Getting Ready for Pouring Cement - Forty Yards of Cement will start arriving Wednesday morning Click title to see 1 more pictures We have spent several days preparing for the big pour of 40 yards of cement for the footings of the Earth Shelter House walls, the post footings and a much smaller footing for a decorative wall that will be built along the front of the property. Since it is just footings, we have decided not to employ a cement team to finish this pr

Brunch at Palo’s on the Disney Magic - Everyone 18 or over should do this at least once in their life! Click title to see 3 more pictures On the Disney ships Magic and Wonder there is an adults-only fine-dining restaurant experience that we always find unforgettable. Palo’s is a reservations only restaurant that serves some of the finest food I have ever had with the finest service I have ever had. Before this trip, our Palo’s experience on the Magic

Christmas Tree at our Cabin In 2009, we fulfilled a dream and had our first tree that was over 7 1/2 feet tall. The total height of the tree when decorated is right at 12 feet tall. That is pretty big once you consider that we only live in 900 square feet of home, the four of us. The vaulted ceilings really lent themselves to the tree and we will do it every year.

Video of the footings - It is slow and hard work Click title to see 1 more pictures Today we dug for a couple hours and did not get far.  We keep running in to veins of very hard rock.  This slows my progress a lot! I drive the back hoe, Val takes the removed dirt with Onslo, the smaller tractor.  To keep things cleaner, I dump the back hoe right into the front end loader on the other t

2009 Ice Storm hits North West Arkansas with a VENGENCE!! - We survived the big ice storm of 2009 with our brand new generator! Click title to see 14 more pictures This ice was up to 1 1/2 inches thick. 5 Trees fell on our cabin and countless others everywhere else! The Thaw started Friday with bright sun and a 37 degree high. Ahhhhh... This is one of the largest branches that fell on the cabin... really shook us up a bit. No damage to the roof, but a

Breaking ground on the Earth Shelter House - It is official.. there is a hole!! Click title to see 5 more pictures Well, we have finally broken ground on the earth shelter house.  The hole grows every time I go out there to dig. Ultimately, we are digging into the side of the hill and area that is 62 feet deep and 88 feet wide.  About 1/3 of that is actually lower than we are digging.  We will be leveling the whole area. Once level

Salzburg Natural History Museum - Page 1 - Introduction Click title to see 3 more pictures Today, we arrived at opening time at the museum.  To do this we had to leave very early in the morning, before the sun was up.  Cruised the Autobahn at a high rate of speed and found a surprisingly close parking place less than a block away from the front door! Now this museum is not small... it is 5 large floors of fantastic exhibit

Salzburg Natural History Museum - Page 3 - Tibet Exhibit Click title to see 6 more pictures Following the dinosaur exhibit, we found ourselves in the Tibet exhibit.  This consisted of a number of great dioramas of the animals, places, people and the culture of Tibet. Here are a couple of detail shots of the animals found there.  The vultures were quite realistic and well done. There was also a couple great te

Salzburg Natural History Museum - Page 7 - Africa exhibition with a focus on deserts: Sahara, Kalahari, Namib Click title to see 5 more pictures On the third floor, this exhibit is well done.  It is an interactive display that places the visitor in the middle of the environments that you would typically find in the various parts of Africa. The signature dioramas were well detailed.  I wish I had the plaques for some of these, but self-explanation is easy to find by the nature

Hohensalzburg Fortress - Page 1 Click title to see 4 more pictures The Hohensalzburg Fortress is perched high on the peak of Festungsberg. The castle served as a refuge for the Archbishops when ever they felt threatened. The best way to get to the fortress is by taking the funicular. You can walk up the mountain if you wish but the funicular is quick, inexpensive and very comfortable. The ride takes less than a mi

Hohensalzburg Fortress - Page 2 Click title to see 11 more pictures This area houses the States apartments, each of the rooms had fantastic wooden floors, the large central room, The "Golden Saal" (Golden Hall) once served for entertainment purposes and banqueting. This room was has 4 massive marble pillars that helped support the room. It also has a big wood bean that has painted the Austrian coats of arms. The "H

Hohensalzburg Fortress - Page 3 Click title to see 4 more pictures The Marionette Museum is only 2 rooms but it is well done, you can see how they make marionettes and many of the puppets, like the original marionettes from Amadeus, the Wizard of Oz, Prices and Princesses, troll and villain plus much more. We were able to see a sampling and this is such an art form. The puppeteers are truly amazing.

