Laidi / Laidu muiža / DJI Mavic Mini Latvija
| Tourism objects | 12 seen
A quick drone flight around Laidi village in Kuldīga municipality / Laidi manor and former kolkhoz Spartak.
I'm starting to enjoy these long-range flights without any signal interference as seen in big cities.
DJI Mavic Mini / music by Scott Holmes - Storybook. October 26, 2020
Property prices for Real Estate in Tosmāre, Liepāja
| Real Estate | 32 seen
Tosmāre is a neighborhood of Liepāja, located between Lake Tosmare, the Karosta, and Zaļā Birze. Not as chic as the city center of Liepāja, we still find this a very luring neighborhood and most important - undervalued
In one of our previous articles, we shared an idea of possible investments in the Karosta / Tosmāre neighborhoods of Liepāja. See: Invest in Liepāja Real Estate / Tosmāre / Karosta
Today we decided to visit Tosmāre, and take some cool drone photography while exploring the area
As we have applied for 2 online auctions in the Tosmare neighborhood, and while we are still waiting for the final bidding day (November 23) , today we visited properties to gain an overall idea - we left amazed by what we saw.
Tosmāre from a drone flight
Currently, we have applied for two online auctions in Tosmāre on Nākotnes street. The dwelling houses are very cool and it looks they are from the times of Tsarist Russia.
Current starting bids for 30m2 apartments in these houses are EUR 1,800 and EUR 1,600. That's about 60 EUR per square meter. Taking into consideration that these apartments have both water and electricity we call this - Crazy.
Now, we don't think the final bidding prices will stay as low as they are. Actually, current bids already are way higher at EUR 3,100 and EUR 2,300. Respectively EUR 76 and EUR 103 per square meter.
Tosmāre from a drone flight
Huge was our surprise after seeing two freshly renovated dwelling houses (3-story buildings) with perfectly landscaped surrounding territories.
When applied for these online auctions we set our max target price: EUR 5,000 for each of the apartments. About EUR 166/m2
Now. let's try to figure it out what could be average price for property in Tosmāre neighborhood
Tosmāre from a drone flight
For this "research" we are going to use ss.lv advertisement board for Tosmāre.
There are not so many deals in Tosmāre, and most of them (sales) are under EUR 10,000. After browsing all ads, here is what we learned - renovated apt will cost about EUR 370-450/m2, while flat without renovation in a bad shape will go for about EUR 180/m2
Tosmāre from a drone flight
Tosmāre is in the part of Liepāja Special Economic zone, and there are several large industrial manafactures. As we can see from this picture, there is a quite large quarry, with an office building and many many cars, which leads to think that finding a tenant for an apartment here on Nākotnes iela shouldn't be a problem.
Our original idea was to buy to let for students or young families, now we see an opportunity to let to factory workers or white collar managers coming from Riga. Service apartment in Liepāja.
Freshly dug city comunications and newly installed electric cabinets.
The more we look, the more we like.
With our budget set max EUR 5,000 we are ready to pay about EUR 166/m2 for a non-renovated flat in Tosmāre. We might end short.
January 2021 Dividend Income Report - $50.95
| Investments | 47 seen
Welcome to the forty-fifth (#45) dividend income report, covering earnings I've made from dividend-paying stocks and peer to peer lending in January 2021.
The last January we spent in Latvia, did a lot of planning with our flat in Vilgāle, order new windows, got a construction permit, and started the first renovation works (hired local contractors). At the end of January, we relocated to Jūrmala, where we plan to spend the next two months.
Cēsis Castle in Latvia
On January 2, we paid a shot visit to Cēsis and Valmiera in Latvia
From the perspective of dividend income - Last January was one of the lowest in the already 4-year-old dividend income portfolio. My dividend income keeps falling because I'm shifting away from junk stock. In total, we took just shy $50.95 in dividend income last month. I would wish more for a 4 years old dividend portfolio, but things are as they are.
