Stainless Steel Boat Ladders

Boating has been with me since I can remember. If you grow up in Michigan it is hard to go anywhere without boating on a lake. My parents used to take me almost every night after work. Interestingly, my step-dad has been continuously upgrading our boats over the years. We came across this company in Arkansas that makes stainless steel boat rails, ladders, seat stands and other parts. What is cool is that these parts are made in the USA of 304 polished 7/8" x 16 gauge stainless. That means the boat ladders are super-strong and service tested to a 300-lb. capacity. This should be one thing my kids can't destroy.

Right now it seems there are a lot of used boats on the market. Some of them need more work than others, but if any need the rails fixed I think these guys are up to the task.

Arms Vault

I recently came across a site called www.armsvault.com. These guys have over 2,500 links to gun manufacturers, product reviews and everything in between. If you need information about hunting rifles, laser scopes or anything that moves through the air really fast I would definitely check them out.

Step Away From The Electric Fence

It seems innocent enough, but if you see this sign it's probably not a good idea to touch it. That's because it is part of an electric fence supply. When ranchers want to keep their cattle, horses or other ranging livestock in a certain area they often use electric fences to keep them in certain areas. You will probably start seeing a lot more of these. With the move to organic farming more and more ranchers want to let their animals roam free. In order to do that they will need to utilize electric fence technology. Actually seeing a sign that alerts you to the fact that there is a current running through the wire is really helpful. Better than trying to hop a fence and learning it is hot once you grab a hold.

Days of our Trailers

These are the fact checkers for anything having to do with guns. This team of writers and gun advocates constantly checks the facts and statements of politicians and others for validity in their statemtns. They also do it with a sense of style and humor that makes it entertaining and engaging. Even the person most opposed to guns will get a chuckle out of this site.

Ranching in Style

What is the first thing you see when you drive up to a ranch? The gate or sign to the ranch is the first thing you see. Most ranches have a simple wooden sign that reads the name of the ranch. It is certainly pragmatic, but a little boring. To really give your ranch a sense of style and name I don't think you can top a custom wildlife gate. I think custom is important because all ranches are unique as the land they sit on. It just doesn't do the land justice to have a generic gate. Most ranches are hundreds of acres or more and what better way to celebrate the ranch than having a custom gate. It really makes sense for a commercial ranch, but even residential ranches should take the opportunity to announce to the world the greatness of their ranch through a custom gate.

Trashcan Recycling Beauty

There isn't a very good place to hide a trash can in our house. Under our sink is just too small. Plus with two kids a small trash can would need emptied out constantly. We needed a big trash can and we needed to be in an open part of our kitchen. The problem with most trash cans is that they look like trash. It didn't seem there was a lot to pick from at my local store either. That's when we found trashcans unlimited. These guys have all kinds of beauties to pick from. Now my trash can looks like a piece of art in my kitchen. They also have all of these cool recycling bins to sort all of your different cans and papers into.

Bon-Shell Salmon Fishing

Growing up in Michigan there plenty of lakes to go fishing. However, the Great Lakes have the bigger fish. Here is a picture from a Lake Michigan Salmon fishing expedition with Bon-Shell. These guys specialize in catching the big salmon found on Lake Michigan's western shore. These guys not only do regular charters, but can be used for family outings, business outings and other group charters.

They have all of their pricing online and have special pricing for 1-2 passengers on Monday through Thursday. So if you need to just get away for a little bit you can without paying a lot.

Log Siding - Really!

As you know I am a big fan of log cabins. My wife and love the all natural look. What I didn't realize is that you don't necessarily have to have a log cabin to get the all natural look. There are companies that sell interior and exterior log siding.

If you have an existing home there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Just take off your existing siding and replace it with real log siding. Instead of being a full log they are cut just like a piece of siding for your home.

If you live in a neighborhood with strict guidelines about what you can do to the exterior of your home you can still get the look on the inside. They have interior wall panelings available as well.

My wife and I just bought a rustic looking bedroom furniture set. Instead of leaving the walls a drab color we can actually match our walls to the furniture by having interior log cabin siding.

For the true outdoors enthusiast nothing beats the look, smell and feel of real wood.

Build Your Own Log Cabin!

I don't know why, but I have always found log cabins very interesting. I think it started when I first visited my uncle's log cabin in Wyoming. It was a great place for a weekend getaway. In college I had a friend who's family built a gigantic log cabin themselves. It was a 4,000 square foot house, but they did all of the construction themselves. I don't think they could have afforded it otherwise. Ever since that I've always had this idea of building my own log cabin in the back of my mind. I didn't realize that there are sites all over the Internet that specialize in log cabin plans. You can pick out a plan to fit your needs by selecting items such as how many heated square feet, bedrooms, bathrooms and use.

This is a great way to build your dream home. All at a fraction of what it would cost to hire an architect to design it for you.

The other great thing about getting a design and then working on the house with your family is the bond it can create and learning experience for your children. I've had a couple of friends go through a similar experience and it really gave them a chance to learn all kinds of things that you need to know to take care of your house.

Anybody Got a Knife?

If my grandfather was around that question was always answered with, "right here." I'll never forget how he used to always carry a pocket knife. He was an outdoorsman for sure, but the need for a knife didn't stop at the outdoors. As a kid I wasn't allowed to carry a knife, but whenever he would visit it seemed that everyday life just required that you had a knife. Not just any kind of a knife. A high quality one that was super sharp. Whenever he would come over he would always take my mom's kitchen knives and sharpen them with a whetstone. She seemed to be cutting herself for the next week complaining about how sharp they were. I've looked around trying to find some knives that would live up to his high standards. I think I finally found a site that seems to capture the spirit of the everyday outdoorsman who like my grandfather always has a knife in his pocket. http://www.thehuntingknifedepot.com seems to capture that rugged American spirit. They have a huge selection hunting, fishing and pocket knives. If my grandfather were alive today I know where I would be getting his next birthday present.

Outdoor Survival

While camping outdoors is certainly recreational and fun it is important to understand that you do need to take certain precautions and preparations. I came across a website called Simple Survival that helps tackle some of these issues. I was particularly interested in the section about kids and camping. As a parent, I am always trying to think of ways to educate my own children. It's also tough sometimes trying to figure out which lessons are appropriate at different ages. This site talks about that as well as other topics. You can also order a book from the site called Simple Survival. It's about 240 pages and is excellent for taking with you on camping trips.

The expert providing this information is Gary Benton a USAF Retired Senior Master Sergeant. Gary received 16 military medals and awards during his career.