seattle, but he would be on his own and far from home for the first time. Stanford University was a dream that was finally coming true. He’d been working toward this since he built his first remote control toy.

  Jack had a good idea what was going through Zak’s head because it had been the same for him. These days, a hundred miles wasn’t all that different from a thousand. He’d get down to Stanford and get caught up in the excitement and energy of all those people, and a new environment. Once he’d been there for a year, the novelty would wear off some, and he’d be ready to think about what might come after. There was no rush. He’d be there for at least four years.

  For Jack and the gang, life went on as usual. There was always work around the houses and in the yards. When Marty started buying horses, he hired a genuine cowboy to come help set things up and teach everyone how to care for the horses. Marty had done a lot of research and talked with a lot of horse owners before taking the plunge.

  Most of the casual owners thought of them as something that converted money to horse manure. The folks who worked with them on a daily basis viewed them as a necessity of life. Marty didn’t have enough land to handle the number of horses he eventually wanted, so he made a deal with Ray to use a hundred open acres on the other side of the river.

  Annie and Marty Bickerstaff had decided to open a B&B. She was still teaching online cooking classes, but she needed some way to have more of a social life. Part of Marty’s research had been canvassing all the B&B’s and Inns in the area. Tourism was still doing well, and with Annie’s qualifications as a chef, they thought they could fill a small niche in the market. The first Jack heard of the project was when Marty approached him to talk about photography.

  “Jack, do you have any photos of the area that might be used to promote tourism?”

  Jack thought for a few minutes. “I suppose so, I’ve got shots of fly fishermen along a few of the rivers around here, a bunch of shots of skiers and people on snowshoes. I suppose it depends on what you want to show. Why?”

  “Well, Annie and I are thinking about building a B&B as close to the River as the county will allow, down on the pasture lot. The building site is hidden from the road, but has a good view of the river. Ray’s land to the east is horse pasture, so it’s private, quiet and has excellent views.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me. Seriously?”

  “Yeah, why not?”

  “You’re not done with your own house yet, although I’ll grant, you’re further along than I am. You’ve got your consulting business, Annie has her teaching, and she’s working on her third cookbook. Do you really need another project?”

  “I don’t, but Annie wants more social life than we have now. No offense, but for almost two y
ears now, it’s been you, Steve, Ash, Henry and Ray, and various employees. Think about her background, what she’s used to. Moving out to the country was a concession to me and the logic you laid out about sustainable living. I don’t feel any better about where the country is going than you do. But you know Annie, thinking about that stresses her out, so she just ignores it.”

  “Yeah… I get it. So, she thinks running a B&B will do it?”

  “She’s shooting for a high-end clientele. The idea at least at this point is to offer as close to five-star accommodations as we can manage. Although compared to a real five-star resort, these folks will be roughing it. But that’s the point, there are quite a few people living in cities and making lots of money who like the idea of ‘getting back to our roots’. Not so much the reality of it, but the idea. So we offer horseback tours, skiing, hiking, fly-fishing lessons…photography lessons?”

  “Whoa, I’ve got two businesses to run right now, do you really think I’ll find time for a third?”

  “Think about it, four to twelve photographers, paying a thousand dollars for a three-day weekend, say four times a year?”

  “Yeah, I’ve done workshops, they’re a lot more work than you think… Although… Oh, don’t give me that look. You guys think this through a bit more. If you need photos for advertising, I’ll help. I’ll consider the workshop thing. God knows but I miss spending time with photographers.”

  Marty smiled, “Yeah you want to do it, you know you do.”

  “Asshole.” Jack threw a dirty shop rag at him.

  Marty caught it, chuckled, and set it down on his way out the door.

  He did miss being behind the camera, or even just looking at photographs and talking about them with others who had the passion.

  At dinner a few days later the subject came up again.