Sympathy

Our sincerest sympathy and heart-felt prayers go out to our sweet daughter-in-law, Cheryl, on the passing of her father who had suffered the last six months or so with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease).

Private services are being planned.

Update on the Destroyed House

Today I notice they are digging up the foundation of the house they tore down not so long ago. Would they need to tear up the foundation if it were a fire? That was a pretty nice house for someone to raze to the bare earth.

Songs in the Morning

Most mornings Katie and I sit on my back veranda and drink a cup of coffee. This little bird joins us almost every day to sing louder than all the other birds.


Katie's not impressed. You should hear it when she yodels!

Courthouse Extras

Here are some stills from my digital recorder from the tour of the Hood County Courthouse under renovation. Original beadboard and interior walls of the Treasurer's office.


A sticky note on the safe in the Treasurer's office. The Historical Society is trying to determine how it was transported to Granbury. It was ferried across the Brazos. Must have been a really big ferry.


Entry to Judge's Chambers off the main courtroom. The iron door when locked at night made the Judge's Chambers a sealed vault.

Erik The Missing Pictures

I found these still pictures on my digital recorder from Erik's first day on Earth.


I think they are some of the few pictures from that day when he wasn't asleep.

Ruins

A really nice house used to stand where that pile of rubble now resides. I was talking on the phone when I saw them completely demolish this house across the lake on the peninsula.

There must have been a fire for it to be taken down like this. But I didn't witness any disaster.

Erik Wide Awake

Caught Erik in a contemplative mood on Sunday as we met his family for lunch on Michael's first Father's Day as a father.


Erik seems so serious and thoughtful.


But he can melt your heart.


Happy Father's Day, Erik.

Storms

Last night we endured a horrible storm with 60 mph winds and golf-ball sized hail. No tornado, but lots of wind-driven rain. Looking across the valley, I don't see any damage which is a bit of a miracle given the intensity of the weather. I hope our roof didn't sustain any damage from the hail.

A couple of weeks back I bought a NOAA weather radio. When warnings are issued by the National Weather Service, it sets off an alarm and plays the computer voice information. The problem is: there's no place on the thing to shut it off! So, it goes off all night long as the storm moves east. But here's the kicker: after the hail pelted the place, the alarm sounds and they tell me hail is coming. What good is that if the radio tells me AFTER the fact what's happened. I can see that. Besides up on this hill, it's not like I can't see the storms coming 20 miles away.

So, anybody want a weather radio?

Renovating the Hood County Courthouse

As a member of the Hood County Historical Society, I got to tour our County Courthouse that is currently under-going a complete renovation. Essentially it's been gutted on the inside.

Of course, since I'm new to the community and have no history with the courthouse, this inside look probably doesn't mean as much to me as it did to the other folks on the tour who have lived here most of their lives.

It was interesting to see things that haven't been viewed in probably 120 years.

Flight

Took this video from the cliff a month or so ago.

The Big Reveal

At the end of those redecorating TV shows they have what they call the "big reveal" when the owners get their first glimpse of what the decorators have done with the place. This was our response to what Jill, Amy, and Jeanne did to our bedroom.We were thrilled with what they were able to effect with both new things and old.


Biggest change was the apartment upstairs.


Lots of new things in the Great Room.


Some new artwork for the dining room.

Thanks Jill, Amy, and Jeanne for a doing such a wonderful job and getting it done so quickly.