Just thought I should post since I told some people that I would show some new pictures. I used to try and come up with some clever or witty banter to go along with the more banal explanation of just what had gone on while I was working on the place in Big Bend. I'm tired and will just go with the banal. After building the 65 bug for Ayrton, I just could not conceive of even one more job on a vehicle while working in the dirt. I wanted a SLAB! I had lied to Karol about what I was doing for weeks and weeks. I had convinced her that I was working on the pressing assignment of lowering the single cab. In reality I had already decided to make that totally useless (until after 8 pm)Porch into a somewhat functional area of interest. It was great if you love standing on concrete while the sun beats you up. I put up metal that I bought from Phil, painted it and stretched shade cloth across it to make the area more inhabitable. Karol was supremely surprised . That's when I sprung my trap. I convinced her that in no time we could build a slab, since I already had all the materials right there along with a mixer! She fell for it! I soon realized that "in no time" was not the best way to characterize the actual event. It took almost every day of her 2 week visit to accomplish what soon was considered an event comparable to the Bataan death march,or the trail of tears. Not to diminish them at all, but to honor their struggle with our own. Once again when you bite off more than you can chew...all you can do is chew. Karol still claims to be crippled in both hands from moving no less than one and 3/4 dump truck loads of aggregate WITH HER BARE HANDS. We fed the insatiable gaping maw of the Machine. We decided to name it after the machine in Metropolis. Having figured out the best way to build this was in 5 X 6.5 foot sections, I assumed it would go quickly and I could not have been more wrong. Half way through, Karol suggested we do one section in the morning and one in the evening to speed things up. But we were too beat after one section to ever even consider doing another. I couldn't wait for the slab to cure and I put two VW's on it within minutes of completion. I am very happy and very appreciative of all the work that Karol put in on the project. She didn't really have to do that. NOT!............seeya R

It has been almost a year since I posted anything. A lot has happened I suppose. Sometimes I don't really see the point in putting up these words and pictures. But if anyone checks this site they will hopefully find some images that will please the eye. That is if I can figure out how to load them. I was gone from the project for most of that time. My Mom was having health problems. I returned for a while and worked on a 65 vw for my youngest (she wants something unique to drive around ). I question the wisdom of trading a 2001 Civic for a 65 bug....no ..I take that back. I also worked on the porch area of the rock house. I called Mike Engeleman to goad him into coming out and photographing the wildflower bloom and he took me up on it. We spent a couple of days wandering around and taking pix. Found more weird stacked rocks to photograph and some whiskey got in my mouth also. Elenore Foster my neighbor told me that it had been 25 years or so since the last bloom of that magnitude had happened. And even then it was not quite what we experienced this year. Mom took a downturn and passed four days after my return to Kilgore.Still getting used to that. Truly the end of an era. If there is any good in me, then it came from her. I got back in time to show the pictures to her. She looked forward to seeing the progress I had made, on the house. And any unusual photos that I might come up with. I'll be heading back sometime in July. ..........R