Painting Another's Painting

Sorry, that's the best title I could think of. Email your suggestion after reading the blog if you dare!?

Designing your own home and then watching someone else build it makes me ponder what it might be like being a playwright. You have just written this entirely unique and deeply personal play. Yet, the public will never see your work-product unless you relinquish control of the script into the hands of others. You must find a good builder (or director) and the director and others assemble and guide the cast (subcontractors and laborers).

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As you sit there at rehearsals, you hope and pray that the trustees of your creation interpret your vision as close to what you had in mind as humanly possible. It is very exciting when they finally sense your vision and not only adhere to the script but also insert their own personality in a synergistic way. The collaboration results in much better critical acclaim than if they were merely reciters.

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Dave Matthews, founder and leader of the Dave Matthew's Band (that's original), once said in an interview that he lets each musician in his band play their individual instrument any way they want. They can come in and out at will, improvise and be creative in their area of expertise. They only thing they have to adhere to strictly is the lyrics. That gave way to individual expression and allowed great musicality and freedom of expression. But the meaning of the piece was not lost in the chaos if they stuck to the words. How does this relate to home building? Not very well I guess, I just wanted you to know that I liked his band.

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All through his career, Alfred Hitchcock, the acclaimed director, required strict adherence to the script even though the actors could use whatever method they wanted to get the lines out. He remained this way right up to perhaps his last movie (maybe I'll remember the name by the end of the blog). In his last film, he allowed a great deal (a lot) of ad libbing. The end result, in my opinion, was like a long running inside joke where the actors were almost winking at the camera and each other. As a result, the strong story line suffered.

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So at what point does the home builder/playwright insist upon strict adherence to the script/plans (do rhetorical question sentences need a question mark?)? The point when you look down the road and realize that you will really regret it if you don't interrupt the rehearsal and try to get the painters you have hired back on track in painting your own portrait.

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The point is, it's fun seeing your creation come to life but a little scary too. After all, they will sign their painting with your name and then send you the bill.

None but the Brave

When we think of the word bravery, the most common mental depiction is associated with the kind of action that results in the award of a medal or a public citation of some kind. This is not the kind of bravery I plan to discuss here. Rest assured that I am not talking about myself, but rather, a state of mind that I really want to achieve. I can write about bravery because I have role models, you can't hurt me physically, and, it's my blog anyway.

Medal bravery is that unconscious, spontaneous response to a severe situation in which an ordinary person performs extraordinarily, often at great personal risk, for the life saving benefit of others. The act is even more significant when performed by a layman just going through life when, all of a sudden, he is caught up in great tragedy. Quite often when these people are lauded for their acts of bravely, they accept the recognition with modesty, even a little guilt, because they didn't really think about it, they just acted.

The bravery I am talking about is the kind where you have to think about things and then act. This is a very different character trait, and the one I most admire. Let me 'splane, and I'll use small words.

Virtually no one's life turns out how they expect it to. I'm not sure where we get the picture of what our life is supposed to look like, but I've never heard anyone say, "What a life, it's exactly as I pictured it!" The most unexpected and least wanted turn of events is when injury and chronic pain come into your life, physical or mental, and often times both. The bravery I really admire is where people have to think about the day and times ahead and can visualize the difficulty. However, they bravely face the future and are role models of about every spiritual fruit I can recite.

These people, if they're brave, know tomorrow it's going to hurt, yet they face it anyway. Day after day, step after step is taken, knowing that things may never be better for them, yet they find a way to live an exemplary life. Maybe some of the bravery is muted by simply not trying to get ahead of themselves. Jesus tells us not to fret about tomorrow, it's tough enough today. Maybe no one can withstand the agony of mentally running through every possible scenario and still being able to function. But even if they have a glimpse of the potential difficulty, they act nobly, and this takes guts in my opinion.

These people should be given a medal. They are my heroes.

"O perfect life, be Thou their full assurance of tender charity and steadfast faith, of patient hope, and quite, brave endurance, with child-like trust that fears nor pain nor death."

From the Hymn "O Perfect Love" - Dorothy Gurney 1932

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...

