Time is of the essence...

Low of 52 - high of 94... lots of clouds today. What do you know?....the clocks get set forward tonight! Traditionally, this is known as loosing an hour. When I was in college this meant loosing one hour of partying and classes starting one hour earlier the next day. With my new lifestyle here in the desert - this time shift that happens twice a year has little meaning other than figuring out what time it is when I call friends and family in other time zones. I go to work when I feel like it and I quit when I'm done. It is only about sunrise and sunset and the high temperature of the day - and whether or not it rains out here.

Poured two footings by noon, adding re bar to the mix. That should help cracking around the cinder blocks already holding the container in place. Soaked everything down really well before the pours. Headed to the Grub Shack for the new Ruben Sandwich. Could have sworn I got it from a NY deli. Five Stars!

Was done with the second two footings by 3PM. Each of the 4 footings took 3 bags of redi-mix. I'm sticking a 2006 nickle in each footing for posterity. Loaded up the gate for Nancy and trucked it over to Chuck's. My buddy David just got in today and is going to work on his new bldg just west of Chuck's spread. I think he has a bit of the Ben in him and expect to see swift progress in the next week. Came back home and cut the re bar for the footings for container #2.

Got a call late this afternoon from my buddy Whitebear....he just saw the Texas Country Reporter interview and gave me a great positive review of the program. Now I'm just dying to see it. As for all the folks that have just recently found me here thanks to TCR....WELCOME TO THE FIELD LAB!! Come visit...

The Early Edition

Hot, dusty day today....low of 45, high of 99+. Went to breakfast at the Grub Shack....dropped off a chunk of the new weird Field Lab bread for Betty to test - she approved. Got my McCoy's delivery by 11AM. My favorite drivers were out for this drop - Mickey and Martin. Got the gate for Nancy and 42 bags of concrete. That's 3360 lbs.

Took about 4 hours to dig out, level, and fit the forms for container one. I used some gravel from about one mile down my road to set the beds for the concrete. Felt kind of good to get all dirty and sweaty for a change. Managed to stay out of the direct sun for most of the labor. Shuttled 6 bags of concrete mix over to my friend David's "soon to be house" east of me. Last bump of the day, I got 20 bags of concrete placed by the pour for tomorrow. My solar hot water was a bit over the top tonight so I added 8 gallons of cold water. Rinsed off the day with the perfect temperature. Nothing better than naturally air drying after a shower in the desert.

Signing in and off early tonight because I'm heading over to Chuck's soon to watch myself on Texas Country Reporter...I love that show and it should be interesting to see how they put it all together. Yeah.....I'm a press whore.

UPDATE...hmmmm as usual - press did not air as promised - at least not on the satellite channels - reckon it ran only on cable or standard broadcast. Why is it so easy to get press but so difficult to find out when it will be available to the masses? stay tuned...

Back in the saddle...

Low this morning of 43 - high of 101 in the sun. Punched the time clock this morning and got to work. Pulled out a sheet of OSB and started cutting pieces for my container concrete footing forms. Ran a little short of tool battery juice so shot over to Chucks to rip some 2x4's with some of his grid power and also to pick up money from his neighbor Nancy - I ordered a gate for her in Alpine to be delivered tomorrow. On the way out I passed two couples on quads heading out my direction - I told them how to get out to Terlingua Creek and suggested they stop by the Field Lab on their way back.

Had plenty of power when I got home. Finished cutting the side pieces for the forms and started on the bracing. Around 1:30 the creek travelers stopped by for a tour. Very nice folks. I followed them out to go pick up my mail. Completed the forms by 5PM. Worked in the shade of one of my shipping containers. Had 2 longhorns in for a snack around sunset - Caroline and Cosmo. I don't see them very often any more. Perhaps they are afraid of the drug trouble south of the border - hundreds of miles from me. Saw one very pregnant longhorn this morning stroll by - she looks like she is ready to drop any day now. Looking forward to the new crop of bovines to frequent my spread this summer.

When I dropped off the bread to KRTS the other day....Tom Michael asked if it was made with Chelada ( Budweiser and Clamato juice ). It wasn't but it got me thinking.... So today I tried a batch of the new Field Lab Specialty Bread - and although it sounds really weird, it is actually pretty good. Try it if you dare! Tastes best of course baked in a solar oven. I'm sending a chunk of it to Cousin Holly via Aunt Kathy tomorrow. Holly turned me on to Cheladas last year. Perhaps if I call it Holly Bread instead of Beer Clam Tomato Bread it will have more mass appeal.

4 cups self rising flour
4 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons mesquite seasoning

1 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

1 16oz can of Bud Light Chelada

mix it all up, lightly kneed, and bake.

caution: contains tomato and clam juice.