Hohensalzburg Fortress - Page 4 Click title to see 5 more pictures After the fortress we walked through town window shopping and made a stop at Mozart Square where there is a statue of Mozart and we even watched the ice skating. In the middle of the platz, they have an ice skating ring for the holidays. We continued to walk through the streets to Mozart's birthplace, this modest place is where Mozart was born and

Roller Skating in Eureka Springs Arkansas at the ESkate - Adam made his birthday request to go skating. Click title to see 2 more pictures A while back, Adam went with his school to The ESkate in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.  He enjoyed it so much, he asked that he could go back for his birthday.  Saturday, we went and rolled around for about 3 hours... after a couple hours of trying, Val pretty much got the hang of it.  Adam did good, too. As a youngster, I enjoyed skatin

Hurricane Ike Damage in Northwest Arkansas - 800 miles form the coast, Hurricane Ike left hundreds of trees down and thousands without power. Click title to see 4 more pictures it was an incredible site to return to our home where trees had been destroyed left and right.  I was asked to clear road 7 and 8 through the Madison County Wildlife Management area of some fallen trees.  I was excited to be a help! I loaded up the trailer and headed out on my Kubota L3400 tractor ready to work. In all

Log mill work on the Bailey Bear Ridge building project - Old world `fun` is really hard work. Click title to see 2 more pictures After a break of a few months on the log mill to finish the cabin, it was great to get back to the mill and cut at least a few more trees! The supply of logs to mill seems endless and takes quite a bit of work.  Everyone pitches in at one time or another.

More Cabin Progress Photos - Officially it is done, but there are still little things that need to get worked on here and there... Click title to see 3 more pictures Here are more photos of the cabinets I designed.  Much of the wood is milled here on property.  I am getting the hang of using the Timber King log mill we purchased this past summer. Here you can see the boys shelves that they use as a dresser, the cabinet that Jen and I use in the bathroom for storage and laundry and the overhead ca

Neuschwanstein - Germany Click title to see 12 more pictures Next we headed to Neuschwanstein, It was a glorious scenic drive up the mountains. It is quite a walk up a steep hill to the castle but in the royal fantasy they offer horse drawn carriage rides up and down the mountain. I had to do this, there is just something so fairy tale about riding up to the castle in a horse drawn carriage. we squeezed in,

Salt Mine - Salzburg, Austria Click title to see 12 more pictures Today we headed to Salzburg Austria to the Salt Mines of Halein. It seems 250 million years ago slat deposits were formed by the sea and over the course of the formation of the alps enclosed then in rock and the Durrnberg Salt Mountain was formed. We took a tour of a former working salt mine. After purchasing our tickets and adorning our white jump

Linderhoff Palace - Germany Click title to see 9 more pictures Out first stop was a the Linderhof Palace, built by King Ludwig II. In 1867 Ludwig visited France and the Versailles Palace and he fell in love with it and decided to build a Royal Villa keeping with the Versailles theme even though it was more of a "homely version" in Linderhof instead of a grand palace. He was already constructing Neuschwanstein

Cathedral - Salzburg, Austria Click title to see 7 more pictures We found a parking space inside of the mountain, it was very convenient to the festival platz, we walked through the Christmas Market and listen to some great music (Christmas carols). Next we went to the Cathedral. The first Cathedral was constructed in 784 it was a 3 bayed church that was 66 meters long and 33 meters wide. In 1183 a transformatio

Germany - The Alps Click title to see 7 more pictures Today we went into the Alps in on a castle day.  The Alps were very impressive how the foot hills have trees and the peaks are barren because it is too high for anything to grow. This is the first day we ran into real snow that was several feet deep, the higher we went the more snow there was (logically). It was a clear day and absolutely

Our Home in Arkansas - Before and after Exterior Pictures of our Home Click title to see 7 more pictures It is interesting to see how far we have come in 5 months. This photo shows what the exterior looked like when we got here is January. It was basically a Octagon only the clear story windows and a small window in the front door to see out. So what have we been busy doing. * We had added a covered front porch. * A nice b

