Retirement has not slowed down much at all. We have finished another semester though and I think we both did well in our classes. My Greek final was today and I am pretty sure that I passed although I was auditing and I don’t really get a grade. Martha on the other hand was pleased to do well on her Algebra exam and is ready to go on to next semester. She hopes to get her degree a year from now.





I have put a few of her watercolors up here for you to see. She has really enjoyed that class.




Here is a nice sunflower

And to the right is a guitar player. I think they are very good
 
We are hoping that the Advent season is as joyful for you as it is for us as we celebrate the birth of our Saviour .

The first 6 weeks

Fall is here and cooler weather is on the way I am told. Tomorrow we will have been in classes for 6 weeks and time seems to fly. Unless of course you are in College Algebra and then it seems to drag. Greek for me is going well and I am slowly absorbing some of it. Martha is still struggling with math but enjoys the watercolor class very much. We are still hoping for a late 2012 finish.

We still have not had very much rain and the lake is getting lower every day. This could really pose a problem for 2012 if the drouth doesn't break. The fires are mostly out in Texas, or at least under tight control and we hear little about them anymore. The aftermath is still there however and many are suffering from the loss of homes and possessions. It will require many years to restore those areas that were burned if indeed they ever are.

When I started this blog I named it Slowing down but I think I should have called it Speeding Up. It seems that there is always something that wants to be done and with class, church and study I really stay pretty busy.

Texas on fire

Life is tough here on the frontier. Labor day weekend brought us the first break in the weather that we have seen all summer. But it wasn't all good. A cold front from Canada brought cooler temperatures and gusty winds from the north. Tropical storm Lee hit Louisiana and the wind spilled over into Texas. Wildfires broke out all over Texas due to the dry conditions, little or no rain all year, and the winds spread the fire faster than the crews could put them out. At last count over 1000 homes statewide and untold thousands of acres including most of a state park have been destroyed. We still are in the grips of the worst drought we have ever seen. Most cities are on some form of water restrictions, some are severe, and we really have no idea when this weather pattern will end and we might receive rain.

At the same time other parts of the nation have experienced epic flooding from torrential rains associated with hurricane Irene and tropical storm Lee plus other storms that passed through.

The answer is in the hand of God. He alone controls the wind and the rain. His voice commands the storm and it does His bidding. We must pray, and not just pray, but confess and turn from our wicked ways. Only then will He bless our land and send the rain we so desperately need. 

Our first week of school

Well the first week is over and I have learned the greek alphabet (sort of) and I know vowels and dipthongs, (who cares). Anyway it went well and I am ready to start the second week. We will focus on verbs for the next 2 weeks. Martha is trying to catch up in Algebra but seems to be doing OK She wanted to be in a different class that the one she is in and hopes to get that ironed out tomorrow.

First day of school

Well for many of us today is the first day of classes for the fall term. Lots of public schools start back today and so does our university. I am taking a class in beginning Greek and after the first session I think it will be a good time of learning something new. Martha is taking College Algebra and water coloring so she has a more serious challenge. She hopes to finish her degree by the end of 2012. I am just having fun with no plans to pursue a degree. I'll let you know how it goes.

The Builder - Chapter 8

Well this really is the last chapter. The story begins in the intro post in June of 2010. The last 2 chapters were in November of 2010. I hope any who have read the story, enjoyed it.

The Builder Chapter 8

It has been a while since I started this series and I haven’t written about it for some time, so I need to get in at least one more story. Dad finished building the mast and boom sometime the following spring in 1973. He then made the rigging and stood the mast up. It was probably summer before he was able to sail it for the first time.

As I said in a former post, Dad was a dreamer. Part of his reason for building this boat was to cruise. Dad wanted to sail this boat to Florida, then around Florida and up the east coast. He had read of some folks who had sailed or motored up the Hudson River, through the Erie Canal to the Great lakes, then into the Mississippi and down to New Orleans, and he wanted to do that. That is a pretty ambitious agenda and he talked about it often during the building process. I knew what he wanted to do and I think Mom knew as well, but she didn’t think he was serious. Sailing halfway around the United States was not on her list of things to do in retirement. She had grandbabies to spoil and she wanted to travel, but not in a 30 foot sailboat that would be subject to the wind, waves and other weather that may come along.

