wiltznucs

I’ve visited Nashville about every year on business for the past several years. It’s truly astounding how quickly it keeps growing. I spent several months in Nashville while in college 20+ years ago. Never would have imagined it being where it is now.

I agree that it’s a lot of fun. Great food and cocktail scene in addition to the Broadway area bars.

To that end; it does feel like it’s been Disney-fied a bit. I do miss the old school honky tonk vibes. Feels like Robert’s is about all that’s left.

It’s also become incredibly expensive in recent years. Traffic is nightmarish.

Florida resident here. Insurance has become completely nightmarish in the last 5 or so years. Not only from a pricing standpoint. Availability is spotty particularly the closer to the coastline you get. Moreover; the insurers are finding more and more creative ways to deny coverage. The amount of unpaid claims for roof damage after Hurricane Milton and Helene is staggering.

Recently; some homeowners in my area have been getting policy cancellation notifications. Along with the notification, they are being sent satellite or aerial photographs of their property and the proximity of trees to the home is being used to deny coverage.

The only way I would purchase a coastal home is if I had enough cash reserves to self-insure and repair at my own expense if the unimaginable happens.

If you are a foodie; it’s a great town. It’s diverse as hell and its culinary scene has been the benefactor.

I really enjoyed Sunny’s Chinese. It’s tucked away in the middle of Chinatown and will probably require a reservation. Straight casual type affair with some banging Sichuan fare.

Campechano has a few locations and does some amazing tacos.

Bar Raval is modeled to mimic a Spanish Gaudi style home. Great cocktails and Tapas.

Tiflisi is a restaurant serving Georgian (the country; not the State) cuisine. It’s near the beaches in a cool little spot to people watch,

Also; if into Japanese or Indian food there’s some great choices there too.

First mango of the year. A Pickering…

Picked then allowed to further ripen for 48 hours inside. On the smaller side at just under 1/2lb. Some get as large as 1lb. A bit early too as I’d ordinarily expect these in June and into July.

Flavor is pretty much classic on this one. Some faint hints of coconut. Not as juicy as some other Pickerings I’ve encountered. In general; I’ve found that the early mangos off each tree aren’t as large or rich as the later offerings. So I’m definitely optimistic based on this one.

I think the lions share on this tree is still a week or two out. Sweet Tart, Angie and Dwarf Hawaiian not far behind them.

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Never buy gold. Horrible investment.

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Eh; while I agree with this statement in principle when compared to the long term average market return, Gold has definitely got windows of opportunity.

Unfortunately; now is likely not it. The time to buy gold is when nobody is talking about it and the economy is cooking.

If you were buying in 18-19’ you were getting gold at $1,200-1,300 an ounce. A tidy 250% return in 6 years if sold it today. I can’t come up with many other investment options that would have done the same.

To the OP, gold can be a fun way to diversify your portfolio; but, it should never be your primary investment vehicle.

There is numismatic gold and bullion type gold. If you are serious about gold, then bullion is the only way to go. AGE’s, Maples, Brittanias, Krugs or Mexican options are viable. AGE’s, Buffs and Saints are the easiest to sell. Fractional gold will eat you alive in premiums. Stick with the 1oz variety.

Scammers are numerous and the buyer should always beware when dealing with individuals, pawn shops, or E-Bay.

LINK

This video does a great job showing the differences. Hope it helps!

Definitely some Sapote fans out there. I’ve not tried the White Sapote. Have tried the Black Sapote though. Didn’t really blow my skirt up; but, it has its fans too.

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Jealous! My lil tree is probably 12” tall

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If it’s any consolation; odds are you got the best option. It’s been a wacky year for us in terms of weather; but, Pickering has been the winner in my grove. Even among some more mature trees. 15+ mango varieties and the little Pickering smoked the competition. Hang in there!

Did Prague along with Vienna, Budapest and Munich last year. Prague was far and away my favorite. Glad you had a good time.

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Wiltz, correct me on any of this if I'm wrong.

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Spot on; that VP is a mess. I like to top them off when they reach about to my hip. Then encourage lateral branching. I consider this video to be the gold standard for managing mango canopies. Definitely worth checking out.

Mango Pruning