Chainsaw Yogi

Beaming

2012-02-07T21:39:00.001-06:00

Here is an in-progress shot of the beam trim overhead in the Kitchen and Dining area being installed. Progress Saturday was slower than expected since my helper was stranded in his home by flood waters for overnight storms. But I at least achieved some proof-of-concept satisfaction as all the details went together pretty much as I had planned. Beneath the each stained plywood- wrapped beam you see will be 16 feet of 1x6 solid red oak to cover the plywood edges and the raw joist.

Beam me up Marky

2012-02-03T04:09:00.006-06:00

Now that the living room (foreground) is just about complete, my sights are set on finishing the kitchen/dining room (background). And the only things left to do there are the ceiling beams you can see, fairly nasty looking now with paint over-spray on them. I'm going to wrap them in stained cabinet-grade wood to fit in with the bookcase. It all starts this coming Saturday morning, and my goal is to cut, stain, and install all the beam side panels on that single day. Then I'll order the solid trim for the bottoms of the beams for installation on another day. Should be loads of fun!

High Tech Relaxing

2012-02-02T01:34:00.000-06:00

Ann is sitting pretty with her iphone, a good book, and what looks to be an iced coffee on the back deck. Not a bad way to keep up with what is going on in the world while maintaining serenity.

Cat Nap

2012-01-09T23:29:00.001-06:00

Apolo, our slightly eccentric cat, loves to curl up in just about anything that provides him any sort of enclosure. A pair of shoes will do nicely if nothing else is available. This time he decided that our grandson's car seat was designed, built, bought, and brought to the house specifically for him. His face seems to be saying "what are you looking at, old man? Don't mess with MY car seat. Remember that I'm awake when you are asleep, and your throat would be an easy target".

Hey Jason!

2011-12-29T10:59:00.000-06:00

Our friend Jason visited yesterday on his way from San Antonio to his home in Ft Worth. The closer our place gets to completion, the more we enjoy being able to share it with others... and nowadays we can practically guaranty that they won't get any sawdust in their food.

Leaping Lizards

2011-12-29T10:48:00.000-06:00

Alex discovered this Texas Aligator Lizard today under a brush pile we were about to burn. Good thing for the lizard it was spared from the flames, and that Alex is a vegetarian.

Overcoming Adversity

2011-12-19T17:06:00.001-06:00

Fall color is about as good now as it ever gets in Wimberley. It seems odd that after our horrible summer drought that the color is actually later than normal. The red tree in the foreground left is affectionately known as the lollipop tree. It's shape is due to the fact that the top of it, included all the branches, was broken off about ten feet above the ground during a wind storm 8 years ago. Hundreds of new branches all emerged from that break area and ever since have been competing fairly equally for their share of light. Another example of adversity leading to some unexpected delight.

A River Runs Through It

2011-12-18T18:40:00.017-06:00

The Blanco River runs through our Wimberley neighborhood, and even during droughts it provides some great relaxing and cool-down opportunities. Not to mention the endless photo opportunities; this shot shows the channels created in the limestone from years of constant flow. The exposed rock creates an easy path for crossing the river on foot, and for photographers to stand without getting wet.

Booked Up

2011-12-03T06:22:00.001-06:00

Here are some progress photos of the living room bookcase, which extends along the entire south wall , opposite the wall of windows on the north side. The first pic shows it a few weeks ago and the second is from last Monday, when I was completing the top trim which ties it into the adjacent pillaster. It feels so great to be finally unpacking the last of the boxes of books, family photos, and other keepsakes. When I return from my current Saudi Arabia trip I'll turn on the gas to the fireplace for the season, hunker down in the couch, and enjoy! (For a few minues, at least.)

Garaged

2011-11-20T21:03:00.001-06:00

The roofers are still finishing up their work on the garage, but I'm already thrilled to be parking in it. After nearly eleven years of parking in the sun (and even occasional rain) at the property, it feels nothing less than decadent.

And the value of having my own little man-cave shop where I can make noise and dust without trashing the main house? Priceless.

Dirty Fun

2011-11-16T22:31:00.001-06:00

Stacey, Braden, and Kara visited us last weekend. I love it that the kids think of Wimberley as the house itself- when we are in town and they get tired they say "we want to go back to Wimberley". There is lots of new fun for city kids to discover, but I think the most popular entertainment was this pile of crushed granite I had just had delivered to create some more parking spaces off the street. They would race to the top and then back down endlessly. And after going inside for a break they would soon ask to go back to play again in the "big pile of dirt". What a joy it is to give them such fun and lasting memories!

A Better Look at our Turkeys

2011-11-03T02:02:00.043-05:00

Wild turkeys have been hanging around our place more and more frequently, and we now see a fowl of about seven of them just about every day. These shy birds have previously been just about impossible to photograph well. But now thanks to bird seed scraps from our six bird feeders, and a pretty cool long Canon lens, I've finally managed to get some decent photos of them. These two are males; obvious from their red white and blue head coloring and iridescent feathers. One fun factoid: Their beards, which are present on all males, are also present on about 15 percent of females. Shows there is nothing wrong with mother nature giving male characteristics to some females. And visa versa. And not just for turkeys. Read that, certain presidential candidates!

Zombie Invades Wimberley!

2011-10-24T22:07:00.001-05:00

A flesh eating Zombie has been reported in Wimberley, and here is a photo. Either that, or this is my hand after getting a nasty reminder that poison ivy lurks in the woods. Somehow after ten years of clearing brush and trees I never got any, but a short walk in the woods last weekend did me in. Does it itch? Do Zombies eat flesh?

Garage with a View

2011-10-21T16:55:00.001-05:00

A big part of the home design here in Wimberley was based around the view of the nearby hills. Now the garage is getting started at long last (first photo), and I decided that it too should take advantage of the view. I'm framing in a couple of 48" square picture windows so that when we pull into the garage, or when I'm working on some project inside it, the view will still be there (second photo). I was standing inside the garage and looking out through the framed openings for the first time a few minutes ago. Now I'm thinking that bird and/or hummer feeders hung from the eave just above each window will be just the thing to complete the exercise of bringing a bit of mother nature inside the garage.

Attention Residents!

2011-10-19T18:33:00.002-05:00

This notice was sent to everyone with homes in our subdivision today:

ATTENTION RESIDENTS:

A resident driving southeast on Windmill Run saw a mountain lion crossing the street about 200 feet before the intersection with Lone Man Overlook at approximately 11:30AM on 10/19/2011. She had to put on her brakes to avoid running into it and it just calmly walked then sort of trotted on into the brush. It was last seen heading south down the backs of the houses on Lone Man Overlook.

Photo added by me; it was not in the notice.
(lady who spotted it was likely shaking too badly to take a photo)

Mary Ann Expressway Grand Opening

2011-10-17T01:31:00.000-05:00

I just completed the new stair handrail, just in time for Ernie and Mary Ann's visit this past weekend. As you can see, Mary Ann gave it her thumbs-up. This is the first time she's gone up the stairs, which she pronounced as worth the trip to see the view of the hills from up there. Anyone else want to give it a try? Come on out, the Mary Ann Expressway is open for business.