Somehow Dad convinced her that they could do it and eventually they loaded the boat with all the stuff they would need. The trip would last more than a year, but I don’t think that fact had sunk in yet. They set sail intending to navigate the Intracoastal Waterway from the house to Florida. They stopped in Galveston for a night, but as they traveled eastward they discovered that the canal was a lonely place. There were few places to stop for fuel or supplies, it was hot and sticky, and the ever present mosquitoes that could not be escaped made life miserable. They made it halfway to Baton Rouge when they decided to turn back and return home. After reading one of Mom’s old diaries, we learned that Dad may have hurt his leg somewhere along the way and that may have been the reason. Dad still harbored the dream but Mom wanted no part of it. I think he always regretted not continuing but he didn’t, and would never, attempt to make that trip again.

They did sail along the canal as far as Baffin Bay, south of Corpus Christi, and frequently went day sailing in the bays. Sometimes they would be gone for a month or more but were never more than a week away from the house. Mom didn’t mind that kind of trip so they went every year or so.

One year, I don’t remember when exactly, we were down for a few days and my son Cory came down. He wanted to go sailing so Dad took us out in the bay on the boat. We had been sailing for an hour or so making good time to the southwest. We had a nice breeze and the boat was heeled slightly which was her best way to sail. Cory had been up on the bow and as he came back to the cockpit, he called out to Dad saying, “Should this hole be here?” Dad jumped up to look and there was a large hole in the deck where the shrouds that hold the mast up were located. The plates to which the shrouds connect had come loose and I think there was some dry rot around them. We were in danger of losing the mast overboard. We quickly came about on the other tack, which removed the strain on the rigging, and then doused the sails. We rigged a temporary line to support the mast and began the long motor trip back to the house. The boat was much faster under sail than it was under motor, so the trip took quite a while. Eventually Dad repaired the damage and he and Mom sailed the boat quite often until it rubbed on the oyster shell near the dock and damaged the bottom. Dad wanted to pull it out of the water and repair the bottom but he never did get it done. It sat there on bottom for several years before we finally burned it about 2 or 3 years ago. The boat is history now, but we do have pictures and lots of great memories of the wonderful days we sailed on it.

The hole in the deck where the shroud attached

Mom & Dad attended two churches while they lived at the creek. The main one was Cedar Lane Baptist and Dad was instrumental in the building of a new sanctuary at that church. Part way through their time at Cedar Lane, the church decided to start a mission in Sargent which was nearer to their house. Mom & Dad left Cedar Lane to build the mission and were there for several years until it incorporated into an independent church. They later returned to Cedar Lane where they were members until their death in 2002. They were both active in the church throughout their years of retirement. Dad taught the Men’s Bible class for many years and Mom taught the ladies. She was also active in WMU or Women’s Missionary Union. We have attended that church as well when we are down there and the folks are very friendly. Most are cattle ranchers and have had several generations of their families in that church.

That pretty well brings the story of the builder to a close. I can never say enough about my Dad. He was honest, he was faithful. He loved my Mom and it showed. He taught us how to live and how to serve. He taught how to work hard and live on what you had. I was privileged to work with him for 7 years as I started my career. I will never forget the things he taught me.

In his final years he had Alzheimer’s and he had trouble remembering things. He could remember stories from his youth and he told them over and over. He could not remember that he just finished the story and he would tell it again. I wish I had written them down because now I cannot remember the stories at all.

Joy in the Journey

A few days ago NASA launched a space vehicle on a journey to Jupiter. It will take 5 years to get there and it is supposed to survey the planet and discover new evidence of how the universe began. we spent a lot of money, that we didn't have, to do that.

Also a few days ago our Congress in the USA finally stopped bickering long enough to pass a bill that enables our government to keep on spending for another year and a half. Their political gamesmanship brought us to the brink of financial disaster and that disaster may overtake us yet. One of the 3 credit rating agencies has downgraded US credit for the first time, not a lot you understand but any downgrade is... well, bad. That's not very joyful.

The stock market is in freefall this morning - down 350 or so the last time I looked and who knows where it will stop. As you watch, with disbelief, your 401K or IRA melt before your eyes you may ask; Where's the joy in that?

Yesterday we had a picnic at our lake and we could see that there isn't much water left in it. The authorities tell us that there is one year's worth of water left in the lake if we conserve. There has been little rain in recent months and much of Texas is in an extreme drouth status. Can we indeed find joy in that?


Consider this; A godly woman, who only 3 weeks ago was helping with VBS and planning a cruise for the end of this month, today lies in a hospital bed, riddled with cancer and drugged with morphine to ease the pain. Today she may be released to hospice, and perhaps within days she will be in heaven, in the presence of God. She will have joy when that day arrives but we will have sorrow for a while because we will have lost the presence of a dear friend.  

