The Field Lab

EarthBox

2012-02-01T20:48:00.001-06:00

So I happen to be checking one of my "social networks" this morning and came across a post from my good friend Jim Snyder on his group Farmers for a Sustainable Future. https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/sustainablefarmers/ He had a link to a company that has a great wicking planting system that I hadn't seen before. Looks like something that would work really well in my setup here so I contacted the company. http://www.earthbox.com/ They are graciously donating 4 of their units for me to experiment with here at The Field Lab.

Spent the afternoon researching this method of growing. This seems to be just the ticket for planting in our water starved Texas desert. Did a simple search online and found lots of How To variations. The Earthbox folks have this down to a science and created the perfect set up for the masses that are not in the DIY category. Looking forward to evaluating their product along side some home brew versions as well as other growing methods. 59,75,36,0,C

Hornby Island Caravans

2012-01-31T19:48:00.002-06:00

The paint crew was on the job today...dug out my gallon of white primer and mini roller and hit the steel. Took 6 hours to finish off all the new high metal on the east side with 2 coats.

Been thinking about how to finish off the interiors of my containers. I now have a favorite solution thanks to my new email friend Michelle Wilson of Hornby Island Caravans. Found her on page 168 in the Tiny Homes book by Lloyd Kahn. http://www.hornbyislandcaravans.com/ Click on her facebook link to see lots of pictures of the magic she does with these small living spaces on wheels. I love the idea of an all wood interior with a curved ceiling. That outta soften up the inside of a steel box. 58,74,36,0,B

Mr. Floppy - In The House

2012-01-30T19:21:00.005-06:00

Last night's UFO was the innards of a Honeywell rate gyroscope. I bought two of these last year from a surplus place - they were used for missile guidance systems back in the 80's. I don't know how they packed that sucker in there but it was a bitch to cut one of them open to see what's inside. Mine cost $16 each - I bet our govt. paid a lot more for them for their weapons of mass destruction.

Continued working on the courtyard/container Rubik's cube today. Mr. Floppy helped so I gave him some advertising space. 59,69,33,0,B

UFO Sunday

2012-01-29T20:50:00.000-06:00

52,64,27,0,C

SushiSaturday

2012-01-28T21:21:00.001-06:00

The Field Lab Gypsies 2012 packed up and hit the road this morning. Thanks to Waylon, Robert, Jason and Jeff for a great steak dinner last night. Pretty gusty out here so decided on an Alpine run....critter snacks and various bits'n'pieces.

here's that link one more time: http://www.banzai-sushi.com/

Home in plenty of time to lay out 2/3's of my sushi order to thaw out for 2 hours. Took it over the the McKenna's for dinner tonight along with a pre-warmed bottle of sake....it was damn good.

guests...

2012-01-27T22:15:00.000-06:00

My pomegranate tree is sprouting new leaves - hope that means we wont be getting another deep freeze in February. UPS dropped off the rest of my towing gear this afternoon...a pulley block and a 30' towing strap, both good up to 10,000 lbs. Made some good headway clearing a container today.

Forgot I had overnight guests arriving when I bumped the sushi dinner to tonight. Keeping it on ice for one more day. The Field Lab Gypsies came out for their second annual camp'n'cookout. Only 2 from the original crew made it this year (with 2 more new guys) but they cooked rib eye steaks, potatoes, and a dutch oven peach cobbler just like last year. 56,74,31,0,C

sushi delivery

2012-01-26T20:36:00.001-06:00

Started shuffling container contents again...trying to clear the courtyard and prep for cutting doors in the two west end containers. Good thing is - every time I do this, I find more stuff to give away and throw away. Not sure how long it will take to pare it all down to just the essentials...but the "stuff" gets smaller every time I do this Had some quality time this afternoon with Benita and then a Fed Ex delivery. Splurged on an order of Sushi last week that just arrived - but too late in the day for dinner tonight. http://www.banzai-sushi.com/ Still frozen solid thanks to a big chunk of dry ice that survived the 2nd day air trip.... Exotic foods shipped to the middle of nowhere. First I tried deep dish pizza from Chicago...tomorrow night we dine on sushi from Seattle after I thaw it out. Pics and a review to come. 53,66,27,0,C

some days are like this...

2012-01-25T19:24:00.000-06:00

43,55,39,T,W T stands for trace (just a sprinkle)

paved

2012-01-24T19:33:00.001-06:00

Thanks to Chuck...I finished the paving job today without having to pick up more pavers in Alpine. Chuck checked the blog last night and called to offer some he had in a large kennel be built for his dogs (they were all over me as I extracted them). Picked them up late this morning - finished some cuts and set my camera up again to finish tonight's presentation (I started the time lapse of the installation yesterday). Swept the sand so feverishly - I broke the handle on my 8 year old push broom. Feels good to finally be done after setting a total of 744 pavers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGP-_iwJ8oU 62,69,33,0,B

seven pavers short...

2012-01-23T20:22:00.000-06:00

Something to think about when thinking about growing your own food.

http://my5acredream.blogspot.com/2011/06/economics-of-food-self-sufficiency.html

58,72,34,0,C

sunday sand

2012-01-22T19:28:00.000-06:00

sweet feed

2012-01-21T20:01:00.002-06:00

Woke up early and had 3 bowls of Capt. Crunch cereal and watched cartoons for two hours...no, wait a minute - that was 45 years ago. Would have never thought then that my Saturday mornings would end up being 3 cups of tea and feeding a longhorn cow in the desert.

Got a surprise visit from the guy that got stuck down south from me over a week ago - Monroe Elms (former Presidio Co. judge). He brought out his aunt and uncle to go try to find the swimming hole again - this time I drew him a map and they got in and out on their own. Just so happens his uncle (Oscar Elmendorf) is the sales rep for HiPro that services this part of Texas. HiPro is the only brand of range feed that Benita will eat. He brought her 100lbs of Sweet Feed as a gift. She loves it. Not very often does a single longhorn get a personal visit from a feed sales rep.

