I took this picture after 10:15 PM

It's just a great illustration of what a digital camera is trying to do to normalize the exposure. It's about a 26 second exposure. There's a bright moon out so that created the shadow - but it IS night! It's foggy and that was the reason for trying to take the picture but the camera just wanted enough light to create a normal exposure and it took seconds rather than a fraction of a second! The eye was not seeing any color - just grays, dark grays, and darker grays!

The woods have been full of birds recently

and also around the house. Many Robins and Northern Flickers, some Bluebirds and seasonal Cedar Waxwings and Juncos. I've also seen more woodpeckers than usual - several kinds - and many of our normal neighbors like Cardinals and Chickadees.

New pulley for the zip line - Updated Post!

It has ball bearings instead of bushings - to go faster! Note the warning! The way I read it it says "This pulley has ball bearings and it's gonna go faster, you'll run into the tree and that's not good for your health! (I also see on the instructions for this that our older pulley with "self-lubricating" bushings needs to be lubricated regularly with a silicone lubricant. I guess I'm missing something there.)

Now all we need is one more harness and we can double the throughput!

OK - The pulley has been tested and it is BLAZING FAST!! So much so we came close to an injury situation. People are going too fast at the bottom to be able to stop. Daniel tested it! (See his comments on FaceBook.) Alex says "I didn't think it would make that much difference!"

Now we have to work on the line itself to solve the opposite problem - how to slow it down.

Our Fifteen Minutes of Snow

One is the Treehouse from around the east bridge. The other isn't.

The Reyes Christmas Tree

Daniel did this and it's a very impressive tree! He's been working with Mark and learning technique but it seems to me that he's showing some talent that's in a few other family members too.

It's getting closer - (to finished)

Thanks to Alex for the cross design!

Jacob

One of the challenges in genealogy research

This is a copy of the transcription record of the 1920 census record for my uncle Charlie. He's listed as Charley Blanders - not Charlie Flanders. Granny is Jarlie O. Blanders - not Verlie, and mom is Ida M. Blanders, not Ida N. Flanders. You could go a long time without ever finding this record!

On the other hand, the genealogical things that are available on line now are truly amazing - as is the software that handles them! I wasn't even looking for the record above - the program found it and suggested it.

Winnsboro

We keep getting amazed at this little town!

We went to Quitman this evening - "Friends of the Arboretum" and Chamber of Commerce mixer at the old historic Stinson House in the park. I'm getting acquainted with a lot of the folks through the master gardeners (where I'm V.P. for next year). But point being, we were out and decided to drive to Winnsboro for a latte at a little place that we like to go, "Art & Expresso".

As usual when we got to town it was hard to find a parking place (Thurs, Fri, & Sats). Then, as we were walking up to the coffee shop we could see that there was some live entertainment tonight. It's a little coffee shop - could seat maybe 16-18 people max. But there was entertainment. In this case four girls ages 9 to 19 I believe. They were dressed like school girls form the 50's - no, like "church" girls from the 50's. And, we found out, there music is a ministry. But the songs tonight were old traditional Christmas carols and music from the 50's but not pop music. And they were very good!! They also have a band with their two older brothers - The Great Interference! Listen to them. We just stumbled across them in a tiny coffee shop in Winnsboro..

Alex and Daniel worked on the chapel today

. . . and this is pretty much the way the chapel will look for the wedding on Saturday - except, of course, for Glynda's decorations. There's still quite a bit of work to do. We could not put on the green tin roof because I didn't buy enough boards to go under it - so there's still a hole in the roof. And I didn't buy enough siding so the back gable is not yet done - plus some other things that I wasn't even hoping to get done. But overall I'm really happy with what we've accomplished and I'm happy with the design!

Wildernest Chapel

It's moving along pretty well! Unlike the original plan to take it slow and easy, we're rushing to get it usable by next weekend so Aaron and Amber can get married there. We'll have something but there won't be any effort to finish it - just get it "usable"! Doing it with hammer and nails and cutting the wood at the shop before taking it down in my little trailer.