Monday, March 30, 2009

mixin madman

So nice to wake up to my peaceful desert this morning. Infrequent trips to big cities really helps me keep my new life in perspective. It ain't for everyone - put I can't imagine a more perfect life for myself living where and the way I do now. Most folks take vacations to get away from their lives. Trips for me take me away from a life that I love. The last hours of days away are my favorite because I'm getting ready to come home. The stretch on I-10 through El Paso is heart breakingly horrible.

I watched the sunset and just relaxed in the quiet after four days away and 11 hours of driving yesterday. All was well at the Field Lab except Benita has gone away on another walkabout. Woke up with the sunrise this morning. Dropped off some goodies to Aunt Kathy and Ronald this morning then raced home to get back in the game. Set the forms and poured all 4 legs for my last container. Took about 6 hours and 16 bags of concrete, but was a great way to spend my first day back. I reckon I'll switch gears now and pour the footings for my cinder block walls using portland c-ment and my own aggregate mix (and Ben's cement mixer!).





7 comments:

gumo said...

Beautiful cactus in bloom. When I clicked on it, the enlarged image was spectacular!

Anonymous said...

Welcome home!! Glad you had a mixer, madman.....

Thunder Britches said...

Something is wrong with me!! I was worrying about you gone, and kept logging in and in again, wondering when you would return!?
I embarrass myself, but I embrace my humility, and I bet I am not alone...I bet there are many many people out here, living vicariously thru yu. Your photos keep me coming back! You need to put something together for publication...they are beautiful photos. Bet to bet publishers are out here who would buy the book.
By the by...now that your concrete footers are finished, and since you have so much stone laying around, why dont you form "angled" stone buttress like forms that would look "natural" to hide the ugly square concrete block? Just an idea.

Lexstok said...

Glad to see you are back and posting again. I agree with Thunder Britches - I too log in daily to read your post and gawk at your nice pictures and read and think about your totally different life style. Thanks for sharing.

PS - any update on the building on stilts ? I keep wondering about it...

Allen Hare said...

John,
I sure dig all the great photos. Your blog is a great advertisement for the Canon G9. Have you ever considered painting the shipping containers to blend in with the surrounding landscape? In time, I guess they'll weather to a nice rusty color, anyway.

Ben in Texas said...

Glad you are back ,like all your local followers we missed you.

I been thinking about your metal box buildings you have. W A Y back when I lived in Alpine, I did a contact to paint the roof at the Terlingua School house with a reflective white paint that we had to do at night due to the heat during the day. It not only sealed the roof but provided a reflective surface to lower the internal temperature as well.. Sorry, wish I could remember the name of the product.

Thunder Britches said...

What a coincidence--I had a similar contract..spray painting the roofs of the airplane hangars at LoveField Airport in Dallas. Same product probably...rubber based, and no...I cant remember the name of it either, sorry. But yea, it does work,the way you described. Might be good to not only paint the roofs of the containers but also the South side that gets the summer sun??