Spent the afternoon digging and moving 12 more wheel barrow loads of dirt into the courtyard - from the hole that Chuck and machine started for me. Just about finished back filling that NE corner. Not quite sure what that big hole is gonna be good for.

all day project...

2012-01-20T20:21:00.000-06:00

Well...I didn't think it would take all day to finish the winch hookup, but it kinda did. First thing - I needed some bits to bolt it all together which prompted another trip down south to Bee Mountain Hardware and an excuse for another Cafe breakfast. Found a home under the hood for everything and snaked the wires around away from all the hot'n'moving parts of the engine. Plugged in the remote and it winched! The goal of course is to never have to pull myself out of a bind since I have yet to get stuck out here in 4 years. Will save this new capability for the less prepared, which happens often out here...and I will only charge half what the local towing service does.

Meanwhile, back in critterville - had a full day of longhorn, burro and rabbits. Dennis spent half the day snacking on top of a bale of alfalfa. Might just have to set up a bed of alfalfa sprouts for the rabbits once the greenhouse gets going - they will be allowed in the courtyard but I won't have to worry about them eating my food since all the growing beds will be out of their reach. 63,80,32,0,B

got the winch

2012-01-19T19:24:00.001-06:00

Morning run to the post office to mail out books and grab a real breakfast at the Motor Inn Cafe. No Mr. Floppy today, so Benita ate without disruption and I didn't have to chase off a donkey over and over. Moved a pile of dirt into the last back fill section of the courtyard. Afternoon visit from my friends Casey http://www.allenergies.net/ and Dr. Gig http://www.gigatrike.com/ . When it comes to off grid systems, I'm just a hack - but these guys really know how it all works. Rounded out the day with deliveries from Fed Ex and UPS....got my hitch mount and winch. Lots of wires to snake around once I get the thing bolted down. 61,79,30,0,C

friends'n'family

2012-01-18T19:54:00.000-06:00

Day off - headed down south to visit with some friends. Mr. Floppy was standing guard when I got home. Got my order of Tiny Homes books. The box took a beating in the mail and I lost 6 of the mini versions of the book. Sent off an email to Shelter Publications and they are gonna make it right for me. Got some packaged to send off for late Christmas presents. 56,73,33,0,C

cityfarm

2012-01-17T20:35:00.003-06:00

Alpine run today...stopped by the Obbinks and got some fresh eggs and a visit with a baby goat and a zonkey. 52,76,40,0,B

From Texas to Milan

2012-01-16T20:03:00.000-06:00

Rigged, formed and poured a step for the north wing doorway - that was all that was on the work list today. My friends Jason, Cynthia and little Luna stopped by on their way to Alpine. Luna was disappointed that Mr. Floppy wasn't home this afternoon. She did get a chance to talk to our BFF Kristinna back in NY on my pay phone though.

Had a great late day visit from my new best friends Emilio and Laurel - a Texas girl married to an Italian boy. They spend most of their time in Italy but come back to visit her home state at least once a year. Emilio is a professional photographer and Laurel writes cookbooks and has a bilingual blog about food.
http://www.unamericanaincucina.com/en/ They videoed an interview with me and she did the intro in Italian...without a hint of a Texas twang. 63,83,39,0,B

Quantum Sunday

2012-01-15T18:56:00.000-06:00

longpour/shortpour

2012-01-14T20:04:00.001-06:00

Had to repair another blown hose on the solar shower this morning - got a little colder overnight than I thought it would....but we are in a warming trend now - looking at highs in the 80's next week with not so bad overnight lows. Set up the solar powered pump and transferred 250 gallons from one of the greenhouse tanks to the house tank. Poured the long section along the NE container and finished up faster than I expected. Too much day left and not enough beer ( http://health.yahoo.net/experts/dayinhealth/10-surprising-health-benefits-beer ) so I built and set the form and poured the end section too...a 12 bag day. 46,66,21,0,C

85 pavers

2012-01-13T18:59:00.000-06:00

north wing paved... 44,60,29,0,C

rabies drop...

2012-01-12T20:09:00.002-06:00

Been wondering why I keep seeing the same small plane buzzing around out here a lot the past couple of days. Posted the question to my local friends on Facebook and got my answer in 5 minutes. The Texas Department of State Health Services is dropping rabies vaccine throughout the area for the critters. http://bigbendnow.com/2012/01/dshs-combats-rabies-with-aerial-vaccine-drop/

Weather wize - it was not conducive for outdoor labor today. Happy to have a rest break anyway since I ain't gettin any younger. Headed south with the good neighbor for a long breakfast at the Motor Inn Cafe - got caught up on ranch politics with friendly neighbors and assurances from the Brewster Co. Sheriff's office that recent arrests in the area are being dealt with appropriately by the county attorney. Good to be on the side of the good guys when you live out here. Even better to know that the bad guys are on the constant radar of local law enforcement.

So the day wasn't a total labor loss...I stripped the forms off the last pour and leveled out the dirt in the NW wing. 35,46,37,0,B

all work and no play?

2012-01-11T19:57:00.000-06:00

57,73,25,0,B

totentotes

2012-01-10T19:21:00.000-06:00

Alpine run today to stock up on stuff and pick up my IBC totes. Just so happened that Julianne was in town with her truck too, so I loaded 2 into mine and 1 into hers for transport back to TFL. The plan is to use these for an aquaponics experiment. http://www.backyardaquaponic.com/

When she dropped off the third IBC, Julianne also brought along a replacement shaft key for Jam (JuliAnne's Mixer). I extracted my quick fix screw and the real fix is in now. 48,59,24,0,B

tote day

2012-01-09T19:16:00.000-06:00

First rainstorm of 2012 at 5AM. Busy morning working out some details for an aerial shoot that some Google Earth folks want to do at TFL next month. Meanwhile, my buddy Bennett Jones in Alpine brokered a deal on three 300gal IBC totes for me at $150/apiece. Total rainfall for 2011 was 3.82". 39,55,43, .06",B

motor control...

