The fence comes together

Memorial day '08. The fence is far enough along to show. Lots of work. The fence is cinder block with a top of glass blocks. I scored a thousand glass blocks from the remodel of a high school. They were painted green on one side and Barbara had to clean them up. The fence meets the gate post with a rubble of glass block and small chunks of concrete left from the windows. The blocks will get a parge of stucco and then the same paint as the gate, that's why I didn't do a pretty job with the blocks. It took both days to git-er-done, the footings had been done on the last trip and one post was already up too so this time it was just...clean the glass blocks, lay the concrete blocks and sit back and admire.

Back to work

The storm blew in about 5:oo AM Sunday morning. The door on the work trailer was banging and sleep was slipping away so I went out to shut it. The thermometer on the wall said 66 degrees but as I ran across the yard I could tell it was coming down (I had slipped on only my shoes). By the time I was back in bed the temp had dropped to 60. Sleep was out of the question so Barbara made coffee and warmed up pizza for breakfast. I like cold pizza for breakfast myself but it goes better with stale beer, so I settled for warm. Meanwhile we tried to find a weather report on TV.
By 7:00 the wind was blowing 45/60 and the temp was down to 40 degrees. What's going on, it is almost May. I spent some time trying to finish up a few things left from Saturday but the wind chill was a real factor. I had laid about 40 concrete blocks and tools were everywhere. The best I could do was to pick up and put away. Trying to close the gates was interesting.
The blocks were hard to work with until I was able to stand up to lay them. Once I was able to run strings and the base was level I walked right along. Next trip I will bring the blocks up to 32" high and then run 24" inches of glass blocks on top, neat. I measured the gate post for a bell but then this morning with all the wind I thought that even a brass bell would just end up like a wind-chime and drive us crazy so more thought on the subject. Hmmm... We got on the road early and fought the wind and fog all the way back to Austin.

Don't Pay the Ransom

I haven't posted much this winter 'cause I've had a lot going on. I try to make it to the bunker once a month or more, and I have, but I didn't do much work so there isn't too much to talk about.
The gates are finished and I have been planning the courtyard walls. As soon as it gets warm enough to work I'll have some sand (20 tons) delivered and begin laying the courtyard blocks. I'm wondering how to do that with my bum knee but I have a plan. I've got an old steel post hole digger that I can modify to pick up a block by the edge and then place it within an eight of an inch of the last block. A slight kick will seat it and make ready for the next one. All of this can be done standing up and will probably save my back too. We'll see.
On the first of March Sul Ross down in Alpine is hosting the Cowboy Poetry Gathering again. If you have never been to one of these gatherings you are missing one of the best times you will ever have. Cowboys (and girls) from all over the country come to tell their lives in verse. It's like strolling through an antique shop when every turn brings back memories you thought were lost. See you there.

Last look at the gates

This is a shot from down the driveway. The gateposts are stuccoed and if you look hard enough you can see the railing on top of the spiral stairs. The railing was made from a bike rack that I picked up at Habitat for Humanity re-store, like the stairs themselves and the doors for the gates. A little cutting and welding and a lot of grinding and it fits and looks good.
It really comes together now and we can move to the inside for the winter. I still need to finish out the skylight and paint the bathroom, two small jobs I've been putting off too long.

Did I Say Homey?

Here's a shot from the inside which makes it look more like home. The bunker has been livable for more than a year but it seems like all of the pictures are of the outside. This is the kitchen/dinning room/living room/entry/hallway to the bedroom, etc. In a small cabin like this you don't have room to dance (unless it's one of those huggyup styles). We will live mostly outside when I get the courtyard finished anyway, " small is good".
I am looking for a telescope for the roof although I know that it is cold up there even in the summer. It's a shame to let those high altitude, dark nights go to waste. We have been up there at night and you can read a newspaper by starlight. If there is a moon you could get a bad case of moon-burn.