The writer in the book of James, chapter 1, verse 2 says, Count it all joy, my brothers, when you enounter various trials, because the testing of your faith produces endurance (my translation for today). That endurance is what keeps us going through the storms of life. We may not yet face the severe tests that the early disciples faced and we do not know the future, but we do know the one who does know the future. There truly is joy in the journey if we keep our eyes on, and our faith in, our creator and redeemer, Jesus Christ.

Warning updated

The tropical storm watch was upgraded to a tropical storm warning. Our place is still on the northeastern edge of the possible track. Winds are 45 mph with higher gusts and it has speeded up on it's way to landfall. The direction is still northwest in a straight line.

Storm Warning

As most of you know, we have a house on the Texas gulf coast. It is located on a salt water creek that feeds into the gulf a mile or so downstream from us. This morning the hurricane center has issued a tropical storm watch for the area where our house is. That isn't really a warning yet but it does say; "Be alert for further notices as the storm moves forward". It actually looks like the storm will be making landfall to the south of us but that places us in the northeast quadrant which is the most dangerous side to be on. The storm will probably not get to hurricane force before it makes landfall but it could. We will just need to wait and see what it does. Our prayer is that wherever it goes, our state will receive some badly needed rainfall. North through central Texas would be nice.

Puzzlin'

For the last week we have been working on this 3D puzzle. This is the largest of these that we have done with 1000 pieces. They are quite challenging and if you enjoy puzzles I highly recommend it. Martha found this one in a yard sale for 50 cents. That is a bargain in today's economy. There are 2 challenges involved, first finding the correct pieces and assembling the panels that make up the walls and base. Then comes the challenge of putting it all together, connecting the wall panels and roof panels to make a finished puzzle. As it turns out, there were 2 missing pieces but they were of no consequence in the finished puzzle. The finished product is worth the effort.

Here is another view from the front.

Hope you all had an enjoyable holiday weekend.

Home Again

Well, we are back. We traveled 3066 miles through 6 states, had no car trouble, and enjoyed our time with family and friends. We were there for a birthday party as Martha's Mom celebrated 90 years. We also attended a couple of unexpected funerals and were able to see others that we didn't expect to see. We were also witness to God's movement in the life of a man that most people had probably written off as hopeless. Once again we are reminded that God's grace and His calling on men is amazing. God is still moving in this world and if we take the time and look for it, we can get in on what He is doing. We arrived home just in time to attend the wedding of a former co-worker in Cross Plains. So it was a great trip.

Our granddaughter became a child of the King during our absence so next weekend we will travel again to visit them and attend her baptism. That will be a special time for her and her parents and we want to be there.

We still have no rain although there is rain forecast for today and tomorrow. Everything is dry and we hear that the city may institute mandatory water rationing soon. The lake is now about 12 feet low and that is a significant problem.

Headed Home

We have been in Michigan for a week and a half and are headed home tomorrow. Martha's mom celebrated her 90th birthday and we were here for it. I will post more when we get home.

Prayer is listening too

I was reminded this morning of something that I know all too well, but too often fail to practice. That thing is the simple act of listening to God when praying. I read two blogs almost every day and today they both hit the same topic, that of listening to God. You can read them here and here. It seems that most of the time when I come to prayer, I spend all of the time talking and very little listening. I want to make sure that God knows what "I need or want" and when done with my list, the session ends, often abruptly. Am I the only one, or do you have this problem as well?

So for me, going forward, I intend to cultivate the skill of listening in my quiet time. I will do my best to remove all the extraneous thoughts and worries. I will spend time quietly listening for His voice. That indeed will be a blessing in my life.

Weekend trip

We made the big loop this past weekend and were able to visit with all of our children and grandchildren. Our second oldest grandchild was graduating from high school and we were able to attend. It was great to be able to go and offer congratulations in person. We don't get to see her very often so it was special.

We travelled 1300 miles in all and saw flooding on the Mississippi to extremely dry conditions in south Texas. On Friday we stopped for gas at Krotz Springs LA and folks were under evacuation orders as the Corps of Engineers was preparing to open the Morganza spillway and flood their homes. On Saturday as we crossed the Atchafalaya floodway we saw many pickups and trailers loaded with furniture and belongings being moved to higher ground. The water wasn't there yet but they knew it was coming, and when it did, all that was in the way would be lost. That was a sad part of the trip.

We did see some lower gas prices though and that was encouraging. All in all it was a good trip, we were safe, the car performed admirably and we are back home.

