Friday, July 24, 2009

Welcome to our new guests from "My North"

This blog was put together to aid those who are new to what I have been doing and to aid in their journey by not having to deal with countless unrelated post that I used to fill those long stretches of time when nothing was happening. When your done here head over to the "Red Door Journal" the link is below right on the main screen. This was the original blog and still serves that purpose today, since the battle is not yet finalized, as you will see.

My sister and I are willing to answer any and all questions that you may have concerning what all can happen and how to prevent it from happening to you.

Ignore the dates listed as I cut and pasted from the original blog and did them all on the same day, that is the date that shows.

Enjoy the journey...

Monday, July 6, 2009

Christmas at Lakeside 2008




While mother and Joey were busy preparing a detailed inventory per the facilitators request, Santa snuck in and dropped off a nice Christmas Tree. I reviewed the photos and did not see a hint of Santa sneaking in, he still has it!

David Symons's way of saying Merry Christmas to his sister.



Folks I am disgusted, I am pissed and I am going to let everyone know about this. I'm Sorry, but this crosses the line between being decent and mature and showing sheer vindictiveness.

It's the day after Christmas and this is his idea of how to say Merry Christmas. Pathetic, simply pathetic.

It truly is a sad day for Lakeside and the other associations on Higgins Lake, when the Lakeside Camp president shows this much hatred towards his sister.


More later...I need to calm down.

Unfucking believeable, David Symons tries to ruin Christmas!



Knowing that mother wanted to use HER cottage one last time before it is sold, David Symons steals the Holiday spirit from his sister.

But thats not all....


And not just satisfied with getting a Judge to sign a motion on December 23 he then takes family love to an all new low.....

Dirty laundry.......

I had hoped that this mess would have been kept between families where it should be but that is no longer the case. When one files a motion with the court it becomes a matter of public record. Hence I am free to inform all just what is currently taking place. I am going to try hard not to inject my personal feelings into this, but to give you the facts.

On December 8th of this year, David C. Symons through his attorney Philip R. Sturtz filed a motion for injunctive relief. There are eight (8) separate paragraphs to this motion, the first two are standard boiler plate, the remaining six (6) get to the meat of the matter.

1. That the Plaintiff has commenced a partition action before this Honorable Court.
2. That the court is well familiar with the facts and circumstances of the matter currently before this Court.


3. This matter has been hotly contested by the parties with no less than three (3) appeals being taken to the Court of Appeals. The Court in its last decision clearly and distinctly ordered the cottage sold to Mr. David C. Symons and directed Mr. David Meyer, the mediator to complete the terms forthwith.

4. That on or about November 24, 2008, apparently following the most recent motion in Court directing that the cottage has been sold, the defendants announce, "The cottage has been reserved for the Christmas holiday period. Dec. 23 through New Years", see exhibit #1 attached herto and incorporated herin. The Plaintiff, David C. Symons objects to the cottage, which he has purchased, being opened up for any parties for use during the Christmas holidays, or at any period of time.

5. That since this matter has been filed there have been numerous and repeated actions by parties which suggested the commission of waste or damage, including the painting of doors, and "the Internet saga Red Door Journal blog".

6. That it would appear from the e-mail, that while the cottage has been sold to Mr. Symons, that any and all parties will be using the cottage.

7. That the plaintiff is concerned about the commission of waste, turning on of water, re-heating, lack of oil and other neglect that may be committed to the cottage by parties.

8. That Mr. David C. Symons is the current purchaser, and as the purchaser has paid a large sum of money, and he is concerned about his investment and the condition that he may find the premises in if third parties are allowed to use the cottage.

WHEREFORE the Plaintiff prays that his Honorable Court would enter an Order stating that the cottage has been sold to Mr. Symons, that the mediator, Mr. David Meyer is preparing the finalization of all documents, including deeds and sale prices and that due to the nature of the sale and condition of the property the property will not be used by any parties since the cottage property has been sold.

