Hello from the Gulf Coastal Plain of Texas.

It sure is hot and humid for a fat boy from West Texas! I have been downing the fluids. Water, Gatorade, and I have pickle juice waiting in the wings because I am already cramping. Two of those big potassium tabs might not be enough in this environment.

I have tried to get my feet on the ground. I've been to Home Depot (Oh, how I hate that store!), and purchased groceries at Wal mart. While I was out and about I realized I was just seventeen miles from Sinton so I drove on over and visited TJ.

This was the first time I have been back to her grave site since we were down last year when we buried her. It broke my heart again.

I still can't believe both she and Fred are gone.

I returned to the gin plant to find that they had broken a hydraulic line. They were down for about four hours welding it up.

I was excited to learn that the plant has wireless internet. I got out my laptop and try as I might I could not get it to ding. I could remember a while back getting an error message that said for power savings it was turning off my wireless. I finally took my laptop in the office and placed it right by one of the girls that work in there (She is a Casey, like Kasey who worked with me before). Her computer could detect three wireless networks while my computer sat there and looked stupid.

Finally we got it to tell us what the problem was and then we had to find the wireless switch to enable it. Thank goodness, it is up and working. I felt like half a man without my internet.

The plant shut down at 7 tonight. This might be the last time before we go twenty-four/seven.

I think I am going to take full advantage of it and take a shower and go to town and eat. For the last two days it has only been two sandwiches. I think I will go to Chili's although I would have to throw in Hooter's just to antagonize K.O..

My trailer is taking shape. I put up all the groceries and even began styling my office.

Hope your week is going well. I can't believe it is already going to be Friday!

FATHER, thank YOU for the safe trip. I pray for safety for all the workers and drivers. I pray that our program will be workable and worthwhile. YOU are KING. Bless-ed Be.

Clear my calendar!

I've always wanted to say that.

I am extremely weary. Six o'clock Friday morning, Chris and I finished preparations and left the house and headed to K.O.'s house to begin the trip to Fairfield for the weekend show.

I knew that K.O. and his nephew had had a late night, I just didn't know how productive it had been. They had installed a new engine is a competition vehicle and fired it about 1:45 Friday morning, only that slap the spark plugs with the pistons and "close" the gap! No spark, no run.
They were already up and at 'em and things were hoppin' 'round there. Loading was going on in three eighteen wheel "semi-s" and a big pickup with a RV.

Finally, K.O. told me and Chris to hop in an go. We were taking the oldest truck of the three and one final preparation was to charge the air conditioning. K.O. put a can of 134A freon in it and we began a walk around. In short order we heard a pop much like a 22 rifle. One of the hoses on the A/C had balooned and burst! Yuk! We were looking at almost three hundred miles each way in Texas in a truck with no A/C. At 11:11, Chris and I were on the road. (Three hours and eleven minutes later than planned).

Chris and I just puttered along. 61 to 62 miles per hour. We sure didn't want a repeat of the the last time we tried to take the "project" to a show.

Things went pretty well. One stop in Hico to tighten up a locking hub and it's adapter. Luckily, we met up with four competitors and they had all the tools we needed (because K.O. and the rest of our convoy were an hour behind us). Just outside of Waco, Chris and I heard a noise that sounded like car keys being thrown against the side of the truck. Chris commented, "That didn't sound good!"

In just a moment I smelled anti-freeze and when I glanced down, the temperature gauge was sweeping! Immediately I jumped of the throttle and began coasting, hoping it would begin cooling down. That didn't happen. I finally turned the ignition off and coasted to a stop. When we tilted the hood if the truck over, we found an idler gone and the water pump belt missing.

My first call was to K.O.. After that, five cell phones began calling various dealers and repair shops in Waco, trying to locate the necessary parts. (We were fortunate to have the competitors running in a newly formed convoy). After an hour K.O. arrived, and another hour later we became resolved that we couldn't find the parts to make the repairs to the "project". Finally a decision was made and we dropped one of K.O.'s trailers hauling his competition equipment as we removed the broken truck from pulling the "project". The final assessment was that the show could go on with two less competition vehicles but without the project, there would be no show.

