Veiques Puerto Rico trip

Happy Holidays everyone. Jane and I just got back from the island of Veiques where we stayed with friends for a week. Our friends are building a home there so we will have another island get away lined up. While there we had dinner with other mutual friends from Vermont who either live there full time or also own a home on the island. What a fabulous place. The island is loaded with free range wild horses. You see them every where. The beaches are pristine and uncluttered. If you see more than four other people on the same beach it is considered crowded. The snorkeling was awesome as well. We saw mongoose and many large iguanas. The sunsets were surreal and we were there for the full moon and it to was beautiful. We stayed at a home on a hill with a five minute walk to a private beach and magnificent views of the islands of Culebra,St, Thomas and Puerto Rico.I picked coconuts and we drank the milk and ate the fruit. We ate carribean lobster and conch straight from the fishing boats. Next week we are going to South Carolina for our nephews graduation from OCS Marines. He will be recieving his commision. We are very proud of him. It was also fun to fly on the little puddle jumpers back and forth to the main island or you can take the ferry. We wish you all a very happy and prosperous New Year. Until later Peace Don

More from Vermont

Well foilage is over and the leaves lay dead on the ground. Snow and ice are just lurking around the corner. It is raining really hard this morning. Jane just called from the Washington DC airport. She is on the way to Hawaii to swim with the dolphins for a week. I'll miss her but it will be good for her soul. Last weekend we went to Montreal to reunite with some incredible wizard friends. It was a beautiful time. Next time we will go to Toronto to meet. Jane,Louis and I went on a journey yesterday to a place called Manitou. It is in Newfane Vermont. It is about 280 acres of woodlands , fen and meadows. It is a really spritual place. We took a walk with Fred who is a long time associate of Manitou.It was a very enlightning trip. We are going to set up a program very similar to Manitou called Earth Angels of Vermont and we hope to be working with the Manitou project. Our next trip will be to Puerto Rico for the week of thanksgiving. We are going with Linda and Frank Ohotnicky. It will be a fantastic week I'm sure. Well thats it for now. Love and peace to all of you. Don

crazy past two weeks

Hi all, The past two weeks have been unbeilavable. First I went to Michigan and spent a week with my old business partner Tony. This is a yearly event where we play golf in a nice resort area with 14 other guys and hit the casinos. I had my first hole in one at Moose Ridge golf course. 138 yd par three. My team won the scramble event and we split $1200. I also made about $400 at the casinos. I flew home on Monday and the next day Jane and I were off to Phoenix, Az. to the Rich Cleaner Conference and trade show. Every year Joe Polish who owns Piranha Marketing gives away a car to the company that betters it's best. This year our friends Rick and Sandy Raskob won and they won a new Land Rover. The car next year is a 1966 Shelby 427 Cobra! We are going to be competing like crazy to win next year. We were close this year as Jane won the essay contest and recieved a silver locket from Joe with his picture in it. I turn it around at night. LOL It was so cool to see how many people entered the contest this year. It is not about winning the car but if you complete the package you are a winner. Joe gave everyone 2 to 4 nights in a destination of thier choice. He always gives way more than he recieves. It has been an incredible association for Jane and I. We have met people that have totally changed our lives. This year we are working with Garrett Gunderson the author of Killing Sacred Cows. A must read if you have money in a 401K plan. While in Phoenix I played a round of golf with Dave Kieter and I shot a 78 in sandals and with rental clubs. It was the lowest round I have shot to date. It is so true that once you open your self to the universe that good things just seem to come your way. We also heard from Hugh Downs and Sean Stephenson both of whom are very inspirational speakers. If you don't believe me go to you tube and look up Sean Stephenson , he will absolutely blow you away. We have a lot of cool things planned for the near future , so stay tuned. Peace Don

