by "AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
Published 06/16/2017 at 23:31
by "AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
Published 06/16/2017 at 23:31
No Tags
STARS: 5
The “These images may be un-bear-able and leave you furry-ous” addition.
This was a place that made you think, “holy shit!” and then after exploring a new part of the home, “holy shit!” again! Everything about this place was MORE. Neighbors built a tree house? Oh, that’s nice... We’ve got a two story tree house with A ZIP LINE THAT GOES FROM THE KIDS BEDROOM. Oh, the wife let you put a pool table on one side of the new garage? Not bad... But hey have you seen our new indoor HOCKEY RINK?
Let’s start at the beginning. The property itself is huge, in an area where that’s not the norm. There’s a decent sized main house with four car garage, a guest house, and a large separate garage. The separate garage has an apartment above it. Unfortunately, due to someone calling in sick I was so slammed that I only had time to waste like 30 minutes taking photos, and as such missed some good shots. Here’s the one and only shot I got of the main house.
Yes, I accidentally focused on the window screen instead of the home. I’m sorry! But if it makes you feel better, call it an “artsy & unique” millennial style!
Okay, main house is certainly very nice, but there’s nothing special about it. There’s a million others that are more or less just like it. Let’s check out the guest house.
After completing the interior of the main building, I was handed the guest home key and told “not to freak out” when I got inside. Huh. That’s... Unusual. Slightly disturbed, but with a great desire to escape the torrential downpour that hadn’t let up since I’d arrived, I walked over to the smaller building, inserted the key—turned it—turned it again, but the correct way this time—twisted the unassuming modern door knob and opened up the door... Pictures will explain much better than words, so without any further ado, here you go.
Heads! The husband—who at this point I hadn’t me yet—was a game hunter! The studio loft style guest house was nothing but trophies, bar, and an old school, massive leather chair behind a ginormous hardwood desk. I give you, the hunting lodge.
Hate it or love it, there’s no denying the skill with which these were preserved. It was absolutely jaw dropping seeing all of these animals up close, that I normally would never get a chance to.
I was hoping to get a shot of the gun room, but it was locked. With three deadbolts, separate keys. Another deadbolt with a code. One of the old school chain locks at the top of the door. And a doorknob at the very top of the door, that would need to be turned at the same time as the doorknob in the usual spot. All this to be sure that the three children never manage to get in without a parent. I later found out that all the guns, bows, and ammo are also in separate safes inside. The one handgun left outside the safe doesn’t fire, and is there as a decoy. This is some good security.
Okay, main house. Check. Guest home. Check. That leaves.... The garage!
It was the wife who first mentioned how they always had too much. Always needed MORE. The example she used, was that after two years since building it they still hadn’t even taken the plastic wrapping off of the furniture in the over garage apartment. She seemed a bit overwhelmed with the upkeep of the property. I asked her if she would have chosen a smaller home... Her response? “I would have liked to travel the world”
Nice, lots of natural light, but nothing particularly noteworthy. Let’s head downstairs...
Hockey rink!! Built by the husband for his son. This is the kind of thing all dads dream about doing for their kids. And just outside the garage is the tree house which unfortunately I failed to capture. But attached to the tree house is...
Zipline! About 50 yards long, it runs through the forest from the tree house to one of the kids rooms. Also rigged up by the dad.
And that’s everything! Ending up meeting the dad near the end of the job, and damn. Coolest dude on the planet. You know that person who’s good at absolutely everything, is a genuinely caring person and will go out of their way to help anyone, with anything, no questions asked? That’s him. He insisted on paying more after seeing us work long past our estimated time saying that he was a fair guy, and didn’t want to take advantage of a local business. I refused, saying that I would have to charge more next time to make it worthwhile, but that I wanted to honor our original over the phone estimate today. What does he do? He tips the two guys working for me an amount equaling the total I charged for the job.
I didn’t want to give the impression that they’re douchy “better—than—thou” rednecks who came into money. The family was one of the nicest I’ve ever worked for, and that’s saying something. Two days later, received this voicemail from the wife.
Doesn’t matter where you work. Washing windows, bagging at a grocery store, selling cars, ER nurse.... Take pride in your job. Do the best you can. The effort you put in will show, and people will appreciate it. Just my two cents.
"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
06/16/2017 at 23:41, STARS: 0
HEY BRANDON
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
06/16/2017 at 23:49, STARS: 1
I... Don’t know what you’re talking about! Err...
