Let Us Pray...

Blogging is a little bit like praying - at times you're not sure if anybody is listening. But all that matters is that the right person is listening. Also, blogging, like prayer, is better for the blogger than the bloggee. I am a little behind on my praying, I mean blogging, so I'll try to catch you up on a number of fronts.

And like prayer, occasionally you hope for a response that a human could recognize.

They began clearing our lot near the end of August and got permission to start construction on September 4th. We last visited the site on Sep 13 as they were roughing in the plumbing and installing other items that will go in the slab. With any luck (and prayer) they may pour the foundation, slab and walkways late next week.
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To help monitor progress, we've set up a nested album in our gallery titled "(arbors) CIRCLE GETS THE SQUARE". We will have an Arbors Circle address and our house is mostly shaped like a square. We are using as many squares and rectangles in the design, stopping just short of compulsiveness, as a departure from all the curves and arches we had before. The top album will contain a nested album for each site visit and a "time lapse" album containing one picture each visit from generally the same spot.

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After several weeks of adding pictures, it might be fun to view the time lapse album as a slide show using a one second interval between slides. Michael and Sharon are planning to do the same. We used to do this in commercial construction but with much greater precision and from a higher altitude. Here. we are at about 500' elevation and the next highest vantage point is some distance away. Tomorrow (Sunday the 15th) we plan to visit the site and compare our plan with what we see installed. Once the concrete is poured - you snooze, you lose.

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Building your own home is a mixed blessing. It is a blessing to be able to have a house almost exactly as you would like it (cost not withstanding). Some people may never get that opportunity so we are humbly thankful for our current situation. I remember last year when my brother Doug was mentoring me on the design, I asked him if he built his own home does he have an idea of what it would look like. He immediately said yes and described a grand entrance, etc. I think many people have a mental picture of their dream home and we pray that for those who do, that you get the opportunity to build at some time in your life. Karen and I have had two fortunate opportunities.

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But building your own home means taking quite a few risks by not being able to see exactly what things are going to look like. It means doing your best to collaborate with many new people involved in your life, with competing priorities and definitions of quality etc. And if something turns out weird, then you can only look in the mirror, assuming it's not crooked on the wall. But what I am most thankful for is that Karen and I have very similar tastes and she is very accommodating if I want to look into something that you'd never see in Architectural Digest. The best final choices have been those where we respectfully tried to accommodate the other's likes ahead of our own. Surprisingly, the outcome of these forays has been truly optimal.

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I see strangers on the horizon - get the Winchester! It was great fun this week to see familiar and friendly faces. Paul's mom Debbie and her husband John were Texas-hopping for fun and profit and wound up for a short time in Austin. We met briefly for BBQ of course and then took them out to the our future multi-family compound for a peek. They were genuinely happy for us and seemed to like what they saw. After too short a visit they were off to encircle Lake Travis before a week's encampment in the DFW Metroplex.

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Our first road trip here in Texas will also be to the DFW area to attend the Sunbelt Builder's show. But the main purpose is to reconnect and reunion with lifelong friends. Linda Madden nee Williams used to go to church with Karen before we met and was instrumental in praying for my salvation along with her brother Jerry Williams, mutual wedding best men and close friends since high school. Jerry and his wife Sandy will be coming down from Okla. to all meet at Linda and her husband Dennis' home in Ft. Worth. There may even be a moment or two to say hi to some college friends that left the Army for The Texas Rangers some time ago.

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Before we leave for DFW, we'll have just a day or two to see the kids upon their return from their California trip - Anna's first return since she moved here in August of 06. Friends, family, weddings etc. fill their itinerary while Karen and I are left all alone 1700 miles away!

We are filling the time with more medical procedures. Next week I am really looking forward to a procedure where they are going to microwave four small nerves in my left SI joint. I just hope they use the "Defrost" setting" and not "Nuke". I will convalesce by finishing a great book "Literary Austin", the subject of my next prayer, blog I mean. The book is an anthology of written works done by authors with Austin roots or connections. The themes center on the main three Austin distinctions, beautiful geography, state government and progressive education.

Until next time, don't forget your prayers...