Wizard camp

Hi all, Jane and I went to Wizard camp in July and it was the best personal experience either one of us have ever had. I thought that the Enlightened Warrior camp was intense. This one far exceeded my wildest dreams. We have both discovered our purpose here on earth. We will be setting up a foundation to help children experience the nature of Vermont and we will set up a company to make it a reality. The intention has been sent in motion. I have written a short story about what happened to me on one of our events at Wizard camp and I am going to format it into a childrens story. The story is The Wizard and the Leafhopper and I will be posting a web page soon where you can read it and make comments. I went to Washington, DC this past week-end to see Paul Mcartney in concert at the Fed Ex stadium. It was the best concert I have ever been to. He played for three hours and did two encores. We watched the show from a private sky box and that was an incredible experience as well. They treated us like rock stars. Open bar and plenty of food. Well it is back to reality now and we are crazy busy with work. We are blessed we have so much work. Some other contractors are not so fortunate. The rain keeps on coming. I believe this is the wettest summer in history for Vermont. Thats it for now. Peace Don

Summertime

Hi All, Some catching up to do. Jane and I spent a great week on Cape Cod and got to visit with family from Michigan and Boston. It rained a little but we managed to get in three rounds of golf and two beach days. All in all it was a really fun trip. On the way home to Vermont Jane and I stopped in Plymouth where Jane got to fly a helicopter. She had a twenty minute flight and she actually took control of the chopper and flew it around. She is pumped now and wants to get her licsense. Sunday we are leaving for Ellenville ,NY in the adirondack mountains where we will be attending the Wizard program put on by Peak Potentials. It will be a truly awesome week , we will also be seeing some friends we made from last years Warrior camp. This was a life transforming program. I am sure the wizard camp will be just as cool. I am also signed up to sky dive again. OH Yea! Peace for now CatmanDon

skydiving experience

I had an amazing experience on my first jump. We jumped at an altitude of 13500 ft. On a clear day you can see Boston at that height. What a tremendous adrenalin high when you are freefalling toward the ground. When the chute opens it is so peaceful and serene. It is like nothing I have ever felt before. It takes about 5 to 8 minutes to land and the landing is like going down a slide when you were a kid. I have signed up to go again. Check out the photos at http://www.facebook.com/home.php Peace and have a great summer. We are going to Cape Cod on Thursday for the week to vacation with family and play some golf. Don

Piranha Marketing Nashville trip

Hi everyone, Jane and I just returned from Nashville,Tenn. It was a trip sponsered by Piranha Marketing. The first day we were guests at the NASCAR racetrack where we watched the races. At the end of the night they held a raffle and the winners got to do four laps in a race car. Well, don't you know, Jane won and took the ride of her life She was very excited because she had always dreamt of being a race car driver and it gave her a taste of the thrill. The next day we went to the Dri-Eaz facility and spent the day in different discussions and seminars about water damage restoration and equipment. This was a very first class company. I can personally attest to the quality of Dri-Eaz products. In the last 22 years I have purchased many pieces of equipment from them and almost all of them are still in service. On day two we were guests of Baker/Curb racing. We went through thier facility where they fabricate race cars for thier team from the ground up. Gary Baker spoke to the group about the marketing aspects of racing and the philosophy that drives the program. It was worth the price of admission by itself. We toured Nashville that night . We went to BB Kings for dinner and Tootsies for the show. The CMA awards are going on this week-end and the town was crazy with country music fans. Jane and I took a bus tour on Wed and went to the Rymen auditorium and the Country Music Hall Of Fame. We were hustled inside a club on Honky Tonk Row by a young singer's grandfather. The singers name is Arron Kelly. He is a remarkable talent and you should keep an eye out for his rising star. Another memorable experience was walking through the Gaylord hotel. It is the largest covered hotel complex east of the Mississippi river. I believe it is about 60 acres. It has fabulous botantical gardens and waterfalls. Lunch at the Cascade resturant was great. We then went over to Bass Pro Shops main store and that to was was a lot of fun. Nashville was a great trip and I want to thank Joe Polish, Lisa Wagner and David Brinkley from Piranha Marketing for always delivering way more than expected. Also a very big thank you to Victoria who was a delight.