Compared to the previous January in 2020, when we took $164.99 in dividend income, our monthly dividend has decreased by -65.27% (-$114.04). A year ago we did set a goal to take at least $300 this month, now this didn't happen.
Luckily, an additional $3,284.99 was made from options trading.
As options trading is not a passive form of making money while you are sleeping it wouldn't be fair to include them in dividend income reports.
Check out our options income report here: January 2021 Options Income Report - $3,284.00
If counted all together (dividends + options) it seems we have made $3,334.95 in total last month. That's a great way to start a year. If we would be able to take at least $3,334 every month for the next 11 months we would finish 2021 with +$40.000 income. Which is one of my options income goals
We were able to generate about 9.7% income yield from our portfolio value last January.
One of our monthly goals is to generate at least a 2.5% income yield from the portfolio. As longs it's above it - it's awesome.
Interest income in January 2021
From the stocks and peer to peer lending we got the following income last month:
Ticker
Earnings
USA
€13.92
RA
€7.04
O
€5.80
XIN
€5.30
Mintos
€5.17
EDF
€4.53
Total EUR 41.76 / USD 50.95
In total there were 6 companies paying us dividend in December 2020 that is 6 companies less than in January 2020
Monthly income
I've been tracking my journey towards million dollars in a savings account since January 2017. 4 years already.
Monthly dividend Income chart as of January 2021
The cumulative earnings for 2021 now are $50.95 which is exactly 1.95% from my goal of 2021 ($2,600). On average, it would ask me to generate $231.73 every month for the next 11 months to reach my goal. Right, now this goal looks pretty hard, but I will try even harder to get there by the end of the year.
2020 in Review and Financial Goals for 2021.
Goals for January 2022
This is my favorite part of the reports - trying to forecast/set goals for the next year. But before setting a goal for 2022, let's see what I forecasted/said a year ago (January 2020)
When setting goals for January 2021 I have a minimum $300 goal from dividend income. It will be probably very hard, as I need to raise my current dividend income by about $140, to get there I plan to use quarterly paying stocks, like NRZ, PNNT, and others.
nope, month after month I keep missing my dividend income targets. When setting goal for January 2022 I will go with a humble $100
Forest House / Golden Fall / Ķemeri / DJI Mavic Mini
| Tourism objects | 7 seen
Another short from DJI Mavic Mini drone, with little post-processing done in Adobe Premiere Pro, applied some cinematic filters
Filmed on October 24, 2020
Music by David Hilowitz - Equilibrium I Cello version
How To Display Drupal 8 Block on all Taxonomy pages (taxonomy/term/)
| Drupal Development | 39 seen
Today working on my favorite website - optionsbrew.com, for a moment I faced a small issue - how to display block (s) on the default taxonomy/term page.
I remember I was doing such tricks back in 2012 or 2013 and was wondering does it still applies in 2021, turns out - it does!
Here is the solution: on the Configure block page, under the Pages tab, enter /taxonomy/term/* and save
Configuring Drupal 8 block
Here is how our taxonomy term page looked before:
Drupal 8 default taxonomy term page
And here is after
Drupal taxonomy term page with custom blocks in sidebar
Hope it helps!
Jūrmala Self-Isolation
| Tourism objects | 16 seen
Here comes another weekly video, shot at the end of October 2020 in Jūrmala, while taking 10-day self-isolation. We finally managed to fly to Latvia, but were forced to self-isolate for 10 days during the Covid-19 Outbreak. We rented huge house in Jurmala and spent quite nice time over there.
Another short from DJI Mavic Mini drone, with little post-processing done in Adobe Premiere Pro, applied some cinematic filters
Filmed on October 17 and 20. 2020
Music by Scott Holmes - Motivational
Cēsis Castle
| Tourism objects | 25 seen
Cēsis Castle is one of the most iconic and best-preserved medieval castles in Latvia.