2012-01-08T19:01:00.000-06:00

Sunday off...big breakfast at the Motor Inn Cafe while my clothes worshed at the laundromat. 60% chance of rain late tonight into tomorrow so I prepped for the just in case event. Windy and wet is the forecast for the next 24 hours.

Afternoon project - see if I can power up the telescope motor drives. I bought it 8 years ago and finally got around to firing it up. Took awhile to get the hang of the menus on the handheld computer. I seem to have brought it to life. If I read the manual about 10 more times I might be able to align the scope correctly for some nice deep space imaging.

Got a great photo today from Kristinna....Mr. Floppy seemed quite intrigued by a mini human and Luna was happy to make his acquaintance. 56,66,44,0,B

last courtyard forms...

2012-01-07T19:03:00.000-06:00

Decided there was one last step before I begin to shuffle all that fresh dirt around. Set blocks and formed up for the pour along the NE container. 55,71,33,0,C

dirtday...

2012-01-06T19:50:00.002-06:00

Nice surprise this morning...Benita came home. She's been gone since Monday afternoon. When she wanders off like that, I'm never quite sure if I will ever see her again.

Chuck came by this morning to lend a hand with some digging for the rest of the courtyard sections that need back fill. Man and machine in a couple of hours did what would have taken me a couple of days by hand.

Checked the new front hitch mount and it needed a little spreading to line up with the holes under the truck. Took Chuck's suggestion to use a bottle jack (a quick fix). An hour and a half later it was firmly bolted to the frame. 55,73,26,0,B

too little too soon...

2012-01-05T21:00:00.001-06:00

Poured the threshold for the north wing this morning. Jam was having a little trouble mixing the concrete. Fought with her till I got the section finished (9bags). Opened up the motor housing and found that the shaft key was missing and the pulley was no longer firmly attached to the shaft. Stuck a big screw in there and now they are one again....oughta make the next pour go a lot easier.

Just as I finished the pour, some folks stopped by asking how to get to the swimming hole. I gave them simple directions but didn't draw a map - mistake. Removed some fittings under the front end of my truck to make way for a new part. While I was waiting for UPS to show up with it...one of the swimming hole seekers came walking up. They got their truck stuck 4 miles from TFL and 2 miles in the wrong direction from where they wanted to go (and about a mile further south from the spot where I was able to pull out the last folks that got stuck). I drove him back down but there was no way for me to pull them out. Ended up driving them to the Ghost Town to spend the night - Beechie will have to come yank them out tomorrow. At least I got a nice view of Panther Mountain that I hadn't seen.

So....the part I was waiting for was a front hitch for my truck. I have a winch that I got over 2 years ago and thought it was about time to mount it. Still waiting on the winch mount receiver. If they had only waited about a week - I probably could have pulled them out. I hada feelin....46,68,28,0,B

prepped to pour

2012-01-04T19:50:00.001-06:00

Picked up Just Me's mixer today...got the work zone ready for the next pour on the north wing. Benita went on walkabout Monday afternoon - no sign of critters for 2 days now...I hate when she does that. 51,66,31,0,W

Got this email today from a new friend in Africa:

Subject: fieldlab in Africagood evening John,

herewith two photos of an 'african fieldlab' - i did build one for my workers in Namibia.

your design was a great inspiration and the living quarters is functioning super well !

greetings from africa

markus

homework

2012-01-03T19:59:00.001-06:00

53,68,26,0,B

Luna lunes...

2012-01-02T20:08:00.000-06:00

Lots of visitors today....only happened to photograph the last. SwampGirl is heading back to NY tomorrow - she came by with our friends Cynthia and her daughter Luna. After having just met Benita - Luna tried to wrap her little head around what it must be like to have long horns.

Trying some organic Quinoa for the first time tonight with some soup. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa
47,60,28,0,B

The Archivist's Dilemma...

2012-01-01T19:07:00.003-06:00

The first day...good time to shuffle the computer. What to save and what to not. Ended up archiving 4,407 (13.6 GB) photos from 2011 plus another 5 GB of misc. files to one of my expansion drives. Nice to be able to shelve a years worth of stuff into the palm of my hand. If only I could just cut and paste when it comes to moving stuff around in the real world. 47,58,45,0,W

last day...

2011-12-31T20:02:00.000-06:00

Got the uprights in place for the north wing door. Took some extra time because I had to weld a chunk onto the west side piece to make good use of the materials I have left. The bees were out in full force today with the warm weather. Put out a bowl of Coke for them to get their junk food sugar fix. 55,76,33,0,B

TINY HOMES Simple Shelter

2011-12-30T19:44:00.001-06:00

Got back to the grind today....prepped and set the forms for the north wing pour. Took a ride south for a lunch break and found a nice surprise in the mail - my advance contributor copies of Lloyd Kahn's new book which includes a nice spread on TFL (and 2 pictures of Benita). Nice to see my friends Keith Levy (The Flying Tortoise) and Maximillian Godino in the book too. As with all his other books, Lloyd did a fantastic job documenting the tiny house movement. Nice touch - they include a tiny abbreviated version of the book with each order. You can order a copy from http://www.shelterpub.com/_tiny_homes/tiny_homes_book.html 57,75,31,0,C

too much time on my hands...

2011-12-29T19:43:00.000-06:00

Did a quick morning run to Alpine for cow snacks and rebar. To and fro in just under 3 hours. I had posted yesterday on Facebook that Kristinna and I were shooting beer cans from 150 yrds. with my Ruger 10/22. My friend JD called me on it so I had to go out and precisely measure the distance - only 120 yards. She inspired today's afternoon project - rigging a camera to my rifle scope. The scope was dialed in nicely thanks to Paul, Neil, and Kdog who came out to visit this summer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iz2ryeX2ZJ4 56,72,29,0,C

guns'n'girls

2011-12-28T20:27:00.000-06:00

Reckon it is time to get back to courtyard work...started setting block for the north wing. Just about ready to set some forms when SwampGirl 2011 showed up for some shootin' while she is on her Christmas break from upstate NY. Topped off the day with a visit from Jean and Taj from SF. They are just beginning a photographic project around the US - "documenting the aesthetic, philosophical, and spatial ideas of currently active creative zones in North America". http://examinedactive.tumblr.com/ 50,66,33,0,B

BTU

2011-12-27T19:39:00.000-06:00

Finally finished a clean sweep of the hut today...no wonder my beard isn't getting any longer - must have vacuumed up two beards worth of hair. Nice to have all horizontal surfaces empty again, if only for a short time.