Back from St. Martin

Hi everyone, Well we had a great time in St. Martin as we were able to spend three weeks there this time. We will try to shoot for the same or more next year. It is truly an island paradise. I got so many large snook, the largest was fourteen pounds that I was giving them to the resort guests and staff. They are a great eating fish. I also landed three tarpon in the 20-25 lb range and lost at least 7 more. We have videos which I'll post a link to. The food was awesome and the beach at Mullet Bay was spectacular. The water was crystal clear and the snorkeling was very cool. We even saw an octopus. They have some of the best ribs I have ever eaten at Daleo's beach bar and the staff were very friendly. Jane painted a lot while we were there and she now has her work in a gallery in Phillipsburg. She is an international artist. The local economy is hurting because of the recession so there are great deals to be had in jewelry and electronics. There are no social programs in place on the Dutch side so the people that aren't making money are not doing well. The French side has a lot of social programs and they don't have it half as tough. Well it is back to reality and work until our next trip in about three weeks . We are going to Nashville for a short business trip. The weather here is 66 degrees and cloudy. AH! New England. Until later peace and may God spare your life. CatmanDon

Piranha marketing and St Martin

Hi all, Jane and I are off to St Martin on Friday. We will be missing all our friends from Piranha in Arizona this week because of the scheduling conflict. It seems it happens every year. Jane's birthday is April 25th and we will be celebrating it on the island again. This is her favorite place and I am quite fond of it to. I get up at first light every day and put towels on our beach lounge chairs, then I go fishing for snook or tarpon until about 8:30 or 9. I then take a short walk to the french bakery and get great croissants and go back and have coffee and breakfast with my beautiful wife. We then get ready to go to the beach , either the one at the resort or one of the many great beaches on the island. Nights begin at the tiki bar happy hour where drinks are two for one from 4 to 6 and then we have dinner at one of the outstanding resturants or eat in. We may go to one of the many casinos at night or just walk on the beach. It really is a magical place and time. Do I miss seeing our friends from Piranha? Sure I do, but I cannot pass up this adventure. Maybe next year Joe Polish will have his meeting in St Martin. LOL Peace CatmanDon

deep sea fishing trip

Hi all, Myself and five other people went deep sea fishing out of Hampton Beach in New Hampshire. We had a great day. The sea was calm and we went about 20 miles out and fished in 200 to 290 ft of water. We caught cod and haddock. Between the six of us we brought home over 100 lbs of filets. It was an awesome trip. I gave away some fish to friends and they were very happy. The website for the charter is http://www.hamptonbeachcharters.com/ground.html check them out. Our captain was Nate and he is only 23 yrs old but very knowledgeable and a very capable captain. Thats it for now. Peace CatmanDon

LIVE EVERY DAY LIKE IT IS YOUR LAST

Hi all, A good friend of mine died Saturday while reading a bedtime story to his 8 yr old daughter. A massive heart attack was the culprit. He was only 52 yrs old and left behind three young children and a beautiful wife. He also did not have any life insurance and that is most disturbing. Everyone thinks it is to expensive until you need it. My heart goes out to the family. The man had touched so many lives in our small community and he will be dearly missed. So, live every day like it is your last, tell the people you are close to that you love them often. Mend the fences now before it is to late and plan for the unknown by protecting your families future should anything happen. Stay healthy and do a yearly physical. If you don't take time for preventative maintenance now you will have plenty of time when you are incapacitated with illness. Make the wise choice. Peace for now. CatmanDon

Springtime

The snow is melting and the crocuses are starting to flower. It is a beautiful site. We are once again busy with cleaning and our rebuilding projects are going smoothly. My builder has enough work until July. He is one of the few that are busy in the area. A friend of mine who owns a cleaning company just got his first call for a clean up of a house that was occupied by raccoons. Last year we did over 20 thousand dollars of raccooon related clean up work. I love those little masked bandits. I got a new Chevy truck and I am having it lettered today. My last truck I didn't letter and I hate to think how much money I left on the table by not having that rolling billboard out there on the road. We will be going to St, Martin at the end of April. I heard that the economy has really hurt the island and that the locals are begging people to buy. Maybe the real estate prices will come down. Thats it for now. peace CatmanDon