The foundations of the castle were laid 800 years ago by the Livonian Brothers of the Sword. The most prosperous period Cēsis Castle experienced was during its next owners, the Teutonic Order. It became one of the key administrative and economic centers of the Teutonic Order in Livonia and was a seat of Landmeister in Livland.
The first serious damage was done to the castle during the Livonian War, when it was besieged by the army of Ivan the Terrible. In the course of the siege of 1577 approximately 300 people within the castle committed mass suicide by blowing themselves up with gunpowder. Cēsis Castle was still in use during the following century but it fell into disuse after the Great Northern War. Today the castle is the most visited heritage site in Cēsis and one of the 'must see' destinations in the Baltic states.
Cēsis Castle from a drone flight
It was on January 2, 2021 we took our rental car from Riga and visited both Cēsis and Valmiera, with one of our stops at Cēsis Castle
Cēsis Castle is open to the public year-round and according to figures released by Cēsis Culture and Tourism Centre, 100 000 people visited the castle in 2016.
The main site of interest in the castle – the Western Tower – lures the visitors not only with the Master's Chamber but also with the possibility to get a bird's eye view of the surroundings. The loft windows open to the scenery of the environs of Cēsis in all its glory.
Cēsis Castle form a drone flight
Each visitor is given a candle lantern to explore the dimly lit Western Tower. It is a tradition that originated in 1996 and has become a trademark of Cēsis Castle.
The castle is not only a tourist attraction but also a habitat of various species of plants and animals. Naturalists have drawn special attention to bats, which hibernate i the basements of the castle. When frost sets in, five different species of bats settle in wall cavities and stay there throughout the winter.
Throughout the summer season there are artisan workshops located in the outer bailey of the castle where bone and antler craftsman, woodturner, blacksmith and printmaker work. They practice their craft by utilising the same methods as were common in the Middle Ages.
Adjacent to artisan workshops a 16th-century kitchen garden is recreated. The garden contains vegetables, herbs and medicinal plants that were cultivated in Livonia, 500 years ago. As with artisans, it is possible to meet a gardener every day during the summer season.
Daytrip to Kakheti / Ujarma fortress / Alazani river / Vineyards in Georgia / DJI Mavic Mini
| Travel guides | 4 seen
Here is another interesting drone video showcasing Ujarma fortress, Alazani river, and vineyards in Kakheti
More fun with a drone or a day trip to Kakheti. Ujarma Fortress, stunning views of Alazani river and of course vineyards. October 3, 2020, taken with DJI Mavic mini Music by: Scott Holmes - Storybook
Piltene Lutheran Church
| Churches and Monasteries | 12 seen
Piltene Lutheran church is located in Piltene, some 20km from Ventspils. The church was originally built-in 1557.
The pride of the Piltene church is gilded wooden altar and pulpit, organ with 9 stops, wooden images of XII century Apostles, benches, and separate lodges with doors with kettle-hinges.
I first discovered the Pitlene church at the sart of 2021, while doing random wanderings in the area
Pitlene church from a drone flight
The church was built in 1557. During the Great Northern War, the church building began to collapse, and in 1708 the congregation decided to build a new church.
In 1710, the great plague began and the construction was stopped, in 1717, during the aftermath, 257 peasants survived in the 34 manors belonging to Piltene.
In 1719, the current stone church was completed on the site of the collapsed wooden church. In 1722, an organ with nine registers was made, the author of the prospectus was Liepaja wood sculptor Joachim Kreicbergs. The church still has wood carvings from the 16th century. Instead of the wood-carved image of Christ, as it was in the first church, the new one had a painting of the altar of Baron Rene, the new church was wide and bright. Bench for 222 seats and with forged hinges. Church sculptures are typical Baroque works. Here were the twelve holy apostles along the edges of the pulpit. The pulpit dates from 1719, but a copy of Jānis Rozentāls' painting from the 19th century
Gray Dune Area in Ventspils
| Tourism objects | 16 seen
Gray dune area in Ventspils is a part of “Preserving, Exhibiting and Developing Tourism of Culture History and Nature Heritage of Northern Courland” of the Ventspils Museum project, during which the creation of an infrastructure of the South Western part of the city was carried out, has been completed. A new parking lot and two new entries to the beach are currently available to the residents and guests.
