Happy New Year to all and may the year bring peace, happiness and well being.

Work is Just That

I got to retire just over 8 years ago, and have enjoyed every minute of it. Sure, I've been busy, traveled around the country for several years in an RV, found a little house in a little town and rebuilt it, played on the computer, got to read lots, took up woodworking, but....

A friend of ours bought a restaurant and is completely renovating it. The cook didn't work out so a friend and neighbor (who was mentoring the cook) took over until a new cook is found. Guess who is helping out with the cooking for a little while. Thought you'd guess. So now two nights a week and maybe a few days for lunch, I have another job.

Right now it's fun, but it is still work.

In addition, I have been helping the lady who helped me build on the back of the house. She's building a house, and we've been roofing.

So... work is just that. WORK

Skywatch

Skywatch Friday

Merry Christmas and Very Happy Holidays to each and everyone who may read this. (and those who don't)

Tis the Sunday before Christmas and all is quiet.

Skywatch Friday Night n Day

Skywatch Friday






A little too bright, but that was the moon.

This is the same direction as the next photo

This is this morning's sunrise light.

Sunday and all is quiet.

Skywatch Friday

I love sunsets and sunrises here in the desert.

Be sure to check out the Skywatch Friday link .

Just letting the wind try to make me carzier.

another Monday and a possibility of snow showers tomorrow

Skywatch Friday

This is a view at Bosque del Apache NSR, New Mexico.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, everywhere.

Testing systems

just a test to see if using windows live writer works any easier than just using blogger

Skywatch Friday

I saw Skywatch Friday on a friends blog, and thought
it interesting, so here's my first entry.

Framing's all done and 1/3 of the screen.

Saturday and the Screen room is almost framed

In spite of setbacks, the framing is progressing.
Yesterday the door frame went in,

now, all the bottom framing is done. All that's left
is to finish the upper framing.

Tired but the screened room is just about framed in.

Screened in Room

Off to a perilous start on the framing for the screen porch. I'm building it out of cedar, but wanted part of it smooth and all we can get here is rough finish.
Not a problem, got out the planer, bought second had at a garage sale several years ago. It has been great and done lots in the rebuilding of our house. All was going well, got the process down and was going great guns till the planer imploded and shot the wood back out into the yard. Now with half the wood smooth and the rest waiting, I guess I'll quest for a new planer.

Now we have a wonderful porch, fantastic deck and will the bugs let us enjoy it? What do you think.

Guess what that means...now comes the screen.

Follow the progress and keep your fingers crossed.

New Projects and Stuff in the Blog

I've done a little housekeeping here on the blog. You will now be able to follow, check out the updates for our (my) projects and ongoing life.

Home in Marathon

on the way home

at blackstone in t or c relaxing

Enjoying Albuquerque

In Santa Fe, going to meet friends for dinner (and margaritas)

Having fun in New Mexico

Trial by Doing

This post is an attempt to get this post to myspace through feedburner.

Jim and Heather's Woodworking Class with David Marks

Trip Down Memory Lane

Wondering around California, I thought it would
be interesting to see Monterey, Cannery Row
and Fisherman's Warf again after 38 years have
passed. Interesting is not the word for it, maybe
depressing.
Cannery row was just that, warehouses - some converted to
dinner theaters, some made into bars and one a theater.

Now, just traffic jams and wall to wall people.

Monterey's Fisherman's Warf was a fisherman's warf.
It had a couple of restaurants and fish markets and
maybe one shop at the enterance. Now its
wall to wall peopled, restaurants and store front
fast food. Not a fish shop to be found and
definitely no fish boats coming in.

Starting on the steps. Now that the deck is finished
we need steps to get up and down.

This is a good view of our little deck.

This is the end of week one. After posts on Monday, waiting on wood
on Tuesday and building on Wednesday

We got to actually start on decking on Friday

At the end of the day, this is what it looks like.
Each board is a different length, so it took a while
to get this far. Plus there was a brief pause for a dump run
and to get more wide board for the front edge.
Next week should complete the deck, then for
the screen around it.

This is the center beam that will 'set the standard hieght
for the whole deck.

Here it goes again, or is it still. The Knee wall is finished,
new windows are in, back of the house is all painted, Now we do the deck.
The posts are all planted, now we build

This is the post farm, waiting for lumber

And just now the lumber came and tomorrow the party begins.
By Saturday, I intend (hope) to have a mostly finished deck
Mostly because there wasn't enough wood for all the floor deck.

This is one of this years crop of horned toads. We
were working in the yard had he scampered away.

Look hard, it's in the shadow

Here's a better close up.

This is the underside of the porch with a nice coat of "Shoo Fly Blue" paint. The only problem is nobody told the flies that they don't like the color, however the barn swallows and mud daubers stay away.

This is the start of our water catchment system so we can water the garden and plants. It will hold 1600 gallons and a good rain will mostly fill it up, provided we get it hooked up to the roof and we get some rain. We've had almost a whole inch so far this year.

This started as a simple window replacement and thanks to our resident termites turned into a whole wall replacement. It did make putting in the new windows a little easier lol.












You have to wonder why the wall came out so easily.

What a Shame

Today, of all days, I didn't have my camera with me. Our friend who is the
manager of a buffalo ranch stopped by after lunch and took me with him to go
flying around the area in his small plane.
We flew around Marathon several times, then went over several of the area ranches.

This area sure looks different from the air.

This is really a monumental day. Not only did I get to do some wonderful
sightseeing, this is the first time I've been in an airplane of any type for
about 12 years. Oh well, this too shall pass.