New Covered Patio

May in Texas is a great time of year,  the weather is usually very pleasant and the days  are stretching out to their summer time lengths.  The last two weekends were spent working on a cover for the wood platform we have in the back yard.  We had a hot tub here at one time but it is long gone and a deck is now there. 



Last summer I built the wood deck and we purchased a table and chairs for it.  You might ask...where are the table and chairs?   More on that later...  This May we have had our share of rain making up for the drought conditions we were experiencing.  Another fact about Texas in May is that it is a precursor for hot sunny days of June, July and August that are right around the corner.  We decided that the deck needed some protection from the rain and some much needed shade to allow us to enjoy it when those hot dog days of summer come our way.





I decided to use a simple gable design and top it with V groove tin.  After approval from the HOA, very necessary step, it was time to build.  I was able to put the posts in by myself, of course that's after digging four large holes to place anchors for the posts.  Jared come over and helped me get the framing done and  the tin on top.  The framing was fairly easy and I really appreciated Jared's help. The tin was the frustrating part, trying to punch pointy screws, recommended by the tin manufacturer,  through the tin while standing on the ladder and reaching over 2 feet over the sheet is not easy.  I don't know why they don't provide self taping screws! Fortunately, Jared came up with a creative way to mount the top piece as we put up the side panels so that we didn't have to climb on top to finish it up!  Mike can thank Jared for that idea because he probably would have done that job!



The end result was quite pleasing,  not bad for two weekends worth of work.  I still have some wiring to do for lights and a ceiling fan, that's why the ladder is still out.  Debi is already planning some special party lights for it.  Now back to the table we purchase for this area.  Well...as the cover was going up, Debi started saying things like" maybe we should put the gliders out here".  So as the project was completed it was decided that the table and chairs would go on the patio attached to the house and the gliders would come out here.

 

The Patio was cleared off, swept and power washed in preparation for the new furniture.  I had these louvered doors that were purchased for another project Debi had in mind but the decision was made to use them out here.  Now they now provide great shade in the late afternoon. After all the scrubbing the area was ready for the furniture.

 

While it was still drying, the table was brought up and we actually had lunch out here.  It has become a very pleasant area that we really enjoy.  I will add another picture later with the full effect of the table and all of the chairs. 
Now I can kick back, relax and enjoy the rest of the summer...wrong!
Several more projects in the works...Stay tuned!



snow birds

It's February 9th in Mckinney Texas.

We've had unusual winter weather this year and today it sleeted and snowed again.

Tonight the temperature is going down to 9 degrees!

I love to feed the local birds in my back yard,  today we had some incredible visitors show up.

 This blue jay comes often but the woodpecker at the feeder was a first time visitor.

 He was absolutely beautiful!

 Kept pecking at the frozen seeds at the bottom of the feeder.

 He has a long powerful beak.

 He stayed for a long time.

 Every once in a while he would look up as if looking for something or listening for something.

 This little guy showed up in our little girl statue's lap.

 Here was another visitor.

 They were looking for seeds on the ground.

 This guy didn't seem to mind the snow.

 He was also working the seeds.

 The feeders were busy.

 They didn't seem to mind sharing.

 Notice the feeder with the snow and ice in the background.

 This feeder was very busy.

 It's always interesting that different breeds don't mind being together.

 This beautiful green finch hung around.

 His neck and head were bright yellow.

                                              He stayed busy breaking seeds out of the ice.

                                                                Are you looking at me?

                                                                       Taking a break.

Busy...Busy....Busy

                                                          There were several of them

                                                                     Busy place.

                                                                         WOW.

                                              His neck seemed to glow bright yellow.

                                              Notice the bright yellow spot on the hip.

                                          He had really incredible white and black wing feathers.

 Lot of these always show up.

 These little guys visit all the time.

 These two decided to park themselves on the frozen bird bath.

 Tried to get comfortable,  he just finished feeding on ground below.

 He fluffed up to keep warm.

 Then snuggles in for a stay.

He looked quite happy even though the wind was blowing and it was about 16 degrees.



We enjoy traveling to Muenster Tx to get some good German food and look for antiques.
Just north of town there is an area with a new revenue source that has sprung up.



From the distance they look relatively small and unimpressive.  

But they have a lure...why can we see them so far away? 

 As we got closer they grew as if they were sprouting out of the ground.

 Ranching has always been a staple of the Texas economy. 

Today, traditional ranching can co-exsit with this new source of income.

 As we stopped to get a picture I spotted these other wind generators in my rearview mirror.

 We searched till we found a backroad the would get us closer to them.

 It was very interesting as we got close to them. 

I had the feeling that I was in a strange place surrounded by Giants.

 The closer we got to them the greater they appeared to be and the smaller I felt.

 Notice how they dwarf the trees,  these were not small trees.

 We got close enough to hear the sound that they make. 

Instead of a loud whirling noise they sound like a gentle wind blowing, it was actually soothing.

 Instead of looking offensive they actually seem to blend into the landscape.

 I like how the branches frame them in this shot.

 Even though this head is way up in the air it still looks massive.  

The engineering design of this incredible machine is really amazing.

Housed in this head is the main rotor shaft and electrical generator which produces the energy at this point.

 Farming has also been another traditional business here in Texas.

Note the hay bails below this wind generator.

The blade can be up to 130 ft long and the shaft can be as high as 300 ft tall.

 There are an incredible number of them in this one area. 

Everywhere I looked there were more.

The tips of the blades can have a windspeed of 200 mph as they travel around.

 At times it looked like they sprouted right out of the ground.

 The blades rotate at 10-22 revolutions per minute.

 They towered above us.

 They seemed to go on forever!

 Oil has always been the "Black Gold" of Texas. 
But it is a lot harder to find then the wind.

Another shot with the old and the new.

 The sky was very overcast the day we were out here. 

I hope to come back soon on a sunny day.

 This shot shows how small the old technology is next to the new technology.

 Of course the energy they produce needs to be delivered to market.

 The delivery system is dwarfed but the production process.

 Traditionally the wind was harnessed to draw the water out of deep wells in this semi arid land.

Now the wind is harnessed to created energy to drive pumps which draw the water.

 The windmill has a long history in Texas and has been a very dependable source of water supply.

 Now it too is dwarfed but the new player on the horizon.

 They really were everywhere we looked.

 I love this scene with the new technology towering over the fresh new crops and the regal cattle.

 Another great shot showing how really big they are.

 This is an interesting time in the life of this land. 

 Now the land owner can make his living on the land, from under the land

 and even from the sky above the land.

 They are painted grey so that they will blend with the landscape.

 I love this picture!

 The road we were travelling on curved around and
I was able to get one more angle and picture from further away.

 As we got back to the main road I spotted this one last shot. 

The traditional oil derricks are being converted to pump natural gas

and now they share the landscape with the new Titans of energy production.

Unfortunatly our time with the gentle giants had to end. 

But I know this will not be the last time we visit these mamoths. 

In fact I hope to get back there soon and often.

Maybe one day I will climb one...