Dave's Top Ten - The Other Dave

It seems that list publishing has been popular ever since the Ten Commandments, or 15 if you have the Mel Brooks' version. Then David Letterman (the other Dave) perfected wacky list making in his nightly ritual. Therefore, since we've been here in Austin now coming up on three months, I thought it would be time for a few lists of our own.
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Here is our list of the pleasantly unexpected experiences in Central Texas:
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1. Intensely blue sky. I haven't come up with a shade but the skies are a deep, almost pastel blue. It's like taking a blurry picture and making it sharp and vivid. And with the absence of skyline obstructions (site easements my friend Bill calls them), the horizon is often a vast inverted blue ocean with white caps of -
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2. Towering cumulus clouds of every shape and size imaginable. A trip up to the west hills yields green rolling hills (even in summer) with sharp contrasts of blue sky and pure white clouds. Maybe the clouds seem pure because of -
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3. The lack of pollution. No haze or smaze here. Probably for a couple of reasons - no heavy industry, fewer cars and -
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4. A welcome, almost daily breeze. So far we haven't been overcome by the prophesied stifling humidity. The regular breeze certainly helps but so does -
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5. The vast number of water destinations. Swimming holes, creeks, rivers, lakes, water parks. What a surprise along with -
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6. Vast groves of thick oaks and pines and almost tropical foliage that allows for green summers many years. With all the destinations it's nice that -
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7. Very few things are crowded, actually nothing has been so far, even while school has been out. Maybe with so many venues it spreads out the people and makes those you do encounter -
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8. Very friendly and helpful, possessing a real sense of community (especially at The Arbors). A community that is -
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9. Wonderfully ethnically diverse, so important to us for our grandchildren to be exposed to other cultures than WASPs. This is highlighted by an almost endless schedule of festivals and cultural activities that makes you aware of -
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10. A very vibrant community, but with its share of quirks and unpleasantness like -
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A. Enough with the California bashing already, and why don't folks -
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B. Return phone calls and emails? I know people here prefer the face to face but if that's all you did, you'd be stuck at -
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C. The worst timed traffic light system we've ever seen, from red lights when no one's there to green turn arrows when nobody wants to turn. And what's with -
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D. The unreadable street signage and off-ramps nowhere near an intersection? Thankfully there is a brilliant U-turn system that doesn't require waiting for a light. Not having to wait for a light is important because it allows you to escape -
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E. Rampant, and quite unexpected, panhandling at almost all major intersections. Asking for everything from money to beer and even charitable contributions!? But at least there are very few eyesore billboards and the gas prices are great. What isn't great is -
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F. The ridiculous price of bulk foods. We sure miss Winco, even in the home town of Whole Foods. Can Trader Joe's provide some relief? I guess as long as folks -
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G. Get sliced white bread (think Rainbow Bread) and saltine crackers with BBQ orders it leaves very little of substance that can be listed as truly unexpected unpleasantness, weirdness maybe, but not unpleasantness.
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Yes, white bread with BBQ. BBQ will be the topic of my next blathering as soon as I visit with Willie Nelson, a major figure in the BBQ scene. Until then, "all y'alls" (plural of y'all) will just have to rely on Alton Brown's "Feasting on Asphalt" series on Food Network.
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Bye
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p.s. Given both our sitting infirmities we are very thankful for a plethora of televised church services. We found one from Hyde Park Baptist Church that is nearly a complete service and the messages are free from the typical cliches and evangelistic stereotypes. We feel that we are both learning and worshipping while in the inclined supine position!
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p.p.s. Why all the "x's"? I can't get the formatting to leave a blank line. I am bloggedly challenged it seems.

In The Beginning Dave said "Let There be Lot!"

We awoke this morning with our Google Calendar reminding us to attend our first annual homeowner's association meeting for the The Arbors, our new subdivision. After having met a few folks during many of our forays to the property, we were looking forward to seeing them as well as see some new faces and to get a feel for the aura of the Arbor's community.

Unlike our last HOA, this meeting was well attended and the atmosphere was one of like-minded people in a fairly close knit community of about 100 homeowners, on the way to eventually 260 some homes.

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You can't go to wrong when you start with doughnuts, muffins and coffee (Mom only had one!). But the meeting proceeded with dispatch without people feeling too full of themselves. There was a good mix of folks sincerely interested in maintaining a quality community and those with the talents, experience and time to follow through and make it happen.