Tune in tomorrow...

Oops....seemed to achieved a lost day here at the Field Lab....shaped my new hat but that's about it other than lots of thinking about tomorrow. The way I see it - a pictures worth 1000 words. Check back for thrills and chills on Thursday.

Travel Day

Low 31 - High 99. Finally hit the road at 9:15 to head north....no longhorns this morning. Ran into a neighbor on the way out my road and chatted way too long. This guy is a retired chemistry professor and I immediately invited him to come out to the Field Lab any time. Didn't get in to Alpine till almost 11. Swung by the courthouse to check out the latest Brewster County Sheriffs sale of delinquent tax properties. Land got snatched up at pennies on the dollar. Proceeded west to drop in on the studios of Marfa Public Radio and delivered my latest solar oven bread to Tom Michael who interviewed me. He walked me over to his wife's shop where she has a brilliant internet business going...bringing back an age old tradition - embroidery. http://www.woolandhoop.com/

Stopped by McCoys to order more concrete to be delivered. Stopped in at Johnson Feed for more snacks for my longhorn buddies and picked up a new brain shade just east of there to replace my soon to be worn out walmart cowboy hat. Made a pass by my friend Bennett Jones' to check up on some solar panels he has ordered. Made a quick trip into the Food Basket to stock up on more beer bread supplies. Ran into and finally had a chance to officially meet my new Alpine BFF....we have exchanged nods at the store during my last couple of visits and now we have connected. She is a brilliant painter and has the same affection for burros that I have developed for longhorns. http://emilyoftexas.wordpress.com/ I have seen her paintings around town and figured this would be someone I would like to know because I loved the work so much. Happy to make a new connection.

On the way home I spotted a brush fire about 10 miles south of Alpine....apparently it grew quite a bit because I was hearing about it on KRTS for hours after I passed it. We are in a serious brush fire condition right now with hot, windy days and low humidity. These fires can consume hundreds of acres in a matter of hours. I hope they got this one out by now cause it's getting really windy tonight.

on the radio

Made it on the radio finally today...my KRTS interview aired! Thankfully, I don't think I came off as an idiot. If you only linked up to the 630PM broadcast - you missed half the piece that was aired at 10AM. Plan on getting a wave file of the full interview that I can link from my website....I am heading up to Marfa tomorrow to drop off my newest solar oven bread creation baked today as a thank you. This one is 2 cups of self rising flour, 2 TBS of sugar, 2 TBS of McCormick's Grill Mates Mesquite Seasoning, 1 cup of small cubed Monterrey Jack Cheese. and 2/3 can of warm Keystone Light beer. Baked in the solar oven in a lightly oiled 48oz. tomato juice can - for 2 hours at 275 - 300 degrees. According to my Crazy Aunt Jean, cooking in a can was a depression era invention for baking bread. Gotta be careful when baking with cheese in such confined quarters as it tends to stick. Working on perfecting a recipe to create a little income for the Field Lab. Gotta put that solar oven to work.

Just got word that my Texas Country Reporter interview will be aired this weekend...thankfully, this press round is about to end. Check out their website to try and figure out when you can view it. http://www.texascountryreporter.com/show.htm I don't have a clue.

Worked on a planning and shopping list for the next stage of construction of the greenhouse building. Loading up tomorrow in Alpine after the trip to Marfa so I can get back to work.....plus, I have run out of snacks for my longhorn buddies.

Yarn

For as long as I can remember, I have had the pleasure of knowing a great story teller. This guy was the master of relating news of the day in a way that really put it in the right context. He could spin a yarn with just the right amount of twists and turns to keep me on the edge of my seat till the suprise ending came. His stories always had a good side to what could sometimes be a tragic tale. Somehow there was always a silver lining - if not in the actual story, at least in the message it was sending. I couldnt even begin to tell you how many times I have heard this guy on almost a weekly basis - often daily. He had a distinct signature in his delivery that assured he owned every word he spoke. His reputation as such an excellent communicator made it easy to trust his judgment in life - If he suggested something, it was probably the right thing to do. As an older gentleman, my friend held fast to moral standards no longer present in modern society. Last of a dying breed in America. He has been telling stories since 1951 but I only started hearing my true favorites in 1976. He was not family or even anyone I had ever met personally but he always seemed like an old friend. I learned a lot from this man over the years. I heard his stories on the radio.

His name was Paul Harvey. He died yesterday at the age of 90. I kind of feel like I have lost a best friend. At the ripe old age of 82 back in 2000 - he signed a 10 year, 100 million dollar contract with ABC Radio Networks. I think they short changed him. And now you know.....the rest of story.

Good day!