I enjoy hearing from blog readers, fellow bloggers, fellow location independent nomads and other interested parties. So, here is my contact information:
E-mail: ed@edhelvey.com
Telephone: (703) 662-FREE (3733) on Google Voice
Skype: ehelvey
And, if you need to contact me or send me something via snail mail, it is best to contact me by E-mail first so I can give you the appropriate instructions. As you know, as a South Dakota resident, my street address is in Box Elder. But, since I'm never there, all my mail is forwarded to me on a schedule that is based on my needs and my location at any given time. Depending on what it is you're sending, I might want you to send it to my address in South Dakota. However, if it is something of a timely nature, I may have you send it to some location where I know I'll be able to receive it in short order.
E-mail: ed@edhelvey.com
Telephone: (703) 662-FREE (3733) on Google Voice
Skype: ehelvey
And, if you need to contact me or send me something via snail mail, it is best to contact me by E-mail first so I can give you the appropriate instructions. As you know, as a South Dakota resident, my street address is in Box Elder. But, since I'm never there, all my mail is forwarded to me on a schedule that is based on my needs and my location at any given time. Depending on what it is you're sending, I might want you to send it to my address in South Dakota. However, if it is something of a timely nature, I may have you send it to some location where I know I'll be able to receive it in short order.
4 comments:
Mr. Helvey: so glad to see your comments re: The River Roost. I was the manager there during the summer of 1969. (I left at the end of summer to return to college.) Two ex-bosses of mine at San Antonio Coca-Cola had asked me to leave North Texas State U. and come run The Roost. None of us had any experience in the restaurant biz (which you may have perceived) so it was an experience. A better email addr for me is leorios@tx.rr.com. Would enjoy taking with you.
Hello, Leo --
The email you gave me didn't work, Leo.
First, call me Ed. I'm guessing you have to be at least in your early 60's. I just turned 70. Hard to wrap my mind around that. My thinking is still back at around 35 or so. Also, sorry for the delay in replying. As you probably figured out from my blog, I am now a nomadic vagabond wandering around the U.S. Sometimes it takes me a while to catch up on emails and blog posts.
Thanks for contacting me about the good old days of the River Roost. I missed you when you were managing the Roost. I arrived at Lackland AFB on August 19th or 20th of 1969. I didn't complete Basic Training until around early October. I didn't have my own wheels until after January 1st sometime when I got back from my first leave, went to NJ and brought back my wheels (a 1965 VW microbus).
I may have been to the Roost a couple times before the new year (1970) taking the bus to town or going in with other friends who had wheels. There was a folksinger who performed there, I actually brought in a pile of portable studio recording equipment and recorded an entire evening of his performance one Saturday night. I want to say his name was Rod Radle. (not sure if the spelling is correct)
Rod had a girlfriend he hung with and they lived in an apartment complex somewhere in S.A. I went to their place one time and they introduced me to a cute little blond, blue-eyed, elementary school teacher who I ended up hanging out with for a while.
Then I got my orders in late April 1970 to report to my final duty assignment working for the Secretary of the Air Force in Washington, DC.
I've been back to S.A. several times over the years mostly on business. I looked for the Roost, but I guess it's been long gone. The World Fair had just closed when I got to S.A. in 69. The exhibit buildings were still there, but all closed except for the Lone Star Beer pavilion, that we went to reasonably frequently for obvious reasons. I was also up on the tower on the observation deck. The River Walk was really only a block or so long, if that long, in late 69 and early 70. Most of it was warehouses and appeared to be fairly unsafe once you ventured beyond the area right around the River Roost.
It's all changed. Joske's Dept store that took up the entire block ,except for the space the Catholic Church and Parish House refused to sell, has been vacant for years from what I understand. They were finally working on it when I was there this past October. Apparently the Alamo has not been maintained and is in poor condition. The large Convention Center took over a good part of the World's Fair site and all the hotels have been built. Since the beginning of the 90's I've recorded conferences at the Convention Center, the two Marriotts, the Grand Hyatt and I spoke at the Holiday Inn on the River Walk. A lot of change has certainly occurred over the past 45 years when I was first there for Basic Training at Lackland AFB.
Thank you for this blog and sharing all you have learned. I'm 48 and have been down the road of being a business owner all my life thinking that success in business would make me happy. Unfortunately I learned some very hard lessons about business and the lack of moral compass it takes a lot of time to succeed in business. Not to say all business is like that but too many times when speaking of big business and public companies the end seems to always justify the means and the majority of times many good people are destroyed in the name of reaching the ultimate goal. After having over 600k basicly stolen from me in a franchise business I decided I was done chasing the business dream. Now I buy and sell vintage and antiques maintaining my morals and values creating win win situations in every situation and enjoying the human element of meeting some great people who share my values which are the majority of people. In the next 5 years my wife and I will join those living a truly free life and spend the rest of our years traveling the country supporting ourselves with my wife's retirement eventually and our flea market vendor income. My wife thought this was all crazy but after being able to read blogs such as this and comparing spending our life maintaining a large home that neither of us would truly enjoy and having the entire country and all its beauty as our backyard the decision has become a very simple one. What's important to both of us and so many even when they don't realize it is not the stuff we have but the relationships with the ones we love and friendships we can develop And enjoy. I believe this lifestyle will continue to grow and with further down economic times ahead will explode at times. But for us this decision is not one of financial necessity it is one of freedom and living in a manner that will take advantage of each minute the good Lord has allowed us to be here. Your journey and your story has made this choice very easy. I feel lucky to have a spouse that would actually take the time and consider this lifestyle, it's not something many would even consider. It is not something that she would of ever done on her own. I would of probably chosen this lifestyle if I was by myself but having my best friend willing to share this with me is incredible.
Thank you, Rob, for this very gratifying comment from you. I'm glad I was a little part of the inspiration to motivate you and your "best friend" to embrace this lifestyle of freedom. I have friends in AR who are completing the construction of a utility trailer into a full-time, on the road habitat. They also are a husband and wife partnership. They are selling their home, downsizing and eliminating most of the stuff they've accumulated over a lifetime, too. They have lived an RV lifestyle before, so they are familiar with it, but instead of the 40' motorhome they once had, they are going small and simple so they can focus on living life not on maintaining a behemoth home on wheels with all the challenges and expenses thereto pertaining.
I'm still in business, Rob. I maintain an LLC out of SD (where my address is) and I do a variety of things. But, currently I'm investigating some new income producing revenue streams based on utilizing my past 50+ years of business experience (through which I discovered the same things as you did) while NOT creating a new job that ties me down and limits my freedom and mobility.
Keep in touch, Rob, and let me know if I can be of any assistance as a resource as you make your transition.
Enthusiastically,
Ed
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