A Play Break

My brother-in-law, Mike Reed is always a busy man. He is always working on some project, or working on their place, or helping other people. He is one of those people who retired to be his own boss, but make no mistake, he still works. This year, he has been busy working on restoring older vehicles. Many of these cars will be sold, online or at auctions. It’s a rewarding pastime for sure. I know he likes to see what they sell for, as much for the satisfaction of knowing that his hard work iv appreciated as for the money. He and my sister, Caryl Reed have enjoyed the auction circuit, even if the vehicle they sold didn’t go for as much as they had hoped. Still, the vehicle was very much appreciated, the bidding just went low. I suppose that is the nature of auctions. Everyone bids as low as they can to get a good deal. Sometimes the seller wins and sometimes the buyer wins.

Mike has also been helping with the garage raising at our sister, Allyn and brother-in-law, Chris Hadlock’s place. The old garage that was there from the time Chris’ parents owned the place, was in pretty bad shape, so the guys, along with brother-in-law, Mike Stevens; their son, Ryan Hadlock; grandson, Ethan Hadlock; and all the girls in the Hadlock family, have worked diligently to tear out the old garage, put up a retaining wall, and build the new garage (which they purchased as a kit) in its place. The new garage is going to be an amazing replacement, with plenty of room for all Chris’ tools, vehicles, and toys.

An avid hunter, Mike is involved in the Dallas Safari Club. That is a club that promotes hunting but also helps the community with donations they receive. One of their greatest projects is to help disabled veterans to do hunts, and they also work to get younger people involved in hunting. For Mike, this is an ideal project and a great way to volunteer and give back to a deserving group of people. Mike really enjoys being a part of that.

Of course, a top priority is the crops Mike and Caryl are growing on their ranch west of Casper. They planted a very large field, and that keeps him busy watering, watching the level of the irrigation pond, which can drop if too many people are watering at the same time, and preparing for cuttings as they come along. Mike and Caryl had a very good crop of hay this year, so they are looking forward to selling that when it is harvested. With all that, you might think that Mike has not time to play, but they make sure they carve out a little time, to do anything else. Nevertheless, they have been able to get some golfing in this year too. They deserve a play break sometimes.