Arkansas Home - New Cabinet Shelves Click title to see 1 more pictures Tim, Davids nephew stopped by for a few days and helped put together and hang my upper shelves in the kitchen. The kids painted most of them, The one on the right still needs the trim painted but overall they are fantastic. Like I told Dave, it was really nice putting up groceries and not having things fall on your head. We have spac

Interior Cabin Pictures Before and After Click title to see 13 more pictures When we arrived in January, the cabin was dried in and sealed, but it was still, very much a construction zone. It had the basics, electricity, heater/airconditioner, sub floor and bathroom and basic kitchen. We have made much progress. It is going slower than I would like but we work on it as often as possible. Take

Arkansas Home - Slab for Garage Click title to see 5 more pictures David has been working hard to clear out and area for the garage. He has been chopping down trees and clearing the area with his tractor. As you can see from the pictures he has done a fantastic job. We hired a local gentleman and his wife to grind out the tree stumps, they took out 18 stumps in about 2 hours with this heavy duty stu

The Timberking Log Mill - 4-15-08 Click title to see 3 more pictures To build the main house here in Arkansas, we are having to cut down quite a few trees, so instead of just letting them rot on the ground, David decided early on to recycle them and use them in the house and garage. So after much research and discussion he purchased his own log mill. This is the set up.

Milling the first Posts Click title to see 8 more pictures This is the first attempt to mill the posts for the garage.

Kids first Snow Day Click title to see 4 more pictures We got to experience a several snow days this year. This was the heaviest snow, about 3-4 inches. Val and Adam spent most of the Day outside sleding on garbage can lids, and having snowball fights.

Arrival in Munich, Germany - Jet lag is a drag! Click title to see 3 more pictures We arrived in Germany after an overnight flight at 8:00 am. We usually take a cab to out to the place we are staying, but we decided to use the s-bahn to get into the city from the airport and then take the u-bahn across town to our house. We packed light so as do be able to maneuvers more easily. The underground in Munich is rea

First day in Munich Germany Click title to see 13 more pictures Today we slept in a little trying to get rid of our jet lag and did some work this morning. As a reward this afternoon we headed to the Marienplatz to the Christmas Markets. It was the most amazing experience I have ever had.  In the center of the platz and all the r

Deutsches Museum - Munich Germany Click title to see 1 more pictures Today we went to the Deutsches Museum, according to the guide book this is a great museum for kids, so we thought we would check it out. We packed a picnic lunch and headed to the u-bahn. The museum sits on an in the Isar River, so unless you take the S-bahn you have to walk across the river. We didn't mind except we walked the wrong way. The stree

Deutsches Museum - Aeronautics - Munich Germany Click title to see 5 more pictures The history of fight begins nearly 200 years ago with balloons. There were two rival balloon systems the hot air balloons developed by the Montgolfier brothers and the gas balloon by Robert Charles. The first manned ascent in a balloon was by the Mongolfier brothers from the garden of la Muette castle  near Paris in 1783. They were howeve

Deutsches Museum - Boats and Marine Navigation - Munich Germany Click title to see 12 more pictures In the Boats and Marine Navigation section the Fishing Boat the Maria that is called an "Ewer" was built in 1880 for use in the North Sea as a commercial fishing boat. It was one of the last of it's kind. The vessel took over most of the room, and was at full mast, there were cutaways showing the some of the quarters and conditions that they crew l

St Peter's Church: - Munich Germany Click title to see 6 more pictures Today we went to see Munich oldest church (1180) Peterskirche or St. Peter's Church aka Old Peter., located conveniently between the marienplatz and the Market in the old town square. This church It has recently been rejuvenated with gold leaf and the alter and organ loft are striking. In the second chapel is a bizarre relic of the

Inglestadt, Germany Click title to see 7 more pictures Today we rented a car for a week, we discovered that it is more economical to rent a car then to buy train tickets to all the location that we want to go. There is an enterprise office just two stops up on the U-bahn and they had a great rate on a small car for 4. Our car has snow tires which is great since we are heading to Austria and Switzerland