whats happening now

Hi all, I have been incommunicado for awhile. I just got a new computer and my geek is coming today to straighten out my issues. The cleaning business is a little slow right now , because we are in between seasons. That would be mud season and dry season. It is snowing lightly but it won't stay. I bought a new truck and am picking it up on saturday. Lots of good deals out there right now. We had a good time in Atlantic City , it was good to get away for a few days. We are going to Peter Havens resturant on Sat night with friends. It is a really nice place to eat. I played racket ball for the first time this week and it was great exercise. I will try and play at least one day per week. We are going to St, Martin for three weeks at the end of April. I really miss the sun. It is the best of the carribean. You all stay healthy and i will write next week. A belated happy St. Patricks day to all you beautiful Irish folks. You know who you are. peace CatmanDon

Poker update

Hi all, I got beat up really bad in the poker tournament and I played in one on Sunday as well. I never had so many bad beats in my life. I guess my bio-rhtyms were off. I think they are becoming aligned again as things are working out well at the present. I hope they stay positive , Jane and I are going to Atlantic City on Friday. The snow is melting finally. I have been spending time painting our rental house getting it ready to rent. It is a beauty just across the street from a pristine lake about 12 miles long. If anyone is interested in renting it you can email me and I will give you the particulars. catcarpt@together.net Hey check this out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5z4Vs26-TI&feature=related it is one of the funniest telemarketer put downs you will ever hear. Business is still strong and I got a new computer today so Jane and I have been re organizing my office. It looks like a different space. Well enough for now. Peace CatmanDon

poker and golf

Hello all, I just found out the very old Wright and Ditson wood shaft putter my dad gave me is only worth about $40. I would never sell it anyway. I am playing in a Texas holdem tournament tonight and I plan on winning. I will keep you posted. It is a beautiful day in Vermont today. Finally the sun is shining. We are rebuilding a home that had severe water damage this winter and about 9000 gal of water went through the house. The sheetrock is starting to crack and the door trim is opening up. On investigation the water that went through the crawlspace has undermined the footings and the main carrying beam is split and ready to break in half. Talk about your set backs. I now have to bring in a structural engineer to asses what has to be done and the cost. The insurance company is going to love this . Never a dull moment. Wish me luck tonight and I wish you Peace CatmanDon

great week end

The week end was awesome . My wife arranged a Mad Hatters tea party for my granddaughters and another little girl and they had a ball. We went out sledding in the snow on Sunday. It was great to spend time with them , they are the love of my life. I found a cool site for sending video emails check it out http://www.eyejot.com/ its easy and free. Its nice to send a picture of your face when you are talking to someone. Jane and I are going to Atlantic City in March for a long week end. It will be an experience for we have never been to Atlantic City. We are still quite busy with work and we consider ourselves very fortunate because a lot of folks are struggling right now. It will be interesting to see were it all leads. Only time will tell. Thats it for now , time for bed. Peace CatmanDon

35 days till spring I think

It is a beautiful day in Vermont. All the vacation homes and condos are rented for presidents week. We have recieved calls all week for water damage issues and after next week we will be crazy cleaning all the carpets in the units. Dirt is a wonderful thing , we take it out and people and pets bring it right back in. We are having a tea party today Valentines day for our grand daughters and some other children and family and friends. This was created by my beautiful wife Jane. She is always thinking of cool things to do when we are all together. She will dress up the little girls in big girl clothes and hats and gloves. They all love her very much. Well I need to go now, my in laws just drove in. Peace Catmandon

More thoughts for the future

After listening to the president last night I can see how difficult it will be to pick this economy up and move it forward. There is still to much petty bullshit in congress and the senate to fully realize it is not about the republicans and the democrats but about the american people and the future of this great country. In the near term I firmly believe that the economy will get pretty ugly. Even worse than what Elkhart, Indiana is now going through. Imagine that same scenario playing out in every city in the country. If the politicians can't get on the same road as the president wants to lead us down, then we are in for a very,very,long hard time. That is all I have to say about this for now. Let us watch and see what comes about. Peace Catmandon P.S. How about the idiot who asked the question about A-Rod's steroid use. What friggin planet is he from. Talk about the important issues. What the hell is up with that?