"DipodomysDeserti" (dipodomysdeserti)
06/16/2017 at 23:50, STARS: 1
If I ever met someone with a mountain lion on their wall, I’d be very tempted to hang them on my wall.
Cool dudes don’t kill mountain lions.
Also, killing a moose? That’s like killing a cow or a horse. There’s no game in that. That’s killing something just to kill it.
I’m not against hunting. But killing things just to kill them is fucking disgusting.
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
06/16/2017 at 23:59, STARS: 0
Yeah, I’m pretty neutral. For what it’s worth, the freezer was packed full of meat, and when a new head/full animal gets added to the den, the old one is sent to one of various junior high and high school science departments. It’s not my thing—and it’s certainly strange to see in super liberal Seattle of all places—but I’d prefer game hunters to many other more common hobbies
What’s wrong with mountain lions in particular? Genuinely curious what the difference is, I’m outdoorsy, but hunting is the one area I’ve never dipped my toes into
"Shoop" (shoopdawoop993)
06/17/2017 at 00:26, STARS: 2
Luckily no one is forcing you to hunt anything.
Tolerant left, at it again.
"fintail" (fintail)
06/17/2017 at 00:27, STARS: 1
Not a full sized rink, no real ice? Cheap wannabes.
"Xyl0c41n3" (i-am-xyl0c41n3)
06/17/2017 at 00:30, STARS: 1
Echoing skychismo. Killing game animals that are prey is one thing, especially when you actually consume the meat (or give it/donate it to someone/an organization that will put it to good use. (For example, a lot of hunters I know will hunt just enough to stock their and their family’s freezers and that’s it. I know a couple who donate their kills to soup kitchens, too).
But trophy hunting? Killing apex predators? There’s something heinous about that. It’s killing something just to kill something. There’s nothing noble or sporting about that. I counted four bears, plus that cougar. That’s gross.
Also, an aside... did you get the family’s permission to post all this stuff online? Especially all the stuff about their internal security measures? You were on private property and even if they were cool with you taking photos for your own personal use doesn’t mean they’d be ok with it being publicized. And photos of the property interiors is WAY different than the very public type photos you could take from the street.
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
06/17/2017 at 00:49, STARS: 1
Who knows what’s next, they seem to like making things!
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
06/17/2017 at 01:03, STARS: 1
Wow. Do you just click on posts to find something “to take a stand on?” I always see you in the middle of arguments on Oppo, as if your every moment is spent looking for a cause to fight for.
I respect your opinion, but try to remember that it is just one of many opinions. For example, I find religion to be one of the most terrible, damaging things on earth, but I’m well aware many others see it differently and don’t hold it against them. We’re all different, with very different values.
"FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com" (alphaass)
06/17/2017 at 01:08, STARS: 0
One of my best friends goes black bear hunting in Montana every year. A few things I’ve learned:
1. Black bear are pretty numerous. Licensed hunting is used in many areas to control bear populations and reduce interactions with humans.
2. Bear hunting is not easy. Black bears are clever and can catch on to scents pretty easily. He doesn’t get one every year.
3. Bear tacos are fucking delicious.
The mountain lion is pretty fucked though.
"Frenchlicker" (frenchlicker)
06/17/2017 at 01:20, STARS: 1
Whoa, don’t attribute these views to politics. I’m fine with this and lean very far left. Many that lean left don’t understand certain species need certain conservation tactics though.
"Xyl0c41n3" (i-am-xyl0c41n3)
06/17/2017 at 01:40, STARS: 1
Funny how I shared pretty much identical reservations about trophy hunting as skychismo did, but you only got offended with me.
Skychismo: “But killing things just to kill them is fucking disgusting.”
Also skychismo: “If I ever met someone with a mountain lion on their wall, I’d be very tempted to hang them on my wall.”
Me: “But trophy hunting? Killing apex predators? There’s something heinous about that. It’s killing something just to kill something. There’s nothing noble or sporting about that. I counted four bears, plus that cougar. That’s gross.”
No curse words, no half-hearted quip about hanging a person on a wall, same exact sentiment about trophy hunting predator animals.
Maybe you should examine your motivations and ask yourself if you really do “respect (my) opinion or if you have a personal bias because a woman had the audacity to voice an opinion.
"Xyl0c41n3" (i-am-xyl0c41n3)
06/17/2017 at 01:43, STARS: 1
Now I’m curious about bear tacos.