Rothenburg, Germany Click title to see 18 more pictures Today we drove and spent the day in the mideval town of Rothenburg on the tauber river. We got to Old Town Rothenburg around lunch time, it is about a 3 hour drive from Munich and we ran into construction traffic. We had packed a sack lunch, so we picnicked in the card before we headed into the city. You can actually drive in the city walls but it

Palos - Two Dinners, 1 Brunch and a High Tea. Click title to see 6 more pictures We were able to get our favorite server Annie Marie from South Africa for most of our Palos dining. In fact we always request her when making our Palo’s reservations. She sold us on her skills on our very first dinner, we like a sweet wine but don’t know anything about wines so we asked her to make a recommendation and she brought us a bottle of Tr

Disney's Transatlantic Cruise - May 12-26 This transatlantic cruise was our 5th Disney Cruise and our 1st transatlantic cruise. I have always wanted to take a cruise across the Atlantic and when Disney announced they were going abroad we jumped on the opportunity. The cruise left port on Saturday may 12th with an amazing send off. We were no traveling to the Caribbean we wer

Getting to Chantilly by Train - A pleasant 40 minute ride across the landscape of France Click title to see 4 more pictures North of Paris is a wonderful palace that is not as crowded as Versailles and offers a treat that no other place can offer.  Getting there takes a little train trip. To get to Chantilly, you must depart from the Paris Nord train station and go to Chantilly Gouvieu.  If you just tell the person at the ticket window you wish to go to C

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Barnes and Noble; Harry Potter NEW Release party July 20 and 21, 2007 Click title to see 9 more pictures The final book of the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released at midnight, the night of July 20, 2007.  Barnes and Nobles around the country held a party to celebrate this release. The festivities began at 8:00 in Corpus Christi, Texas with people in costume, contests, face painting and more. There were over a thous

The Paris Metro - Is it good and how do I use it? Click title to see 3 more pictures I have been riding in subways, metros and u-bahns since I was young.  I have been in some bad ones and I have been in good ones.  So trust me when I say, the Paris Metro is GREAT! First off, on our way over to Europe on the two week cruise, more than once people expressed their shock that we had

The Louvre; Lavant, Mesopotamia and the French Sculptures Click title to see 3 more pictures The Lavant exhibit was also impressive, as expected.  There were many cover stones that were removed from the graves of the wealthy, mostly business owners.  That area of the world became wealthy because of the growing trade from the east to the European continent.  Sitting right in the middle, the c

The Louvre, Art work of the Palace and Paintings Exhibits Click title to see 8 more pictures Walking through the museum, it is easy to forget that this was a functional palace used by the kings of France.  The decor makes that very obvious if you see it.  Leaving the Pyramid through the Denon Access, be sure to look up and admire the art work. One of the sculptures tha

Louvre; Pharaonic Egypt, Greek Ceramics, Thematic Circuit - Don't rush through this part, there is a lot in it! Click title to see 7 more pictures The first thing you must realize about the Louvre Museum is that you will not be able to see it in one day.  This is the third time I have been to this Museum and over half of it remains for future visits. After the Philip August palace foundations, we exited the back, went up the stairs and started the E

The Louvre Museum, Paris, France - Our first full day in Paris, we tackled the Monster museum! Click title to see 4 more pictures After a restful day and a good nights sleep, we thought we could tackle The Louvre museum.  From our neighborhood in Montmartre we took bus 80 which dropped us off at Champs Elysees and Franklin D Roosevelt.  This is right near the Grand Palais National Museum and takes you through the Tuileries gardens in front of the Palais Roy

Renting an Apartment in Paris - Definitely THE way to go!!! Click title to see 4 more pictures In preparation for our stay in Paris, we investigated staying at a hotel and discovered that it was very hard to find a place  that was not triple our budget for the stay. We ended up getting an incredible apartment from Gail Boisclair at Perfectly Paris rentals.  She has a

Walls of Philip August, King of France in Paris - Son of King Louis VII In the late 1100s Philip II, King of France saw the need for defensive measures from enemies.  He built his large palace that is described in the Louvre.  He also build large walls all the way around the city.  The walls were really 2 walls several feet apart filled in between with rubble and debris. Thi