Ok, so there you have the legal mumbo jumbo, the meat and potatoes of what has been filed. Now lets look at the facts.



David Symons submitted an offer to purchase, and gave a deposit to the mediator; nothing more, nothing less.

THERE HAS BEEN NO SALE.
THERE HAS BEEN NO LARGE SUM OF MONEY PAID TO ANYONE, THE DEFENDANTS OR THE COURT. THERE HAS BEEN NO RESOLUTION OF CONTENTS.
THERE HAS BEEN NO DEED TRANSFERED.
THERE HAS BEEN NO ACCOUNTING OF FEE'S OR COSTS.

SO ONE CAN CONCLUDE THAT THE COTTAGE HAS NOT BEEN SOLD. ONE WOULD THEN THINK THE OWNERS HAVE FULL RIGHTS TO THE USE OF THE COTTAGE AS THEY ALWAYS HAVE, UNTIL SUCH TIME AS A SALE IS CONSUMMATED. YOU WOULD THINK......

In other words, IT HAS NOT BEEN SOLD. A sale takes place when money is paid and deed is transferred. Not one of you loyal readers would sell your place and grant the purchaser full and exclusive use if there has been no money paid and no deed transferred.

Secondly, when the afore mentioned e-mail about the cottage being reserved for the Christmas holidays was sent out, per customary cottage protocol, it was followed up with a return email from David Symons, not only acknowledging that the cottage would be used, but included hints about how much oil was in the tank and should it get low, let Chris know to contact the oil provider. Now that doesn't sound like someone who is deathly afraid of the place being trashed. How did that turn about happen???

Now, mother and Joey are planning on going up for the Christmas holidays and will return after the new year.

Ok here is where I interject my opinion, for whats it worth.



So this latest attempt comes as no surprise and we will deal with it like we have in every other issue that has been thrown at us, and we will rise above, not stoop to his level.

Right now we are waiting on the Judge to decide on this latest motion, one that should be so simple even a 5th grader could get it right.

Now don't you go and tell Josephine where we stole this tree from, you got that?



For those with short memories, the cottage has been used many many times during the Holidays, and here's the proof.

From our cottage to yours Merry Christmas!

Back to what "The Red Door Journal" was intended for.....

I reflected on the situation in Baghdad yesterday when a journalist threw his shoes at President Bush, knowing that had that occurred 6 years ago, that journalist would have undoubtedly met with an awful ending. As it were, the freedom that our President and our incredible troops brought to that country, gave that journalist an opportunity to express his views without concern for his safety. Freedom of speech is so important, regardless of whether we agree or disagree with the messenger, it's his or her right to say what they will. With that in mind, let me get back to the intended purpose of this blog. It seems some feel that stifling my voice was critical to their cause. And for a while I refrained from doing so. Not any longer, if that journalist can hurl a size 10 hushpuppy at the president, I can say what I need to say here without fear of intimidation.

So, I sat in court this morning for the umpteenth time listening to the same dribble and diatribe from the plaintiffs attorney that I felt the need to address the issues here because for what ever reasons they are falling on deaf ears there.

For reasons only known to a few, the plaintiff believes that since he has made an offer to purchase and put forth a deposit, that entitles him to full control and possession of the cottage. None of the other "owners" have any authority to use it.

Now color me stupid but as my earlier posting alluded to, it ain't yours till you pay, unlike Wimpy who made the saying "I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today" stated. This is the real world. Think for a moment, if you were selling your home and I offered to purchase it, drew up a purchase agreement and submitted it along with a deposit, that entitles me to absolutely nothing. It ain't mine yet. It seems that the plaintiff thinks a purchase agreement is as good as sold and closed.