Got the shower ship shape again. The water heated up nicely today. From Wikipedia: BTU is the amount of energy it takes to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit. So today the sun (and a newly patched closed system) helped out and raised 333.6 lbs of water 44 degrees = 14,678.4 BTU's.

the day after...

2011-12-26T20:50:00.000-06:00

Spent a couple of hours repairing some problems on the solar shower. The problem was I didn't think it would get as cold as it did overnight on Christmas Eve. Since I didn't drain the lines and the thermosyphon - I ended up with one popped hose and two breaks in the copper. Didn't loose any water because I was able to shut off some valves before it all thawed out. Fixed the hose and prepped for the copper repairs. ...Thought I should include a detail photo of the cactus wreath.

Decided Benita's facebook page needed a Christmas update. Waited for her to finish eating this morning then brushed her for a few minutes to put her in the zone. Dropped the hat on and had all of 5 seconds to get one shot off. She was cooperative just long enough and made it clear afterwards that she does not like hats. 43,60,16,0,B

Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T20:20:00.000-06:00

35,46,17,0,C

almost there...

2011-12-24T21:41:00.000-06:00

Light flurries all night long and into the morning....didn't last long. Nasty day till the clouds cleared out just before sunset. Did a photo lighting test tonight for the Christmas light show - dialed in the exposure for the hut'n'lights but I need just the right amount of light in the sky to make it all work. 32,37,32,0,C Christmas Eve time lapse. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcVOPETgPR0

StarDot

2011-12-23T20:11:00.002-06:00

Closed in today due to crappy weather:
Fed the cows
Chased the burro - numerous times
Made JiffyPop
Took a nap
Baked a chicken in the grill

...and my IPCam guys are sending me a new power adapter. Thanks for staying on top of the situation, Anthony!

Hi John,

Alright, Looks like we do have standard 15V power supplies as well. I'm requesting that one be shipped your way.

Merry Christmas =)

Anthony Watts
Customer Support Specialist

StarDot Technologies
www.stardot-tech.com
Toll-Free: (888) 782-7368
Direct: (714) 228-9282
Fax: (714) 228-9283

33,37,32,0,W

Key Grip

2011-12-22T19:24:00.000-06:00

2011 seasonal lighting display underway. 12 strings of LED lights - only 70 watts AC. Grabbed a long overdue hot shower late this afternoon before the next cold front moves in. 49,61,30,0,C

extraction

2011-12-21T19:21:00.000-06:00

Flipped a coin this morning and decided on extracting the old AC unit off the Airstream. Other that the horrid interior fixtures that were cobbed into the trailer - the only other thing that really bothered me about it was the fact that when the old AC died...someone dropped a new one in through a skylight at the front of the trailer instead of just sticking it where the bad unit was. It really wasn't that difficult to remove. The only problem was that it was rather heavy so I just rolled it off the top once everything was disconnected. Spent the afternoon experimenting with this years Christmas light show. 47,63,26,0,C

IP day...

2011-12-20T19:10:00.000-06:00

Dialed in the focus on the IP Cam lense but the exposure was blown out....emailed StarDot tech support. Was just about ready to ship the auto iris lens back to them. Decided the only variable left in the equation was the camera cable. Did a patch on a shorter cable and the lens came to life. Perfectly happy with the performance now. Heard back for tech support within and hour but their first suggestion was to restart the camera - like I hadn't tried that already. Their final solution (after I got it running) was that perhaps I was only using a 12V power supply with the camera and 300 ft. of cable instead of 15 - 18V as supposedly supplied. The only power supply provided with the cable was 12V - I think they owe me especially since they have listed my suggestion in their FAQ section about how to cool the camera in especially hot environments. http://www.stardot-tech.com/kb/index.php?View=entry&EntryID=146
47,56,35,0,C

behind closed doors...

2011-12-19T19:26:00.002-06:00

That good chance of rain turned into a downpour that lasted about 12 seconds at 3:30AM. Wasn't able to get back to sleep till 6. Woke up again at 7:30 to clearing skies and what turned out to be a perfectly sunny (windy) day.

Ya know...I ended up putting doors on all my little cubby holes in the hut so I wouldn't have to look at all the stuff. Since I seem to be in year end clean up mode - I just had to sort through all the stuffed away secrets today. Ended up with a box of miscellaneous electronic parts'n'cables to stash away elsewhere and two cubic feet of worthless paperwork slated for the burn pit.

UPS Manny stopped by this afternoon with a delivery for me (he thoroughly enjoyed the pizza). Come to think of it - he kinda looks like a lot of the guys who work in pizza joints in NYC. Got an auto iris lens for my IP Cam. Haven't been happy with the dynamic range that the camera has with standard lenses and internal controls...just doesn't handle low light situations very well. Took an hour to dial it in, loosening a back focus adjustment because of a C-Mount spacer attached to the new lens....we shall see.
50.63,45,0,W

sunday round up...

2011-12-18T19:20:00.001-06:00

Been thinking that the construction zone is turning into a junkyard....had to make a clean sweep today. The hard part was finding a place to put Mr. Floppy. BTW - the trick is to just move everything out of frame...good plan for cleaning up.

Spotted a badger. Nice camouflage...except for the headgear. Good chance of a shower overnight - finished up the day covering up stuff just in case. 46,52,42,0,B

smile...