I first discovered the Gray dune area in January 2021, while doing a random driving around Ventspils. As it was winter we met here more snow than sand.
Gray dune area in Ventspils
The infrastructure development project was implemented at the end of the Saulrieta Street and in the Jurmala Park, where a new street with lighting and rainwater sewerage, new combined-cover pedestrian and cyclist paths, a parking lot for 60 cars, including four parking spots for people with impaired movement and two - for the families with children were created during the construction works; the territory has been supplemented with newly planted trees, benches and trash bins, as well as two entrances with wooden footbridges to beach have been built.
Gray dune area in Ventspils
The ninth entrance to the beach can be found on the territory of the Ventspils Seaside Park, moving toward the Seaside Camping along the Little Train cyclist path where a turn with a sign - the Nudist Beach - has been placed on the right side.
The new street with an entrance and a parking lot, as well as the 10th built wooden footbridge is located by driving along the Vasarnicu Street by the Seaside Camping straight to the end of the Vasarnicu Street, where the parking lots can be found by the road dividing into two directions. By continuing your drive, a new, well-lit street leading to the newly-constructed parking lot can be seen.
Gray dune area in Ventspils
The paths to beach of the newly-constructed infrastructure cross the Grey Dune area of the European-significance protected territory. The new wooden footbridges are constructed in a way to create an access to the dune and the Baltic Sea beach in a considered way.
The 10th wooden footbridge located at the end of the Saulrieta Street is perfectly suitable for those admiring wild nature and for walks with pets. The paths to beach of the newly-constructed infrastructure cross the Grey Dune area of the European-significance protected territory.
Martkopi Monastery Complex from a Drone flight
| Churches and Monasteries | 12 seen
Martkopi monastery complex is located some 30km from Tbilisi, Georgia.
This place is best reached by car, but some could get here by hiking too, see: Hiking Route in Georgia - Norio Village - Martkopi Monastery
Filmed with DJI Mavic Mini on September 23, 2020, Post-production in Adobe Premiere PRO
Martkopi monastery complex, located just some 30km from Tbilisi
I was told - they are sheltering some 100 people here. That's the true spirit of Church!
First discovered back in 2017, returned here with a drone in 2020.
Music by Scott Holmes: Discovery
Saint Simon's Church of Valmiera
| Churches and Monasteries | 8 seen
Saint Simon's Church in Valmiera is one of the most noticeable objects in the city, located in the heart of the city on Bruņinieku iela 2.
The architecture of St Simon's Church combines the Romanesque and Gothic styles. The church boasts 15th-16th century burial plaques of the city's notables, a pipe organ built in 1886 by a well-known European organ builder Friedrich Ladegast, and paintings on the pulpit and the organ loft made back in 1730. The church tower accommodates an exhibition space, and the viewing platform overlooks the panorama of Valmiera.
Saint Simon's Church in Valmiera
St Simon's Church of Valmiera was built on a steep bank of the River Gauja in 13th century. There exist rather reliable records to the fact that the construction of St Simon's Church began in 1283. It is believed that the church's name is related to its consecration on the Day of Sts Simon and Jude (in Latvian - Simjūda diena), 28 October. The building was damaged during wars and in fires.
Originally, St Simon's Church hosted a Catholic congregation. In 1554 in Valmiera, freedom to pursue Lutheran faith in Livonia was proclaimed that restricted clashes between Catholics and the adherents of the new faith.
In 1964 St Simon's congregation was forced to move to the new Baptist house of prayer, as the church came to accommodate a museum. The congregation returned to the building in 1988, but the ownership rights were legally restored only in 1996.