Scaffolding, Sort Off

2011-10-15T10:56:00.036-05:00

I've been doing some photo file cleanup and came across this old photo of the American Clay plastering contractor working in the stairwell/entryway. I had been working away upstairs without paying much attention to them, having last checked on them when they were starting their scaffolding setup. It turned out that they didn't bring any of the pieces needed to bring the scaffolding up the stairs. So I discovered that they had procured my ladder (foreground, yellow) to create a custom scaffold system. The only marginal credit I'll give them is that they actually had a guy stabilizing the ladder (you can barely see him at the photo bottom). But they lose even that credit since he was standing underneath the 2x12 with the plasterer on it. Thankfully I'm now all finished with contractors in the house, so the only worker I have to keep an eye on is ME.

Hard Rain

2011-10-08T03:53:00.000-05:00

We finally got an inch of rain and cooler temperatures for one day in Wimberley last week! Along with this not-so-welcome hail and three hours of power outage. But we'll take it! I'm saving a few of the hailstones in the freezer to bring out during the next heat wave and remember that day with.

Saving Face

2011-10-07T03:42:00.000-05:00

After about six years of exposure to the elements, our tree face creatures were starting to look pretty shabby. After all, it looks like they are made of just plain old plaster with a dash of paint on them. After powdering their noses with an extra heavy coat of the cheapest spray paint I could find, they are once again ready for action. Protecting our property from a full 100% of the supernatural creatures which would undoubtedly be haunting us if not for tree face vigilance.

Arbor Days

2011-09-20T23:25:00.003-05:00

We all know that this summer (or really the whole year) has been a nightmare for most of Texas. So I've been digging through photos of the arbors at the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, looking for good ideas on taking some of the nasty out of our blazing temperatures. Shade gooood. Before next summer comes I'd like to build something on our Wimberley property to help us spend and enjoy more time outdoors. Here are the candidates:

The simple "bus stop" look, practical and open enough to allow breezes from any direction.

"Strong Silent Type". A but austere without any vines growing on it, but would be a great spot for a water feature.

"Made in the Shade". Great way to get from point to point without boiling along the way.

"Toddler hideout". Only a one or two year old would view this as a shelter.

The "Road to nowhere". A semi-circle which would be good for viewing a focal point like a bird feeding & bathing area from the shade.

"Hide Away", the right hand side is solid vines. Good for blocking the hot West sun or hiding an eyesore.

Hot. Dry. Windy.

2011-09-05T21:10:00.000-05:00

Our Central Texas drought has turned from nasty to downright deadly this week. We were shocked seeing the massive wildfire in Bastrop, even from a distance of about 30 miles, on our way back from Wimberley this weekend. About the only good thing I can say about the hot, dry, windy weather is that it makes for really quick laundry drying. We set up this makeshift clothes line on the back porch hammock hooks (too stink'n hot for much hammock action) and I think these sheets actually dried faster than in a clothes dryer. I wish we could find more ways to work with mother nature rather than doing battle with her...

Ganesha, the multi-purpose deity

2011-09-01T00:53:00.000-05:00

Ganesha is a Hindu deity that I've see a lot of in yoga rooms and certain types of restaurants. I thought he pretty cool looking as deities go, so when Vanessa and I came across this one for sale in Albuquerque (taken from an Indian temple being demolished) I snapped him up. Since then I've been researching the history and symbolism of Ganesha and all of his accompanying doodads. Most sources generally agree that he is:
1- The Lord of Success
2- Destroyer of vanity, selfishness and pride.
3- Remover of Obstacles
To my surprise there are many different interpretations about the symbolism. Here are a few interpretations from one of many sources:
Ganesha's head symbolizes the soul, which is the ultimate supreme reality of human existence, and his human body signifies earthly existence of human beings. The elephant head denotes wisdom. In his upper right hand Ganesha holds a goad, which helps him propel mankind forward on the eternal path and remove obstacles from the way. The noose in Ganesha's left hand is a gentle implement to capture all difficulties. The broken tusk that Ganesha holds like a pen in his lower right hand is a symbol of sacrifice. The rosary in his other hand suggests that the pursuit of knowledge should be continuous. His fan-like ears convey that he is all ears to our petition. The snake that runs round his waist represents energy in all forms. And he is humble enough to ride the lowest of creatures, a mouse.
So welcome to our home, Ganasha. I appreciate you removing any obstacles which may pop up. Perhaps you could do something about our current drought, which is an obstacle to all kinds of things...

Home is where the mantle is

2011-08-27T14:06:00.004-05:00

I just installed this cedar mantle to get the living room one step closer to completion. Now all we need is some nice cold weather, a warm glow from the fireplace, a cup of hot chocolate, and a cozy wool blanket and we are set. Oh, I forgot to mention that it is 108 degrees in the Austin area today.

Twice as much Stair fun

2011-08-14T11:01:00.004-05:00

Installing the stair tread and riser wood is kind of interesting at first, but doing all 18 of them is not anywhere near fun. The solution? Con someone else into helping out with the work, which makes it a lot more bearable. In this case my son Alex, visiting for the weekend. Tom Sawyer would be so proud of me.

2011-07-22T06:05:00.001-05:00

This photo is for my friend Paul, who is considering replacing the carpet on his stairs with hardwood. I'm slowly making my way up my 18 stairs using the same type of bamboo flooring I installed, and the matching bamboo nosing which manufacturers gouge their victims with. You can see the air gun in the photo but that's just for the little trim piece on the side; the treads themselves are glued down with a special trowled-on goop which helps with the noise impact transmission. At my current rate of progress, Paul just may have his stairs complete before I do.

2011-07-17T14:58:00.003-05:00

Note to self: When in the country, always make sure the peanut butter jar lid is tightly closed.

Second note to self: Peanut butter jars make excellent ant traps.

Not For Sale

2011-06-23T20:40:00.003-05:00

Although the sign says "For Sale" I can say definitively that the owners refuse to sell it. I know this because we are the new owners. This is our second piece of land in Wimberley, another five acre tract which is about as far away from our Wimberley home as you can get and still have a Wimberley address, about 15 miles to the Northwest. What sold it for us was several magnificent oak trees in the far back corner which would make a perfect setting for a home. Not that WE need another Wimberley home, but I'm planning for a new project as the completion date of our current home starts to come into focus. So maybe a rent house, or perhaps some exotic/experimental zero-energy home to use as a technology demonstration project... or both. More photos to come later, and I'll be soliciting your brilliant ideas for Wimberley Project Two!

Festus

2011-06-13T04:56:00.013-05:00

Festus the mule has just been appointed as the unofficial mascot of our ranch ( a sort of subdivision) in Wimberley. Although I've never met Festus, I must say that I approve. His appointment comes at about the same time we received notice of a cougar who has been seen stalking some of our neighborhood deer. So it seems to me that Festus, with legendary credentials no doubt passed down from his namesake on Gunsmoke (PR photo below), should be deputized to also be the official mountain lion warning system within our ranch. I'm not sure if he would serve us better by sounding some warning screams upon seeing or smelling the cougar, or by serving as diversionary bait to protect our domesticated dogs, cats, and small children. Either way, it should be hilarious.