2011-12-17T19:27:00.000-06:00

Alpine run today....can't help but wonder why our Border Patrol inspection station has so many new cameras set up....I reckon they are looking to see who's been naughty or nice. 46,50,43,0,B

Manny is the Man!

2011-12-16T19:36:00.000-06:00

Ordered 4 pizzas from Lou Malnati's in Chicago (the second time I've done this). Had something special in mind this time. http://www.tastesofchicago.com/category/Lou_Malnatis_4_Pizzas_Value When I ran into our UPS driver (Manny) down in Study Butte - he said he had something for me.

When he gave me the box I said I think there is something in here for you. I gave him 2 of the 4 pizzas I ordered for a Christmas present. Manny is a hellava nice guy and an excellent UPS driver. He is continuing the legacy of exemplary service provided by our beloved Jerry who retired over a year ago after delivering to the Big Bend region for over 30 years.

Another indoor day so I played with the Meade LPI camera a bit and finally got it to work....briefly. Then the software crashed. Next - I broke out a new camera I impulsively ordered from Woot! a couple of months ago. A factory refurbished Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10 14mp digital camera. Got it for half the retail price. Just out of the box this camera is dust free and I'm rather pleased with it over my old Canon G9. The Lumix even has GPS built in....checked it against my position on GoogleEarth and it was identical. Not quite as many shooting features as the Canon but it does have a wider optical zoom range....and there is no dust in it - yet. Photos above are unretouched strait from the cameras. 44,50,42,0,B

One Million Served

2011-12-15T19:46:00.001-06:00

Feels kinda weird that this blog has been visited over a million times. Watched the counter go over the mark and tagged the millionth visitor. Reckon I will just keep plugging away till I get it all done out here...stay tuned.

Thanks for the suggestions on my IT dilemma....beckerized and Andy Newall - send me an email so we can sort this out. Would be nice to get it all fully functional some day. Don't mean to leave UK-IT Neil out of the loop, but he needs to concentrate on the desert rover robot project.

Did a work around today for fun....avoiding computer issues. This doesn't solve the problem of deep space imaging or controlling the telescope but at least I can zoom in on far away objects with the stickam cam if I choose. Unscrewed the lens on the Logitech web cam and duct taped it to a mount to fit the telescope - and now I can see almost into the future. This is an Inukshuk on top of Mt. McKenna just over a half mile away.

Dick Cain came by today looking for some his longhorns to push back to their winter grazing grounds. He called me this morning and I told him about 20 were in the neighborhood I asked him some questions about Benita's history. Seems he used to call her Strawberry long before I showed up and named her Benita - a very fitting name. I asked him if he had any old photos of her and he thinks he might have one from when she was only 4 years old with her first calf. I sure hope he can dig that up. 51,64,45,0,B

Tonight's blog post brought to you by TEQUILA!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7nbmjkImHQ

IT HELL

2011-12-14T20:44:00.000-06:00

All day...allllll day...trying to get software to enable features of my telescope and imaging systems.
1.   downloaded the latest software upgrades from Meade
2.   that didn't work
3. searched online and found that Meade imaging does not work with 64bit systems
4.   tried to download Windows XP mode for Windows 7
5. my version of Windows 7 doesn't support the download
6. paid for a Windows upgrade and downloaded it
7.   it wouldn't load
8.   searched online and found that I needed to install all windows updates first
9.   performed the upgrade successfully
10. downloaded and installed Windows XP mode and Windows Virtual PC successfully
11. downloaded latest software upgrades from Meade into XP mode
12. still doesn't work.....yet.
13. one more day of this and I'm back to laying block....I know that will work.
14. 56,64,38,0,B

TGIT

2011-12-13T19:59:00.000-06:00

52,59,44,0,B

Bronx Cowboy

2011-12-12T21:08:00.000-06:00

Return visit this morning from my buddy Robert from the Bronx - his first trip out to TFL was May 12th. He got the updated tour and the chance to meet Dick Cain and his son Breeze who rode up on horseback for a roundup visit. Packed up the truck and headed east. Welded all afternoon on Aunt Kathy's screen room. Dinner at the Starlight Theatre. 44,56,40,0,B

cloudy day...

2011-12-11T19:16:00.000-06:00

Another one of those days that happen so rarely out here - heavy cloud cover. Sun finally poked out around 5PM.

Spent the day feeding cows, rigging the ringer in the base of the payphone, shuffling stuff in the hut, and trying to find the optimum exposure settings for my IP Cam (I finally read the manual). 38,52,40,0,B

Kristinna's Black Eye

2011-12-10T21:06:00.000-06:00

Crappy weather all day....indoors for the duration putting together this epic video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivQe3fyStbQ

37,58,30,0,B

22Â°

2011-12-09T19:44:00.000-06:00

http://www.universetoday.com/18568/ring-around-the-sun/

Wired in the payphone...got an external ringer from phone pro Chuck.

Re-conditioned my rusty cast iron cooking pot

Brought home a chunk of steel from junk yard Chuck

48,61,33,0,B

why do cows cross the road?

2011-12-08T19:12:00.000-06:00

43,63,26,0,C

Four Years In The Desert...and still counting

2011-12-07T18:56:00.000-06:00

41,60,18,0,C

TCHS

2011-12-06T19:35:00.001-06:00

Woke up way too early this morning...4:30AM. Spent the pre-dawn hours digging through Classmates.com. Ended up finding what would have been my graduating year high school year book for Tell City High School in Indiana. Looked at every page and was reminded of friends I had long forgot - kids I was in school with from 3rd grade through freshman year. Tracked down 4 of them on facebook - including a girl I had a big crush on in Jr High. Puttered around the hut all day cleaning up while thinking about the old days. Sharing my space with 2 tomato plants for one more cold night. 36,52,30,0,B

in for the big chill...