Talk about a step up, Chris's and my new ride was a late model Peterbilt (K.O.'s wife Debbie had been driving it but she wasn't comfortable pulling the project). Best part was we had air conditioning! We continued on and arrived at the show location one hour before show time. We did a quick thrash, getting the "project" ready for the show, and it rolled onto the track prior to eight o'clock. I changed shirts and made my way to the announcer's booth, walking down the track to get there. In twenty-nine years I have never seen as poor of track preparation. The group promoting this even obviously have no concept of what preparations need to be done.

Friday nights show got no better than that. A two and a half hour show stretched to four hours. That made for a miserable evening for me in the announcer's booth and K.O., D.O., Landon and Chris trackside working with the project. After the show we gathered to go over and assess the "project" to be sure it had worked as designed.

Chris and I caught a ride to the motel and when we walked in, it was three in the morning.

I am not a night person. That was bad enough, but most mornings by that time I am cracking my eyes.

Saturday when we woke, Chris and I went next door to the "Golden Arches dinner club", ate and called Pat. She was twenty-nine miles away at Palestine with the new grand-baby. She and Robyn drove over to get Chris (I wanted to go see Chloe, but felt that we had to much maintenance to do to the "project".

It ended up we did the required maintenance, but most of my afternoon was spent with the President of the sanctioning body and then the chairman of the event.

I have never been in a position like this. For the week prior to the event, the chairman had been making changes to our agreement, which was made about the first of this year. Saturday he was telling me that his committee was not happy with the way Friday's show went and they didn't feel compelled to pay our agreed rental rate for the "project". He went on, telling me they didn't want me to announce the Saturday show. They had taken offense Friday night when I mentioned the fact that they had additional equipment needs in order to make adequate preparation.

My first inclination was to put the "project" back on the truck and head for Abilene, Texas. While I have been required to bank roll the equipment repair and modifications, K.O. had more hours working on the project than anyone else and I felt that he should have a say in the decision.

Finally, I told the event chairman to pay "what he felt was fair", that I could live with myself because we had done everything we had agreed to do. I continued on to tell this man that I required cash payment on the rental, prior to the beginning of Saturday night's show. He told me they were not prepared to make a cash payment, but he could give me a check. I told him no payment, no show.

Two hours prior to the advertised start of the show, we made two test passes and parked the "project" at the starting line. The announcer began the night's welcome and went into the national anthem and invocation. During this, the sanctioning body president came to me and asked if everything was good. I told him the chairman had failed to make the payment.

Showtime was minutes away, and without payment, so was the big Peterbilt.

With just seconds to spare, the chairman arrived with a check.

I should have dotted his eyes.

Instead, we completed the night's show. K.O. operating the equipment, me making all the decisions from the sideline. I had a notebook with notes from previous shows and even though it may come across as bragging, we knocked it out of the park Friday night.

People are funny, they are quick to complain, but slow to compliment. The jack-ass chairman of the event never acknowledged how well Saturday's show went.

I did tell him that I would not submit another bid for any future events of theirs, because if I did, the outstanding balance would be the first thing on the bid sheet.

Probably the biggest problem I had with the weekend was that K.O., D.O., and Landon, sacrificed competing to assist and operate the "project".

On our way home we stopped and picked up the "repaired truck" and the trailer containing tow pieces of K.O.'s and D.O.'s competition equipment.

Chris and I led the convoy home and with one stop on Waco for lunch, the rest of the trip went pretty much without incident.

The lunch stop was a first for me. We parked several big rigs at the truck stop and piled into vehicles to go eat. We ended up at a Hooter's.

This was something I had lived just better than a half century without experiencing. I was not impressed with the menu or lunch fares, but it was very evident why the restaurant is so popular. I guess what amazes me most is that the waitresses have no problem "dressed" as they were.

They might need to put a warning on the door!

A quick side note, Chris got to meet his new niece Chloe. You know how certain people bring out the best in others, Chris brought out the "poop" in Chloe. He said he had barely began holding her when she did her little entrepreneur imitation.

I just wish things had worked so I could have met her!

