Hi there! All I can say is thank goodness I needed to write a blog. I needed an excuse to sit down for a while, and I couldn't think of a better reason than to catch up with my blog. I don't know if you remember me telling you about my real estate project that I have been working on for the past couple of months, but I am here to tell you that I never knew that owning property can be such hard work.

Twenty years ago, when I was in the auto parts business, we bought a piece of property and building that I eventually used for my automotive parts warehouse and corporate offices. After selling the stores, several years ago, there was no need for me to keep such a huge building for my own use, so I leased it to a company that produced hydrogen generators. They were a great tenant, and they made a lot of updates and modifications to the original building. Unfortunately, the hardships of today's economy took its toll on them, and as of the end of the year; they sold the assets of their business and moved out. Well, they sorta moved out.

Exit my old tenant; enter the Yates Family Real Estate and Construction Company. You think I'm kidding? I wish I was! LOL I should have known that I was in trouble when Toni surprised me with a brand new pair of steel-toed Caterpillar work boots for Christmas this year. I laughed when I opened the box. What in the world would I ever need with steel-toed work boots? Well, for once, I have to admit that she knew what she was doing when she picked out that present. They look like I have been wearing them for five years, and I know they have saved my feet over the last several weeks.

Anyway, the tenant, being in the manufacturing industry, had a magnitude (and I mean a magnitude!) of equipment, tools, fabrication materials, etc., as well as office furniture, computers, and other electrical equipment. All of it was left in the building. Needless to say, we have been working 24/7 cleaning, inventorying, organizing, demolishing, scraping, trashing, and finally selling all the items in the building. When everything is gone we will begin the final demolish project to restore the building to its previous condition. In the meantime, we have been showing the building to prospective tenants and hopefully one of them will want to make a move as soon as we get everything back to normal.

The good thing is that Jon has been working side by side with me every day. He is such a hard worker and I don't know what I would have done without him. I knew that all of those years working on a Pro Stock car would pay off. He has been really busy using his engineering skills to design blueprints, floor plans, and other CAD drawings which have been very helpful to our project. Not only can he disassemble a reactor room, unwire huge electrical panels, and categorize scrap metal, but he is an awesome designer with his engineering CAD programs. It is funny how similar he and Jamie are as they get older.

Speaking of Jamie, he has just finished a mini semester over Christmas break and will start his final semester at the University of Maryland next Monday. With only three classes left to take before graduation, we are confident that he will be able to maintain his perfect 4.0 average through the end. How cool is that?

I guess, by now, you have noticed that I haven't been talking a lot about racing lately. The Sunglass Machine is tucked in the shop, the tractor trailer is clean and stocked, the clutches and transmissions are all rebuilt and ready, and Ryan, Jon, Toni, and I are ready to head west. Unfortunately, (I really dislike that word) we do not yet have a final deal put together to start our 2010 racing season. Time is running short, and if we don't have something finalized in time for Pomona and Phoenix, we will set our sights for a start in Gainesville — just like several other teams may be doing. I am really confident that things will eventually work out, maybe not on my preferred time frame, but I think they will work out for us soon.

Well, I guess I have been sitting here resting my sore back long enough. I have some people coming by tonight to look at some welders and shelving that we have for sale so I better get my act together and get back out to the warehouse. Last weekend a couple of NASCAR guys came up and purchased some big equipment, and I think that more of the guys are coming back this weekend. One thing is for sure, life around the Yates family is anything but boring right now. Everyday brings a new adventure, and I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. If you are in the Alexandria, Va., area and need used equipment, tools, computers, or office furniture, just give me a shout — I'm on call all the time! Thanks for checking in!