2011-12-05T19:51:00.001-06:00

Cold front pouring down on TFL for the next couple of days. All stocked up on propane and beer to weather the big chill. Drained the thermosyphon on my solar water heater - just in case. Pondered my parts piles till I found just the right stuff for the new IP cam jig - the FrankenRig. Gutted two old satellite dish mounts and cobbed them together to give me 3 axis pointing capabilities. My efforts were rewarded with news (I got on facebook) that there is such a thing as bacon flavored vodka available...just when I thought life couldn't get any better. http://www.bakonvodka.com/

37,50,30,0,W

Virtual Sunday

2011-12-04T19:18:00.000-06:00

Last Night...the McKenna/Elmores brought me a Pinyon Pine Christmas Tree from Ft. Davis
This Morning...got my payphone working

This Afternoon...had virtual cocktail hour with Swamp Girl 2011 back in Albany NY.
43,56,45,0,W

southwingpaved...

2011-12-03T18:36:00.000-06:00

Three more wheel barrow loads and I finally had enough back fill...smoothed out a 1" deep level bed of sand. 75 pavers filled it in and topped it off. 60,78,38,0,B

backfill...

2011-12-02T18:44:00.003-06:00

1. Replaced old wiring from some of my solar panels to one of my battery banks.
2. Boiled my batteries for 2 hours (performed an equilization charge)
3. Pulled the forms off yesterdays pour

4. Dug up and moved 14 wheel barrow loads of dirt into the south wing 43,58,49,0,B

TFL in Thailand

2011-12-01T19:42:00.002-06:00

13 bagger today - pouring the south wing forms. Cleaned up the construction zone and started prepping the north wing for block. Slight chance of rain coming in before the cold front drops down Sunday night, so I put away all the stuff that doesn't appreciate excessive moisture. Got an email yesterday from my buddy Bruce Simpson. He is working with a company near Bangkok to help with the flooding over there. Nice of him to take his Field Lab tshirt along for the ride. 58,75,28,0,B

webcamXP

2011-11-30T18:48:00.003-06:00

Last night I downloaded and installed the latest version of webcamXP-webcam7. http://www.webcamxp.com/download.aspx This allows me to do time lapse and motion capture from my various webcams....thanks again Neil for the technical support.

Spent the afternoon prepping the south wing for the next pour. Got all the forms set - including the steel 4x4's for the next door frame. Plucked a nice looking tomato off my big plant to go with dinner tonight. 54,70,30,0,C

IT Tuesday

2011-11-29T19:17:00.001-06:00

Got some extra gear and a new wireless webcam in the mail today. On the phone for a couple of hours with my IT guy in the UK sussing out all the technical details. Now TFL is under 24 hour video surveillance with all cameras recorded and stored off site....just in case something other than a longhorn comes to visit. 58,72,29,0,C

IPcam

2011-11-28T21:05:00.000-06:00

Finally got around to firing up the IPcam again - its been offline since April. Gave the housing, camera, and lens a good cleaning. Had to patch the last bad cow cable chew then I built a temporary rig to find a good spot off my front porch. As soon as I decide on the final point of view, I will weld up something permanent. Began setting block in the south wing to prep for a fourth level of pavers. 51,69,23,0,B

Level 3 Paved

2011-11-27T20:01:00.000-06:00

40,62,23,0,C

north wind...

2011-11-26T19:42:00.001-06:00

Nice and sunny and calm when I headed north this morning. About half way to Alpine, I ran into the cold front. Wind, clouds and cooler temps. Hit Johnson Feed and McCoys first. Swung by the Farmers Market and only one table left up there - my friends Mark and Debbie. Bought a jar of organic mustard relish. Had lunch at La Yarda with my buddy Paul who is camping in the Davis Mountains this weekend. Too cold to dine outside so we hunkered down inside the Murphy St. Raspa Co. It was a very good lunch!

By the time I got home the winds were really blowing out here with a bit of a dust storm. Too chilly to do any outside work - so I unpacked the goods and got a head start on my Sunday house cleaning. Just after sunset, David (the payphone master) showed up to install the new phone. He gave me some parts for the final hookup which I will do tomorrow. In for a freeze tonight so I covered the tomato plants and brought the lettuce and chard inside for a slumber party. 44,55,39,0,W

Grey Friday...

2011-11-25T19:11:00.000-06:00

Celebrated Black Friday by not spending any money. Will continue the celebration by spending money tomorrow at the Alpine Farmers Market. Cloudy day all day and some light drizzle on'n'off. Set forms and poured a transition step on the east end of the courtyard. Had a nice break of sun at the end of the day and a hot shower. 58,63,46, .02",B

time and a half...

2011-11-24T19:57:00.002-06:00

Decided the best way to celebrate Thanksgiving this year (and the lack of harvest from my greenhouse) was to work and not eat all day. Perhaps I will be ready for a real home grown feast next year. Put in 8 hours backfilling the area with 5 wheelbarrow loads of desert dirt, leveling more sand, then got over 100 more pavers laid. Cheers to all that got stuffed and lazily watched a football game all afternoon. That's on the list for next Thanksgiving here at TFL.

Had a late afternoon visit from my new friend Jens Smits - from Germany. He is a chemical engineer that has been away from home working in Houston for the past 4 weeks. He is taking some time off to visit the Big Bend and is also a geocacher (Angepitou). He got the mini tour then zeroed right in on the find here at TFL. Awful nice of him to drop me a bottle of wine. 63,76,35,0,B

bucket cows...

2011-11-23T19:54:00.000-06:00

Like mother/like daughter. Beatrice and Penelope decided to drink out of buckets today. Normally the longhorns will find any bit of old dishwater to lap up - but this time they both got a good clean drink - after all, they're family.

Gotta head start on the next level of pavers this afternoon. 54,78,34,0,B

22 bags and a little melon...

2011-11-22T19:11:00.000-06:00

Mixed up and poured 22 bags of concrete to fill the waiting blocks. Short lunch break for a melon snack.
55,75,45,0,B

NRA Monday

2011-11-21T20:12:00.000-06:00

Started off with a foggy morning. Prepped the next section for leveling sand for pavers but checked the check list and discovered I need to fill blocks with concrete first. Wasn't up for the task so had a big lunch down south with Chuck then came home and took a nap.