The Arc De Triumph - Climbing 234 steps... a long walk Click title to see 4 more pictures We walked up the Champs Elysees from Franklin D Roosevelt.  Shopping along the way, Jennifer found a shoe store then Cartier.  We found a silver dongle for her cell phone at THE Cartier store. At the end, we arrived at the Arc De Triumph.  Jennifer decided to wait for us at the bottom.  Me

Statue of Liberty in Paris, France - There is one in Paris, too! It seems that many people easily forget that the Status of Liberty in New York City was a 100 year birthday gift from France.  Is was very appreciated and symbolized the bond between our two great countries at the time. A lesser known fact is that in memory of that gift of friendship, France also built a

Living on the Seine in Paris France - That is pronouced 'SAN' in American English Click title to see 7 more pictures On our trip to Paris we made a last minute decision to take a river boat tour around the down town area.  Adults were 11 Euro and children were only 6 Euro. I had never been on one of these and for some stupid reason I always resisted on previous trips, but that day we were running ahead of schedule for the day and we were

The Catacombs Beneath Paris - The Spookiest Place in Paris, Maybe even France! Click title to see 4 more pictures A little history is needed here. Centuries ago, a tunnel was dug into the limestone beneath Paris.  The tunnel was used to mine building material for the growing demands of those living in Paris. Later, those tunnels were expanded by a monk to supply water for Paris in times of siege.  Over the years

A Walk Across the City of Cadiz, Spain - Our first 'native' experience in Spain and Europe Click title to see 2 more pictures After walking around the city of Cadiz, Spain for just over an hour we decided to turn inland to see how the residents of this city live. We turned away from the Atlantic shore on Calle de la Rosa. The area is popu

Train Rides are FUN!! - Ride from Barcelona to Paris on a sleeper train Click title to see 2 more pictures We knew we needed to get from Barcelona to Paris, the question was how to do it.  We looked at a number of options including flying, renting a car, taking a train and getting another cruise (that was an insane idea). Needless to say, the cruise idea was far too slow for our needs at the time, but you can get a cruise ship t

La Rambla and Boqueria Market Click title to see 6 more pictures La Rambla is one of the biggest tourist draws in Barcelona. We meandered down the mile long stretch on several occasions stopping at newspaper kiosks, flower stands, restaurants and just taking in the carnival like atmosphere. There were artists and street performers. Some were really good and some were very spooky! Again being c

Renting an Apartment in Barcelona - Hotel Rooms are too expensive and confining. Click title to see 5 more pictures As we planned our stay in Barcelona, we priced a few hotel rooms before looking at apartments.  What we discovered very quickly is that hotel rooms may include all the 'perks' but you can pay dearly for them. For just over half the price of a hotel room, we found a number of apartments tha

Spanish Port City of Cadiz - A Peninsula Rich in History Click title to see 3 more pictures The city of Cadiz, Spain is a historical port with thousands of years of history.  It is located on a peninsula that protects a large bay making it an ideal spot for ships to come and go. For many years it had a mighty city wall all the way around for protection from pirates and conquerors, never falling to any ene

Tenerife, Our Island in the Canary Islands Click title to see 4 more pictures The Disney ship docked in Santa Cruz de Tenerife on Sunday, May 20, 2007.  The arrival was breath-taking to say the least.  The Island of Tenerife is a dramatically landscaped volcanic island with cities, villages and roads nestled between steep green hills.  Originally this was a brown island, but the natives have been bringing

The Arkansas Cabin has framed walls and running water! Click title to see 1 more pictures On July 3, the boys and I went to our Arkansas property to work on the plumbing.  We met the people that put in the well pump the previous Friday. They installed a 2 horsepower pump 600 feet down our 972 foot well. The first bit of water tasted like PVC, but before we left, it started to get better.  It is good water a

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

Sea World in San Antonio, Texas Click title to see 15 more pictures Our family enjoyed a visit to San Antonio.  While we were there, we did the Sea World thing.  The bad Part was that I had broken my foot while packing the car, so I rented one of those electric scooters to get around with.  Jen and the boys had to keep up... it was great. The shows were

