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September 27, 2010

heavy stuff and dirty words on the bus

quickrete, 1600 lbs of it

the heat seems to have left the area for now.  we took the opportunity to pour concrete down at the wimberley off-grid cabin screen room.  I hauled twenty 80lb bags through the woods over my shoulders.  kat mixed, we poured and I screeted.

another 55 bags ought to be enough to finish the floor.

airstream headliner

I painted the airstream bed area headliner white, painted the walls gray, sanded the wood and rubbed it with Danish oil.

sunday took us to the pecan street fair.  mostly junk food you would find at the state fair, funnel cakes and people wanting to sell you stuff.

best wurst 6th street austin

if it ain't broke, don't fix it.  kat got her best wurst.

best wurst bratwurst

doing a jig

things were a bit crazy on the street.  we ducked into the beale st tavern.  they had a band playing and football on the tv over the bar.  one guy was watching the football and was so involved with it that he would ocasinally SCREAM at the top of his lungs, while the band was playing.  everybody around this jughead would jump in a startled manner.  rude.

the food was mostly fried and too salty, but that made the blue moon go down real smooth like.

afraid of heights

#1 son said "I am afraid of heights, but I want to try to climb that".  he would get to about 5 ft up and freeze.  he tried every course, but never got any further.  we were glad he tried.  now we know.

mexican frozen treats

shrily temples

"shrily temples for the kids"

it should be noted, this was the week that the daughter heard a "bad word" on the bus.  I was curious as to which bad word, but she refused to tell us.  #1 son said "did it sound like duck but start with a F?  like eff, uck?"  she didn't appreciate how delicately close he came to the word and gave him a scornful tone.  then she confirmed and noted that she just ignored the girl using the language.  I congratulated her but also noted she might have heard me saying that at home and it's really no big deal.  she insisted she has NEVER heard me say that word, #1 son said "oh yeah, dada says that one all the time".

 it's true.  I don't want my kids to be so sheltered they don't understand this other language that is most often used when you drop something heavy on your foot or making a strong point, sentance enhancers that are not for kids.  I was raised with absolutely no exposure to "bad words", when I went to see smokey and the bandit it was so confusing to me.  everybody in the theater would laugh and laugh, but I couldn't figure out what was so funny, I was really confused by the language I didn't even understand.  that movie used "bad words" as the keystone of the story and humor.  it was as if everybody was in on the joke, except me.  you can be sure I wasted no time learning and using those words every chance I got.  I like a good laugh and wanted in on that funny stuff. 

but, what I learned this week is that people/kids chose what to hear/not hear and what to believe.  I've often said I didn't want the school bus to be where my kids pick up bad habits.  but there you have it.  when I asked daughter how that made her feel, she said "well that girl that said sounded like she was having a REALLY bad day".  daughter did understand that word was used to note extreme circumstances.

btw, the bus she takes home is a mix of middle school and high school students.   I'm sure she will soon hear a bunch of things she can chose to ignore.

 

September 20, 2010

the boys are out of control

treachery of others at the carousel

saw the treachery of others at the carousel

bartending grandma. 

I didn't drive, didn't take my driver's lic. or credit card, took only a small amount of cash, but somehow still managed to end the evening in a club hidden behind an industrial complex north of town... they don't let you take pictures in there so we'll just leave it at that and skip to the next day.  you don't want to hear what goes on in that place anyhow...

tried to go see kathy valentines band; the bluebonnets, but the show got rained out.

so we took the kids to la condesa

la condesa margarita

their margarita is one of the best in town.

la condesa chips and salsa

good chips and salsa too.

kids in the la condesa bar

we have been in the habit of taking all the kids along just about any place.  the nintendo craze made it possible for a while.  but then we got sick of the nintendos.  now, #2 son is roaming and #1 son follows.  we have our hands full as they try to out mischief each other.

condesa elevator

caught the two of them trying to break the elevator at la condesa.

douche bag dropped his iphone 4

CMoore dropped his iphone 4 and it was a brick for a short while.  we needed solid food and the kitchen at la condesa was closed, so we made our way to happy hour at paggi house.

BIG

paggi house blood orange margarita

paggi house cheese tray

still THE BEST cheese tray in town, or just about anywhere.

paggi happy hour food

baby on the run

then #2 son started to run off again, made his way back to the service area and laid down in their way.

whattaya gonna do?

 

#1 son kicked it up a knotch by kicking the landscaping pebbles all over the side walk used by servers carrying food out from the kitchen.  I was not pleased at all and made him ask for a broom to clean up his mess.

