Oct 222006
 

The fifth wheel is all cleaned and loaded. I have lots of extra propane, water and gas on board and plenty of eats. I am heading out tomorrow morning about 6am to go Elk Hunting with a friend from work and a couple of retired guys I use to work with. I’m not actually going to do any hunting, that’s just not that interesting to me although I have been giving some thought to trying bow hunting. I am just going for the camping and will probably tag a long a couple of times when they go out and try to take some photos.

We are going to the area out of Pilot Rock which I hear is very beautiful this time of year with the colors changing. I am prepared for the bad weather with two sets of chains for the Ford F-250 and a set for the 5th too. I am hoping for nice weather and so far it looks good but one of the guys who has been going for several years said it can get nasty. He said one year they went to bed with a couple of inches of snow on the ground and woke with about a foot and a half. They got out but had to stay a couple of extra days.

Rocky is not going with me, this is kind of a boys time out thing. I will be staying until next Saturday and hope to have some good photos which I will post when I get back. See ya then….

Oct 172006
 

At last we have finally started on our retaining wall project we have talked about for a few years. Last year I was able to get a great deal on some rock. I got it from a quarry just down the road. It was suppose to be “pit run” which is just the junk after they blast and take out all of the good stuff. I was getting it just for fill. When the first load arrived there was a lot of very good landscape quality rock included. I was only going to get one load but I had them bring two more. I wish I would have got a couple more but I didn’t have anywhere to store it.The rock before the start of the wall

In talking to the dump truck driver he said that they had just blasted and they had so much rock they couldn’t separate out the good from the junk… Our good fortune. I checked recently and to get anywhere near the same type of rock would cost me over $500 a load. The first section complete

Our intent it to make a larger parking area and a place to turn the 5th wheel around with out driving up into the grass field. I tend to get stuck up there if it is at all wet. Once done I should be able to back the 5th in between the greenhouse and the pole building and then just pull straight out. That is the plan anyway. We also want to make the driveway wider and increase the radius of a very sharp corner which is currently difficult to get around.

So far we have completed about 40 percent of the wall but it is the tallest section. I know we don’t have enough rock to finish it but we should get at least another 20 feet. I’m not sure if we will get much more done this year though as the rains are about here.

Rocky is the real talent behind the construction and has done all the actual building of the wall. I work the tractor and excavate and move the fill dirt and other material. I got most of the dirt from an area we wanted to flatten so we could use it for a volley ball court and for horse shoes. I must say that I am getting good at working the tractor and I did move a lot of dirt.

Click here to see all the Wall Pics.>>>>

Oct 072006
 

A beautiful lady lost her fight with cancer this week and now she is at peace. Barbara, the mother of my best friend from high school was also my surrogate mom. My partner Rocky also adopted her as his surrogate mom and her passing is especially difficult for him. She was very young at heart and touched everyone she knew in such a positive way.

Rest now lovely lady.

Barbara