Thank you for educating me about bear season. We don’t have many black bears in Texas (though there are a few!), so I’m not as familiar with hunting regulations in states where they’re more plentiful. I’m all for responsible management of wildlife populations and having too MANY predators can be just as bad as having too few. So I’m willing to concede there are appropriate times and ways to hunt them.
Thanks again for your comment.
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
06/17/2017 at 02:02, STARS: 0
Your comment comes off as extremely “holier-than-thou” and self-righteous, as if it’s your duty to show everyone what is right and wrong. Which is something I’ve seen many, many times on a large number of posts where you commented. I’m a bit confused as to why you feel the need to bring gender into this, or assume I don’t have respect towards women?
But yeah, these types of comments are exactly what I meant. The moderators do a good job of keeping things friendly, without resorting to mass censorship. You don’t need to assign yourself as a community monitor.
PS: I’m a guy, go ahead and use that against me. I’m mentioning it because apparently gender is relevant to this conversation
"DipodomysDeserti" (dipodomysdeserti)
06/17/2017 at 02:11, STARS: 2
HAHAHAHA! I never claimed to be tolerant or a leftist. I despise both ideologies. I also said I have no problem with hunting. I have friends that are avid hunters and think hunting something for food is much more honorable than keeping it locked up in a cage its whole life. Killing a moose or trapping a mountain lion isn’t hunting. Hanging up animals as trophies or posing with kills is for poseurs, and people who look at everything through a political spectrum are ignorant.
"Xyl0c41n3" (i-am-xyl0c41n3)
06/17/2017 at 02:17, STARS: 0
I know you’re a guy. We’ve talked many times before on here. Including on that post where you were talking about how you’ve trained yourself to do a bunch of stuff, like working out-wise. I think that post is the most we’ve ever interacted.
And nowhere did I say you didn’t respect women. But sexism can be and IS a pretty insidious thing. Skychismo and I shared almost EXACTLY the same sentiment about hunting, even down to the “killing for the sake of killing” bit. He used the word “disgusting” and I used the word “gross.” Yet I’m the only one you’re accusing of being self righteous and holier than thou. Something about that stinks. And, having experienced things like this before (where I’ll say the exact same thing a guy does, but I’ll get shit for it where he won’t), and having seen it a TON of times, I feel pretty confident in saying the root of it is sexism.
That doesn’t make you sexist. But it does mean maybe you should examine it and see if there’s something there worth evaluating and changing.
"DipodomysDeserti" (dipodomysdeserti)
06/17/2017 at 02:21, STARS: 1
Like I said, I have no problem with hunting. I think it’s better to hunt gampe than to lock it up all its life. However, if you choose to live in a agrarian society, then hunting animals for sport is kind of bullshit. Despite what most game and fish departments would have you believe, we have far too few apex predators left in a lot of the west. Too many for ranchers, but too few for our natural environment. Thats why you see areas with way too many deer. You don’t need more hunters (there are already way too many people on this planet), you need more wolves and lions and bears. Going out and trapping and killing apex predators for sport continues the rape of the west that started centuries ago.
I live for the day I get to see a mountain lion and fear my kids never will. Yet you get assholes who go out and trap and kill them so they can hang their corpse in their office. Fucking disgusting.
"DipodomysDeserti" (dipodomysdeserti)
06/17/2017 at 02:24, STARS: 0
Thank you. I’m not a leftist and think lefties are just as fucked up as righties, especially when it comes to how they treat their natural environment. You’re both on the same page (despite the rhetoric) when it comes to laying waste to our natural world.
I’m aware certain popukations have tone managed (usually because of human intervention). However, when you kill something because you care for it, you don’t hang its corpse up as a trophy. My late dog’s head isn’t hanging from my mantle. Only a psychopath would do something like that to a once living thing they care about.
"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
06/17/2017 at 02:26, STARS: 1
So I read your post a right when you submitted earlier. I knew... 100% KNEW... that when I checked back later, I would find comments that were going to flip some shit.
"DipodomysDeserti" (dipodomysdeserti)
06/17/2017 at 02:33, STARS: 2
I picked up on that too. Your comment was waaaay tamer and less offensive than mine, yet I got a “how do mean?” in response. Hmmmmmm.
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
06/17/2017 at 02:50, STARS: 0
Major difference being I’ve seen you talk about wildlife preservation and such before, generally in a well thought out manner. Swears and half-baked “killing people” jokes don’t bother me. A more condescending, chiding tone from someone with a history of similar comments... That bugs me.