Visit from Grandkids Needed

2011-06-08T01:43:00.003-05:00

We had some furniture delivered which came in this very useful looking crate we need to do something with. I tried to get Ann to let me ship her to me during my next stint in Saudi Arabia, but alas, I'm in Saudi now and Ann is not.

So we need to find an alternate use for it, like perhaps the frame for a doghouse- just add a roof and a door opening... and a dog of course. But the dog thing will have to wait until we are living there, so I need another temporary use to save it from the burn pile. I'm sure any of the grandkids could find some very fun things to do with it, so please send them out soon to help me out.

We got Plastered

2011-06-04T10:19:00.001-05:00

We finally completed the last of the wall finishes in the house, located in the stairwell and two restrooms. We used a product called American Clay, which is simply clay dug from the earth with a few colorants added. It has some cool properties; it not only emits no toxins, but like baking soda actually absorbs and neutralizes some of the evil stuff. The photo shows the burnt-yellow clay against a dark brown wood wall in the entry area powder room. The stairwell has a much lighter and more neutral green color. Come and see it yourself to appreciate it!

Opportunist

2011-05-30T10:52:00.004-05:00

The drought in Texas has been bad, and Wimberley is in the very worst zone called Exceptional. Everything was looking really bad until we got a little rain a few weeks ago. Too late for most of the wildflowers and other ground cover. But just a couple of days later these flowers were popping up everywhere. Appropriately named "Rain Lily" (as identified by Ernie), ironically these flowers are having the best year I've ever seen, likely because all of their competition is DEAD. While we don't have a lot of color to celebrate this year, we are grateful for the Rain Lily. Although next Spring I'd be happy to see a lot less of it.

Corked

2011-05-15T09:57:00.004-05:00

The last room in our house to get flooring was the master bedroom closet, shown here just after I started the trim work around the perimeter. I used cork flooring because it is cushy, warm to bare feet, and sustainable. And contrary to what everyone thinks when they first hear about cork flooring, it is plenty durable, especially in a closet like this. So save about a thousand of your wine bottle corks and you could have the makings of your next home floor... if you are still alive after drinking that much.

Amish Invasion

2011-04-27T02:54:00.000-05:00

Our Master Bedroom is finally complete with the addition of this furniture built by Amish Craftsmen. No, they didn't deliver it with a horse and buggy- too far for even the Amish to go. Laying in the bed for my first night's sleep I was thinking about the first night we ever slept in the house, in about the same spot, just after it was framed. In a sleeping bag on the concrete floor, with no insulation, electrical, plumbing, or anything else. And while this may look like just furniture to anyone else viewing this photo, it is so much more to me... it's a milestone which says in the not too distant future I'll get a chunk of my time back. Tea and scones anyone? Perhaps a week long spa retreat? More likely I'll end up spending the time on some other wacky adventure, but it still feels good to imagine the possibilities.

One More Aggie Photo

2011-04-18T20:16:00.002-05:00

Can't resist posting this photo of Professor Booth scaling the tree on his way up to our very old and rickety tree-house. He did prove his wisdom in not actually getting onto said tree-house. Perhaps the outcry of all of those watching had something to do with that decision. Meanwhile, there I stood just watching in amazement, trying to figure out how I could make an Aggie joke about his endeavor.

Aggie Adventure

2011-04-18T19:21:00.008-05:00

Last week Ann and I went to visit our friend Professor Geoffrey Booth at Texas A&M. I gave a talk to his graduate class about our Wimberley place as a case study in evaluating sustainability options. Here I am pictured with the students after the class; I especially admired the cute blond near the far right. I've always loved graduate school, both as a student and lecturer. Being around lots of smart, curious people trying to make a difference in the world gives me hope that we'll find some way to save the planet, despite all the trends to the contrary.

On Saturday Geoffrey, his wife Debbie, and some of these same students came out to the house itself to get a personal look at things. Here we are on the little deck down by the drought-stressed pond in our backyard.

Thanks Geoffrey, for a chance to get away from work for a bit and rediscover that the main ingredients in being happily employed have little to do with making money. Not that I'm complaining about making money. I'm just saying...

Another Soaking

2011-04-01T21:12:00.010-05:00

Shower number two is getting close to being usable. I just need to grout the tile shown here and pop in the control handle. I said "usable" as opposed to "complete" since like most of my projects there will be little odds and ends incomplete for awhile. Like the tile on the threshold and around the door area. Oh, and a ceiling. Complete status won't happen for a few weeks or several years, depending on what other projects distract me. I did manage to learn a few lessons from shower number one which have made this one go a bit faster, like using bigger wall tiles instead of a thousand of the little 4" ones. And luckily this shower is bigger, which makes it a lot easier to work inside of when laying the tiles. So grab your soap-on-a-rope and plan a trip to Wimberley to visit us. Better double check that the shower passed the leak test before you hit the road.

Grandmommy

2011-03-30T19:06:00.014-05:00

This morning my great grandmother Louise Fletcher (far right) died. This photo was from her 95th birthday party, showing five generations including my mom, daughter, and grandson with me. Because she was nearly 100 years old and lived nearly all those years with vigor, it's hard to comprehend that she is gone. The sadness with her passing is mixed with an overwhelming appreciation of her life, including her influence (and my grandfather's) on all of her grandkids including me.

Years ago they built a crazy round house with a great view of the lake that you can see in the background of this photo. A lake they owned and operated named Longville Lake, a few miles north of the city of Lake Charles in Louisiana. This was the place where all of us grandkids would visit during holidays, doing goofy kid stuff but at the same time learning a lot about both family and the great outdoors. When not cooking or otherwise tending to us, my grandmother would be out in the world's largest yard mowing or gardening, often in stifling heat and humidity. Now as I'm thinking of her influence on me and I consider my often obsessive and/or grueling adventures in Wimberley, it all starts to fit together... Thanks Grandmommy, I love you.

Happy Hammock

2011-03-26T01:58:00.002-05:00

All the kids had some happy time in the big hammock on the back deck last weekend. Here Vanessa and Kara were joined by family friend Logan, who seemed not so sure about the hammock business but loved cruising around the back yard exploring things.

Initiation

2011-03-19T08:30:00.003-05:00

Alex was brave enough to bring his girlfriend Yena to Wimberley this week, and she fit right into the family immediately. Like all family she was immediately required to earn her keep by performing manual labor, here helping out with a little deck reinforcement project outside. Welcome Yena, and come back often!

I can't figure out if this looks relaxing or not

2011-03-01T05:22:00.003-06:00

What do you think? At least there's no danger of falling asleep while reading in a position like this.

Cowa-Bummer, Dude

2011-02-28T14:32:00.002-06:00

Foreground: Root ball remnants of one of five lovely vines Ernie and Mary Ann gave me for Christmas. My idea was they were going to grow up the west wall of the house to shade it from the brutal setting sun.

Background: You can just make out the hole in the rocks where the plant used to be buried.

Out of photo: Cow tracks all over the place

Conclusion: Cows can't blame the CHICKENS for this one. They ate the leaves off all the plants and when they got down to the nubs they pulled a couple of them up completely for good measure. These plants were even touted as deer proof, but unfortunately the cows seemed to take that as a challenge. I did stick the root balls back in the ground but I'm not too optimistic or their long term prospects... the cows come-a-call'n to our home every few months.