Weather contrast

Yesterday we hit 100 degrees and today is even hotter. I was watching some eagles here. There is ice on the nest and snow, it is really cold there. There is in Iowa and that isn't that far away. In the meantime we need some moisture, preferrably in the form of rain to help our fire fighters. Vast areas of Texas are burning wildfires and they aren't making much headway agianst them. Pray for rain...

Boat work again

Well I am making progress but not fast. I do have the interior painted and the next step will be to install the decks and hatches fore and aft and then paint the rest of the topsides.

 Then I can turn it over and work on the bottom. The bottom work is mostly sealing and painting. Once that is done we mount the hardware, make a sail and it will be ready to go. I also have some network work to do at church so that may pull me away for a while but should not take too long.

Discipleship - A choice

This morning I met, along with a group of men from our church, for breakfast and Bible study at a local cafe. We do this every Thursday and it has grown to be a very special time of the week for me. Today was my opportunity to lead the study time and before getting into Acts 19, I started with some comments about the bigger story that encompasses Acts, part of that being the model that we see there for the making of disciples. Paul poured himself into several, who in turn did the same to build up the church. The last command to the church was to "make disciples". As Jesus called the twelve to discipleship, each of them made a choice to follow Him. It was a choice of total committment, a life choice that would change them completely. The goal of the diisciple was to be so like the teacher that there was no difference. This involved life change, a change of lifestyle for that one who chose to answer the call and become a disciple. Discipleship didn't end with the closing of the New Testament era. That last command hasn't changed for over 2000 years, we are still called to be disciples that make disciples. The choice is ours, what will we do?

Making Progress

Well I am making progress on the boat. I have a lot of the sanding done and old paint removed. This is very tiring work. I have the framing done to support the decks and to provide watertight compartments fore and aft that will aid in righting the boat if (when) it tips over. You may guess correctly that I have owned several sailboats before and all but one were susceptible (very likely) to tip over if the wind was very strong. I suspect this one will also be the same. I still haven't ordered the sail material nor the few pieces of hardware that I will need to make it sail but soon I will. The boat will be painted in nearly it's original colors of red and grey. The outer hull will be red and the interior and deck will be light grey. The spars, mast and boom, will be red and the oars will be grey. It should be an attractive craft when done. I have no idea how long that will take but hopefully by the first of June or so.

We have a couple of trips coming up in May and June which we are looking forward to. Our granddaughter Kaylee will graduate from highschool in May and we will try to attend the ceremony. That makes you feel old. We also plan to travel to Michigan this summer when Martha's mom will be 90. We also are excited about that.

Doves again with a picture

Well this morning they were at it again and there were probably 15 - 20 birds in all that were trying to get on the feeder. Some decided to feed on the ground but even then they flew back up and tried to find a space on the feeder rail once in a while. It was almost comical to watch. Here is another picture.

Thanks for stopping by,

Doves

This morning I was watching the doves trying to eat at the bird feeder. The feeder is small and really intended for small birds such as sparrows or wrens or maybe a cardinal, but doves are generally too large to get footing on the rail. They can do it but they have to stand sideways and perform some acrobatics to get down there from the roof or the perch. This morning there were about 7 doves trying to get to the food, 4 of which had managed to get themselves on the rails and were able to reach the food. The others were on the roof or perch trying to figure out how to fit in the remaining space. They would even step on another dove's back trying to get to the food. Since they could not get a grip on another dove's back, they slid off and fell towards the ground. Their wings caught them before they hit the ground and they would fly back and try again. I think that is the first time I have noticed them stepping on one another to get to the food.This went on for about 20 minutes before I moved to get the camera and they were frightened off. It never fails when you want a picture, they stop doing whatever they were doing that you wanted a picture of.

Last week at the creek

This room was our main project for the week, getting new floor covering down in the dining room. You can see quite a few pictures at my Picassaweb site. The link is in the right hand column and down a ways. Before we could begin this though, we had to repair some broken pipes. For the second year in a row we have had a hard freeze that lasted a while and we experienced a few broken pipes. This took all of Sunday and part of Monday. Once that was out of the way we began in earnest on the floor. It took most of the week to get it finished. Another project was to complete the doors for the master bedroom. These are folding doors and have been  waiting for me to get around to installing for a couple of years now. This was the trip that got it done. The picture at the bottom shows the completed doors. There are still a few details in the dining room to complete but they should only take an hour or two and then the back half of the house will be complete. We have two more major projects to complete inside the house. One is to replace the kitchen countertop and sink and the other is to redo the floor in the main front section of the house. This will involve removing an existing wood burning stove and ripping out the old carpet, tile and underlayment. We will put down new underlayment and then lay the same sheet vinyl that we have used in the bedroom and dining room.

