Orbital LLC
Gary’s entrepreneurial sister Kay and brother-in-law Don having opened an office, Orbital Tech Search, Inc. to a establish legal residency in non-corporate taxing Nevada for a LLC, ( Limited Liability Corporations), that would enable prospective clients a means to diversify and incorporate their income. Orbital having been established, joining the ranks of their other California corporations, Indian Creek LLC, Morning Dove LLC, Olive Forever LLC. Gary never one to turn down an opportunity to expand his knowledge accepting an invitation to accompany his sister to Reno for a three-day conference and seminar on LLC’s entitled The Asset Protection & Tax Planning Strategy Conference, held at the Atlantis Hotel and Casino hosted by the Laughlin Institute of Corporation Studies, Ltd.. The seminar to address what was known in the world of corporate structure as ‘the red ink system’, a means of diversifying their income and transferring it into several LLC’s ( Limited Liability Corporations) showing a loss by means of distribution thus a reduction in taxes. The three-day conference to start on Wednesday March 24th, brother and sister to travel by car, Don would not be in attendance for the conference because of work priorities but fly into Reno Friday night to spend the weekend. Joining the seminar group besides the two would be Gary’s niece Brenda McQuary and a friend of Dons, computer engineer Dave Matthews, also a non participant, Jack Lawry. Gary soon discovering that the Reno journey entailed more than just a three-day conference at the Atlantis, discovering that they would be spending Saturday and Sunday nights at the Silver Legacy Hotel & Casino.
The Atlantis Hotel & Casino
Brenda McQuary Gary’s niece.
A departure for Reno and the three-day conference, Gary piloting the Buick with his sister. A stop for gas at San Andres before the venture east on Highway 88 at Jackson, the upward journey over the Sierra’s beginning, Kay asking if she could drive. Gary not surprised as his sister was the driver in their family, not ever recalling her husband Don in the driver’s seat when she was present. Leaving the bounds of the sierra’s an afternoon Reno arrival at the towering new edifice still under construction, the Atlantis, the two entering, meeting with Katherine’s daughter Brenda, Dave Mathews and Jack Smith. Gary immediately perceiving the beckoning sound resonating from the casino, its hypnotic voice enticing with the promise of reward. Kay in a business like manner registered questions about the conference, the answers were given, the large lobby Venue Directory servicing notice of the conference room location and the 8:30 a.m. starting time.
Computer engineer Dave Mathews
Gary having sat through ten years of informative seminar session on a variety of subject with the Kansas Hospital Engineers Association discovered that sometimes you feel like you’re being held hostage. There was an upside to seminar attendance beside the educational benefit, it was the dietary morsels provided during a break by the facility catering service, but when partaken of and endowed sometimes made it difficult to stay awake. Dave Mathews being a large person and concurrently having a large appetite, plus frequenting the late hours in the casino would eat a copious afternoon lunch, Subsequently one afternoon during a monotone seminar presentation found no difficulty discovering slumberland. Brenda and Gary were not distracted with Dave’s dozing until he began to snore, then Brenda took control, quietly furnishing an unwelcome elbow to bring him back to reality. Gary wasn’t a gambler as such but enjoyed watching others, after accompanying Mike and watching him consistently win and was amazed at how lady luck chooses her partners. He enjoyed spending the evenings with his niece Brenda the two attempting to show a profit on the uncooperative machines but together discovering a host of mutual subjects to converse about. The morning would find them meeting at the bar skipping breakfast because of the early conference time, Brenda having discovered if you purchased $10 dollars in coins for the bar’s counter slot machines you would receive a free drink and as regiment would have it, Brenda would deposit the $10 in coins in the slot machine, but toasting the loss with a Bloody-Mary for breakfast.
Silver Legacy Mining Machine
Gary’s niece Mary Garrett
The three days of Laughlin asset protection & tax strategies coming to a conclusion, Gary recognizing the big picture of de-facto defrauding the government of corporate tax by setting up a circle of LLC’s, strategically rotating assets from one to another to show a loss. With Don arriving from San Francisco for the weekend, a move being made to the Silver Legacy, a change from the upscale modern motif of the Atlantis to the western mining heritage of the 1700 room Silver Legacy Casino. It was getting to be more like a family reunion, Kay’s daughter Mary Garrett arriving to join Brenda, the two to visit their father John Ove who had suffered a debilitating illness and was now residing in Carson City. Gary found the most impressive feature in the Silver Legacy was the giant 180 ft. automated replica of a silver mining rig, its performance set on a timing mechanism with clock watching bystanders waiting to observe its operation.. The Buick was being put to good use, transporting Donald and Kay to their Nevada office and Brenda and Mary asking to borrow the Skylark to visit their father in Carson City, Gary happy to comply with both the request. The weekend coming to an end, Gary making two trips to the Reno Airport, the first to see his Brenda off and Donald’s return to San Francisco. A farewell to Reno, this time Gary when asked by his sister about his impressions of the past week, two words came to mind, “an experience”.
The first of May found a spring snow falling at the lake house, with camera in hand, Pine Mountain Lake a pictorial background, Gary taking a photo for posterity feeling like he was living in Currier & Ives pictured postcard.