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

Docking at Disney's Private Island Castaway Cay - We landed on Castaway Cay to an exciting surprise Click title to see 3 more pictures Our veranda faced the island.  The view was incredible and the weather could not be beat. The first thing to meet our eyes was the Flying Dutchman, the ship that was sailed in the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie by Davie Jones.  This was the ship that came up out of the water. Well, the ship i

Grand Cayman and Georgetown - Bus tour of the island with a stop in Hell Click title to see 2 more pictures The Disney Magic stopped at Grand Cayman and we had to tender in to Georgetown.   This was a sweet town, a place we will have to go back to, maybe for one of our month visits to foreign shores. We shopped around town for a while, stopping in a couple shops and having lunch.  Jennifer

Around the Disney Magic - The finest ship on the sea Click title to see 4 more pictures Being our third time on the Disney Cruise line, I had planned a few pictures that I wanted to take.  I ran over through my mind what I wanted to get when I got there. This first photo is the mural that appears behind the center elevators on decks 6-8.

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 - The Disney's Wonder Click title to see 12 more pictures The ship was an experience like non other.  It is excellently decorated and VERY comfortable.

Walt Disney Cruise Vacation - Castaway Cay - Success at last Click title to see 18 more pictures Words can not describe what we found on Castaway Cay.. Disney's own island.  No one else is there but Disney Cruise guests and staff. Imagine the most ideal island ever depicted in movies or dreams.  Castaway Cay meets or exceeds all of the expectations anyone may have.

Walt Disney Cruise Vacation - Restaurants on the ship Click title to see 14 more pictures On many cruise ships, you are assigned a dinning room that you eat in the duration of the trip.  Disney rotates you through the four restaurants.   You keep the same wait staff and table number as you go to the different dinning areas. They are great.  Most noteable are Tritons and Animators Palate.  The later starts off as black and

Walt Disney Cruise Vacation - Getting Autographs on the ship Click title to see 7 more pictures As I said earlier, getting autographs on the boat was easy compared to the resort. The boys loved seing all these characters.

Walt Disney Cruise Vacation - Castaway Cay - The first attempt Click title to see 2 more pictures We were scheduled to dock on Castaway Cay on the third day, however, the weather did not allow it.  We did get our first good look at the island and left drooling for the next day when we would try again.

Walt Disney Cruise Vacation - Atlantis Resort at Nassau of the Bahamas - Page One Click title to see 16 more pictures After our first glorious night on the Disney Wonder, we docked at Nassau in the Bahamas.  Our excursion was planned for the Atlantis Resort and the Aquarium it hosts. We can not say enough about the aquarium.  It is the largest one in the world and it is certainly the most incredible one we have ever seen.  We could not have imagined

Walt Disney Cruise Vacation - Atlantis Resort at Nassau of the Bahamas - Page Two Click title to see 12 more pictures After our first glorious night on the Disney Wonder, we docked at Nassau in the Bahamas.  Our excursion was planned for the Atlantis Resort and the Aquarium it hosts. We can not say enough about the aquarium.  It is the largest one in the world and it is certainly the most incredible one we have ever seen.  We could not have imagined

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.

Cub Scout Space Derby - An exciting evening for all!! Click title to see 4 more pictures We attended the Cub Scout Space Derby in Port Aransas. David Build the track and the boys raced their rockets. Adam did well and Val WON the Fastest of the Fastest!!! David Says, 'I would do that again any day!!'

Six days Later - After the Cold Front Click title to see 2 more pictures Wee Had more storms that caused flooding.  It was much like October of 2002, but the water was not as high. I did get smart this year and put the front wheels of my car up on blocks before the water got into the engine again. Our neighbor also took out the kayak instead of the car to go to work...  That

One Hurricane... - Two Tropical storms... Click title to see 8 more pictures and the seasons first cold fron takes us out. On September 12 at 4:12 AM we experienced strait line winds in excess of 86 miles per hour... that is fast and a serious Category One hurricane if it had come the right direction, but NNooooooo, it had to come from the north.   We watched the winds destroy parts of

Building a beach - Port Aransas maintenance The Beaches in Port aransas are a combination of cleaning, scraping and building back up.  Between the tourists, the storms and every other influence on our beaches, we try very hard to keep the treasure we have.  Not only that, we are the FIRST line of defense against tidal surge in case of a big Tropical Storm.