Lookin' good

The bunker is beginning to look like like a finished project (from the front anyway) and with a little grass cutting it should be done. We went out last week and painted the gates and did a few other fix up projects. Barb painted the spiral stairs and learned that you have no room to turn without getting into the paint. Her right arm looked like a raccoon tail. It was Wednesday before it all came off. The crane is in the back and for the first time in a long time the front looks homey. Next trip I will stucco the gate posts.
We tried a new restaurant Saturday down in Marfa. It came highly recommended but it was a minor disappointment for us because we are more steak and potatoes types.

Time for Some Photoshop

The gate posts and beam will be done in the same color as the bunker. The gates get painted next trip and I will probably remove the front door and paint it too just to keep the colors the same. Time for the crane, seen on the right side of the picture, to move to the rear of the bunker to get ready to build a carport or something. That will open up the parking area in front of the gates and keep things looking trim.

West Texas views

A friend sent me this link with some really neat web cam shots of Fort Davis and Guadalupe peak. There are a lot of shots of El Paso but I'm sure you'll like them all. They are updated 4 times and hour and run 24 hrs a day which makes for some night shots of El Paso which are spectacular.

Return to the Bunker

Well, it took a while but we returned to the Bunker this weekend. I was concerned that I couldn't do much so I lowered my expectations to just finishing the gates. As you can see it turned out really nice. Each of those slabs weighed 150 plus and I was able to wrestle them around in spite of the knee. I only had trouble when I dropped something or was working close to the ground for some reason.
I may not be 100% yet but close enough to continue where we left off. I have decided to hold off on building the addition for a while, at least until I am able to spend more time at the bunker. We are still not finished with the courtyard and that West wall so we have a year or so to make up our minds. In the meantime I can make the drive without stopping every hour to stretch that leg and that means a trip every four weeks or so and things will move along at a good clip. More later.

Porch

This is a shot of the sign while the sun was still high. Looks pretty neat though. The glass blocks on the gate wall show well too. All in all it was a pretty good trip. I can hardly wait to have enough strength in my legs to get back to work. Most of the remaining work involves concrete or SIP panels so I'll need all my faculties.

Texas Roadhouse

Went out to the bunker this weekend and couldn't do much so I hooked up the neon to see how it looked at night. Wow, I bet the neighbors wondered what was going on. It showed up down on the highway, about a mile away, and I was waiting for a tourist to come up looking for a cool one. I did a few other, easy, things like hooking up a few more electrical sockets in the kitchen and installing another TV set in the living room (a 900 ft/sq cabin with three TVs and one is a 96" projection set up just for football games). I did have some trouble with my knee because of the uneven ground and the 6 hours of travel each way but I'm getting better each week. My next visit to the "saw bones" (in this case a true statement) is the fifth of June and I expect he will release me and I can go on with my life with just a twinge now and then. I'm ready.

Neon
Originally uploaded by neilsmth.

Imagine an arched beam across the top of the gate. The doors will fit high and tite to this beam to give me about seven inches of clearance above the ground so four inches of compacted sand and two inches of paver can run under and three feet out front to make an apron in front of the gate. The pavers will cover the courtyard and make a realy nice patio.

Planning time

While I was grounded with the knee I had lots of free time. I had a stack of foamboard too, so as you can see I tried my best to model the bunker. I know it looks amateurish but that's the best I could do with a ruler and a razor blade. The picture is from a high front angle and shows the wall at the rear of the courtyard and the gates in the front. Not so noticeable is the low fence which runs along the right side of the courtyard. All in all it is a fine representation and I'll be glad if the real thing turns out as well.... In the mean time I am regrouping and planning my next few trips. The gates will go up on the next trip, if I can work with this leg, as you can see it takes four exterior doors and makes a heavy pair of bifolds. I have two six by six posts which will bolt to the wall on each side of the opening and provide a plumb frame to hang the doors. If I find that they try to sag I can use a barn door track and wheels to keep them in line. Once they are up I'll stucco both sides and the arch over the doors. It'll look great.

