A Goose and her Goslings - First time I have seen this in the wild. We were visiting with Toni and West and took a drive up around the north side of Table Rock lake.  It was a beautiful area, the Ozarks are incredible. While driving along the shore we saw this mother Goose and her Goslings walking along then into the water.  They were so cute.

New Door is in working order Click title to see 4 more pictures I designed and build the front door.  It is 2 1/4 inches thick.  Heavy!  moving it up from South Texas was a chore. It is a dutch door with an overlap between the top and bottom half.  This causes the dead-bolt on the top half to lock the top and bottom when

Even George loved the place Our Cocker Spaniel George loved the place.  It was his first trip longer than 3 hours.  This is, of course, 12 hours. Once he got out of the car, he did not stop going for 2 1/2 days.  His little nub of a tail wagged as fast as it could and he sniffed every tree and leaf he could find. On

Finally a picture of the inside Long awaited is this photo of the inside of the cabin.  Here you can see the ceiling, the beams and even a bit of the walls and floor. This is a composite of several individual shots.  That is why it is in such an odd shape.  I did not get all the images to fill in the whole area, but you get the idea.

Okay, now the roof is really up Click title to see 2 more pictures It was all of 14 months that I have not been up to the cabin.  I did not want to let 2006 pass without at least one visit.  We arrived with less than 2 hours to spare in the year 2006. I installed the new door that I built by 1:00 am on January 1, 2007. We primarily worked on the roof accross four d

The roof is UP!! - Few more days of work decks the rest of the roof Click title to see 11 more pictures I went up just after Thanksgiving and finished the roof decking. I put up scaffolding to stand on then framed and decked the rest of the roof. West Kistler helped out a couple days and did the high climbing that I did not feel comfortable with.

Eleven Days of Building - 4 of 4 Click title to see 1 more pictures All in all, we were able to get the cabin dried in.  Although the metal roof is there, it is not installed.  Tarpaper and Plastic top it all off. I am VERY pleased with the look of the refters, though.

Eleven Days of Building - 1 of 4 Click title to see 7 more pictures We went up to Arkansas for 11 days to build the cabin... Well at least dry it in. Dan, Donna and Family came and helped for the first two days.  We got the rest of the outside walls framed!! Among other things: - Jennifer, Donna and kids picked up more wood - Dan, Tim and I chopped down

Eleven Days of Building - 2 of 4 Click title to see 1 more pictures After a day on my own, Wayn and Judy, Jennifers parents, came up and helped.  Wayne, a far better builder than I, wore me out. In one day, he had all the outside plywood up and helped me decided what to do for rafters and siding for now. We determined that the 2 x 6 rafters from Grandma Kendricks house would

Eleven Days of Building - 3 of 4 Click title to see 13 more pictures After all the help, I slowed down and paced myself for the long haul. Dan made a comment that the first day was fund and the second was like work. Well, the next nine days bordered on torture. Jennifer helped by assembling the rafters and helping to lift them into place. Keep in mind that

Three walls are up!! After the post went up, the boys and I put up three of the eight outside walls.   This is really getting exciting!!

Putting up the Tree in Arkansas - Block and tackle marvel! Click title to see 10 more pictures Raising the center post for the cabin is an event that has weighed heavy on my mind for many months.  I put a lot of thought into the process and this is what I cam up with.  Two Block and tackles lifted the post into place.  The only probem is that I should have tied a rope to the end to keep it from going too far.&nb

Grandma Kendrick House - Recycling History Click title to see 8 more pictures In May, the boys and I went to Louisiana to salvage good wood from the house my grandfather built.  The house was built in August 1947 from the trees he selected.  The house is far beyond any repair and we had to select wood that was good for the project.  The back wall had begun to colapse when we arrived due to holes

How to put a Round Log in a Square Hole - With a chainsaw!!! Click title to see 4 more pictures David and West went out to the property and used chainsaws to cut the bottom 37 inches of the big center log to fit down into the hole in the middle of the floor.  The resulting square peg is 7 1/2 inches square. We used leveled 2 x 4s as a guide for the chain saw.  It did not have to be perfect, just enough to ho

The floor is framed and decked!! Click title to see 3 more pictures Two days of work and helo from Jen, then boys and West, we managed to get the floor completely framed and half decked (could not afford to finish it) and covered with plastic.?? I also managed to pull the HUGE log up on top of the framing and inder the plastic to dry it in the next several months. By-the-way, the photo

The Hub for the Floor Framing - Solid hunk-a-wood!! Click title to see 1 more pictures I designed this 'hub' to be the center of the spokes that are used in the framing for the floor.��This will sit on top of the center footing. This is what the tree/center post of the cabin will sit on top of.��The weight will rest on this with a square 'peg' that will hold it in place down the center of the floor and footing.