Let's Think About Spring

2011-02-04T00:32:00.001-06:00

Now that very cold weather has infected Texas, focusing on spring seems like a really good idea. So I'm picturing all the lovely wildflowers which will be blooming in our Wimberley backyard in a few months. Some of them planted by us. (By the way, should they really be called wildflowers when they come from store-bought seeds?)

Ann is pictured standing proudly by our latest efforts to help mother nature out a bit with the blooming flower thing. We had just spread a few thousand wildflower seeds and covered them with this straw mat which controls erosion and helps keep the seeds moist. Today the young seedlings are probably covered in some icy snow, but I'm thinking about the dramatic blooms which we'll be enjoying in April, just 56 days from now.

Not so puzzling

2011-01-29T01:58:00.000-06:00

After our holiday encounter with the "Cate from Hell" mega puzzle, the girls decided to take it a little easier on their last trip to Wimberley. So they got out this 100 piece kids puzzle puzzle and spent an agonizing ten minutes or so completing it. I'm such a proud papa!

Basketball Star

2011-01-15T09:13:00.005-06:00

Braden and Kara are visiting today (with their escort's Vanessa and Stacey). It's cold and wet this weekend, so they're finding some alternates to there usual ways of having fun here. Kara's latest- this deflated basket ball that Ann bought a few months ago. Or maybe I shouldn't say deflated since it's never actually been inflated. Some weird kinda inflating valve which doesn't seem to fit anything. But no problem for Kara; she's having a blast walking around as Little Ms. Mushroom Head.

The Wall

2011-01-01T02:10:00.003-06:00

My helper Vicente's last project for me was this retaining wall near the bottom of the hill in the backyard. It's backfilled with topsoil over a geotextile fabric. That geotextile allows excess water to slowly pass through so that water pressure doesn't tump the wall over, since the wall is just rocks stacked with no mortar.

So why all this bother and expense so far down the backyard? Glad you asked:

1- We've been having some erosion further down the hill from big rains, and this wall is designed remedy that by absorbing some of the runoff and thereby reducing to speed and volume of it downhill. We put a whole dirt truck load (10 tons) of dirt behind the wall to do the absorbing.

2- It makes a great place to plant plant wildflowers since it is about the only place on our property free of boulders sticking up all over the place. Ann is also thinking about planting some fruit trees once we are there often enough to keep them watered.

3- Makes a great way to get across our property, again since the area behind it is boulder-free and flat for easy walking.

4- It got rid of tons (literally) of rocks elsewhere in the yard. No rocks were trucked in for this project.

5- And of course, it helped support Vicente and his family!

Santa's Helper

2010-12-26T20:16:00.007-06:00

For three years I've had a great helper named Vicente who has helped with the yard work at our Wimberley home. He has built stone retaining walls, spread loads of dirt, and moved many thousands of loose rocks into neat piles and rows. Vicente has been the most reliable and honest guy I've ever hired.

His English is better than my Spanish, but we still have a hard time communicating at times. Once I had him and his friend do some yard work on a weekend when I was gone, so the following weekend I paid him for the hours I had understood they worked. A few minutes later I was working away inside the house and there was a knock on the door. It was Vicente telling me that I had paid him too much, and he gave me some of the money back.

We took this photo earlier today when Vicente brought his family by to visit, one of his Christmas traditions. Only this visit was bittersweet. I may never see Vicente again because our US wacko immigration policy requires him to go back to Mexico in January. And he'll do it because he always does what he is told to do. I know the immigration mess is big, complex, and can't possibly be fair to everyone. But this one case tells me there must be many more equally sad cases out there. And it tells me that we need some kind of comprehensive immigration reform soon to start the decades-long process it will take to get us out of the mess which we spent decades creating.

Best of luck Vicente, I'll miss you.

Cat from Hell

2010-12-26T09:03:00.005-06:00

One of our holiday traditions is working jigsaw puzzles, and we have now started following that tradition in Wimberley. This one was so tough it needed a couple of holidays to accomplish, starting on Thanksgiving and finishing late last night just before Christmas day was over. A thousand pieces of diabolical. Much more trouble than a real cat... but no litter box needed.

Merry Christmas Aftermath

2010-12-25T09:48:00.004-06:00

Our first Christmas tree ever in Wimberley (cut from the front yard) looks a little lonely in this photo. OK, it looked kinda sad even with the presents under it. We just finished the gift opening frenzy with Mike & Ginny and families, and are getting ready for round two this afternoon at the Chambers' home in Austin, followed by round three Monday/Tuesday in Dallas with the Smith clan. Merry Christmas everyone!

Technology Triumph

2010-11-30T07:43:00.001-06:00

As the house nears construction completion we've been spending more time living and working there, which often includes lots of cell communications and Internet usage. But one problem with our home being very remote and quiet is that cellular and Internet serve are poor at best. So after some Internet research (in Houston of course) I found the ultimate solution, in 3 parts:

1- Exterior antennas for each of those signals. With Ann's help in orienting them toward the best signal we now have at least three bars of service inside the house.

2- Internet service via mobile 3G hot spots from our droid phones and air cards.

3- Distribution of the signals throughout the interior of the house through a wireless transmitter hooked to the antenna cable.

Yes, it sounds like a lot of effort for what is a basic service in the big city... but to me it's worth it to have the best of both worlds- technology and nature.

2010-11-26T20:09:00.014-06:00

Thanksgiving time in Wimberley. The weather has contributed to the autumn feel of the place, dropping to about 25 degrees tonight. And we just got the fireplace working for the first time; nothing like enjoying the toasty glow of a fire while a cold wind howls outside.

Ginny brought Scott for his first visit, and Ernie and Mary Ann joined us all for a belly-filling afternoon meal on Thanksgiving day.
Today brought round two, with Alex coming down from Dallas with the Congroves (Gregg , Stacey, and Kara). And just in time for the round two dinner the furniture truck brought us a new dining table & chairs, big enough to hold more of our growing family.

Thankful? You bet.

More Floor

2010-11-25T00:49:00.002-06:00

Ann pointed out that I've posted no action photos lately. So here I am installing the beautiful but hard-as-nails flooring upstairs. So hard that each shot required a huge force behind the nailer or the staple would just curl up in a little ball instead of going through the flooring. My wrists may never be the same after all that pounding.

Needless to say I'm glad all the nailing is done, and the finished loft is shown in the second photo. Finished except for the trim work, which will have to wait until I tackle the more urgent mission: the upstairs shower. Ugh.

Tanked Again

2010-11-20T02:26:00.000-06:00

Considerably less challenging than my first tank episode (the 5,000 rainwater storage tank in October 2006), this propane tank is nonetheless a welcome and long overdue addition to our home. Just in time for the cold weather, it's single mission for several years will be just to fuel the living room fireplace. Eventually it will also fire up the gas clothes dryer, a convenience we can definitely do without for awhile.

This four-wheeled contraption is a combination ditch digger and mini-bulldozer. The big round disc dug the trench for a 70' poly gas line from the house to the new tank, and the blade expedited the backfill operation.