I'm Back

While I am not 100% yet I am getting around like a three legged dog. My pain threshold is high. Living with three females and working for two more will do that to you. It still hurts though. I go in for PT three times a week and will for a while and the girls there make sure I suffer too.
This knee thing started back at Christmas when Barb and I were on our way to Mexico for a short vacation. Didn't make it through the airport in Houston and had to come back home to eventually get the darn thing replaced. I owe her a nice trip but I have trouble traveling so we will stick to Texas. A few days in Kerrville and I am going to visit the bunker but I'll just walk around and take stock of the things that need to be done. We will make the trip a little slower, probably two days each way.
Chapman Building Systems, in Kerrville will supply the SIP panels which will make the West wall of the courtyard and, if I finish the project, the addition. I will meet with them Thursday to discuss the project and to make sure I'm on the right track.
Back to work next week on a light basis but I need to give John a break because he has been covering for me all this time. Thanks John.

UPDATE, UPDATE: 4/2/07......Nothing to report for the last three weeks, I am just trying to do all the exercises and get my feet back under me. Yesterday I did my day walks (1/4 mile around the block) three times. I felt so good that when Barb got home I took her for a walk only this time we did the full neighborhood (1.1 mile) so I made my goal plus a little-bit. I'm not 100% yet but I'm coming along.

Try, try again

Tomorrow is the day. Tuesday the 13th. The Dr. will turn his skills with a drill, a saws- all and pair of pliers into a bionic knee replacement for me. Oh, I forgot the hammer. I don't know if I'm going to the hospital or a muffler shop. By noon it should be over and then several weeks of teaching the muscles to live with a foreign object. I'll be ship shape in a month or so. My personal goal is to be able to walk a mile in three weeks. Once I can do that I'll be ready to go back to work in another week or so, if they will take me back. I need to get back to work on the bunker too. It's time to do the gates and the wall around the courtyard. All the parts are there and a couple of trips should be enough to get it under control.

UPDATE: 3/15/07.....Home already. The knee went like clockwork and the pain was so tolerable that I didn't have to resort to morphine at all. I was up walking Tues evening and on Wed morning I walked the whole sixth floor hall (between a quarter and a half mile). Dr was pleased and sent me home today and the pain is still tolerable but worse. Like a giant charlie horse, the joint is not involved but the muscles that hold every thing in place hurt like a tooth ache. I'll work on it.

Eclipse at the Bunker

eclipse
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

The eclipse was almost over when the moon came up. The bite out of the top lasted about 10 minutes and by then the moon had lost its red glow and was just another Full Moon over Fort Davis. I doubt it looked any better from the observatory across town. Oh, and by the way the temperature was about 15 degrees this morning but at least the wind wasn't blowing like it did Saturday.

Update on the Hawk

Since I didn't get the new knee on the 23rd I was able to check out the Cushman. All I found were rotten gas lines, a bad fuel pump and dry brakes. Replaced everything and it started and ran like a top. Still don't have any brakes (the horn works) but that should be an easy fix when I'm able to get around on my new knee. Even if I have to replace the whole system I will come in well under the 500.00 I was hoping for. The knee should be on the 12th of March so I am still limping around on crutches and a cane.

Curses, foiled again!

Went to the hospital this morning for the new knee and at the last minute the Dr. postponed it. I had the usual "springtime in Austin" problem with allergies. It turns out that ANY infection in the system could migrate to the new knee and hide there. The complications would be detrimental to the new joint and how it is accepted by my body. Who knew. Anyhow they started me on an aggressive antibiotic and sent me home for a week or 10 days when we will try again.
My friend John, who was going to cover for me for the next six weeks, is off the hook for now and I will have to go back to the office and un-hug all the girls that hugged me for luck. I really want it over with because the pain is bad and hobbling around on crutches is a real drag.

CUSHMAN HAWK

TRUCKSTER
Originally uploaded by neilsmth.

This is the next addition to the bunker. A local landscape company had this really neat Cushman Hawk setting next to a shed waiting for parts. Three years, no one remembers anything. The boss said get rid of it so there you are on the spot. What would you do? Right, drag it home and take a chance that it will run. It will have to wait till I get my new knee and break it in but this I know.
The 16hp BS twin is free and seems to have plenty of compression. The alternator is gone but the brackets are there and the starter is on the motor. The brakes are nonexistant but it is a cable/hydurolic system and there is lots of slack and little fluid, maybe just an adjustment and top off. Seats are sunburned and need to be replaced. I'm betting that less than $500.00 puts in in running order. It will be nice to have around the place if only for hauling rocks. The bed is the right height to work from and it will make a mobile workbench too.