Thus the need to file another motion. Force my mother, my sister and my cousin from using what is still theirs. We have used the cottage at Christmas many times over the years. As have a lot of other Lakesiders, and still do. We all have been blessed to have caretaker's who will go in and turn on the heat, let the old girl warm up for a few days, before turning on the water. Then when we're done, they will go in and turn off the water, drain the lines and turn off the furnace. How simple is that? How great is that? Some view that as cruel and unusual punishment, bordering on torture. I am trying to figure out how running water through warm lines is painful and torturous.

The motion we had to go in and defend again today was silly, frivolous and totally without merit, yet again additional costs have been incurred, for what? I can only think that it is one last effort to flex muscle and imaginary authority. If that is what they want, then pay the money to the court, answer mothers request for a sit down meeting to address the issue of cottage possessions and then close this nightmare out and move on. Aside from having an issue with face to face meetings, I can't think of an easier way to end this.

"The Red Door Journal" it seems has been getting plenty of ink of late, a large increase in visits and page views as well, and I can assume from where it comes from. If so welcome aboard. Feel free to leave comments, you can do so now anonymously without fear of identification or reprisal. All comments are welcome, just like the journalist in Baghdad. The president did a good job of ducking and so can I.

For those of you who are going north to Lakeside, Cottage Grove or Pinewoods for the holidays be sure to stop in and wish mother and Joey a merry Christmas and happy new year, they will be there with bells on and fresh tree in the living room

Spring Cleaning...........

It's time to do some long needed spring cleaning so if you think this looks different don't be dismayed it's not your eye's playing tricks on you. It was needed.

I am going to take a breather since there is nothing to report, things will be just fine and we will have a great summer at Higgins.


Thank you for your support and to anyone who I may have offended my apologies are sincerely extended.

See everyone next summer!


As word that our return for next summer seems certain, the excitement overcomes this group and another round of drinks becomes necessary!

More News....

In addition to the plaintiffs attorney's fee's having being determined excessive, the judge also granted our stay motion, thus putting on hold the sale of the cottage, pending appeal. Our appeal will be forth coming.
.
A small victory for us!
.
In a seperate issue, it appears that the J.W. Symons sign that hung from the pine tree behind the back cottage for many years has been removed. Perhaps the cleaning lady will find this too!

Yup it's true he was there.....

Don't ask me why, he didn't say, however if one is judged by the company he keeps, I think we know who invited him.

Stu, if you are a regular reader or just visiting for the first time, you might want to stay tuned, you just might learn something. Not tonight, gosh that would be too simple, but hey, give me a few days, keep checking back, the facts will surprise you.

Another News Alert!

Stuart deGeus spotted in court Monday morning!

More to follow...

THIS IS A NEW'S ALERT!

Censored....

I had to delete what I had posted regarding another stupid wrong ruling by this judge on the advice of our attorney. Seems the judge had called him to express his displeasure in what I had written about him. He apparently took exception to my comment about a lack of testosterone and even with both hands and a bright light he couldn't find his balls.

This is the origin of red.......


Will there be an end of the month surpirse?


I guess we will know in due time what is in store. We have been told that a report will be provided and what it says will dictate our next move. I still can't help feel that so much confusion has been created over this and how it has been handled that your guess is as good as mine.


We have our game plan drawn up and ready to go, yet we sit, waiting to see what the report says.


Stay tuned.......
ps Sue M. your books are in.

Perils of Partition


Check your deed's,


The pittfalls of "Tenants in Common" can strike at anytime!

A sad day...


More to follow.....

Too little, too late?


I wonder if the issue of a central bank account is addressed in this new book? You know like the one where all owners contribute their respective share of the cottage expenses and then usually one owner or another will be responsible for the distribution of the funds for the various bills that occur. Kind of like our arraignment. For over 10 years now, Stu, Katy, David and mother all contribute their respective share of the expenses , and one check is written from a JOINT account. I would have to think this topic is covered, because it can and has become an issue. Especially when one lets others think they are paying all the bills. A side benefit is everyone has a record of their financial activity, everyone!

Sharing times used to be happy times.....