Good news from the NRA to wrap up 2011. http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=7180 Also from the NRA - November 16: The U.S. House of Representatives has passed an important self-defense measure that would enable millions of Right-to-Carry permit holders across the country to carry concealed firearms while traveling outside their home states. H.R. 822, the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act, passed by a majority bipartisan vote of 272 to 154. All amendments aimed to weaken or damage the integrity of this bill were defeated.

With the increasing incidents of violence against the OWS protesters across the country - I wonder if this legislation will make it through the Senate and be signed into law by the president. 62,82,52,0,B

Sun(day)Warrior

2011-11-20T19:04:00.001-06:00

Spent a couple of hours working on Aunt Kathy's screen room today - cutting tubing to add to the existing structure. Filled the afternoon setting block along the SE container for the next section of pavers. Tried a new supplement suggested by my food forest hero Anthony Anderson. I don't eat breakfast very often so I reckon its time to get in the habit of a healthy start to the day. I quit drinking coffee, but green tea and cigarettes is probably not a balanced breakfast. The powder is pretty good mixed in just plain water. I will have to try it with some milks or juices. http://www.sunwarrior.com/products/sunwarrior-protein They have a nice range of "good for you" products. Topped off the day with a splashy sunset. 64,86,44,0,B

Typical Saturday

2011-11-19T18:50:00.006-06:00

1. Caught the ISS flyby at 6:27AM

2. Finished pavers on the next level

3. The payphone master taught me well

4. 66,84,38,0,B

service call...

2011-11-18T19:51:00.000-06:00

Pulled the forms off yesterdays pour and got prepped for more pavers. Suddenly got a hankerin' for the Friday Fish Special at the Big Bend Motor Inn Cafe. Hooked up with the good neighbor and headed south for lunch. We got tied up with other business while in Study Butte and I was there long enough to run into the payphone master - my new best friend David. He had just finished his rounds in the area and came out to TFL to check out my payphone. He gave it his best try to hack in but it's a way outdated model. Next trip down in a couple of weeks and he's bringing me a new phone to install in the booth. Only in Terlingua. 65,73,33,0,B

parts...

2011-11-17T20:08:00.000-06:00

50,69,41,0,B

find the bunny...

2011-11-16T18:51:00.001-06:00

Set the forms and poured the next "step" in the courtyard. Plucked off some mini tomatoes to go with dinner tonight. About 60 more hoping to ripen before we get a real freeze (not anytime soon). The plants are still flowering. 56,78,37,0,B

108

2011-11-15T19:09:00.000-06:00

Prepped the next section with leveled sand this morning and dropped in 108 more pavers this afternoon. 58,78,43,0,B

disco de diamantes

2011-11-14T20:08:00.000-06:00

Finished up the first section of pavers today. Started off by pulling the forms off a near perfect pour from yesterday. 30 more full pieces and 9 chopped in half flushed it out. Cutting them was a breeze... cut/cut/drop. Scored a half inch deep cut on each side then dropped them on an angled up piece of 2x2 steel tubing. Swept the sand around and called it a good day. Our 40% chance of thunderstorms turned into only a light a sprinkle. 57,70,50, .01",C

sunday step pour

2011-11-13T20:14:00.000-06:00

65,78,48,0,B

Alpine'o'rama

2011-11-12T19:32:00.000-06:00

Early morning run up north. Ran into my friends Debbie and Mark at the Alpine Farmers Market. They run Little Red Wagon - Alpine's largest year round organic growers. Boiling up some of their funky sweet potatoes for dinner tonight. Placed an order for more "carbon heavy" concrete products for the courtyard to be delivered next week. Also picked up snacks for my favorite longhorn.

Got home about 2 to find about 16 longhorns lounging in the shade - I think they must have known I'd been shopping for them. As long as they were here - I gave the group a snack. My new best friends from Houston stopped by this afternoon for the FL tour. I ran into Tonya and Shawn down in Study Butte a couple of days ago and invited them out. They have a desert refuge way out in the Solitario. 61,81,40,0,C

that time of year...

2011-11-11T19:07:00.001-06:00

1. hooked up the thermosyphon for the solar water heater
2. started prep work for some welding on Aunt Kathy's screen room
3. Jon and Sandy came by 2 days ago bearing gifts
4. Manitoba Tony is back in town for the winter - brought home grown pickled carrots and beets
5. .40 cal in a Galco King Tuk holster part of the daily routine now
6. 54,69,28,0,B

cleared to pave...

2011-11-10T20:12:00.002-06:00

The good news is - 2 arrests where made this afternoon in regard to the cow killing incident. Back to work clearing the courtyard. Moved stuff around (again) and managed to find another load of refuse to take to Alpine.

Just got an update that the Tiny Homes book by Lloyd Kahn will be available February 2012... http://lloydkahn-ongoing.blogspot.com/2011/11/advance-books-here.html He just happened to feature the TFL page on his blog post. 51,68,29,0,B

Cow Killer Alert!

2011-11-09T19:25:00.000-06:00

Anyone local recognize this jeep? It was found abandoned a couple of days ago where North County Rd. crosses Telingua Creek....along with 8 of Dick Cain's longhorns that had been shot. 47,63,45,0,W

CHDK

2011-11-08T20:55:00.002-06:00

More block setting - just about to turn the corner and I hit a big rock...took way to long to extract. Turned my attention back to my Canon G9. I had heard about this CHDK thing from my IT guy in the UK a couple of months ago. Canon Hack Development Kit. http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK Decided to give it a try this afternoon. After multiple mishaps, I finally got it running on the camera through software downloaded onto an SD card. This hack opens up all sorts of new abilities for Canon digital point and shoot cameras that aren't available with the standard menus - but it sure ain't easy. First try was the new feature of shooting (way past sunset) a 60 second exposure instead of the standard 15 seconds allowed out of the box. 48,75,46,0,B

miner monday

2011-11-07T19:21:00.001-06:00

My "mini tomato" tomato plants from Dr. Deb are still blooming and pumping out marble sized fruit.
McCoys delivered the rest of my paver order this afternoon.
Chopping my way through the rock to set block for a raised section next to the NE container. Might build a cold frame over this section once it's back filled, leveled and paved - a greenhouse in a greenhouse. This corner gets the most sun during the winter.
Care package in the mail today from SwampGirl 2011.
75,82,45,0,W

GrubShackSundaySupper

2011-11-06T19:48:00.000-06:00

66,81,44,0,B

balancing act...