I designed the tank setup years ago so that the tank itself would be invisible from the road and entry drive. No great foresight on my part; there are enough hideously propane tanks in the front yards of some very nice homes in the area, so that was an obvious mistake to avoid. It sits down beind the driveway's limestone retaining wall, so the filler truck can still access it easily. I'm gonna further dress it up a bit by painting that silly red cap brown, and maybe throw some camo net over the whole thing. Some code says the tank must be reflective colored, but it does not say I can't hide it!

Backyard Magic

2010-11-07T14:00:00.007-06:00

What do you get when you purchase a bunch of seeds from the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center...

and add a bunch more from Ernie Chambers' magic bucket-o-seeds grown in his backyard,

and mix them all in some fancy-smancy topsoil hauled into our backyard limestone retaining wall/erosion control device?

Well, stay tuned to this blog next April and find out. Ann has started her annual wildflower seed planting effort and we are going all-out this year. Enough blooms to start our very own wildflower center, if the weather cooperates.

Wild time

2010-10-31T22:26:00.008-05:00

The Ladybird Johnson Wildflower center is one of our favorite places near Wimberley. It is living proof that special places can indulge the soul, educate the mind, and be a commercial success at the same time. I'm sure it also engourages greater respect for the environment, although most of the visitors seem to be pretty far down that path already.

So, what better place to bring two of our favorite Houston friends Pat & Chuck for their first visit? We lucked out with the kind of weather which makes you feel lucky to be alive no matter where you are, and especially in a place like the Wildflower Center.

If there is one thing better than the Wildflower Center on a beautiful Fall day with good friends, it is the same gig on a beautiful Spring day. So if you are reading this and have not been or want to go again, let's get put it on our calenders now for the Spring version. Even more wildflowers, even more bliss.

Bamboozled

2010-10-16T23:40:00.014-05:00

We decided on the world's hardest wood flooring to go throughout the upstairs and on the stairs themselves. A stranded bamboo, which means it is basically pulverized to make it even harder than regular bamboo, which is pretty darn hard to start with. It also makes it incredibly heavy, so the task of hauling it all from the street (shown here) into the house and up the stairs really nasty.

So this week I started installing the very hard floor and discovered that very hard wood is very hard to get nails to penetrate. I bought a pneumatic nailer recommended by the flooring

manufacturer, but it was still tough going. I then bought a higher-pressure compressor to drive those suckers in- still slow but as you can see in the second photo I'm making progress. I'm installing it over a recycled felt-like product which greatly reduces noise transmission to the floors below. I'll test out the noise reduction effectiveness by dancing all over the floor in celebration once the last piece is installed, and see if Ann can hear anything downstairs.

Fear Factor

2010-09-30T21:18:00.000-05:00

I was working on a ladder up under the eaves the other day and was a bit nervous to find this creature a few feet away from me. Probably completely harmless... but at the time it was a bit difficult to immediately deduce my high chances of survival (another way of saying I just about wet my pants). Later we found out that a Houston friend had actually just posted a very similar photo. So I wonder, could it be the same spider, secretly stalking all of us and reporting our activities back to his alien mothership? Or just Arachnophobia gone wild?

Stick Monster

2010-09-19T17:45:00.001-05:00

We've had plenty of odd creatures around our Wimberley home this year (no, not referring to any of our humanoid visitors). In my book none of them are any cooler than the oddly elegant Walking Stick. With a top speed not much faster than a snail, these guys are especially fun to show to kids old enough not to hurt them. I've seen at least three different types of Walking Sticks at Wimberley, and Wiki says there are more than 3000 species and even has a video at www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phasmatodea

Coon fever

2010-09-05T18:22:00.002-05:00

After waging war on the raccoon population around our house for several years, I think I had got rid of all the local coons. I (and my bird feeders) have been living in relative peace for the past year. But now I'm getting occasional deposits of coon poop around the house again, or at least it sure LOOKS like coon poop to me. I set the old reliable coon trap one night, even baited it with some yummy canned cat food, but no luck on that try. Ann was kind enough to photo me baiting the trap at the most stupid-looking moment possible, which seems even more stupid since the only thing in the trap that night was me. I'm figuring that the newcomer coon is just traveling through our hood occasionally, marking the territory for some future expansion plans. One night he'll come by when I've got the trap set again and "wham", end of the pooper-king.

Paultry Pantry

2010-08-25T22:23:00.001-05:00

I'm slowly getting the stained wood up in the house, and the pantry seemed like a pretty important area to do first. Until I got it done, that is. Then I realized that we didn't really have very much to put on those pretty new shelves. So far cat food and breakfast cereal are the big attractions. Guess it's time for a big trip to the grocery store to stock up. I'll be looking for anything with expiration dates far, far away...

Trim

2010-08-15T21:19:00.006-05:00

There is a boatload of oak trim sitting on the living room floor now, waiting to be installed as baseboard, window sill, etc. Some of it will have to wait many months, but we have sanded, stained, polyurethaned, and installed a bit of it already.

Job number one was the guest bedroom window- done first to allow for these wood blinds to be installed. No more early morning blasts of light for our pampered quests.

The second area was the long living room window sill, important because Ann spends a lot her her time sitting there in a chair with her feet propped up on it. And you can see that Apollo frequently hangs out there, usually freaking out over the the birds on a nearby feeder. Alex helped me get the door trim started this past weekend; one side down, twenty or so to go. So the boatload pile of wood is now a tiny bit smaller. I'm thinking it's time for a house trimming party.

Not so mello cello

2010-08-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

Nothing like a beginner's cello practice on Sunday morning to wake up the neighbors! No telling what kind of dying animal they thought was making the racket...

Twilight House Photos

2010-07-26T04:31:00.003-05:00

The long summer evenings make for some great photo opportunities for just about anything that doesn't move. Here are three shots from this past weekend of:

1- The front entry viewed as you approach on the stone path from the road.

2- The sunset viewed from the second floor balcony on the back of the house.

3-The back of the house viewed coming up the hill on the path from the creek.

Zzzzzzzzzz

2010-07-25T17:16:00.000-05:00

Ann is a lot better than I am at relaxing in Wimberley. That's actually not saying too much, but she really is good at it. I tell myself that I might take a nap just about every day I'm there, but somehow it doesn't usually work out. She was truly zonked out when I took this picture of her in the hammock, probably not thinking about anything at all as she dozed off. Like how to fit in one more outdoor project before it got dark, or whether to start another indoor project before midnight. Sweet dreams my dear, I want to be more like you... someday.

Bath Baby

2010-07-18T21:33:00.010-05:00

We had a great visit this weekend from Mike & Yasmine and their son Blaze (AKA Mike #2), shown here doing the bath business in the kitchen sink. I'm sure Blaze was the cleanest person in Wimberley; he gets a bath twice a day, every day. I'm not sure if he loves the water because he gets so many baths, or if he gets so many baths because he loves the water, but this grandbaby is right at home wherever there is H2O. Then again, he's happy just about anywhere and anytime, probably the easiest kid to be with I've ever seen. Hopefully he'll stay that way through the terrible twos... and the terrible teens.