ArtCar

ArtCar
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

I have been looking for a new car to make the trip to the bunker and I think I've found one. BS says there is not enough chrome for her taste so I guess I'll stick to the truck.

Back to the Bunker

Since I will be tied down with this new knee for a while I thought I would run out to the bunker this weekend just to make sure it is still there. I wanted to go the 23rd because the cowboy poetry gathering will be down the road at Alpine that weekend but that's the day the new joint gets placed. Drat!
I'm not too surefooted right now so I won't get much done, unless that skunk is still under the front porch. He was there last trip but waddled off before I could get the gun. This time he may meet hot lead. I hope he's gone.
Dr. says I'll be able to do most things that I can do now, just don't fall down and stay away from ladders. I'll remember that when I do the roof of the addition and what about the spiral stairs aren't they a sort of ladder. Oh well take it one step at a time and I will have a lot of time.

Needles

Needles
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

Back to the keyboard

Posting has been light (non-existant) for the past few months. Problems on the home front involving the "C" word and an unrelated knee replacement. The knee is still to be done but it's going to to happen.
The knee blew while running across the Houston airport to catch a flight to Guadalahara on Christmass day. We turned around and went home and I've been on crutches ever since. Tomorrow I will see the bone doc and schedule the replacement. I tried to avoid the new knee but I just can't get rid of the pain so it has to be.
The other problem has been in the works since September when a major jump in the precursor caused a mild panic and really messed up my fall. After seeing several Dr.'s and many more tests we scheduled the surgery for the 15th of January. I opted for a high-dose radiation procedure and it involved the inplanting of 16 Very long hollow needles into which a cable with a radioactive tip would be inserted and left for varing lenghts of time. This was to happen four times over two days. No one took the weather into account though and with the ice storm hittng that day we had to do two treatments on the 15th and re-implant the following Monday with two more tratments. It will be a few months before we know if it took but the Dr. is positive and so am I. I'll be 100% before you know it and get back to work on the bunker.

Smoker

Next stop the LSB. I just had to have this one. I bought it from a neighbor whose dad had it made by a flight instructor of mine from South Texas back about 1959. What goes around..... There were many times that Cessna 120 felt like it was made out of the same hunk of steel and had the same solid wheels. I lived through it though and became a fair pilot but those days are gone and the smoker is still a welcome addition to the bunker.

I cooked a turkey and a big briskit the Saturday after Thanksgiving and it held heat like a dream and was very easy to regulate. Both hunks of meat came out lookin like coal but inside the meat was jucy and sweet.

Now I have to figure out a way to transport it to the bunker. It weighs about three hundred pounds and is very top heavy.

Whats cookin

Whats cookin
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

Back in town

California was nice but I am glad to be back. We arrived at LAX about 9:00AM and picked up a new Pacifica for the jaunt out to Venice beach for brunch. Spent about three hours just people watching. We just bummed around the rest of day, even visiting a Trader Joes out in Reseda. By five we were heading for Hollywood and the restaurant linked below. Due to the time difference and having to try to catch a 5:00AM flight we turned in the rental car and turned in early. We had a little trouble getting out of LAX (got bumped 4 times) because everyone was traveling for thanksgiving. I did have a back up reservation on Southwest so I was GOING to make it home. Back before sundown.

No News is ......

Been trying to make it to the bunker all month. There are many reasons we haven't made it, not the least is there is just too much to do this month. This weekend I plan to take Barbara out to California, to her favorite resturant in West Hollywood, for our aniversary. We will fly out early Sat morning and spend the day on the coast hiway; Venice,Santa Monica, Malibu, etc. Then back into WH for the Gardens of Taxco
It is the best Mexico City style cusine in the US. They have an unusual drink that they call a margarita but it is made with sweet vermouth and fruit juices that makes your toes curl up like a baby on the breast. Yumm.. Then a good nights sleep and back to Austin Sunday morning.