2011-11-05T20:08:00.000-05:00

Spent some time cypherin' out the plan for the rest of the courtyard pavers. Have to sort out how I will deal with the 10" elevation change from west to east in a designerly manner. Called McCoys yesterday about the rest of my pavers - the guy I talked to didn't realize I only got a partial delivery. Will have to sort that out on Monday because I am just about ready for the rest of the load. 73,82,44,0,W

a very good friday...

2011-11-04T20:03:00.000-05:00

62,78,28,0,B

The Hares

2011-11-03T19:32:00.003-05:00

Formed and poured the north deck footing. Parts for the south pour magically fit this side - as if I had planned it all along. Was just finishing up when the Hares arrived for their 3rd annual cookoff visit to TFL. 53,61,39,0,B

tow job...

2011-11-02T19:55:00.001-05:00

Was just about ready to prep the forms for the next pour...when a couple of guys came walking up to the house. They got their truck stuck in the sand SW of me down by Terlingua Creek. This is a contractor that was checking out a small cabin that he has been hired to move. Exploring the area in the outback turned out to be a bad idea. They had to walk 3.5 miles to get to TFL. Some cable and a comealong and they were free to go.

Roasted a chicken in the solar oven for 5 1/2 hours today. It just finished cooking when a dust storm hit. Seems we are in for a gusty night and a bit of a cold front rolling in. Explorers rescued, a hot chicken, Mr. Buddy Heater, and a trial subscription to Amazon Prime (free shipping on orders and plenty of downloadable entertainment) - I'm ready to hunker down for the night. 64,88,44,0,W

shootin...

2011-11-01T20:22:00.000-05:00

Went out to friends shooting range today. The new Kel Tec 9mm is still jamming occasionally. Hopefully after I pump 200 rounds though it - I will get it sorted out. This is a known problem with this gun (that isn't supposed to happen anymore). Only clogs with the Federal ammo I am pumping through it. The Hornady Critical Defense loads slip though like a dream. Did a full cleaning on the weapon when I got home. Will try a different brand of range ammo for some more trials.

My friend CB picked up some goodies for me in Mexico yesterday. Kinda like backwards trick or treating. When I got home from the range - I found another gift package at my door. Third time Terlingua Chili Cookoff/TFL visitors Curtis&Mellissia and Carl&Melinda stopped by while I was out. Hope to track them down before they exit the coming madness. Come to think of it - there should be a whole slew of returning visitors stopping by this week. I'd better stay home from here on out to greet them.

Soaked down yesterday's pour and pulled the forms. Nothing like fresh concrete in the desert. 73,81,43,0,C

formed'n'poured...

2011-10-31T19:14:00.000-05:00

Formed up the south pour this morning. Went a lot faster than I thought it would. Turns out the fresnel lens is good for heating up a spot on rebar to get a tight bend. Had way to much day left to quit after I finished prepping, so went ahead with the concrete - only 5 bags...hardly worth using the mixer. Set some bolts and done in no time. 70,80,43,0,C

around the block...

2011-10-30T19:28:00.000-05:00

Took the morning off then spent the afternoon setting block by the future office/workshop container. This side was much easier. No rock to move - just dirt, and didn't have to go as deep. 70,82,39,0,C

snow back home...

2011-10-29T20:03:00.000-05:00

62,74,37,0,C

fire power...

2011-10-28T20:00:00.003-05:00

Alpine yet again...inspection due on the Toyota - gotta get all legal before the chilli cookoff madness starts. Picked up more supplies for the greenhouse now that I've figured out how to proceed since setting the first section of block. Got a small load of steel for Aunt Kathy's screen room ( Chuck is a bit behind schedule on that project so thought I'd lend some assistance before he really gets in trouble). Keeping them both happy is in everyone's best interest.

Fired up Mr. Heater last night for the first time. Looks like the winter heating season is beginning. Last stop at the hardware store to round out my family of semi automatics...a Kel Tec PF-9. I think I have all the levels of concealment covered now. 54,65,37,0,B

Jason Van Anden

2011-10-27T20:18:00.001-05:00

More block work and some prep for an Alpine run tomorrow - but enough about me. Time to gush about my old Brooklyn friend Jason Van Anden. We met over 12 years ago through my friend David Liatti when we were all working on some robotics projects.

Jason is the mastermind behind the ‘I'm Getting Arrested' smartphone app. http://www.kold.com/story/15769620/you-dont-have-to-be-present-to-occupy Jason and his wife came to visit me after I had moved to upstate NY and we all joked about trolls living in my forest. I hooked up with Jason today on Facebook and I suggested he work on an app called "I am being attacked by trolls" (which would probably work just as well for over-zealous law enforcement). He said it's already in development. Here are some more links to my brilliant friend. http://www.smileproject.com/ and http://dorkbot.org/dorkbotnyc/02.nov.2011/ 50,68,55,0,W

cutting dirt...

2011-10-26T20:55:00.000-05:00

Started the heavy labor to prep for the pavers. Setting block for a section that will be decked inside the courtyard off the future container house. 75,88,54,0,C

push...

2011-10-25T20:21:00.000-05:00

Still pushing stuff out of the way...if I keep pushing is will all disappear. Got a nice, scantily addressed letter that made it to my mailbox today from France - the beauty of living in a rural area. 13 burros here today - all very well behaved. The new dark one has been named Festus by my friend Craig Stump Sledge. Having my first TFL salad with dinner tonight. 76,92,52,0,C