Putting in the Footings and Foundations - 2 days of VERY HARD WORK!! Click title to see 4 more pictures On Saturday, I began to install the foundation of the cabin.��Befor I could start, I had to move the huge log that would one day become the central support of the whole cabin.��I used the Explorer and a Block and Tackle to get it across the property. I set the footings and prepared to get the bricks in place.��After dark,

THE BIG ONE!! - The center footing Click title to see 8 more pictures Originally, I designed the center preformed footing at a weight of nearly 500 pounds!!��That was way too much if I was planning to place it by hand, even with the help of several friends and neighbors that certainly are not willing to throw out their backs. I had an epiphany!! Make the footing with honeycombs that

Arkansas Cabin Ground Breaking - The first days of REAL work - Part 1 of 3 Click title to see 6 more pictures On October 9, 2004, we officially broke ground on the new cabin in Arkansas.��This is a moment we have been looking forward to! We started by getting a rough idea of where the structure would sit.��I taught the boys what little I know about placement (30 seconds) of a structure, then we used a rope with measured knots in it t

Arkansas Cabin Ground Breaking - The first days of REAL work - Part 2 of 3 Click title to see 3 more pictures From that point we measured and dug holes where all the footings would need to be placed. The ground is high in shone, so I had to break the ground up with a pick to dig anywhere. The cabin is an 8 sided structure.��My main goal was to determine where each footing was to be set and if my measurements were acurate and straight acc

Arkansas Cabin Ground Breaking - The first days of REAL work - Part 3 of 3 Click title to see 3 more pictures Here the boys are standing next to the "Back Door Tree".��It is aboud the same size as the tree that we cut for the first cabin.��It is called this because it stands at the precise location of the back door of the berm house that I would like to build here next. You can see the p

Walt Disney Cruise Vacation - Cruise Embarkation Click title to see 4 more pictures After four great days at the Walt Disney World Resorts, we left for a cruise on the one and only Disney Wonder Cruise Ship.  After Jen and my cruise last May, we have been wanting to get back on the waters of the Carribean again. This is the boy first cruise though.  They had no idea what they are in for.  Actually, we had no idea ei

Walt Disney World Vacation - MGM Studios - Page One Click title to see 8 more pictures The day at MGM Studios was a rough one for me.  We started it off with the Indiana Jones show. I was asked for an evil laugh and got a cheer from the whole audience with my wel practiced muh-hahahahahahaha... I was selected to be an extra for the show and was set asside for my own death scene.  I was not dramatic enoug

Walt Disney World Vacation - MGM Studios - Page Two Click title to see 2 more pictures After the Star Wars ride, Star Tours, we caught the Muppet Vision 3D and went to lunch at the 50's Primetime Cafe.  We were treated to a home cooked meal served by brother Bob.  Highly recommended. Next Page

Walt Disney World Vacation - MGM Studios - Page Three Adams most frequent request was for Lilo and Stitch.  For three days, he has been hunting for them. We found them that day and Adam could not have smiled more!! Next Page

Walt Disney World Vacation - MGM Studios - Page Four Click title to see 11 more pictures Later, we caught the Beauty and the Beast stage show.  While we were waiting, a group of guys that looked like stage hands taking over the stage sang a great concert to start the program. The show was excellent, too.

Walt Disney World Vacation - Epcot - Page One Click title to see 5 more pictures We went on our first major family vacation in several years this month. It included a few days at the Disney World parks and 4 nights on a Disney Cruise. It was a HUGE undertaking on our part, therefore, there are a lot of pages here concerning the trip. The boys had their first flight in a Jet (actually 2). That was exciting enough.

Walt Disney World Vacation - Epcot - Page Two Click title to see 3 more pictures We had lunch at Epcot in the Garden Gril.  It rotated through several landscapes in The Land. Definitely worth the wait (we had preferred seating, no wait, but I would wait in the future). We had a family style sit down lunch with Chip and Dale, Mickey and Pluto.  What Fun!!