Gate Too

Gate Too
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

Concrete blocks from doors and windows. 0.00
Doors from habitat-for-humanity re-store 40.00
Gates for courtyard priceless
I love to make something from nothing. These doors will really look great when they are hung and painted. The glass blocks on the upper left corner will be back-lit at night to compliment the porch light. I also have a 4X12X12ft truss which will span the gates and be covered with foamboard and stucco to make an arch over the gate. Everything will match the stucco of the bunker and look like it is part of the compound.

gate

gate
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

Gate post

Gate post
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

Wind Farm West of Ozona

Wind Farm West of Ozona
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

West Texas SUV

West Texas SUV
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

Way to Date

On the way to the bunker this month we stopped for a steak in Ozona, this is roughly half way and the they have the best steaks just East of the Pecos. There was a young man and his date at the next table and the were obviously celebrating, you know ordering the big chicken fried steak and extra gravey. They were fun to watch and the whole place kind of joined in. When we left we saw their ride. No SUV for them. See above. Now thats the way to travel out here.

Quarter View

Quarter View
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

Glass Fence

Glass Fence
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

Glass Blocks

Glass Blocks
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

Glass Blocks

A high school was undergoing renovation here in Austin and I scored a few hundred 8X8 glass blocks. I don't know yet what I will use them for but I think they might be good for the fence. Four feet of adobe with sixteen inches of glass block with a cap of adobe sounds neat to me. I may incorporate them into the gate somehow. No reason to let them go to waste. They may work in the addition too, as a shower or the base for an island in the kitchen. We will see.

Light Polution

It's dark out here. UT operates McDonald observatory in Fort Davis just because of the lack of light and the clear cold air. This is what you would see if you were looking down from space trying to see me sitting on the roof in my shorts drinking a Mexican Martini. You can see that ther are not many lights Southeast of El Paso.
It cools down really fast when the sun goes down and believe me shorts are not the uniform of the night. That's what is nice about the Davis Mountains. Even in the summer when temps get into the nineties the mountain thunderstorms cool it back into the seventies/eighties and when the sun goes down it drops into the sixties at least and add in a little wind (yes the wind blows, a lot) and it starts to feel even colder. It is super to toast the end of the day from the roof and watch the fantastic light show that changes with each cloud or passing plane.

The wall

Finished laying up the blocks for the corner post this weekend. I need to find a 18ft cedar beam to lay across the top and the gates will be ready to hang. The neighbors are wondering what I'm doing with the crane and all the blocks. One of them came by Sunday morning and stayed for the whole tour. His place is right across from the bunker at about the same level.
We talked about the guy down the hill that had told me about the mountain lion that might be living under the bunker (in the escape tunnel). If there was a lion he must have been on the move like the bear that wandered through years ago. No signs of either of them. A small herd of desert bighorn sheep came through Sunday and some deer so that sort of shows the big preditors are not around. All in all a pretty nice weekend.

Playing with blocks

Playing with blocks
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

Vacation to the North

The 4th of July is our time to seek the adventure and coolness of Canada and the NorthEast Coast of the US. We flew into Manchester NH to avoid Boston and its problems. First stop was a resturant called Legal Sea Food in Burlington. I had read about it and wanted to try their Clam Chili. Being a Texan I Know chili and the clam didn't measure up. It may have been too much chili powder or the beans but I'll pass.
Next it was on to Gloucester and a really neat seaside inn. We were off in the morning up the coast to Ipswich for another resturant called the Clam Box. What a terrific meal, 25 fresh clams, as many scallops, all deep fried with about 2 pounds of fries and fresh fried onion rings as well as a bucket of cold slaw (or if you prefer cole slaw). It satisfied my clam hunger and then some. On up the coast to Portland, Augusta then inland to Quebec City. This city was as close to Paris as I will ever get. Old town was narrow streets and open cafes. We were there on Moving Day and along with an international bike race and Canada Day so it was really crowded. Still, we have made reservations to go back on Barbaras' birthday.