It appears that there are some out there who think or have been told that one party to all of this has been forced to foot the financial responsibilities for all. Not true, the expenses have been shared by all since day one. Anyone making claims to such are our right liars.

As mentioned in a previous post, there are only a few of us who know the real truth and it will be published once this is finished so please be mindfull of our situation and refrain from making statements that are not factual. Help us enjoy what could be our last summer up here and let's have some fun!

Watch out I will be there Friday




I've been told that mother and Joey have been working at a feverish pace trying to spruce up the old girl in anticipation of the "Season" Gosh I hope they took down last years holiday decorations, as nice as they were, it's summer now!

Be careful of what you say.


I have reluctantly not posted anything news worthy concerning the cottage of late because honestly, things had been going rather slowly. I filled that void with issues near and dear and some humor thrown in for the heck of it. That however will soon change.

This blog was started as a means to vent my frustration over what was happening to my mother and her interest in the cottage, and I have had to bite my tongue on more than one occasion because it was the right thing to do. Trust me; it has been frustrating to say the least, hearing of people who think they know what’s going on or think one party is not being fair to the other, or give their opinion and make comments that are far from factual.

To those I say be careful.

I reluctantly made this blog public, and encouraged you all to leave comments. If you disagree with what I am saying, tell me, if you agree with what I am saying, say so, or just post a friendly hello. Your comments are always welcome. But to make statements based upon false information is wrong.

There are a handful of people who know what’s going on, in time you all will know. So please be understanding of those who are the unwilling participants in this debacle, they did not bring this upon themselves, yet are faced with the unpleasantness of it all.

So let’s have great summer..…Go Lakeside, beat Cottage Grove…..!

No news is Good news......

Receipts, records, yea there here somewhere.....


You have to be kidding me, told that the financial records for the cottage were at Luigi's office and you can view them there, to fine, you can come and pick them up on Wednesday to, what do you mean you cant find them? And now Luigi's gone fishing? What the F@$K....

I have an idea what might have happened, if you look real close, doesn't that look like a receipt for screens, and oh look here's one for the dock sections. And I am sure the rest are here, somewhere, got any tape?

Loyality


Is there a stronger bond than the one that exist between a man and his dog? With the exception of family it's hard to think of another one. Who else would sit there soaking wet, while his master was fishing, waiting for just the right moment, that look, that slight head movement that says it's OK boy come on out here. That's a special bond alright. But what about family? What about the bond that exists between siblings, that's a strong one isn't it?

Mine is, but then mine is special, being a twin makes it special, but hey who am I kidding, all siblings have that special bond don't they? What about Lionel & Ethel Barrymore, or Shirley McClain & Warren Beatty, then there are the Wright Brothers, the Marx Brothers, the Rockefeller's, John and David, and let's not forget the Symons brothers!

Yup, that sibling bond is a strong one ain't it? Unbreakable, indestructible, it can never be broken, from cradle to grave. We all know that old saying, friends can come and go but family is always family. You can see where I am going with this can't you? Something has happened, that bond has been broken and I don't have the answer. I'm not sure anyone does. Can it be fixed, perhaps, but it takes two and right now there is one. We shall see...

What would Ben say?


For as gentle a man as he was, he's gotta be pissed. Worse than a new 8X tippet with a freshly tied Royal Coachman snagged on a willow branch right over a deep hole during a caddis hatch.

I wish he were here right now to see what his son has done, this was not what he had envisioned, and for that I am truly saddened. I greatly admired my grandfather, he was such an inspiration, he was someone I could look up to in addition to my father. I still brag about his hunting and fishing exploits and hope that when I am 85 I can still throw a fly line or shoot a partridge from a moving car. Oh wait that's not legal is it? He told me it was it was so it must be!

And...

I don't even want to imagine what my grandmother is thinking right now, she could be a real force to deal with and I have a feeling she ain't done with David yet, his day is coming.