Walt Disney World Vacation - Epcot - Page Three Click title to see 6 more pictures The Living Seas exhibit was full of interesting fish, sea horses and Even some Nemo art. The most interesting was the ride through their garden where they raised many of the fruits and veggies they serve on site with little or no dirt. The last picture here is of the track system that carries several plants with exposed roots through

Walt Disney World Vacation - Epcot - Page Four Click title to see 5 more pictures It was a great day.  The boys and I went on a ride that was a large centrifuge unlike anything I had ever been on. You could not even tell that you were spinning, but you experienced amazing g-forces while trying to puch buttons that operated a ship traveling to Mars. It was tough. We visited a small portion of the world showcase and

Walt Disney World Vacation - Epcot - Page Five Click title to see 3 more pictures One of the neatest things Jen did was to select oysters for her pearl earings that match her necklace. She pointed them out, then the lady behind the counter openned them and found nearly perfect matches for a set of ear rings.  It was un usual to have that close a match on the first two choices, but leave it to Jennifer...

Walt Disney World Vacation - Magic Kingdom - Page One Click title to see 5 more pictures Magic Kingdom is the home of the Cinderella castle. We started the day early, taking advantage of the extra hour in the morning for people staying on the resort. We were greeted right away with a slew of characters that crowded around and played with every one.

Walt Disney World Vacation - Magic Kingdom - Page Two Click title to see 8 more pictures We had Breakfast at the Crystal Palace.  They presented us with a most exaustive buffet.  There was no breakfast item you could not find, common or uncommon. We scheduled this time because the characters from Winnie the Pooh were there... What Fun!!

Walt Disney World Vacation - Magic Kingdom - Page Three Click title to see 7 more pictures Personally, I never imagined that there could be so many shows for the characters on stage.  Every time you turned a corner, there was another show that wow'ed you even more. Magic Kingdom had a great show in front of the castle every few hours. It had many of the popular characters and villains many movies. It was fun watching them

Walt Disney World Vacation - Magic Kingdom - Page Four Click title to see 6 more pictures We took a ride in the Adventure Land on the Jungle Cruise. It was a slightly humorous side of an african safari with amazing animatronic animals and people. From this point on, you can pick out Adam and Val by their Pluto and Goofy hats. They were pretty inseperable for the remainder of the trip. We also saw the Genie

Walt Disney World Vacation - Magic Kingdom - Page Five Click title to see 4 more pictures In Frontierland, we rode the Splash Mountain that told the story of Brer Rabbit. We even met brer bear afterwards. Me and the boys rode the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad rollercoaster. At the next show we learned the Electric Slide from Goofy himself. What a lesson! Woody and Jesse joing in the fun, along with Chip and

Walt Disney World Vacation - Magic Kingdom - Page Six Click title to see 5 more pictures After setting proper punishments on Adam and Val we went to the Hautned Mansion.  It was a slow ride through a scary adventure that the movie was based on. The grave stone pictured here was animated ever so slightly.  You would not even notice it if you were not looking, but it added an extra slice of atmosphere. Next we visited the

Walt Disney World Vacation - Magic Kingdom - Page Seven Click title to see 9 more pictures After a ride on the large Cinderella's Golden Carrousel in  Fantasyland, we watched the Parade.  Disney sure knows how to put on such a great show!! In the last photo, Ursula taught several dazed kids how to be a villain. Next Page

Walt Disney World Vacation - Magic Kingdom - Page Eight Click title to see 2 more pictures After a brief encounter with Buzz Lightyear, we went through Tomorrowland. We rode the Buzz Lightuear's Space Ranger Spin and caught Zurg and other evils found in space. We also rode the infamous Space Mountain.  Adam liked it so much, he and I rode it a second time.  It is a rollercoast completely in the dark.  Not fo

Walt Disney World Vacation - Magic Kingdom - Page Nine Click title to see 3 more pictures The Castle was interesting to watch in the evening.  It started out normal, then as the night progressed, they lit it with different colors. This was followed by the next best fireworks display. (Second only to Epcot)

Walt Disney World Vacation - Animal Kingdom - Page One Click title to see 9 more pictures Animal kingdom is an incredible creation that could have only been done by Disney. The animals there and the first site of the Tree of Life are something you will never forget.  The tree is covered in subtle images of animals found in the park and around the world. Deep in the roots, you will even find images of animals past, such as

Walt Disney World Vacation - Animal Kingdom - Page Two Click title to see 2 more pictures Despite the nick-name for the park, "na-ta-zu", there are animals displayed throughout the park as you would find in a zoo. I was, however, more than a zoo. Next Page