Thoughts for the coming depression

I was on a call with T. Harv Ecker and Harry Dent Jr who is a leading economist and he believes that we are going to be in a serious depression for the next 3-4 yrs. He believes that oil will go back to 80-110 dollars per barrel by the spring. If you invest in an ETF such as USO you can make a lot of money when this happens by selling out at the top end which will probably be the fall of 2009. You can also make money on the down turn when prices begin to tumble back down. Harry also believes that it is not a good idea to purchase real estate until 2013 when the prices finally bottom out. Then to reinvest in starter type homes and retirement homes. Mcmansions will be a thing of the past. His whole theory on economy is based on demographics and he believes that the Asian markets will be the place to put your money as thier demographics will be able to support growth. In this country health care will be a big attraction as well as the types of real estate mentioned above. Imagine being able to buy a home for what our parents paid with the low interest rates. It could very well happen. Harry also pointed out that it may behoove some people to sell thier homes now while they may get a decent return and rent until 2013. My parents bought thier home for ten thousand dollars back in the sixties. Cash will be king and you need to prepare for the future if you are to prosper. Great fortunes were made during the last great depression for those who had the forsight and lack of fear to create thier own opportunities. Just my thoughts and two sense worth but I am rethinking all my current projects and investments. Peace Catmandon

Facebook is very cool

Hi everyone, I started my Facebook account a while ago and never follwed up until recently. It is very cool to connect with friends and family around the world. I have connected with people and watched thier videos and learned about thier families more in the last two days than I could have imagined possible. I really miss them all. They are all very special people and have so much to share. It really is a lot to keep up with . The blog ,twitter and Facebook. I think I will make Facebook my priority. It just grows on its own. To everyone who does not have a facebook account, get one and you to will be amazed at the results. Jane and I went to the gym and worked out and then went to a friends resturant for lunch. Ain't life grand. It is so nice to be able to spend time in the middle of the day with my beautiful wife. Coundn't do it if I worked for someone else. Great being your own boss. Peace for now. Catmandon

another snowstorm with sleet and rain and a pedicure for me

Hello all, We just got about 8 in of nasty mixed bag of snow,sleet and freezing rain. It has not been above freezing for over a month. I am missing the sun. My wife jane and I went to the gym and worked out for an hour , then had lunch and then we both had a pedicure. This was a great experience. Joe Polish our marketing mentor suggested to the guys in our group that we have a pedicure so that we can relate to what woman like to do to feel good. He was absolutely right. I will probably have one every other month. Woman are the decision makers as far as our business is concerned and it makes perfect sense to try and figure out what they think about. Here is a link to having a clean healthy home. http://go2468.com/allergyrep. Well thats it for now. Do your self a favor and have a pedicure. I videoed it and it will be on youtube soon. I will provide the link. By the way , we saw Slumdog Millionaire and it was an awesome movie. Kept your attention for the duration. Highly recommend. Peace Catmandon

Sunday in Vermont

Good morning everyone, The temp here this am is 1.9 degree. Another cold one. Jane and I went to dinner last night at the White House Inn with a couple of friends. Dinner was great. While our friends were waiting at the bar for us to show they started talking to two ladies. Come to find out they were staying at the inn because thier home had flooded out due to broken pipes. When we walked in we were immediately introduced and we have recieved another water damage job. It just keeps coming. This January will be a record breaking month for our business and I am happy to say that we have been in the position with both employees and equipment to handle the damage so far. I am putting an ad in the paper this week for another technician trainee. Well that all for now. I have to go see a client about cleaning up his million dollar home after a fire. Peace Catmandon

accountability partner

Hi all, I just had my first phone meeting with my accountability partner Mike Schmidt from Long Island , NY. We are taking one goal per week and getting it done in order to grow our businesses at a steady and discernable rate. I believe it will work out good for both of us , as we all need a kick in the ass sometimes to keep us focused. I have known Mike for quite a while now and he is a man of conviction. My biggest problem is setting up 1/2 hr per week where we can talk uninterupted. It is very fullfillingb to achieve one major goal per week. It is also been a real eye opener for me to follow the mantra first things first and second things not at all on a daily basis. This has changed my whole outlook and I am getting a lot of important things done daily . This piece of advice is from the brilliant man ,Wyatt Woodsmall who we had the great pleasure of listening to him in a day long conference recently in Phoenix. Jane and I also attended a breakfast for the Brattleboro chamber of commerc where we are new members. That was very cool. Got to go now. peace Catmandon