Grandma and Grandpa, I am saddened by the actions of your son, as is a lot of other people. This grand old place will never be the same again, never. Regardless of the outcome the damage has been done, and sadly it cannot be rectified. She will be missed, but not forgotten.

I am hopeful that my mother can get one last time up there, she will be celebrating 80 years there this summer and it would be shame if that couldn't happen, time will tell, time will tell.......

Here we go again

Back into court on Monday morning, this will prove to be interesting. One word keeps coming to mind, perjury. Stay tuned to see what happens. This one will be fun, I am betting on it.

He was before it before he was against it..


This whole ordeal has been strange from the begining and now has gotten stranger. Back in January the facilitator's meeting was cut short because someone had other plans. While the rest of us were prepared to spend what ever amount of time necessary to insure that if the cottage was going to be sold, it would be sold for a fair value and not stolen, someone had other plans. Then when we decided that the time line was vague and needed to be firmed up he had a hissy fit and forced us back into court. Of course the judge took three weeks to do what should have been done in a few minutes, not that we're complaining, and said back to the facilatator.

A second go around and we were prepared to bargin hard. If the cottage is to be sold, it will be on our schedule and not his. But wait, where was he, his attorney Saul was there, his attorney son was there, but not him. I had a feeling he would be a no show, he pulled the same stunt the month before in court. I knew that spineless piece of crap wouldn't show up. He was pissed that I was there for the first facilatator's meeting, I mean he was not a happy camper. He never looked at me, never looked at mother, nor did is attorney Saul. If I didnt know any better I would say he was intimidated. And that's a good thing because it means we are doing it the right way. And a little help from above can't hurt, thanks dad!

For four hours we went back and forth finally we had an agreement. During the proof reading of the draft we find out that those two ambulance chasers had to call their client who it seems was lounging in Florida, and sell him on what they had just agreed to. In the words of a frustrated facilatator, "he didnt like the time line" I think my first words were fuck him, and with that we walked out. Now here is the strange part, he wants this whole mess to be done and sold by June 1, 2007. The agreement we reached was for the appraisals to be done and a minumum bid price determined by June 1. The month of July would be for anyone from Lakeside or friends of Lakeside to look it over. If by the end of July there were no bidders then it would be listed by a realestate agent.

Now lets see why he wants this whole mess tied up and and gone by June 1, shall we. Could it be that his sister has the first session this summer, mid June to mid July? Oh come on, that was too easy. Could he be thinking that in the court of public opinion he is afraid that everyone will hate him? Pssst, hot off the press, most alread do! It's looking like it should be a great summer! I smell a big party with lots of out of state former Lakesiders there. Stay tuned.......

And so it began....



Who would have guessed that a painted red door surrounded by a gracefully old dark green cottage might have been the cause of this mess. What started as an artistic endeavour, to be viewed and enjoyed by many, was interpreted by another as an assault. An assault on his perceived position of superiority. Unwilling to share any longer what was once given to 3, he now wants for himself.

This journal is my way of dealing with the anger, the frustration and yes, the realization that though this fine old cottage might never change, the people who make this a great place to come and relax will be changed. Changed forever, and that's not what grandma and grandpa had in mind.

Your reading this because I have had a change of heart, it was never intended to be viewed by anyone, this was to be my therapy, my way of dealing with what one brother is doing to his sister. It's not fair and it's not right.

What ever happened to talking face to face anymore? Has the Internet and e mails taken away the need for that? Wouldn't you think that something as important as dissolving a joint partnership be discussed face to face? It makes sense I guess if your a decent compassionate person, and if your not, then I guess sending an e mail is the chicken shit way to go. Nice job asshole, show everyone just how compassionate you are towards your sister and your late sisters children. I bet your kids are proud of you, and your friends are impressed with your savoy way of dealing with this. And while your at it pat yourself on the back for a job well done. What you don't see is how despicable you are viewed as, how people are laughing behind your back, and you'll see soon enough.


Let the journey begin!
Welcome