Cleanup in progress

We've spent last Saturday and this Sunday cleaning, mowing and cutting trees at the lake lots. Now that the weather has cooled down, we can start camping and fishing again. Maybe Thanksgiving weekend and after Christmas. It'll be nice to get away. We took some fencing up today to make a dog run for our 5 dogs. One day, we'll build a house there, with a back patio that looks out over the water.

Rain brings Weeds!

The recent rains we've had after a very long period of dry weather has really gotten things growing. Time to mow and keep the lots under control. Hard to believe a month ago this was all dirt.

What's left of the Lake

We took a trip to the lots at the lake on Monday. Not much water left... Kinda made me sick. I guess we need a tropical system to dump a few feet of water. This would be an ideal time to work on the pier, if I wasn't broke.. Oh well.

Getting back to normal(?)

Rebuilt my computer and upgraded my daughters after the lightning damage. I bought a big new case, motherboard, processor and video card for mine, and a motherboard, processor, ram for my daughter. Both computers are running very well! Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while, but now maybe I can get back to it.

Lots happening

Went on a short vacation 2 weeks ago and when I returned I discovered a tree had been hit by lightning. A light fixture on the patio was burnt off the house, the cable was out and no phone service... I called the cable comppany and they came out 4 days later repaired all the cable, but I found I had lost a computer, an ac adapter on a laptop, and one tv.
The phone company was called TWICE and never did anything about my problem so I rewired the damn box myself! After the phones started working again, the first call I made was to the phone company to complain. I told them the repairman should be fired and that I did NOT expect to be charged for the week I was without service! The promised me I wouldn't and asked if there was anything else they could do!!! I said, "God no!" and hung up!
Hmmm, remember when customer satisfaction was priority one???

'nother dog

We have 5 dogs now, since one showed up in our garage Friday morning. She looks like a 5 month old German Shepard. Very friendly, but had not been given proper care. So now we have a chow, two Jack Russell Terriers, a Corgie, and this shepard.

First Brisket of the Season

With about 1 hour to go (total 12 hours) this slab of beef is nearly ready!
Smoked at 250 degrees with the fat side up.
And, it was fantastic!

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.