Sunday, April 30, 2017
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Friday, April 28, 2017
Pond well
In February, I did a blog about a solar pump we had bought for the pond.
In order to install the pump correctly, we had to empty the pond, which we have now done (and the orchard thanks us!). So, before going on vacation, Abe and a friend dug a hole to the side of the pond.
They put a 4" PVC pipe from inside the hole to up on top of the pond, near the solar panels. The end of this pipe is covered with feed sacks, to keep solid material away from the pump. The hole is then filled with rocks and gravel. Once the casing was all in place and secured in a couple of spots, they slid the pump into it.
We will now be able to pump water once the pond starts to fill up, and can pull the pump whenever we need to check on it.
For more photos, check out the flickr set.
The post Pond well appeared first on VelaCreations.
Pond well
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Salsa
Abe first got Salsa at the end of 2001, when she was 6-8 months old. He found her in a pound in Austin when he was getting ready to move to Terlingua. At first, the pound hadn't wanted to release her to him, because he didn't have a house or fences on the property. He ended up showing them photos of the wild, empty land that had no traffic and no neighbors, and they finally agreed that she would probably be happy there.
She had a great life, both in Terlingua and the new place. She has always been fiercely loyal to our family, and was only ever torn over the issue of who to protect when Abe and the kids were play-fighting. She got to run all over the wilderness, and continued to hike with us up until last year. She has always been the alpha, even when she was completely deaf. She was a really good dog, and will be missed.
The post Salsa appeared first on VelaCreations.
Salsa
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
Vladimir Nabokov
Monday, April 24, 2017
Annie Dillard
Easter 2017
Overall, we were gone for two weeks, but it feels like we've been away for a lot longer. I guess that's because we managed to pack so much in. We really had a wonderful time, and are already missing everyone.
Abe's side of the family
Part of the time was spent with Abe's mom in her new home near Austin, Texas. The drive took a day and a half, but it went through some beautiful landscapes - from our mountains, through the desert, into the hill country. There was lots of wildlife to see, including a ranch with exotic animals, which kept the hours interesting.
Vickie's place is gorgeous, with a lot of space to run around. The boys had a blast just exploring, swimming, playing basketball, and picking dewberries.
We got to see Abe's mom, brother, grandmother, aunt and uncle, cousin Ford, and cousin Charlie and his family. It was the first time that the boys and I got to meet the cousins, who also live in the Austin area. Charlie has two boys about the same age as ours, and they all got on really well, which was great to see. I can see all kinds of trouble that the four of them will get into over the years to come!
On Leo's birthday, we gave both boys their first ever brand new bikes (Nicky got his a little early so he could practice on it with Leo at Vickie's, which is flat and smooth, unlike our place!). We then went out to eat, before visiting a kickass fossil museum in Austin.
We had an early birthday party for Nicky before we left and that was fun too. We went to a place called Gattiland, which has a pizza buffet and a bunch of arcade style games. The boys had never done anything like this before and they loved it, especially the bumper cars.
Josie's side of the family
We flew to Florida for a few days to hook up with my mom, step-dad, dad, and my sister and her family. The visit was way too short, but fun nonetheless.
We all got together at Easter and had a huge meal. While we digested, the younger kids went on a treasure hunt with clues, as well as an Easter egg hunt.
We went swimming most days, and by the end of the holiday the boys had improved a bunch. At home, we generally only swim for a few months of the year, which means that Nicky loses his confidence and has to start over. Leo, however, is now to a point that he won't forget what he's learned.
One of the days was spent in Legoland. It was super fun, but very tiring. The boys were really into the rides. And, of course, they LOVED the trip to the shop that my dad treated them to.
For more photos, you can check out this flickr set.
The post Easter 2017 appeared first on VelaCreations.
Easter 2017