Flying over Port Aransas - The birth of the Port A Photo Gallery Click title to see 2 more pictures I had the oportunity to photo the city from the air.  It was great.  I shot photos from Jim Atkins Bi-plane.  It was Great.  See more photos from his plane and buy some of them. Buy Aerial Photos around Port Aransas

New Playfort - Back Yard Click title to see 4 more pictures After 2 1/2 months of work, the new playset is complete.  It is located in our back yard, nestled between a brazilian pepper tree and an ash tree. It features: 5 swinging items 2 slides (one a curly slide) climbing tower with 4 levels 7 foot catwalk 6x10 tree fort with roof table and benches

August in Port Aransas - A hot month in Port A Click title to see 13 more pictures Port Aransas is a beautiful fishing town.  We like living in this paradise and consider ourselves very fortunate. Here oare some photos from around town.  Scenes that we frequently take for granted.  Some that we don't even notice.  They are out of the ordinary for much of the rest of the world

Hurricane Claudette - Near Miss, but Prepared Click title to see 11 more pictures On July 15th, Hurricane Claudette was predicted to hit directly over Port Aransas.  The path was later altered to pass north of us, and it did.   However, much of the town was prepared for the storm and we did loose our beaches for the day it passed a mere 60 miles from us.   Ultimately, the only thing that happened he

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 - The Boat - Couples of Promise, Christian Cruise Network Click title to see 8 more pictures The Monarch of the Seas is the first ship I have ever been on for a cruise. (I was on a cruise ship in the Gulf of Finland, but it was stripped to be a ferry from Estonia to Helsinki.  It wasn't very impressive.) This ship had everything I could have imagined. There were two large dining rooms, several lounges, two salt water pools,

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 - Cozumel, Mexico - Couples of Promise, Christian Cruise Network Click title to see 5 more pictures Cozumel was incredible.   We went on a

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

Christmas - Home Decor Click title to see 20 more pictures Jennifer loves to decorate for Christmas.  She tries to do something to every room in the house. This year she bribed me to put lights on the roof of the house by buying a nice extension ladder.  It took me three tries to get to the top, but I managed to get all the lights up. Of course, Adam and Va

Flooding in Port Aransas - A wet day in town... and David's office Click title to see 3 more pictures In October of 2002, Port Aransas received more rain in six weeks than we do in most years. Two memorable weeks left us under more water than I had ever seen in Port A. During the deluge, my garage office went under water twice. I was forced to move into a small office in the bedroom behind the kitchen until we can create a new space

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.

NASA - Houston Texas We all went to Houston, Texas to the NASA space center. The most popular event was the HUGE climbing area for kids... nearly 4 stories high. David got into it also.

Cub Scouts - Vals first Camp out Val went on a camp out at a local camp site. It was hosted by the boy scouts. David went along also.

Corpus Christi Museum - Butterfly Release Click title to see 1 more pictures During the spring of 2002, Jennifer's workplace had an exhibit of butterflies that caused her a great deal of problem. The closing of the exhibit included a release of all butterflies by the kids that attended. Here, Adam and Val get their turn at the release.

Around the House - Redecorating Click title to see 1 more pictures Jennifer and I put down a new floor in the living room, kithen, hallway and bathroom all by ourselves. It only took about a year and it is still not quite finished as of May 2003. I still need to get a couple pieces of trim up in the kitchen.

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

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

Around Port A - Just shooting around Click title to see 4 more pictures Port Aransas is located on the beautiful Mustang Island. It is surrounded by slat water and you must rid a ferry or cross the causeway to get there.

Christmas - Home Decore Click title to see 3 more pictures Jennifer loves to decorate for Christmas.  We didn't get as much up as we would like, but our collection will have to grow over the next several years.  For now, we will make do with what we have. Regardless of the amount, Jennifer has always decorated the house beautifully.  As much as I belly ache about the work, the holidays are j

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.

Hurricane Evac - Brett Cometh Click title to see 4 more pictures On September 22, 1999 we evacuated from Mustang Island to get out of the possible path of Brett.   We went to San Antonio.  It took 12 hours to go 130 miles. We spent one night and returned as Brett landed on the King Ranch in South Texas.

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