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
06/17/2017 at 03:03, STARS: 0
I’m thinking you may not see how your voice comes across through writing. “curse words and a half hearted quip” don’t bother me in the slightest. The condescending tone, and assumption that your gender has anything to do with this... That bothers me. But, as a typical Seattlite, I’m not particularly fond of arguments or confrontations so goodnight, let’s agree to disagree.
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
06/17/2017 at 03:05, STARS: 0
I think I used my smoke bomb too soon....
"Xyl0c41n3" (i-am-xyl0c41n3)
06/17/2017 at 03:09, STARS: 1
I’m thinking I know exactly what I say and what I mean when I say it. The condescending tone you’re reading into it has nothing to do with me and everything to do with you.
I’m thinking I know exactly what I mean when I say that gender has a whole hell of a lot to do with how guys here on Oppo interact with me. Even Skychismo himself said he noticed the difference in how you responded to each of us.
But what would I know about experiencing sexism, amirite?
"Frenchlicker" (frenchlicker)
06/17/2017 at 07:40, STARS: 1
I’m not saying he is doing it in the name of conservation, he very very clearly isn’t doing it since he travels many states away to do so. My thinking was more that he was allowed to do so for that reason in some of those cases. Then again in some of the cases it appears he was allowed to hunt an animal for state greed.
Also on the front of the whole trophy thing. My family along with myself has hunted for several generations. We still do so to fill our freezers every year. I personally like the whole “thin the heard, strengthen the heard” aspect of it. However, when we do get our single buck that has a larger rack we are going to be somewhat proud. We aren’t trophy hunters by a long shot, but there is a little bit of pride in the hunt and kill. I will state that we hunt in relatively old fashion ways, we refuse to spend hundreds of dollars on the ridiculous equipment and camouflage.
I’ve talked myself into being torn on this one. This guy most likely isn’t what I would consider a real hunter.
"FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com" (alphaass)
06/17/2017 at 10:11, STARS: 0
Thanks for the kind words. And yeah I’m totally with you on not hunting apex predators or hunting just for trophies. As for bear... it’s pretty unique. A little gamey and very savory... it’s most like a lean pork. My friend didn’t get one his year though. They watched one for a while from a ridge a mile away for a day but couldn’t close enough to shoot without it catching on. So it’ll be a while before I have more bear tacos.
"FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com" (alphaass)
06/17/2017 at 10:14, STARS: 1
The whole house is like my dream house from when I was 10 but the zip line is the best. I used to make drafting style drawings of our yard with zip lines and show my dad how we could put one in. Never convinced him lol. Probably the start of me becoming an engineer.
"Xyl0c41n3" (i-am-xyl0c41n3)
06/17/2017 at 10:47, STARS: 0
Hi Zoidberg. I’m right here.
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
06/17/2017 at 12:06, STARS: 0
Now’s your chance! Zip lines everywhere.
"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
06/17/2017 at 12:12, STARS: 0
Yes, you always are
"Xyl0c41n3" (i-am-xyl0c41n3)
06/17/2017 at 12:46, STARS: 0
It’s almost as if I’m a regular, active participant of Oppo. Just like you!
"FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com" (alphaass)
06/17/2017 at 12:47, STARS: 0
I suggested one from the deck that drops into the middle of the pool. My wife got angry. :(
"yamahog" (yamahog)
06/17/2017 at 12:56, STARS: 0
can both of you fucking not
"yamahog" (yamahog)
06/17/2017 at 12:56, STARS: 0
can both of you fucking not
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
06/17/2017 at 13:23, STARS: 1
Maybe you’re starting too large... Try replacing the stairs with slides to ease her into the “alternative transport” methods
"fintail" (fintail)
06/17/2017 at 14:01, STARS: 1
Texas, not always a good history of self-awareness.
"fintail" (fintail)
06/17/2017 at 14:02, STARS: 0
I don’t know if the combination of both money and time exists anywhere outside of winning a lottery :)
"fintail" (fintail)
06/17/2017 at 14:02, STARS: 0
LAWL the semi-literate so-called right at it again.
"Shoop" (shoopdawoop993)
06/17/2017 at 16:25, STARS: 1
So your threatening people based on their hobbies because your an asshole, not a leftist asshole?
"DipodomysDeserti" (dipodomysdeserti)
06/17/2017 at 18:21, STARS: 0
Exactly. Killing things for fun, child porn, rape...certain hobbyist deserve to be hung on a mantel.