Hope things go well for you, today and this week!

FATHER, I am so weary. Renew and refresh me. Thank YOU for the safe travel, for the good show Saturday night. Bless-ed be YOUR name.

Wow, eleven days since I last posted. Needless to say, it has been very hectic, to say the least.

We did the Brownwood reunion. It was fun and nice. Me, Rian, Reid and Holt, all went swimming on the boat ramp of the lodge. For me this was my annual swim. It was fun.

Merrit and Brad drove from Angelo and ended up staying with us in our trailer. It was crowded, but we survived.

We returned late Sunday and I have dedicated the last eight days to "the project". K.O. and I were rewarded, because Wednesday night we started the diesel engine and Thursday K.O. drove it out of the shop and did a shakedown tour for about an hour. (I had told him take the wife and kids to the drive in movie!). We have driven the project everyday, but more importantly, K.O.'s brother, who is a very gifted fabricator, drove in from Keller (His regular job is with Christ Haven, a CoC sponsored home for children). We have had a couple of bust butt days and I think by late today or early tomorrow we will spray some paint.

And that is good! We have to have the project in Fairfield this next weekend.

Another happening is that K.O., myself and Pepa were awarded a contract we had bid on. (I had bid it, they are guilty by association. Now I have to be in Bishop, Texas by August 1 to begin work. I have lawyers to see and get things moving prior to my departure. We are hoping the work lasts four to six weeks. Then we should be back for about a month before leaving for St. Lawrence.

So, we have project work to finish, a show for it next weekend, (with me announcing), then return and get all the equipment ready to go to South Texas.

Probably the highlight of the last week was the arrival of Chloe Madison Sanders. She my first great niece. Pat and Hag are the proud grandparents and Steph and J.R. are the proud parents. I talked with Chris and he told me it sure made him feel old!

(He is 23).

The low point of the week was a doctor's appointment Krl had with another specialist. Contrary to what the orthopedic surgeon had told us, Dr. Mackie was not impressed and scheduled Krl with another specialist. This doctor said she had four broken metatarsal, one broken in two places. Also contrary to what the orthopedic surgeon said, the new specialist says no weight bearing. She now sports a moon boot!

Rian left Thursday for another church camp. At this one, the high school kids are the counselors and them and the youth ministers go four days early to clean and get things ready for the elementary and junior high kids.

Kat is supposed to be coming to stay with us for five days. Her mother has to chaparon Ellen's volleyball team at camp. (I've never heard of that.).

More later.

Hope things are going to suit you.

FATHER, thank YOU for all YOUR blessings. For Chloe, for the good work on the project, for the reunion.

It has been a different kind of a day.

At eight this morning I dropped off one of the travel trailers at the shop. It has been selected as the trailer we will take to the family reunion at Brownwood this weekend. No major problems, just four small things that need to be corrected. Hopefully it will be ready Friday morning.

I stopped by Dr. Mackie's to pick up Krl's x-rays before returning to the house to pick her up for her appointment with the orthopedic surgeon.

We arrived five minutes early, only to wait an hour and thirty-five minutes before being summoned to the exam room. One we arrived there we waited another hour, although we could hear the doctor talking with prosthetic sales people about hunting, workers comp claims and insurance companies. Krl and I both were not too pleased with the doctor when he arrived.

He looked at Krl's x-rays before he examined her foot. Then he decided he didn't like the x-rays and ordered more taken. This meant another wait as we were shuffled to the bottom of his charts.

Finally he came in and told us that he believed Krl's break in her foot was a re-break of an old break and he wasn't going to address it. He continued,telling us that he felt she had torn a ligament in her ankle.

While Dr. Mackie told her not to walk on it, the orthopedic surgeon told her to walk on it and bend it and roll her ankle.

Now we are really confused.

She is supposed to return to see the orthopedic surgeon in three weeks.

I came in to the parts store after lunch. Tomorrow is a "project day".

I'm ready for a weekend!

Have a day!

FATHER, deliver us.

Sunday was a welcome reprieve. We didn't work on the project.

