I'm glad you and your brother have a good relationship, it makes life more enjoyable.
My grandfather used to own about 1,000 acres on the James river just downstream from where I live now and there was nothing but woods for miles around. My friends and I didn't hunt but did lots of target shooting, homemade "firecracker" testing poker playing, fishing, swimming and would sometimes camp out for weeks.
Now, I drive past the same land and there's a McMansion on every 1/4 acre lot but I'm grateful for the little patch I've got.
I've got a blacksmith shop because that's what I did for about 30 years. Unfortunately, I can no longer blacksmith full time due to multiple medical issues from a life lived fully if not always wisely.
You wouldn't believe some of the weird things I was asked to make plus normal things, sculpture, ornamental wrought iron gates, fireplace tools, andirons, African animals, grape vines for wine rack, a full size jazz band, furniture, cannons, antique reproductions and on and on.
If you're looking for quick n' easy money, don't look at blacksmithing.
Thanks for writing,
I saw once how a guy on Mountain Men found oar/steel/iron deep in a cave Whatever you make knives, pots and pans out of. I am fascinated at who the fuck found the first iron deposits and then figured out how to melt it into objects. It's a very useful thing to know if you are a mountain man. You can make so many things out of scrap. It's a lost art where if the shit hit the fan, you'd be a rich merchant. You'd be the town blacksmith. iron horses shoes Make someone a cooking pot. I'll trade you 3 bullets and a chicken.
Another thing that fascinates me. When a family has 1000 acres and loses it. I am SOOOO glad my brothers two kids get along and love the hunting property. One even talks about putting a fishing pond in the middle of it one day. In the back is a small river. I would lay PVC pipe from the river to the pond and that's how I would fill it. And I think my brother will leave them enough when he and his wife die that they won't have to sell it. But if one of them doesn't live in MI anymore, he may want to sell it.
Dude, give me all the money in the world. Know what I'd be doing? Tinkering around in my blacksmith shop. Or pull barn. Or garage. Or outside breathing fresh air.
My brother bought the place during the housing crash. Cheap. Then he build a home on it when money wasn't making hardly any interest. Rich people were looking for good places to spend their money. I'd say he bought the property for $100K and then built the home and barn/garage for $500K and today I wouldn't sell the fucker for less than $2 million dollars. We've put a lot of work into it. And the guys who built the home, amazing. On a dirt road. 4.5 hours up north.