In the second half of the 19th century, the organ built by Friedrich Ladegast, with 33 stops, 3 manuals, 1 pedal, and a Neogothic facade was installed in the church. The instrument is a specimen of a Romantic organ, and ranks among the best in Latvia.
December 2020 Dividend Income Report - $119.17
| Investments | 51 seen
Welcome to the forty-fourth (#44) dividend income report, covering earnings I've made from dividend-paying stocks and peer to peer lending in December 2020.
The last December we spent in Latvia, did several trips here and there. I kept playing with my DJI Mavic Air 2 drone, made some really nice HDR photos, hyper lapses, and more.
Embūte church ruins
From the perspective of dividend income - Last December was nothing special. My dividend income keeps falling because I'm shifting away from junk stock. In total, we took $119.17 in dividend income last month. I would wish more for a 4 years old dividend portfolio, but things are as they are.
Compared to the previous December in 2019, when we took $236 in dividend income, our monthly dividend has decreased by -49.55% (-$117.04). A year ago we did set a goal to take at least $310 this month, now this didn't happen.
Luckily, an additional $2,692.38 was made from options trading.
As options trading is not a passive form of making money while you are sleeping it wouldn't be fair to include them in dividend income reports.
Check out our options income report here: December 2020 Options Income Report - $2,692.38
If counted all together (dividends + options) it seems we have made $2,811.55 in total last month. That's a good way to finish the year.
We were able to generate about 11.81% income yield from our portfolio value last December.
One of our monthly goals is to generate at least a 2.5% income yield from the portfolio. As longs it's above it - it's awesome.
Interest income in December 2020
From the stocks and peer to peer lending we got the following income last month:
Ticker
Earnings
ARCC
€27.64
FGB
€23.38
PFE
€18.38
RA
€6.88
EDI
€6.36
Mintos
€5.34
EDF
€4.42
INTC
€4.11
O
€3.71
KO
€2.84
WFC
€0.07
XIN
-€4.76
Total EUR 99.31 / USD 119,17
In total there were 12 companies paying us dividend in December 2020 that is 1 company more than in December 2019
Monthly income
I've been tracking my journey towards million dollars in a savings account since January 2017. 4 years already.
Monthly dividend Income chart as of December 2020
The cumulative dividend income for 2020 now is $1,739.27 which is just shy 48.31% from my goal of 2020 ($3,600). I didn't reach my goal, well that's lame.
2019 in Review and Financial Goals for 2020
Goals for December 2021
This is my favorite part of the reports - trying to forecast/set goals for the next year. But before setting a goal for 2021, let's see what I forecasted/said a year ago (December 2019)
When setting goals/forecast for December 2020 I have a $310 goal in my mind. From today's perspective looks quite doable.
Yeah.. well.. nada.. no miracles happened here, our dividend portfolio has been hit hard after the March market downturn
When setting goals/forecast for December 2021 I will be very happy reaching $200
Valmiera Music school
| Tourism objects | 19 seen
Valmiera music school is located next to the Gauja river banks on Pilskalna street 3 (Valmiera)
I had a chance to explore the area at the start of January 2021, while doing a day trip to Valmiera and Cēsis.
Discovered by accident, I decided to make some photography from a drone in this area.
Here is what I got:
Valmiera music school
To learn more, please visit https://vms.valmiera.lv/ (in Latvian)
Tbilisi Open Air Museum of Ethnography from a drone flight
| Museums | 18 seen
Welcome to the new 2021. For this year I have decided to start a new project - one video a week / 52 weeks
Without further ado, let's start with this cool cinematic circuit drone footage from the open-air museum of Tbilisi filmed back in 2020
Filmed with DJI Mavic Mini on August 29, 2020, Post-production in Adobe Premiere PRO
Made my first 'fly-through', met some young Georgian dancers performing very cool Rachuli dance.
Music by: Scott Holmes - Cinematic Trailer & Rachuli Georgian Song and Dance (unauthorized use)
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