K.O. and Danny were helping Larry put a new grill in at the Better Burger. I offered to help but they said they had all the help they needed and space was cramped. The largest project within their project was cleaning between the removal of the old grill and installation of the new one.
When I last talked with K.O. he said they had finished, or thought they had, when they lit the new grill to discover a gas leak under it.

I did quite a few small things that needed to be done. I hung some Southwest decorative items in our entry way, worked on the pool and finally, let Krl's auto-vac loose. It sure seems that the pool has been difficult to get stabilized this year.

Friday Krl had been in the kitchen and turned on her bad leg. She heard something pop and immediately she could not bear any weight on her left leg. She had called me (I was at K.O.'s shop) but with it being the fourth she didn't want to go to the doctor. Yesterday she did some checking and learned that Doctor Mackie was in, so we loaded up and went to see him.

Our major concern was that she might have re-injured her leg. The orthopedic doctor who treated her last year told her it could take two years for the spiral fracture to fully heal. Of course it has only been seventeen months. The doctor had told Krl she needed to be extremely careful.

When I looked at Krl's leg, it appeared that this time the swelling was lower, but with her old break just above the ankle, it was hard to tell. The nurse x-rayed Krl's leg, taking seven pictures of the lower leg and foot. Before the film was even developed Dr. Mackie was checking on Krl.

Finally the x-rays were ready and put on the board. Much to our relief, Krl's leg appeared to be o.k.. However, her foot is broken. Dr. Mackie is setting it up for her to go see Dr. Cook, an orthopedic surgeon. This is not the same doctor Krl used last year, per Krl's request.

In the mean time, they fitted Krl with a post-op shoe.

Once again, our living room looks like a chair parking lot. Wheel chair and secretary's chair (which Krl uses to go in and out of the narrow bathroom door).

Our next stop was to drop off Krl's prescription to be filled.

In addition to sending Krl to Dr. Cook, he is also setting it up to do a bone density study.

This morning I woke and began getting ready to go in to the parts store when I felt my stomach act up. With a very quick onset, I had an upset stomach. Over the past few days out at K.O.'s I knew his oldest son had an upset stomach. Also Krl had wondered if she had a bout with a stomach bug. I don't know where I got it but I got it.

I am trying to postpone a decision until UPS runs. Last week I had ordered a fitting for one of the parts store's largest customers and it is supposed to be in. If I don't feel any better, in a stroke of luck, I brought two files home from the parts store that I can work on. It is one of those horrible jobs of reconciling payments when the customer didn't designate which invoices they wanted it applied to. I have to try various combinations from a large number of invoices, trying to match the check totals. It isn't a big discrepancy, but we show the customer owes sixty-eight dollars and change and they say they don't. I am afraid that fifty-seven dollars of the sixty-eight may be a lost because there is no signature on the invoice. I have discovered that this appears to be an exact duplicate of an invoice printed in the same minute of the same day, so I am hoping it is a computer glitch. Maybe it is something as simple as the computer double posting.

Well, have a day.

FATHER, thank YOU for the restful day yesterday. While we are disappointed that Krl's foot is broken we are thankful that her leg is not. We lift her up for YOUR gifts of healing. We continue to pray for Addison, that she is well, and that we can put together a plan to get her the help she needs.

Whew, I'm a whipped puppy.

K.O. and I had planned a massive assault from all sides on the "project", beginning Thursday morning. K.O., myself, David (the sanctioning association's President), Clint (a competitor and acquaintance, Danny (K.O.'s brother and my lead fabricator), and Landon (K.O.'s and Danny's nephew) all converged on K.O.'s shop Thursday morning. Actually, David and Clint came in about three in the morning.

K.O. had told me I needed to make sure we got the most from the available help. K.O. began machining some critical pieces on the lathe while David and Landon began removing more pieces from our "donor" machine. Danny and Clint began bouncing ideas off each other and I floated between all the participants. Finally I pushed for the first cut, committing us in a definite direction.

I have found that you can analyze something until you make it more complicated than it really is, so it was with a sigh of relief that I watched Danny take the torch and begin cutting.

No turning back.