Walt Disney World Vacation - Animal Kingdom - Page Three Click title to see 20 more pictures After a visit with Lilo and Stitch (Adam thought he would NEVER see Stitch, he thought he would have to go to Hawaii) we watched the incredible Lion King show. It is done in the same style as the Broadway show. The actrobatics and lines were ingenious. The costumes were beyond imagination. The depth of the act was incomprehensible. I

Walt Disney World Vacation - Animal Kingdom - Page Four Click title to see 7 more pictures After a brief encounter to learn that it is Tough to be a Bug, the boys posed with a dino and we were off to the Tarzan Rocks show. This was a concert that featured stunts and apearances by Turk, Jane and Tarzan himself. There was roller bladers that played the parts of monkeys and terrifice interpretive acts.

Walt Disney World Vacation - Animal Kingdom - Page Five Click title to see 3 more pictures We had lunch at the Rain Forest Cafe. If you ever get a chance to, you must wait in line and eat there at least once. It is definitely worth the wait. After that we had a breif encounter with a big bug then wen to Africa.  My father went to Kenya and brought back pictures.  I felt like I was really there in the 'dowtown' Africa area.

Walt Disney World Vacation - Animal Kingdom - Page Six Click title to see 12 more pictures Another great area we visited was the Kilimanjaro Safari. Disney has gone to incredible lengths to make the correct environment for the animals that are living there. They plant the correct plants and maintain an incredibly acurrate diet for all the animals. This is another area with a lot of photos, but it was just too cool. I learn

Walt Disney World Vacation - Animal Kingdom - Page Seven Click title to see 5 more pictures The Maharajah Jungle Trek is the closest thing to a conventional zoo in the park that we saw.  The displays here are among the best I have ever seen and you can get VERY close to some fierce animals that you normally can't get this close to. Next P

Walt Disney World Vacation - Animal Kingdom - Page Eight Click title to see 1 more pictures The boys had fun being dramatic that day.  They played drums and climbed the walls. I wonder why they kicked us out of the park... NO, NOT REALLY!!  We had fun!! Next Page

Walt Disney World Vacation - Animal Kingdom - Page Nine Click title to see 9 more pictures Parade time was the best one!!  The style of performance from the Fetival of the Lion King was carried through here.  We all STRONLY recommend that you be sure to catch this parade and the show it follows.

Camping at the Kings River - David and Adam Click title to see 1 more pictures Adam and I went camping on the Kings River and pitched a tent on the banks.  It was a wonderful rest, though I was there for business. We also looked at several peices of property and found a small one to purchase and build a cabin on.  That will be cool!! We stayed at the camp grounds of the Kings River Retreat.

Royal Caribbean - The Flight - Couples of Promise, Christian Cruise Network Click title to see 3 more pictures On May 8, 2003, Jennifer and David flew to Fort Lauderdale to catch the Monarch of the Seas.  A mid-sized cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean. Due to increased security measures in the post 9-11 era, we missed our flight!! Thanks to the knowledgable agents at the Continental check in, we flew in a few hours later t

Royal Caribbean - Kevin Leman - Couples of Promise, Christian Cruise Network On of the two best parts of the whole trip was getting to visit with Kevin Leman and hear him speak about "Sex Begins in the Kitchen". I have a lot of respect for his 'carefree' manor and hard hitting advice for marraige. Jennifer and I try to practice his advice as often as possible, though neither of us are perfect.

Royal Caribbean - Key West, Florida - Couples of Promise, Christian Cruise Network Click title to see 6 more pictures Our first stop was in Key West.   We rode the Conch train to take a tour of the island.   After that, we visited the Ship Wreck museum and the Aquarium. We had real conch fritters. To end the day, we walked up to Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville to get gifts for some of you

Royal Caribbean - New Friends - Couples of Promise, Christian Cruise Network Click title to see 5 more pictures BAHAMAS Vacations on Sale! The one thing that made the whole trip worth while was making new friends.  The Christian fellowship is something that will be

Royal Caribbean - Wayne Watson - Couples of Promise, Christian Cruise Network Click title to see 4 more pictures Top 10 Caribbean Destinations on Sale! The other great part was discovering the music of Wayne Watson.  I actually got to play him a ping pong game.&nb

Royal Caribbean - Service - Couples of Promise, Christian Cruise Network Click title to see 3 more pictures Up to 70% Off Los Cabos Vacations I have to mention the incredible service we encountered on the boat. Our cabin attendant, David, made our stay

Arkansas - Kings River Retreat Click title to see 4 more pictures Our friends Toni and West have purchased a couple of cabins in Arkansas near Eureka. We visited them and I got what I needed to create a web page for their new business. While we were there, we saw the sites; The natural Bridge and the Thorn of Crowns Chapel. We also took a day trip up to Branson and rode the Duck.