Nice Piece of Glass

2010-07-14T20:43:00.000-05:00

Over two years ago I bought this really nice glass door for the master bath shower. This one is a thick all-glass design with none of those little trim pieces which seem to harbor every type of mold and algae known to mankind. Over the past two years I've been moving around to just about every place in the house EXCEPT the shower whenever it was in the way of the project du jour. Finally the door itself became the project du jour as summer heat brought me indoors from the nearly-completed tank arbor effort. And it was easy enough to install that I felt kinda silly about putting it off so long. Thank goodness it fit, because I would have felt a lot sillier trying to return it to the store after a couple of years.

Late Bloomer

2010-07-09T07:45:00.008-05:00

By July just about all the grasses and wildflowers in Wimberley are just about gone. One of the late bloomers is Texas Vervain, the light purple bloom seen in this photo as identified by Ernie Chambers. You can also see the remnants of another fairly late bloomer, Mexican Hat, in the background. And you can see that the butterflies are very glad that some blooms are still around for them.

Missing: 5000 Gallon Water tank

2010-07-01T01:09:00.001-05:00

OK, it may not be COMPLETELY invisible, but our rainwater storage tank is definitely way less ugly than it used to be. I used fabric shade mesh on the roof to keep the sun off, and have started using the same mesh on the sides to keep the ugly in. The Architect in me just couldn't stand not building something around the tank any longer.

Wimberley, Ireland

2010-06-25T12:19:00.000-05:00

Ann and I recently spent 11 wonderful days in Ireland. Green, beautiful, soothing, and green again. Some of that may be only because we stayed out of the pubs and most of the big shopping experiences, but for us this relaxing vacation was simply perfect. We did manage to have one shopping experience which we brought back to Wimberley as a reminder- this blanket handmade in Ireland. Our plan is to snuggle under it on the couch on cold winter evenings, sipping some hot tea and talking dreamily about how great that Ireland vacation was. I think I'm about ready for that cold weather right now!

Early Father's Day

2010-06-20T10:03:00.007-05:00

Today may be the official Father's Day, but last weekend Vanessa & Duston, Stacey & Braden, and Alex all traveled to Wimberley and gave me an early Father's Day treat. It happened to be the peak bloom time at the Wimberley Lavender farm shown with the gang in this first photo, where we were treated to lavender ice cream. It was also the weekend of a big lavender festival in nearby Blanco, TX, where we visited and discovered goodies like lavender soap, lavender iced tea, lavender moisturizer, and lavender underwear (just kidding on the last one, but it wouldn't surprise me). I'm not sure if Braden's snow cone shown in the second photo had any lavender in it, and I'm sure he didn't care one bit.

Happy Anniversary

2010-06-16T23:25:00.002-05:00

Today is the third wedding anniversary of Ann Taylor and Mark Smith. This arrangement Ann created from our Wimberley back yard wildflowers says something about her that I really love; she takes the time to slow down, look closely, and discover the beauty around her. Happy anniversary my lovely wife, I love you more than words (or pictures) can say.

This Diamond is NOT a Girl's Best Friend

2010-06-15T00:53:00.003-05:00

Nine years of stomping around through weeds at our Wimberley property. Nine years of making noises to let any snake know I was coming so it could scram. Prying loose stacked logs with a stick or shovel just in case some slithering creature was hiding within. Finally it happened, and of course I was completely NOT expecting it. I flipped over a wheelbarrow which had been stored upside down to keep rainwater out, and this medium-size Diamondback Rattler was the only creature more surprised than I was. Luckily it was so surprised that is laid still long enough for me to grab a nearby hoe and give it a little neck massage. My heart rate is back down to normal now, but I imagine anytime I get near a wheelbarrow in the future it will tick up a notch...

"What To Do With The Tree" Contest

2010-06-02T00:39:00.007-05:00

Most trees in our area have a lifespan considerably shortened by a combination of very little soil and very steep slopes. Especially for very tall trees, when rains loosen the meager root system's grip and winds give them a little nudge- it's topple time. This latest victim was one of the taller and probably the straightest cedar (ash juniper) on our property. Now it is one of the longest and straightest.

I'd love to figure out some very cool thing to build with this monster. The really straight part is at least 25 feet long and about 18 inches across, and that section probably weighs about 600 pounds. And since it is laying near the very bottom of our property, it will be quite an undertaking to bring it up the hill. So before I undertake that great engineering feat, I need a really good reason to bother. Here is the contest part: Send your suggestion in now, and the judge will carefully consider your idea before ridiculing it in public or claiming it as his own.

Tanked

2010-05-24T06:54:00.003-05:00

During my daughter Vanessa's recent visit we did some fun things like playing in the Blanco River, watching Ironman 2 in Wimberley's outdoor walk-in theater, and visiting a lavender farm & gift shop a few miles away.

In the "almost as much fun" category, we relocated the water tank gunk separator, a device which takes in the initial water runoff from the roof so that the nasty parts like dust and leaves don't make it into the main tank. This involved draining the 150 gallons of water in it, cutting out the existing plumbing (first photo) and wrestling the tank to its new location (second photo). The point of all this effort was to get the tank under the new arbor with the main tank (third photo), so that once we build the arbor screen wall all the ugly mechanical works will be hidden from sight.

Vanessa and I ended up a bit more hot and muddy than I had planned, but how many other father-daughter teams can say they successfully relocated a water separator together? Oh, and we did it on a weekend celebrating her birthday a few weeks

early. She was a great sport seems to have actually liked the experience, but it was an ever better experience for me to have her there helping. Happy birthday Vanessa, I'll bet you can't wait to see how we celebrate next year, huh?

Dog Days

2010-05-17T21:36:00.005-05:00

Vanessa's dog Megatron is pretty cool, especially for a puppy. Friendly but not wildly so, never runs far away, and likes to snuggle. Doesn't even terrorize our kitten all that much. On her first visit to Wimberley she made herself at home inside and out, and after getting to know Ann and me for a day was happy to roam outside with us without her mommy. That's six out of six if you are counting, significantly better than your average toddler would score. (No offense intended toward any grandkids.) In this first photo she was playing fetch by the Blanco River with Vanessa. And actually brought the stick back to her.

Here she is frolicking in the Blanco, biting the water like dogs tend to do.

Meg and Vanessa enjoying the hammock on the back porch.

Arbor Days

2010-05-06T20:55:00.005-05:00

Our rainwater collection tank in the back yard is finally getting some much needed help now that Spring weather is upon us. We poured the foundations (first pic) about a year ago with intentions to build an arbor immediately, but I got diverted by the many projects inside the house.

The second shot was one of my prouder construction moments; I had hired three helpers so we could attach the posts and main beam on the ground and life the whole assembly in place. It worked! (third photo).

Not pictured is the fiasco which occurred on the other side of the tank. Since the terrain made it tough to erect it the same way, we installed the two posts first and then tried to lift the 4x12x20' cedar beam onto the posts. You see no photos of that part because I was laying dazed on the ground after the guys lifting the other side of the beam slipped and I had about 300 pounds of cedar bonk me in the head. Our second photographer (Ann) was also distracted, trying to figure out if she should dial 911 or just call straight to the funeral home. Luckily my wounds were just superficial so neither call was needed.