Back from Quebec

Back from Quebec
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

Minor injury

While drilling the blocks to stabilize them I hit a rebar and the drill stopped. No problem, I'll just back up and start again. When I pulled up on the drill I grabbed the switch and the drill spun out of my hand and snapping two knuckles in the process. It's been two weeks now and I've got 95 percent use back and the swelling is down so I'll try to bring this blog up to date.
UPDATE Tried to finish the wall the weekend of the 15th and like the dummy I am I let the drill spin again. This time it really hurt. The pain was so bad, I relented and went to the Dr. and he put me on a course of steroids for the swelling. Nothing was broke but the pain was much worse and still is. The swelling has gone down but the pain is still there. I'll give it a couple more weeks but I think it will be all right. It seems as though as I get older it takes longer to bounce back from these small injuries.
The wall looks good and is about half finished as you can see. Three more blocks high and I'll start on the other side. The gate will swing on hinges mounted through steel studs set in concrete. Don't know what I'll make the gates out of but probably rough cedar with wrought iron fixtrues. The fence will be a hybred of steel studs and EIFS foam and a polymer cement mixture. The finish will match the bunker in color and texture and also will finish the kiva and the 16 foot false front at the western end of the courtyard. This false front will stand alone until it becomes part of the addition.

dennycrane

dennycrane
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

dennycrane

dennycrane
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

Playing with blocks

As you can see from the pictures above and below the wall is starting up. Each block weights about 500 pounds so the wall may take several trips to finish. These are the blocks that were cut to make the door and windows in the bunker. Had to do something with them so I am incorporating them into the gate posts. I am up to 40 inches, the blocks on top are just there for trial fits because I ran out of mortar. Barbara learned how to operate the crane (we call it Denny) and I guide the blocks into place. The pictures are after one very long day so if I hope to top it off at 7+ feet we will have to hustle. Another wall will be built over at the corner of the bunker to make the other side of the gate. The gate will be 12 feet wide and the nearest one to the bunker will have a 30 inch door in it so we can come and go into the courtyard more easily.
The crane is from a contractor that used it to build log homes and it will come in very handy when the addition starts up next year. It can lift a 3,000 lb load to 28 feet and can be towed behind a pickup. We bought it two years ago off ebay and a 16 ft trailer came with it and there are times, like the wall, where nothing else would do.

Wall going up

Wall going up
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

Time to begin the expansion

Everything went well over Memorial day. The A/C had a slight fit and blew out a transformer, no I don't know why, probably gremlins. I had another unit in the trailer for the addition so a quick swap of transformers and viola, cools like a champ. Unloaded the trailer and stacked the studs in lenghts and widths so when the time comes it will be easy to lay my hands on the right ones. I need to take the trailer back to Austin because I have purchased a load of trusses for the roof and it is time to load up eveything else in the back yard and bring it to the bunker. This time I will leave the trailer at the bunker.
The first order of business is to fence the courtyard and build the kiva, which is a big fireplace/oven, that will make up the NW corner of the courtyard and the North end of the fence. The fence will be 5 to 6 feet tall and I have about a hundred glass blocks and some wine bottles that will add color and light. The gates are part of the package too but I don't have that figured out yet. Maybe I'll run across some weathered barn wood or something similar and will make the gates look like they have been there forever.

Memorial day weekend

It's still decoration day to guys my age. This is another loose ends trip. I have a trailer load of steel studs to unload and an air conditining compressor to install. I found some ready made trusses at habitat for humanities that will really work on the west side so I have to bring the trailer home again.
If you can picture this: the "taco bell tower" will be a 20'x20' two story structure at the West end of the courtyard and will join with a 14' shed roof along the West side of the Bunker. The tower will be a living room and the rest will be a bath and an office/bedroom. The shed roof will be tile as the mansard on the bunker and the roof of the tower will be flat. Big ideas, huh? So far the frame and roof trusses are less than 1k and the walls, which will be 8" sip panels, will add about 3k. My labor, which is worth zip, will bring the total to 6k for the addition. Stay tuned.