#2 son threw a fit until he got the broom.

paggi house clean up crew

our server Brooke was very patient.  a girl from a neighboring table got up to observe the boys.   we finally gave up and went home. 

home is wherever there is you.

1964 overlander

BIG

old orange awning on the new airstream.  got keys made for all the access doors and have started to paint the interior.

closed out the weekend with a french 75 party.  big bottle of champagne mixed with gin on a sunday night?  sure, why not?

french 75

those were good!

September 13, 2010

airstream shuffle

we sold the 1968 airstream overlander, made a set of interior pics to document all the work we did. 

new airstream owner

here is Brian and what is now HIS 1968 overlander parked where he will be living in it.  I think he occasionally plays at uncle billy's brew'n que, not sure which band, go check 'im out and congratulate him on his new home.

it was priced for a quick sale as we already located a  replacement.  we had decided the twin beds in the middle floorplan would give us more sleeping room and I'll set with indoor dining table so we can eat indoors if weather or mosquitos interrupt the outdoor festivities.  we also kept the bright orange awning to use on the next project.

I learn something with every airstream renovation and I hope to get the next one just right.  we agreed that if this one doesn't work for us, we quit.  we'll just stay in hotels. 

jalousie windows and door within a door

our new to us, but older, 1964 overlander has the sought after "door within a door" and some really cool jalousie windows.

clearing out the 1964 overlander

we wasted no time cleaning and removing the ugliness.  have started to remove the faux wood vinyl sheet flooring and the mini blinds that had sort of melted.  hooked the water up and found two plumbing leaks.  two quick trips to breeds (hardware store two blocks from us) and I had replaced a couple brittle plastic fittings with brass ones that should last. 

I bought a side of steelhead and kat made french fries.... a LOT of french fries.  the pic above is the leftovers.

tequila azul loco deal

one of our favorite interior mexican food joints has stepped up their sunday happy hour game, azul tequila.  the "loco deal" shown above has three shots in it and is just $6, they also have a very potent mexican martini; $9.  they now feature a happy hour menu of discounted food offerings; sopes, ceviche etc.  but the true star of the Azul Tequila menu is the cochinita pibil!  WOW!  the perfect combination of savory (annatto marinated slow roasted pork), sweet (fried plantain) and sour (pickled onions) with just enough spice for the win.

September 07, 2010

in the blue hole without labor

labor day solar shower

the solar shower is our new friend.  the next level of off-grid comfort.  now we can sleep without that sticky feeling.... almost.

swamp cooler smile

I built a swamp cooler (evaporative cooler) using igloo coolers; as my man in the desert did with his, but we loaded the top cooler with ice blocks and water.  that drains over an evaporative element in the bottom cooler, then a float switch activated bilge pump sends the water back to the top cooler to complete the cycle.  three 120mm muffin fans vent the air through the element. 

BUT, an evaporative cooler only works well in low humidity.  it was a bit muggy this wknd so it only sorta worked so we cheated by loading it with ice.

 kat has asked that I reconfigure it a bit so it is outside the cabin blowing in, instead of inside sucking air from out.  the bilge pump came on once every two and a half minutes and pumped for thirty seconds.  just enough to disrupt her sleep pattern. 

we had spent the day swimming and lounging at the wimberley blue hole.  I had read about the blue hole when yahoo listed it as one of the top swim holes in the country.  we found is was very near our off-grid cabin project down there so....

wimberley blue hole swim

the water is spring fed; cold and clear, and surprisingly deep.  several rope swings were very busy along with people jumping from trees and such. 

mud girls at wimberley blue hole

some girls played in the mud.

swim spa deconstructed

big version click here

we have been plauged with problems associated with the swim spa ever since that unfortunate event of july third.  the factory has been great with supplying us with new parts for free.  but the labor has been ours to supply.  I removed the whole flow head and duct work.  they sent us a new liner as well (that really does not go with the style of our house.... but it was free)  the pic below was the first liner they sent for free, it was the wrong size.  the second free liner they sent has a faux decorative stone belt line around the top (ignoring my goal of honesty in materials and no extraneous ornamentation)

liner repair

one of these things does not belong here

bye bye tii

I sold my beloved 1973 bmw 2002tii.  Jason (in the bon jovi shirt above) flew in from the sf bay area and drove her home.  he was very excited about his new purchase and that helped ease the pain of letting her go.  I'm sure he'll take good care of her, even has her own garage space.  I made the tii a few cds I hope he ocasionally plays in her to remind her of all the good times we shared together.