There are still plenty of outside projects to work on, so we are not even close to being completely done. If we ever do get to the point of being "finished" it will probably be time to start over. The coastal environment is harsh and requires constant work to keep up with the wear and tear that occurs.

One note of interest was a dove that had a nest right above where I needed to work on the pipes. They often build nests in the lower framework of the house. This one happened to have babies in the nest and was unhappy with us working so close to it. We did manage to get the work done without damaging the nest or touching the babies. Hopefully she is happy now that we are no longer disturbing the area.

Home again

We arrived at home about 3:30 PM after a very productive week at our Caney Creek house. We missed getting to see the Saturday game for the Lady Jackets and unfortunately they were on the losing end of that game with Coe College. They won their first game against Lewis and Clark to advance to the round of 32 which is no small accomplishment. We congratulate the team and staff for a job well done.

On the creek front we were nearly able to complete the entire remodeling of the back half of the house with only a few pieces of trim remaining to be put on. I will be posting more detail and some pictures as the week progresses. We had a few frozen pipes again this year so that occupied a couple of days. Most of our pipes are exposed and when we get a hard freeze that lasts for several days it doesn't bode well for the pipes.

So it is good to be home even if we do face a busy week. I have one free night and Martha has 2.

More to come.

March Madness

The Lady Jackets leave today at 6 PM for Cedar Rapids, IA for round 1 and hopefully round 2 of the NCAA Div 3 Womens Basketball tournament. We will go and see them off and wish them the best. I wish we could go with them but at this point we cannot. I think this is the 6th time for the HPU women to be there. We look forward to great games.

We will be at the creek next week for Spring Break. we have several jobs planned and if the weather is nice I hope to fish a little. Actually we have a lot to do to just be ready to go.

Champions again

The HPU Lady Jackets rose to the occasion and defeated the Louisiana College Lady Cats to claim the championship of the ASC. The score was 83-69 and earns them a spot in the NCAA national tournament. The game was never in doubt as HPU opened with 6 straight 3 pointers and led by 15 or 20 through most of the game. We are extremely proud of the Lady Jackets and their play in the tournament. It has been a great weekend of basketball and we look forward to more.

Boat repair

The boat project moves along slowly. The paint from many years ago is loose and flaky and I need to sand most of it off in order to repaint and have the new paint stick. This is a very time consuming task. I also plan to build flotation chambers at each end to aid in rescue if (when) it capsizes. They will make the boat float higher and make it easier to bail any water out. They also prevent as much water getting in as could be without them. They will also provide some dry storage area for things I don't want to get wet. I have the mast, boom and rudder made and ready to paint. I am still working on the leeboard and a new mast step and mast partner. The sail will be made from a polytarp once the rest of the boat is finished. I really don't have a timetable as to when I will finish it but hopefully by summer sometime. Here is a picture:

Basketball playoffs

Well, we are gearing up for a big weekend. HPU's Lady Jackets are co-champs with Hardin Simmons and since we won both games against them during the regular season we will get to host the ASC Championship. Eight teams will arrive here for the tournament and the winner will get an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. We are excited to be able to host and have the opportunity to watch some very good basketball games. Our first game is Friday at 7:30 PM. HPU advanced to the final four and won the national championship in 2008 and are the only ASC team to ever accomplish that. Martha and I had the chance to attend the final four that year and that was an exciting time. We enjoyed it very much and would not mind trying to do it again so, GO LADY JACKETS!! 

Snow again

As you can see in the picture we have snow again. There are only a couple of inches but it is enough to shut down the university again. There is still ice under the snow and that makes walking and/or driving somewhat treacherous. I have already heard of a couple of people who have broken bones from falling on the ice. It is probably best to not risk more injuries. On the brighter side, the sun is shining and the sky is clear and blue so it really is a pretty day, just cold. The temperature is in the low 20's but started around 15 or 16. We may or may not get above freezing today, they keep lowering the forecast. We should get a warmer day tomorrow though for sure. I am tired of the cold but it will be back on Monday so I guess we just have to keep on surviving.  Martha is rejoicing because she gets another day off. That makes 3 this week due to weather.

Stay warm!