This near-death experience produced a marked decrease in my enthusiasm for this project, so I only got as far as you see in the final photo last weekend. Instead of working any further we took off for one of our favorite Wimberley activities- a night at the outdoor walk-in movie theater, sitting in lawn chairs with many of our country neighbors. Much more relaxing, safer, and equally entertaining.

Front Porch Sitt'n

2010-04-30T00:37:00.003-05:00

Our front porch has been looking pretty bare ever since it was first built. Not exactly hostile, but not overwhelmingly inviting by any means, and certainly not a place where we hung out. We took a big step closure to the "come on in neighbor" look recently with the addition of this bench that Ann is modeling. We can now sit on the front porch awaiting the arrival of friends and family just like an old married country couple. Or watching the rain fall and hearing it hit the tin roof (not rusted) above.

Ironically this very bench sat on busy Westheimer Road in Houston until we bought it, and we imagine that if it could talk there would be MANY tales. That area of Westheimer is home to a very, uh, DIVERSE group of Houstonians. Some of them no doubt used this bench for an assorted variety of activities. It was chained to an old fence to insure against thievery, but that didn't protect it from a few shots from a stray spray paint can or two. So now this former urban hipster bench spends its days lazily sitting on our Wimberley front porch, watching the occasional fox or cow cruise by, listening to the wind chimes chiming and the birds chirping. Hey, now that sounds pretty darn good to me.

2010 Blooms

2010-04-19T19:30:00.008-05:00

I've been posting photos of spring time flowers for several years, and 2010 has definitely yielded a good crop. These pics were all taken in our backyard, most within about 100 feet of the back door. I've identified most of these in past years, but I'm lazier this year. The notable newcomer as identified by my not-so-lazy wife is the Evening Primrose, the yellow flower so named because it folds up in the daylight hours until evening.

I was in Wimberley just yesterday taking these, but it seems very far away today. Perhaps because I really am very far away, working in the Seattle area for another week. It's nice to have these little memory joggers to remind of spring in Wimberley... but I'd rather be there.

Something Fishy Going On

2010-04-18T20:54:00.009-05:00

My daughter Vanessa helped pick out this fish planter for our front porch last year, and I finally got around to planting a Manfreda succulent last October. Ann & I chose the Manfreda from the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center because it can survive without water for weeks between our visits, and tolerates the shade under our porch. It managed to barely survive our record cold temps this winter, and much to my surprise it recently produce the four foot high stalk you see in the second photo. We are still waiting for the bloom, which hopefully will be occurring during our next visit.

Nap time

2010-04-05T21:28:00.000-05:00

Our new cat Apolo has no problem making himself at home just about anywhere. Here he is pictured keeping Ann company in bed early one morning . It was probably Apolo who woke me that morning meowing for food, as usual. So of course I got up and fed him, and once up started working away on some sort of project. Pretty smart cat, huh, getting me to feed him and then taking my spot in bed? Watch out Apolo, I'm on to you now...

Tile Creep

2010-03-07T18:03:00.002-06:00

Ceramic tile is finally creeping into the master bathroom. I've been doing a lot of business travel lately and I've cut back my construction work hours, so it really is just creeping along. Creeping even slower in the tricky areas surrounding the whirlpool bath shown here. But I'll get it done eventually, and hopefully in time for some Spring time visitors to enjoy. And definitely in time for my bride and me to finally sit back and relax together, knowing that the long-delayed tile project is at last complete.

New Wimberley Resident

2010-02-28T18:57:00.004-06:00

We have a new kitten named after Apolo Ohno, the skater who broke the US record for Olympics medals the day we got him. Yes, there is only one "L" in the skater's name. Much to our delight, Apolo travels well and quickly made himself at home in Wimberley this weekend. After exploring every inch of the place he spent a few hours doing what comes natural to cats- sleeping in the softest, highest spot he could find. This Apolo doesn't have much in the way of ambition for sporting events, but I may consider training him for the Olympic mouse hunting team.

And Behind Door #2...

2010-01-30T15:48:00.009-06:00

All of the room doors in our Wimberley home are now in, and they all look like the one in this first photo... except one. Door number two is very different, having come from a charity auction where Ann bought it years ago. It had been on display in her Houston dining room on a stand against the wall, and it made a pretty fine accent decoration. It now resides in Wimberley in a different occupation servings as, you'll never guess... a door. It fit perfectly as an entry into the laundry room, to be seen by all from the entry foyer. Right now, behind door number two are my workbench and tools, but someday it will conceal lots of dirty clothes from grandkids playing in the pond, grandma cooking dinner, and grandpa changing oil.

Cool stuff

2010-01-17T15:15:00.005-06:00

Ceramic floor tiles are not my favorite finish for many areas since they are cold to the feet. And they often help prove that unbreakable objects are NOT. But one thing ceramic tile is great at is performance in wet areas, so I started installing these 16" x 16" tiles in the master bath this weekend. Tiles this big are tough to cut without a big commercial wet saw, so my strategy is is to lay all the whole tiles first, and then rent a wet saw for just a few hours for the cut tiles. After this job is done I'll be finished with all the floors downstairs. Woo hoo! Soon it'll be time to start the long task of trimming out the downstairs with stained baseboard, door casing, closet shelving, and other bits.

Making a (back) Splash

2010-01-10T20:41:00.001-06:00

I had told myself that I'd NOT do much work on the house during the holidays, at least not while we had family visiting. So when Stacey asked me how to install tile backsplash I hesitated... but only for a minute. Then we set about installing a few pieces of the glass tile you see pictured. Just to help her learn how, of course. And I'm glad we did, since it looks even better in place than it did sitting in the box for six months after I bought it. Next, hopefully Stacey will have equal success doing backsplash in her own home. Knowing her, she just may get it done much faster than I did.

Wimberley Holiday Fun

2010-01-04T18:04:00.006-06:00

Another year gone by, and another step forward (pun intended for first photo) in creating the family holiday retreat of my childhood memories. Although our home may never have the character (or characters) of my grandparent's home in Longville, LA, it does have all of the fun. And actual A/C and heat, toilets that work, etc. I admit that we didn't have an uncle dressed as Santa Claus like in my childhood, but there is always next year...

Our 2009/2010 holiday season saw four generations of family gathered in Wimberley, ages one-and-a-half to 77. A few of my favorite photos are below, each with special memories that God willing, will last for our kids and grand-kids like my Longville memories have for me.

Flooring, Finally!

2010-01-03T19:55:00.000-06:00

After considering dozens of flooring samples to cover most of the downstairs, I finally made a decision. Forbo Marmoleum is a true linoleum, made of linseed oil combined with cork and sawdust. (Some people call vinyl floors linoleum, but they are not). Since linseed oil is plant-based, this stuff is considered to be one of the most eco-friendly floor coverings on the market. And compared to ceramic tile, it's warmer on the feet and friendlier to fragile objects dropped on it. It took the green movement to bring true linoleum back, and luckily it's now available in some decent colors. The photo shows a test layout of the 20" square tiles.
But the much more important test was the second one, with grandkids visiting yesterday and today. And it passed! Photos of that visit coming soon.