What if this were your house

I just came from a house that has been wet for about three weeks. It is a beautiful two story home situated in the mountains of Vermont. When I got inside by kicking open the front door it was 8 degrees inside. The furniture was frozen to the carpeting and all the toilets were cracked. The ceilings were down in two rooms and the furnace had broken. The homeowner lives out of state and had nobody caretaking his home. There are hardwood floors throughout the home which may are may not be salvagable.A plumber finally came to fix the furnace and got two out of three zones working and had to leave to deal with people who actually were living in thier homes and had no heat. The current temperature in Vermont is -14 degrees.If anyone out there has a second home in a cold climate or not it is a great idea to have someone check your home on a weekly basis. I see this all the time and it boggles my mind. Well that is enough of a rant for now. Actually, I thank the Lord for these people every night ,it is thier ignorance that allows me to have more than one home. Peace Catmandon

back home

Hi everyone, We had a great Piranha marketing meeting in Phoenix. The one most important thing I got out of this past few days was the thought to do first things first and second things not at all. When you focus on the #1 thing and do it ,it opens a lot more opportunity to achieve other goals. Get those important things done first and then move on, you will be a hell of a lot more productive. The weather in Phoenix was like a beautiful fall day in New England. The people were great and the Embassy Suite hotel is always a great place to stay. Open bar for two hours every night and a great breakfast for free in the morning. On Rural Rd in Mesa. The home in Vermont is nasty and cold. Supposed to be all week. Good for business. We are home now until we go back to Arizona and then on to St. Martin in April. I would like to sneak out of here and fish Lake Salto in Mexico in March. Only time will tell. Well off to bed , just getting over the time difference. Peace Catmandon

arrived in phoenix

Hello all, we got here without any problems. That is what you can only hope for when you are flying.We flew on Delta and it was a good experience. Normally we fly US Air.The weather at home is still nasty. We recieved a foot of fresh snow in the last 24 hrs and it is playing havoc with my crew. My neighbor came down and plowed out my driveway. Meetings start this am ,can't wait. Talked with a lot of very upbeat and successful entrepenurs yesterday. It is always an very positive thing. You wouldn't know that there is a recession, none of us believe it. People have not to believe all the negative hype and continue to do the things that consistently make them money. So many people quit doing the things that got them where they are and cut back and live in fear. To that I say bull hockey. Our business is stronger now than it has ever been. That is all for now. Peace from Phoenix. Catmandon

going to phoenix

Hi all, Jane and I are off to arizona on thurs am. Going to our platinum plus meeting. We will stay a couple of days extra and visit Jane's brother and wife. It will be nice to get away from the cold for at least a little while. We have more nasty weather coming tonight. Freezing rain ,sleet and snow. Hope we don't lose power in our home while we are away. Vermont has been declared a disater area after the last ice storm. The insurance companies have sent there national catastropic teams of adjusters here, from as far away as Mississippi. I think the southern boys are having a tough time dealing with the cold and driving conditions. Thats it for now, off to bed . Busy day again tommorrow. Peace Catmandon

Great new year so far

Hi all, We actually stayed awake to see the new year arrive. Nice party. Ten people great food and grog. I am still very busy with flood work. Mt Snow base lodge flooded last night due to broken pipe. 12 offfices were wet. We were there in 45 minutes. They love us and I love this cold weather. Thousands of people at Mt Snow sking. We had to battle for position to park our trucks for water damage, but we got r done. It is snowing again and 22 degrees. Starting to get some money in from the big insurance jobs. Thank the lord, it has been to cold to clean. We had to postpone quite a few jobs , but they are willing to wait. It is good to be wanted. Peace for now Catmandon.