It pays to be flexible

So here we are on Wednesday morning and the temperature was a cool 10 degrees. I think it may reach 20 by the afternoon. We left the cat's (not our cat but a stray) water dish out and it was not flexible as you can see from the picture. The bird's bath/dish for their water was more flexible and it survived even though frozen nearly solid. That is amazing. The university decided it was still too cold and dangerous so Martha got another day off. Of course with me being retired, every day is off. And can you believe this, Saturday the high is forecast to be 62. We get a short break before it turns cold again the first of the week. I am ready for winter to be over! Hope you are warm wherever you are.

The weather





Just to the left of center is a large block of ice

from the bird's water dish


The temperature has hovered around 20 all day and we expect low teens tonight. The university closed for the day so Martha was able to stay home. We have a little bit of light snow and many of the streets are icy. There is up to an inch of ice on some streets and since it is not forecast to get above freezing for several days, that ice may not melt, or if it does it will refreeze. The high for tomorrow is only supposed to be low 20's. The winds are up around 25 to 30 mph and that makes the chill factor significant. As a side note, yesterday we were at 75 and sunshine, today we have the sunshine but over a 50 degree difference in temperature.

The birds are having a hard time.

Creek progress

Recently I spent a week at the creek by myself and in spite of the not perfect weather I was able to get quite a bit done. Our Christmas trip allowed us to get the floor done in the master bedroom but we weren't able to finish the trim on windows and doors nor get the bifold doors installed. I decided to go again for a week and see how much of that I could get done. I also wanted to bring home a boat that my dad built over 20 years ago and see if I could restore it. It is in pretty rough condition but I think I can fix it. I will also make a sail for it so I can sail it. I spent about 3 or 4 days getting the window and door facings stained and varnished. Then we had a day of rain with about 2.5 inches falling that day. But I did get the facings on the doors and windows in the bedroom and the window facings on in the dining room. We are ready to lay flooring in the dining room and finish the doors and baseboards in there. Hopefully we will get these done when we are down for spring break. I also finshed up putting the balusters on the porch railing which I didn't finish at Christmas because I ran out of material then.  I still wasn't able to get the bifold doors in the bedroom done but maybe I can get them done spring break as well. Above is a picture of the woodwork and below is a picture of the boat and another of a sunset.

This is the old boat that I will take home. It is 15 feet long and will hang out the back of the truch by about 7 feet.

Here is a nice sunset picture as well.

Back to the creek

I am planning to return to the creek next week to continue on the stuff we did at Christmas. I want to finish the window and door facings in the master bedroom and the windows in the dining room. I can't do the door facings there until we get the flooring down. I plan on leaving on Wednesday and staying for a week. It may be a little longer depending on weather and how much I get done.

The bird in the picture is a male Great Blue Heron. He is courting the female who is standing, or rather dancing on the next pier. These are beautiful birds and are quite large. For reference, the grey square on the post next to the bird is about waist high on me or around 3 feet above the deck, so this bird is easily 5 feet tall or more when his neck and head is extended as it is in this picture.

Welcome to 2011

I see that I have posted 50 times over the last year or about once every 7 days. Sometimes they were more frequent and sometimes less but that was the average. Perhaps I will be able to do better in 2011.

We spent the last 2 weeks of 2010 at our Caney Creek retreat working on the house and just being away. There is no internet there and we just barely have cell phone sometimes. We worked on the decks, front and rear, and laid vinyl flooring in the master bedroom. We had hoped to do the dining room as well but it was cold and we were worried that the glue would not setup correctly. The MBR is now almost finished. We just have some window and door trim to complete and put in the bifold doors for the entry to the room. Maybe I will get it done on my next trip down. I added some balusters to the deck railing and the next step there is to stain the whole deck and add a roof to the creekside deck. I also worked on the pier, puttered around with one of my dad's old rowboats, and put a line in the water fishing, but there were no fish. Martha picked up oyster shell around the pier when the tide was way out and they were exposed. She also painted the bedroom and helped greatly with the flooring. In between she worked on Algebra. She wants to complete her degree but alas college algebra is required and she has not kept up with math skills so it will be a struggle. She spent much time practicing math skills in preparation for intermediate algebra this spring.

We did squeeze in a visit with our son and daughter in law and their children on the 18th. On the 20th I reached a milestone by turning 70. On the 21st we gathered with my sister and brother and spouses to celebrate another year. It was a great visit and good food, I think we all enjoyed the time together. We need to do it more often.

I have included a couple of pictures of the house. I have also posted a few more pictures at Picassa. You can see them here.

More to come