Bought a new truck

Actually, my wife is making the payments on a 2005 Ford F-250 Super Duty Crew Cab. It's the King Ranch Edition. Not bad, but I'd hate to get mud on the leather seats!

No rain!

I guess it's been 6 months since we've had any rain to speak of. The lake is down to 54% full!!! Fishing from a pier is harder because there's less water under it. We need rain! It'll probably rain when I plan my vacation! Or we'll get a couple of hurricanes and flash floods...

Shelter

We moved the 5th wheel to the lots on Saturday. Now we'll have a place to rest and shower as we continue to work and relax there.

Busy, busy, busy

We installed the new well pump yesterday, dug a 160 foot ditch and buried the electrical cable. Water is running clear! It only "cost" me some beer, bbq, and another dog. With this little one we now have 4 dogs! Two of my sons came up with us to help out. We had a great time and got quite a bit of work done! Now to get that trailer setup!

Trip to the Lake

We drove up to the lake today. Spent a couple hours and came back. Armadillo makes such a noise rooting in the brush and I KNEW there were bass amongst those trees. Neighbors puppies came to visit before we left.

New addition

I've bought a 32' 5th wheel with a super slide to put on the lots at the lake. That'll give us a place to shower, get out of the weather and sleep.

Christmas in South Texas

It was 60 degrees on Christmas Eve at 10:45 AM when I took these pics.

Slow, but sure...

Installed an electric panel and new meter box. The lots have a water well and 2 septic tanks already. When we get electricity to the place, we can get the well pump running and it'll be suitable for camping. I plan to put a 5th wheel trailer on there to start with, so we'll have a place to shower, and sleep. Then we can spend more time working on the land, pier, etc. There's a concrete slab we want to build a cover over for a picnic table and bbq pit!
There's still some remaining of the three trailers that used to be there. They should be gone in a couple of weeks.

Lots are shaping up!

My wife's family owns some lots at the lake. We've been working, trying to clear them off so we could start using them for weekend get-aways, and vacations. Hired a guy to run a dozer and clear the brush. He even dozed the 3 junk trailers that were sitting there. His boys are selling the scrap metals for some extra cash and that saves us the trouble of hauling the stuff off.

My dog, Abigail

She doesn't have a problem finding a place to sleep.

Hurricane Rita

Rita missed me altogether. Not even any rain. I was ready. Had boarded up all windows and cleared the yard of lawn furniture, etc. Since I live so close to the water, I watched this storm very carefully. The winds and rain aren't near as bad as a storm surge. A wall of water that could flood your home. As I live maybe 8 feet above sea level, I don't like to take the chance.

Tropical Disturbances

BBQ

Just some ribs and sausage.

Newsfeed

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Aug BBQ

All my sons were here for the latest bbq. 6 sides of ribs, 10 lbs. of chicken and 2 links of sausage. Looked like locusts hit about 15 minutes after it was done.

Emily

Well, we escaped Emily. I was watching the approaching storm because we're not far from the Mexican coast. However, all we got here was a little rain and some blustery winds. I didn't even bother to gas up the generator... Maybe next time, and I'm sure there will be others. Florida can't have all the "fun"!

Decisions...

Last year, before I remarried, I wanted to retire from the job I'm in and work as the Park Ranger at our Scout Camp. A nice job, doing what I love to do, provided with a house, all bills paid and a small salary to supplement my retirement. It would mean living on site 24 hours. Now my wife would have much further to commute, and my daughter doesn't want to change schools...
The job has come open again recently.
I can continue working at my present job until March of 2011 and retire flat out, but I won't be happy.... What to do, what to do.....

Tip to pass on:

When trying to remove the sticky stuff left from price stickers, use a small amount of peanut butter and a paper towel. The oil in the PB disolves the glue.

Annual 4th of July BBQ. I told people that Wille and I were going to have our 4th of July picnic. They'd say, "WILLIE NELSON?" and I said, "Yep, he'll have his and I'll have mine!"