Renovating Mikey & Audrey's Winter House

 

I have no idea how I missed the folder called Mike & Audrey's House Renovation. I make folders of Pictures that I want to do a blog for. Better late than never I say. When back in Mission Texas last winter, Mikey our Boss knew we were trying to sell one of our Generators so we could finance a 2nd air conditioner  for the 5th wheel. He came to Dann and asked him would he stay for a extra week or 2 to help him renovate his little house. He offered to give us $400 more than we were asking for it. Dann accepted. We would have stayed and helped this wonderful couple either way.

Dann, Mike, and a few others got busy pulling the siding of the house while a few of us woman got busy painting the sides and the shutters.  I have to say , Audrey did a wonderful job painting, she's a natural for some one that said “Audrey Does Not Paint”.

Audrey and Dann taking a quick break from painting

Frenchy turned up every day.

Mikey and Dann  with Frenchy in the background

Dann sneaking 40 winks and Audrey wondering why her phone isn't working after she washed it in the washing machine, that's my Swedish weaving on Audrey's knee.

The lady her self, doing what she don't do

Mission San José

 

Six weeks on the job with out a day of-it was time for some R & R. We decided to take  a week off and head up to San Antonio and park up at the Lackland Air Force Base

I am sure the weather man knew we were coming and gave us some nice cool temperatures.

There is quite a bit to see here, the most popular being The Alamo and The River Walk. There are a few Old Missions scattered here and there. The biggest being the Mission San Jose and the most beautiful.

Dann

 

Before we went inside (last smoke)

Known as the "Queen of the Missions", this is the largest of the missions and was almost fully restored to its original design in the 1930s. Spanish missions were not churches, but communities, with the church the focus. Mission San José shows  us the visitor how all the missions might have looked over 250 years ago. It was Founded in 1720 by Fray Antonio Margil de Jesús

 

The first thing you see as you walk through the gates is this huge oven with the Mission as a back drop.

Mission San José

Front

A beautiful old wall

Living quarters

A beautiful  old Statue

Everyone that comes here, comes to see

“The Rose Window”

The window, was sculpted in 1775, has been the object of both legend and admiration. It is considered one of the finest examples of baroque architecture in North America. The meaning behind the name is currently unknown, but legend has it named for Rosa, the betrothed of Juan Huizar who many believe created the window. He build it for his bride to be who is supposed to have perished at sea.

I to came to see it.

On the way home we called in and quickly visited The Alamo. We got a phone call and had to leave, so we didn't get to see it all-next time !!

The Alamo

I snapped this while driving past in the truck – A front for a Mexican restaurant, it was very colourful and pretty. Didn't eat there, don't care for the old Mexican tucker

 

ONLY IN TEXAS

I saved the best for last. On the way to the Mission we went past this and I just had to get a picture.

Take note – the size of the vehicles driving past these boots

Only So Much You Can Blog About

 

There is really only so much I can write about while we are gate guarding. Its the same shit day after day. The day never really ends, it goes on and on and on. 24/7 We don't get any days of while doing this job. Since we started this job 6 months or so ago we have been to quiet a few gates. we got fired from one gate and asked to be moved from another. Cant say there has been a favourite gate.

I have come to realize that the Oil company's  down this way are responsible for all the dust. They have made so many roads that wind through the bush to get to their wells. They put this white dirt on top of the roads and after a few hundred trucks have pounded up and down it a few times, it slowly turns to this white bulldust,it's just horrible. It always blows right into the 5th wheel. .

Average day

I cant believe how important it became when we arrived at a new gate to see what side of the road they were going to set us up on. 2 things became important, the wind and the sun. I know Texas needs rain but we also prayed it would never rain again while doing this job. The dirt turns to this real sticky mud that sucks your shoes off, not to mention your paper work gets soaked and is rendered useless. Are you getting the feeling that we hate gate guarding yet.The reason why we stayed for so long is so we can pay off a few bills that have been hanging around our neck.

We get paid $1,700 every 2 weeks. Out of that we have to keep back at least $600 for tax. PLUS I think its 15% for Social security. The rest is ours to live and pay our bills.We thought we were well set up for this job before we got here. While in Mission Texas we installed another air conditioner on the roof to handle the extreme temperatures they have here. Installed a new awning, because we needed shade. When we got here and it was time to crank up the 2nd air con, it was dead, so we had to buy a new one. Just cant survive with out 2 on the roof. These 5th wheels are only 20 degrees cooler in side than the out side air. Also while in Mission we were shown by this nice old fella how to secure your awning so it will take very high winds with out getting damaged. It worked great to. It couldn't handle a mini tornado tho. 2 days ago I was under the awning logging in a truck when this funnel appeared from no where and just sat right on our 5th wheel. I had to stand still because I couldn't see and I was hanging onto my paper work for dear life.The wind lifted that awning up and flung it straight over the 5th wheel like it was a piece of tissue paper. I couldn't believe what I had just seen. My heart sunk. there goes our new awning I remember thinking. Around $1,000 for another one. Lucky we are insured but now one of the 2 important things you need out here is gone. Our Shade. There are no trees to park under, just the hot sun.

It’s legs and frame are on the roof

Holes where the frame tore from the side

 

Its not all bad, I am very lucky to be able to see some beautiful sunrises and sunsets, met some great workers that I have grown to admire. Those guys work in 120  degrees plus ground temperature conditions with no complaints. All they say when I ask them about it is—That's  Texas For ya Ma'am  I take my hat of to all the Oil Rig workers and Fracking Crews. There is no shade where they work either.  Below are a few pictures of events that happened at the different gates we have been on.

At one of the gates we were across from a field that had cows in it. These little Dung Beatles (Tumble Beatles) the locals call them use to cross the road to the other field on the other side to bury their little dung piles.  I got so bored one day i actually stoped traffic so that they could cross the road with being squashed. They all thought I was mad. If you touched his little ball, thy would immediately leave it and go back to get another one. amazing little critters.

The day I filmed them dragging the rig 15 feet,I actually filmed them attempting to do this a few times, every time there was something not right and they would stop and fix what ever wasn't right. I eventually got it on film when they actually dragged it, when I was deleting all the extra videos i accidently deleted the one I wanted to post in here..so this one is of them setting it up to drag.

These are the caterers that use to deliver our meals twice a day

these trucks are HUGE

Here they are lined up waiting to be logged out

Getting ready to put this rig on a truck.

IF YOU WANT TO SEE THESE PICTURES IN A BIGGER FRAME JUST DOUBLE CLICK ON THEM.