Bad Day at Block Rock - errrr - Make it Bad Year.

[bindian]

So you folks like the steps, not a peep about my fine building & rock laying work. God is gona get ya for that.
Had some better & more complete pictures but the computer hid them.

The deck & stairs were built without drawn plans of any kind. Picture in my mind & some measurements. Only help was the tractor, for lifting & putting things in place.
Rock work is all local rock that I hauled in. Most things that I build are done that way.

More Later. This is getting too long to read anyway.
Jim

Jim,
I like the rock work. Please ship me 4 pallets full of the rock!
hugs, Brandi

 

[crash325]

Jim,
I like the rock work. Please ship me 4 pallets full of the rock!
hugs, Brandi

I assume that you want finished walls, :laughing:

 

[crash325]

Lets start off with some critter antics.
Oped back door about 3AM, on the deck was a road runner & 2 cactus wrens. They scattered instantly. In actuality there are not many bugs here, Some strange flying ants with a green hind end, Cactus wrens sure like them. 1 Little guy came checked me out this am, after a few times he got busy eating the ants.
A sad note this AM daddy quail showed up with some babies & short mom came bringing some more No way to be sure how many. Chances are first time out the nest. Some of them got down on the slab & could not get back up. Parents, really talked to them. Have never heard quail sound like that. Parents came down & soon all the rest were there. Finally after a littl while they all found their way out. As usual some lagged behind. Riley & B0bby went down the stairs. Bobby just watched
, but Riley chased 1. Think it went down sump for drain. The others?? Can only be sure 1 made it home with parents.

Have another rat, smaller than last 1. Mice had moved in after last rat. I threw out their nest & this rat moved in. Not at all afraid of me, just looks & slowly hops away.
Tried to buy rat poison 2 places with no luck.

Try to show you folks pictures of some of the things & places I talk about.
Found some of the Dragoon Mountains & sheep's head. Even found a map. Bottom center is the roads I have talked about.
Also found a picture of the old ranch house I use to stop at on the way home from school.
- -

Ranch house.

Stright up from center of picture is a wire gate, that mom would sometimes come & pick me up. Most of the time just walked a mile or 2 on up the canyon. Also a mile or 2 from where school bus ( a 2 door coupe.) dropped me off. Chico had 2 daughters, rather hefty girls. They made super tortilla's, beans & cobblers. Got a really good snack on way home. Real cream on the cobbler. :licking:

A little note on the stairs. The 1" re-bar is bridge re-bar & harder than rock, near impossible to bend or cut. Were it normal re-bar it would have bent long ago. Had 2 guys on their at the same time both in the 250 # range & it didn't budge.

Enough for this day.
Jim

 

[KubotainNH]

Beautiful country. Keep the thread going.

 

[hawkeye08]

We got a break in the weather here, had been in the 90s for a few days, down in the 70s now. sure feels good. hope you get a break soon.

 

[dragoneggs]

Those flying 'ants' might be green drakes but I don't know if you have them in your area. I used to tie imitation flies for fly fishing on the rivers in Idaho and Montana. The green drake had a long green body and two long antennae. Just a wild arse guess.

 

[bindian]

I assume that you want finished walls, :laughing:

Jim,
No, I'll do the grunt work. Just send the rock!
hugs, Brandi

 

[crash325]

We got a break in the weather here, had been in the 90s for a few days, down in the 70s now. sure feels good. hope you get a break soon.

Yep 1`t has cooled right down only 79 in the am. Today is fairly cool 95 at 2PM. Cloudy & overcast.

Whoopee!!!! I had the thrill of going to town today, so happy I could wet my pants.

Swamp box acting up some more. Hardly any air & no cooling. New pads at Wally- World. Not cut to size just a big roll. OK I can cut them, right?? no problem.
Also got gun cleaning kit & flat nose pellets for the rat. 1 Large beer to drink on the way home. Have to be careful cops every where & writing tickets.

Stop at Safeway, grab a milk, big thing of cheddar cheese, Some nice ribs, 1/2 to barbecue & 1/2 for stew.
The girls went with me, soon as truck started here they are. Bobby could have been told to stay & would have But Riley would chase me all the way to the pavement.

Got home beer was warm & shook up from the road. Not good at all.

Get siccers ( spelling ?? ) Remove old pad, No problem just force out the wire frame that holds it in. No fun. cut nut new pad & force the wire back in. After a few choice words Its done. Just put it back in cooler. Not upside down you dummy. Got that puppy in place & lets get #2 done. My back is really talking to me & saying nothing nice.. Give it a rest #2 went in about as easy as 1 & I didn't even try it upside down.

That's it enough fun for 1 day. Have a cold beer & give back a rest. Beer is good back is not good. :Lay down for a while, it slowly starts to settle down. In the short time it took to type this back is talking again.

Later
Jim

 

[teg]

...this back is talking again.

I hear ya' If I thought I'd live this long, I would have taken better care of myself...

 

[crash325]

I found some more pictiures of Brown canyon & some history. Down loaded most of the pictures & will post
Too much history to write about & a whole bunch missing. When they had the big deal on Brown canyon, I tried to tell them where the original ( Yep original house was & it isn't the 1 now called original.
Funny story about it and Uncle Vince & aunt Bessy He would get up first & light the stove. Being a little lazy he put kerosene on the wood to get the fire going. 1 Morning, being out of kerosene He used some gasoline & blew all the lids off the stove.

The house dad built ( with grandads help I'm sure ) was about 200 yards before you came to the Brown house. He did pour a slab without grandad's help & mom gave he!! for the lousy finish . It was also died red & there was basement. It had a ledge around it with rough concrete & I was helping dad ( helping :laughing: ) & fell through the hole in the floor onto my head. I was bleeding like a stuck hog. An old man was living up the canyon from there, He gave dad a towel to wrap my head in.
Doc came & fixed my head, probably just a bandage. Told me I was lucky, if a turtle had bit me it would not let go until it thundered. Mom still had that towel about 60 years later.
MORE on Brown canyon later.

Kind of sad too kill anything. If the rats had stayed where they belong, not a problem
Got rid of a rat population this AM. Yep it was a female. Had the pellet gun loaded with what are called power point. & they really do the job. First shot was through her back & out her gut. Then she came around where I could see her head. 1 More shot right between her eyes & she dead for sure. When throwing her out, the first shot blew out a tiny little baby.

Brandy just show up here with a truck & trailer & I will load you up with all the rocks you could use in 2 life times. :laughing: All shapes sizes & colors. Keep at it and you could have enough to build a wall around Texas.

Time to lay down & let back settle down.
Jim