Vacation to Chicago - Adler Planetarium Click title to see 3 more pictures At the planetarium in Chicago, there were many experiments and interactive things to do. One of the most interesting to me was the first planetarium.  It is simply a large rotating ball with holes drilled in it at the rights places.  You ride in the cart that lifts you up into the ball and you can see an acurate r

July Vacation - Breakdown, Breakdown, Breakdown Click title to see 3 more pictures On our trip to Chicago this summer, we experienced more than our share of break downs.  The ol' van just couldn't hack it this year. This first time, we were stuck in north Texas for 2 nights while we had our rear end rebuild. The second time, our breaks wore out in rush our traffic in Chicago as we were leaving for De

Vacation to Chicago - Lincoln Park Zoo Click title to see 4 more pictures We visited Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. Adam and Val got to feed cows and horses. We saw lions and flying pigs. After the whole day, we rented a swan and paddled around for a few hours on the lake at the park.

July Vacation - Chicago Field Museum Click title to see 9 more pictures We spent a great day at the Chicago Field Museum.  If you really want to see the museum, you must spend more than one day.  On this day we saw only 9 out of the 45 exhibits. The main reason we went was to see Sue, the newest and most complete T-rex ever found.  It was VERY impressive. We s

Living History Farms - Des Moines, Iowa Click title to see 14 more pictures We visited Living History Farms, Just outside of Des Moines.  There are 4 different eras of farming represented.  The day we went was the Wheat Harvest Festival. We participated in the harvest of wheat on 2 different farms and received a great education on the history of the mid west and farming over the past 300 years. Adam and Val

Thanksgiving - Des Moines Click title to see 6 more pictures We joined Dan and Donna (my brother and his wife) in des Moines, along with my mom and grandma.  Tim and Amy (my neice and nephew) took good care of the boys.

Rocket Launch - Des Moines Click title to see 1 more pictures The day after Thanksgiving, several of us went out and launched a rocket that Tim had made. I shot the action picture here with a Kodak DC215.  Captureing the take-off in mid launch was purely by accident.

Wedding Bells - Jennifer and David get Married in Bloomington, Illinois Click title to see 3 more pictures We were married in Bloomington, Illinois by my father who was a minister. We rented a room in this turn of the century ball room.  It over-looks a pond and the rest of the park that we also got engaged in. I asked Jennifer to marry me in the monument at the bottom of this page.

Our Home    Port Aransas    Texas    USA    Foreign    Eureka Springs    Arkansas    Nassau, Bahamas    Castaway Cay, Bahamas    Tenerife, Spain    Gibraltar, UK    Cadiz, Spain    Barcelona, Spain    Paris, France    Chantilly, France    Disney Magic Cruise Ship    Disney Wonder Cruise Ship    Orlando Florida    Munich, Germany    Salzburg, Austria    Ingolstadt, Germany    The Bavarian Alps    Castles    Italy    Oberammergau, Germany    Regensburg, Germany    Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany    Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas    Saint Martin    Saint Thomas, US Virgin Islands    2010 Olympics in Vancouver    Family    Events    Travel    Museums    Fun Photography    Animal Photography    Person    Place    Animal    Thing    Fun    Wedding 1997    Holloween    Thanksgiving in Des Moines 2000    Christmas in Port Aransas 2000    Chicago and Des Moines 2001    Royal Caribbean Cruise 2003    Walt Disney World and Disney Cruise 2004    Building Arkansas Cabin    Disney Cruise on the Magic 2006    Disney Cruise on the Wonder with Family    Trans-Atlantic Disney Cruise on the Magic May 2007    Stay in Europe Spain and France May and June 2007    Stay in Europe Germany December 2007 - January 2008    Disney World    Royal Caribbean Cruise 2008    Building Arkansas Earth Shelter House    Disney Cruiseline Back to Back full Caribbean Cruise Experience 2010   

Introduction of Database | Search | Show All