Kid Proof

2009-12-28T12:56:00.003-06:00

With a New Years visit from the grand-kids coming up soon, I've finally completed the glass railing overlooking the foyer. This view is from the foyer floor through the glass into the loft above. A loft which used to get disapproving looks from family members a little more tuned into child perils than I was. So run wild Braden and Kara- this very special, extra-heavy-laminate glass could stop a charging reindeer in its tracks.

Bedroom Ceiling, Wimberley Style

2009-12-12T19:39:00.001-06:00

We wanted something a little different for the master bedroom ceiling, and with some recent help from my dad and son we are definitely getting there. The idea was to create a warm and cozy feel for the bedroom despite the tall vaulted ceiling height, so I used planks of Baltic birch plywood for a natural look. Then I applied a wide range of wood stains to the individual panels before installing to create a patchwork of colors. But the most fun was definitely using the pneumatic finish nailer to "plink in" each panel, like I'm doing in the first photo. This all ended up being a LOT of work, so I'm fairly confident that we'll have the only ceiling like it on the block... and perhaps in the universe. Now the master bedroom is getting very close to being complete- flooring in a few weeks and then some door and window trim is all that's left. What will I do with all my spare time afterward?

Sunset

2009-11-16T23:19:00.002-06:00

We spend a lot of time waiting for sunsets on our backyard deck. Sometimes we get nothing at all, and often just a bit of orange that feels like more of a tease than a serious sunset. But that makes the better displays like this one really appreciated, a sweet little reward for our trouble. And if there is one thing better than watching a beautiful sunset, it's sharing a beautiful sunset with someone you love.

Green and Curvy and Green

2009-11-03T23:48:00.004-06:00

Just got the final counter top installed, this one in the upstairs guest bathroom. It is our second recycled glass / portland cement counter, but much more daring than the first one. Still got to finish the curvy wood cabinet base under it, but the sink and faucet are operational now. As you can see it's not just environmentally green but also REALLY green, so I'm keeping the tile and other finishes pretty neutral to show it off.

Tarantu-Kong

2009-10-26T06:13:00.000-05:00

I've posted pics of tarantulas around our property before, but this guy was big enough to eat most of those others. Over four inches long from toe to toe. He was hanging around a wet spot on our front porch, I guess getting a drink. After this photo opp he climbed up the house wall and seemed to be trying to get into the house through a window, which Ann captured on video available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV_IVpCKD30

Spring Time in October

2009-10-25T20:56:00.004-05:00

The dramatic end to our drought in the hill country has really fooled all the plants. Everything has turned green, and flowers are blooming like it's April. So we decided to go along with the game and do some Spring gardening. We went to nearby Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center and got some native grasses to test out in the backyard. If they survive (anything but a sure thing based on my experience) we'll plant some more next year.

Getting a Handle on Things

2009-10-13T22:40:00.001-05:00

Handles on kitchen cabinets may not be too exciting to anyone reading this. But after living without them for 10 months I'm downright fired up. Reaching in to try and pry out a drawer or door with no pulls is interesting once, then completely annoying every time after that. So courtesy of my Internet shopping experience which produced these pulls for half the cost of the identical item at Home Depot, we are finally starting to get a handle on things in the kitchen. Lookout master bath cabinets, you are next.

De-watered Watering Hole now Re-Watered

2009-10-06T22:44:00.001-05:00

Not long ago I took this photo of Alex standing in our mini-pond, which is normally somewhere between a puddle and a wide spot in our creek. In the nine years I've been watching the pond it had never gone dry. Until this year with the great drought of '09, which set all kinds of records.

Looking around Wimberley, things look better but with lots of dead stuff and bare dirt still around. And officially the drought can't be considered to be over until the aquifer is back to normal levels. As the graph below shows, another ten feet and we'll be there!

Probably Deep Thoughts in There

2009-10-03T23:08:00.002-05:00

My brother Russell and I moved this deck down the hill to overlook our tiny Wimberley pond more than four years ago. I still remember the looks Ann was giving us as we dragged/pushed/rolled the 250 pound deck sections down the hill. She was new to Wimberley then and probably trying to figure out if she'd be able to tell the EMT's or Morgue folks how to get to property. So the look Ann has on her face in this picture, while not one of wild enthusiasm, is considerably brighter.

Number 3 for Numbers 1 & 2

2009-09-27T22:43:00.001-05:00

Three working toilets in our Wimberley house. Heavens. Admittedly this 3rd fixture upstairs by the guest bedroom is just barely working. That curvy shape to the right is the template for the very green recycled glass counter top soon to be installed, so this bathroom does not even have a sink yet. And you can see that I've only installed just enough ceramic floor tile to set the toilet. As for a door to the bathroom- nope, waiting for the counter to go in first.

But the toilet itself is awesome to this green geek. 1.28 gallons per flush, and it actually flushes. Everything.

Wimberely Drought Gauge

2009-09-12T14:49:00.009-05:00

One of our little traditions on each drive to Wimberley is checking this roadside puddle about a mile before our home. In normal years it's usually at least muddy since it gets runoff from a big hill off to the right. This year it's been bone dry since Spring. This drought gauge helps prepare us for what we'll see in a few minutes when we arrive- which lately has been mostly brown vegetation or no vegetation at all. What a delight this week to find the puddle full. And an amusing sight for the neighbors to see a driver stopped in the road taking pictures of a water puddle.

The rain kept coming, more than three inches spread gently over four days and nights. The great drought of '09 may not be over yet, but I've never been so happy to be completely rained out of all outdoor activity.

Hungry Deer

2009-09-07T18:23:00.007-05:00

Record drought in the Wimberley area makes life hard for our four-legged friends. These deer wandered through our backyard this morning looking for something to eat. Seemed to not really expect to find anything. And of course they found precious little there since our "lawn" has been reduced to mostly dirt and rocks. We noticed them nibbling on some tree leaves, which can't be too nutritious or tasty compared to the usual tender young grasses. What do you use to buy food for these deer? Doe.

Friendly Neighborhood Insect & Mouse Killer

2009-08-30T15:52:00.003-05:00

Wiki says:

"Tarantulas mainly eat insects and other arthropods, using ambush as their primary method of prey capture. The biggest tarantulas can kill animals as large as lizards, mice, and birds. Tarantulas are found in tropical and desert regions around the world. Most tarantulas are harmless to humans..."

That last sentence is very nice to know. Especially when I walked into the guest bedroom one morning and found this guy just sitting there in the middle of the floor. Not sure if he was sick or just REALLY slow, but he didn't even react to me at all when I gently escorted him outside. Figured I should do that just in case some future guest did not appreciate his help with insects & mice.

Starry Starry Night

2009-08-27T21:04:00.009-05:00

I recently acquired this telescope from my somewhat over-telescoped friend Mark, figuring Wimberley would be the perfect place to put it to good use. By pure coincidence, Alex has just started taking a college astronomy class and was able to get it set up and pointed toward Jupiter and four of it's moons. The four moons that Galileo could see, but I'm sure we have much greater clarity.

I grew up in the country and always saw tons of stars. But the starry night I remember most is one after living in the city for years and then taking a trip to the country. Going outside late at night and being struck dumb by the countless expanse and pure beauty of something that's out there all the time. There but unseen because I had forgotten how to look. So Wimberley to me represents a great chance to look again. Look closer. And doing that with my family is just about as good as it gets.