Gary, Kay and her copious Rottweiler Darian firmly sequester in Kay’s jeep, their destination Greeley Hill a secluded area north of highway 120, the jeep leaving the blacktop traversing uphill on a non-defined dirt road. The two arriving at the residence of John Brooks, a retired 74 years of age projector of heavy equipment, a character of renown, having escalated much of the landscape in the county with his arraignment of bulldozing equipment for the past 50 years. A delightful person with endless stories from another era, his explorations for gold and all the discoveries he had made thru his 70 plus years of life, his mountain yard filled with the equipment, relics and mementos from another time. Like monuments, several vintage trucks with a bygone history, an array of paraphernalia from his gold mining endeavors, including a mercury detort tube for extrapolating gold that he had invented, every conversation entailed an exponent from his life. The large gray-haired elder was an amiable overwhelming personality, his presence and vocabulary one of dauntlessness and integrity, a person that Gary immediately accepted. Kay proposing John to transport his legendary D-8 385 horsepower, 80,000 lb. caterpillar bulldozer to break the ground with ripper blades for the future planting of her olive tree endeavor. John agreeing to cultivate the hillside with the heavy-duty ripper, but suggesting a first attempt being made with a smaller caterpillar.
Legendary D-8 Cat
John and his son arriving at the proposed site , readied the smaller unit for its task but soon discovering it was unable to break the hardened soil of the virgin hillside terrain, returning to retrieve the heavy-duty D-8 to accept the challenge, it’s presence being successful. Gary watched as a bystander but then called upon to journey to Jamestown in Katherine’s pickup with a 55 gallon drum to purchase diesel fuel for the Caterpillar. It was also noticeable that John would occasionally stop, dismount and inspect the furrows of the turned over ground during his 40 acre traversing, Gary was reasonably sure that John was looking for the telltale signs of gold.
Under construction
A daily work project
The completion of the Cottage was entailed, Mike, a friend of Katherine’s daughter Sally, (Scelestia) noted for his impeccable carpentry skills was employed. A perfectionist installing the hallmark beam ceiling for the downstairs, his work a paragon display. Gary working with Mike adding the finishing touches to the roughed in windows and the center ceiling beam. All was progressing on a rapid scale when Mike developed a personal relationship problem with Sally and his work on the cottage came to a halt. Gary learning that the young man had a bipolar testament and when on medication was an outstanding person, but when off his meds he could render a confrontational personality change. Brother and sister deciding to put their painting and carpentry skills to task, the access to the upstairs having required a ladder as the placement for stairs was still undecided. The two designing and structuring the yet constructed outside stairway to the second floor, notching and securing the 2 x 10’s for the steps to be installed, Continuing, assuming the mantle where Mike had left off finishing the door facings, painting and installing the Pergo laminate flooring. Jacque returning, the San Francisco contractor having completed all the electrical and plumbing projects, his final calling would be the laying of the ceramic tile that would engulf the downstairs floor, the once building relic from the past beginning to resemble a showcase livable entity.
The McConaghy House in Hayward
Gary accompanying his sister the two journeying to the bay area, the jeep venturing to Hayward stopping at an antiquity home built in 1888. The McConaghy House a two-story, six bedroom mansion now officially designated as a historical museum. It’s stairway, widows and Victorian widows walk endowed roof for some reason implanted a fascination with Kay, Gary not aware that her obsession with this structural part of history would soon turn into reality. Katherine having set another goal besides the olive orchard and the remodeling of the cottage, a project that would fulfill her entailment with the McConaghy House and the purchasing of an additional 120 acres that adjoined their 90 acres. Gary wasn’t surprised on the rental and move from the lake house, the capital to be invested in fulfilling their goals of purchasing an additional 120 acres. Don, Kay and Gary visiting the owner of the property, the addition acreage included three houses and high delivery water well, the negotiations beginning in earnest. This time brother and sister journeying to contracting home builder George Williams Pine Mountain Lake home, addressing him about his services and the of duplicating a facsimile of the McConaghy House with a Bread and Breakfast concept in mind. After several deliberations the contractor concurred accepting the project, the timeline undecided but the McConaghy facsimile would be realized.
Don and the Grand kids
The rental of the Lake House was inevitable and the move to the cottage was somewhat unsettling, the Yamaha console having found a new home. At first Gary was more than satisfied with the large downstairs bedroom with french doors opening onto a porch, Kay and Don claiming the upstairs, but it was the 8 mile drive to Groveland and the habit of eating out that was the consternation. The stay at the Cottage with its remoteness, serenity and echo’s of benevolent country living was becoming prosaic, there being no internet, television or outside distractions except for an occasional passing vehicle. The only nocturnal sound was an occasional cricket or the rustling of the creatures of the night, an aura and realizing beginning to unfold that silence could be deafening. The summer found Kay’s grandchildren visiting, Gary and her erecting a large tent, the grandchildren to spent a summer month breaking the solemn stillness of the countryside.
Completed project
There was still some remaining work on the Cottage, the laying of the chimney stones which needed a professional, Gary’s labor provocations having diminished, he and sister having expended their expertise. The stay at the cottage beginning to seem like a bastion of isolation, but a reprieving call from his sister Nancy in Columbia providing him reasoning to abrogate, she was in need of a dog sitter for Kizzy, his sister and mother having planned an extended excursion, Gary finding a reason to waiver from the solitude of nomadic life, returning to Columbia.
Inquisitive Quest 
Leave a Reply