We began by installing vertical supports, than the two horizontals extending rearward. From those four pieces everything else would be built and attached. Thursday was a slow day because a lot of time was spent installing components in different configurations, trying to determine our best options.

About fourteen and a half hours from when I left the house, I returned home.

Fourteen hour days were the norm for Thursday and Friday. While Thursday seemed like watching paint dry, Friday saw some noticeable additions to the "project". It also saw David and Clint absent. They had returned to Dublin late Thursday night. Friday morning saw the culmination of the transmission cluster.

That might not seem monumental in your books, but for us, it was a major, major, milestone. The transmission cluster saw the assembling of a four speed transmission with a 205 transfer case, with another bell housing fitted face to face with the bell of the transmission, with prepared mounts for the large hydrostatic motor attaching it at the rear. K.O.'s machined pieces comprised the joining link to take power through to the large truck rear end that propels the piece of equipment.

I don't know if any of us thought it would turn out as well as it did. The concept is trick, the application is mind boggling.

Late Friday, we lifted the diesel engine up to the project to incorporate it into our vision. The only harried moment was when an engine loop, installed by the original equipment manufacturer gave way. We only had one mount in place and the engine did a controlled drop to the cement floor of the shop. I think we all held our breath as we inspected it for any damage.

Luckily we dodged the bullet. The engine was not harmed. Thank goodness.

Saturday, we began again early, finished mounting the diesel engine and began building mounts for all the different systems. One of the best parts of using this engine is that we can drive auxillary drives from both the front and the rear of the engine. K. O.'s second day working on the lathe saw v-pulleys give way to metric panther drives. (A panther drive is a tough kevlar backed belt that rivals chain in strength).

Many of you won't be impressed, but we are. On the front of the engine we drive the fan, the water pump, the alternator, and the hydraulic system that runs the steering and pan drop. On the rear of the engine we drive the hydrostatic pump, the primary hydraulics sytems, and the on board air compressor.

Saturday morning was a tedious day as all these components were fitted and brackets built for installation. The finished product is unbelievable. Danny did a remarkable job fitting so many components in such a small space.

Danny had hoped to help us today, but other obligations came up and he told me Saturday was going to be his last day this trip in. We don't know if he can or will be able to return prior to the show the machine is obligated for the last weekend in July.

Me knowing this, I began a push to cut and tack weld as many other components in place, figuring that K.O. and I will be able to come back and weld them in. I am not as talented with a welder as Danny or K.O., but I can melt two pieces of metal together. Most of the late surge was cosmetic, with a small part being "load bearing".

When we placed the last piece and tack welded it in, I told all the guys, "let's go home!"

When I walked in the house it was a quarter to two in the morning. By the time I had bathed and unwound a little it was after three.

And this is supposed to be fun?

I will be so glad when we complete the project. I am just hoping that this is the "final time" we have a major rebuild on it. I am tempted to hang a for sale sign on it after we put it back out and prove it.

The past week has been a horrible week to try to deal with legal issues. Many of the people I have needed to talk took off to take advantage of the holiday. It may have been just as well though because I have not had time to get together some numbers that the attorneys want before they file their first action.

In one other note, Rian ended up being offered both jobs he had interviewed for, the High School Principal position at Lubbock Christian Schools, and the assistant Principal position at Dunbar Middle School with his friend Jimmy. With some late minute maneuvering, LISD lured him to their team.

I know that Rian had really labored over his decision. He would have loved to work at Lubbock Christian Schools, but with his little family the dollar difference was just too great. There is also speculation that after this year at Dunbar, Rian, his Principal friend Jimmy, and the associate Principal will all be moving as a unit to one of the high schools.

Rian and Jimmy have always wanted to work together since Jimmy left his position with Lubbock Christian University several years ago and joined LISD.

The way things worked out, Rian went to his office at Frenship, prepared his letter of resignation and waited for the Superintendent to stop by to pick it up, e-mailed all of his staff, called his Principal to notify her, and cleaned all his personal belongings out.

The following morning they left with Erica's family to go to Colorado for a week.

And that is what happening here.

Hope you have a day!

FATHER, I am tired, sore, and need a pick me up. Once again I need YOU to carry me.