Phase One Finished

It was 1,303 miles in two days but the load of studs is home. We left Austin at 6:00 on Sat morning, reaching Farmersville (35 miles NE of Dallas) at 10:00. Terry's kids were home from college so it only took an hour to load all the studs. On the road by 11:30. Eight hours later we were in Pecos where we had to make up our minds to stay the night or drive in the dark for a couple of hours. The thought of our own bed at the bunker won, at 10:00 PM we pulled into the driveway.
The load came off easy and Barbara finished her work in the bunker so by 10:00 we were on the road again (that would make a good song title...Oh, wait). What to do for Mothers day, food always works so we pulled off interstate 10 at Iraann and headed for Coopers Bar-B-Que at Llano. Without a doubt it is the best in Texas, a state with a LOT of B-B-Q. Be sure to put a drool guard on your keyboard before you click on the link. We had an early dinner and were home by six. Next I will take the trailer from here out to the bunker and the frame for the courtyard and the addition will be ready to build.

View from the driveway

View from the driveway
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

Stud watch

Not what you think. I found some metal studs on e-bay that will frame the addition and several other things around the place. I had to go to Dallas to pick them up and it turned out that there were many more than I thought. I loaded my trailer to the limit and stacked some on the top of the truck and will still have to go back for another load. I left about 100 2x8x20's and 50 2x6x14's an a ton of connectors and stuff. They are really heavy too, 14 and 16 ga. A logistics nightmare. The full trailer sits here in Austin and I have to rent a trailer to go to Dallas, then to Ft Davis, unload, and back, then the trailer from here to Ft Davis where I'll leave it for a while. I had planned to make the addition 14x45 but with all these 20'ers I will make it bigger. There are enough to build a freestanding garage, too, so the bunker will look more like a compound.

The Gate

Below is a bad photoshop rendering of the front gate at the courtyard. This wall is to be constructed from the large concrete blocks that were cut for windows and door. They are many and are in the way so this is the best thing I could think of to do with them. They will be "dry stacked" and trimmed to square. Each course will be pinned with rebar drilled through and leveled, if required, with a shovel of mortar. The beam will be peeled cedar like the porch posts and will serve to give lateral support for the weight of the gates. The gates will be built from cedar tongue and grove and have a 32" door on one side for access to the courtyard.

photoshop of future

photoshop of future
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

The Corner Post Footings are Ready

The Corner Post Footings are Ready
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

Working with the tractor and moving LOTS of rocks gave me this nice flat

courtyard. The pavers are there and ready to be laid. The cornerpost and

the bunker side of the gate will be next.

Tractor work

Not buying a tractor is one of the best moves I have made. For two hundred bucks I was able to rent a back-hoe (as opposed to just a 6th street one) and move all the dirt and rocks that I could stand. The West side was leveled and a large hole filled where the sewer exited the slab. The courtyard was dressed and leveled and all of the concrete blocks that came out of the door and windows were moved in preparation for stacking up and making one side of the courtyard.

Roadhouse

Roadhouse
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

Ready to start

Ready to start
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

Easter

Time for this months assault on the mountain. I have reserved a tractor/backhoe and now the fun will begin. First I will use the bucket to mow the weeds and pick up the rocks that are everywhere. There is a large hole on the West side where the sewer comes out of the bunker and I will level this side before moving on to the digging.
Footings are next, both for the courtyard wall and the false front that will be the West wall. Should take most of the day Saturday and even part of Sunday if I find rocks. All the rolling stock gets relocated and the place will begin to look like mountain top villa, which it is, and the outdoor structures will start up.
Barbara is assigned the job of painting the spiral stairs. I think she plans to sit in a bucker of paint and slide down the handrail. Anyhow that will make it look great.
This trip Pepi will go with us. G'maw dosen't let her go normally so we are taking them both. I'll have plenty of pictures to post after this trip.

Stair

Stair
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

Now it really looks good.

Texas Flag

Texas Flag
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

This picture was taken toward the stair entrance. The metal is covering the frame for the tile roof and dresses up the view. The flagpole is on the top of the tunnel that runs from the bunker to the clif and the picture below was taken with my back to the pole.

Stairs

Stairs
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

The stairs are up. The wall had to be cut to clear two stair treads but it looks really good. The concrete pad that the stairs set on forms the first step and it fits. All in all when I finish at the top landing it will the first step in the courtyard design. The top of the tunnel forms a sidewalk that runs 20' to the rock wall on top of the clif and the flagpole sits at the end.

Welcome

Welcome
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

This is the completed bunker from the front.

KIVA

KIVA
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

While this is not my handiwork it is a good idea of what I will do in

the corner of the courtyard.

Courtyard wall

Courtyard wall
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

Line drawing example: This will be the NW wall of the courtyard. The right side is made from the blocks that were cut out for the windows. These blocks will form a "L" shaped corner and a gate will run to the bunker. The gate in the picture will be mostly for looks but it will provide access to the flag pole which will be behind the Kiva and outside the wall. On the left will stand a wall that will be fourteen ft tall and look just like the front of a spanish villa. This wall will provide shelter from the wind and when the addition is started will be incorporated into the construction.

The Big 65

Birthday, today. This is the biggie, that's what "they" say but somehow I don't feel any change at all.
Work on the bunker is all but finished. It will be nice to just enjoy it for a few trips. I know, I know, just being here will cause both of us to work on something. Now that the heat is all ducted in it's looking like summer and I will have to hook up the AC. The carpet is down and the floor really looks good. I think I'll start planning the courtyard.

Valentines Day

Happy Valentine Day. This blog is the best place for that wish. Valentine is the only other town in Jeff Davis county. Each year the post office gets inundated with cards to stamp and send all over the world. Neat post mark, eh. As for Barb and I, we are as much in love as ever and we are way ahead of the day because we have a "date" each Wed for lunch. And this bunker has been an on going work of love too. One of these days we will be able to spend more time here and that will be a great day.

Texas Roadhouse

May have to change the name of the bunker. These neons came from a B-B-Q joint that was undergoing transformation to a Madam Mam's. If there is Anything that is as good as Texas B-B-Q it's Viet/Thai from the madam. I think I'll place the neon pieces where you can see them from the highway. It'll be too far away to read them but it will make everyone wonder.

neon

neon
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

pix

pix
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

pix

pix
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

pix

pix
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

Bunker pictures

Bunker pictures
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

Bunker pictures

Bunker pictures
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

The rest of the courtyard

After the kiva is completed (at least the structure) the rest of the courtyard will be enclosed with a knee fence and gates at the front. The gates will be swung from the bunker NE corner and a wall made from the concrete which was cut from the door and windows. This wall will be a rubble style with the North face appearing to be crumbling down to the knee wall. The knee wall will be of various heights (as rubble) and in the center topped with an arch then continued to the kiva. Drawing below shows the general concept.
The construction of the wall will be metal frame covered with EPS and drivit. This wall will be anchored with concrete each four feet. There will be no attempt to make it water tight other than sloping the earth away from it on both sides.

Fence rendering

Fence rendering
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

After the Kiva is finished work on the fence will commence.

A really new year

I was chided by Van about not keeping up this blog. A picture may be worth a thousand words but lately that's all I have posted.
I'll try to do better this year.
First of all the Bunker is Done. Lots of little things to do but if I didn't hit another lick it would be liveable. The next phase is to make the courtyard a showplace. The first project, outside of the spiral stairs, will be to build a "kiva". That's the beehive style fireplace you see in all the fancy places in Santa Fe. I will start with a fireplace insert and make a chimney (chimley, for some of you) out of square sewer tile. The whole thing will be on a raised platform in the NW corner of the courtyard. The raised platform will be the sit-on hearth and become part of another porch when that phase is started. Then I will begin with sand bags full of dirt alternated with barbed wire, (bob wire to some) to keep them from sliping, arranged in a circle that gets smaller and smaller as it reaches the chimney. Once formed the shape can be tweaked with a large hammer and a 4X4 then covered with stucco. The opening will be glass block arranged in an arch and set so as to catch and reflect the fire.