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The common thing that attracted these families to this one particular subdivision was the desire to live in a safe, clean, responsible community without the pretentiousness of many gated communities. In our last association, people were badgered to be on the board, here they submit their resumes and give a speech before the election. The subdivision and community involvement is high with many active committees, from the needed architectural to the wanted social and welcoming. We were pleased and encouraged that we had come to the right place.

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Even though we were looking forward to getting out to the property (we had not been to the lot since they started clearing), the meeting ended near noon so we had a quick lunch at one of the two heralded BBQ places in the "Capital of Sausage" town of Elgin before heading out. More on Texas BBQ in a subsequent blog.

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But finally getting to the lot really made our day. The initial clearing for the driveway and building pad looked exactly as we envisioned and previously relayed to the builder. We took a couple dozen pictures to finally give you an idea of what our lot will actually look like. Go to the gallery to finally see - "let there be lot". After the lot purchase back in March of 2006, dirt is finally flying. Our house plans have been approved by the ACC and all we are waiting on is a final septic design and approval to begin seriously playing in the dirt.

Now we hope that Michael and Sharon won't be far behind as they closed their construction loan Thursday.

From Swimming Holes to Home Construction

Much of central Texas sits on shallow layers of rock, mainly limestone and sandstone. The rock is found very near the surface so it doesn't allow much of a topsoil layer. This contributes to a large amount of runoff during the rainy season, as well as surface water access to underground aquifers through cracks in the rock layers. The end results are manifold.

As the water runs off the rock, it creates a number of rock bottomed creeks and rivers. These pristine rivers are great for tubing, a very popular pastime here. Three rivers just south of here boast large tubing enterprises (San Marcos, Guadalupe & Comal Rivers).

Where a limestone creek layer or ledge becomes eroded, small waterfalls are created with subsequent downstream swimming holes. Our recreation destination last Sunday was just such a place. McKinney Falls is one of a number of State Parks with typical park amenities, shaded picnic areas, trails etc. But it also has relatively safe waterfalls (to some, large rapids) and several swimming holes to enjoy. A great place to escape the Texas summer heat.

Another aspect of these rock layers is that eventually what goes down must come up. The water sinking through the rock strata to create large underground aquifers later appears on the surface in a number of spring fed pools and swimming holes. Michael and Sharon have already blogged about Barton Springs Pool right in downtown Austin. We also look forward to visiting Krause Springs about 30 miles out of Austin. It is said to be one of the prettiest swimming holes in the area, with dozens of springs. We also plan to visit other nearby swimming holes and springs to include, Hamilton Pool, Llano Slab & The Blue Hole in Wimberly.

Once the fun stops, the stones are economically quarried, being so close to the surface, and used for many things to include residential housing. A typical Central Texas home will have an exterior that will be primarily masonry, to include the locally quarried stone, brick or a combination of the two creating an affordable but distinctive regional look. Because of the abundance of local stone, stone veneers are not yet commonplace and almost heretical to suggest as siding, as we found out.

(PICTURED IS AUSTIN LIMESTONE)

Michael and Sharon's home's exterior will be primarily brick (3 sides) with with some Limestone front gables and cement fiber siding along the back. Our home's exterior will have a lot of sandstone and cement fiber siding. These types of exteriors were one of the first things we noticed when looking at housing in the area because they are so costly in No. Cal. The most common is a cream white limestone called Austin Limestone. From there, the list includes sandstones which incorporate a little more color as well as Leuder Stone which includes gray.

(PICTURED IS ONE TYPE OF SANDSTONE)

I am sure that I don't have everything technically correct in the above narrative but I just wanted to give you an idea of the unique way the geology here contributes both to recreation and commerce.

Next time, we hope to have visited Donna & her fiancee, Dennis' new Texas building lot purchase in Bastrop (25 miles east of Austin) and tell you all about it.

Brothers & Birthdays (Sisters too!)

July brings the convergence of two cosmological constants, my and my brother Dennis' birthdays. Birthdays are strange things. People everywhere celebrate birthdays in many different ways and in no ways at all. Looking into the abyss of cyberspace knowledge that is Wikipedia, it seems the histology of birthday celebrations is unclear. The who, where, what and why of birthdays varies greatly from one lore giver to another. But needless to say, that we all generally recognize & celebrate someone's birthday, especially among children, parents, spouses and siblings.

(The Picture - Rich, Dennis, Donna, Me, Doug)

We would never think of ignoring a young child's birthday. There is the traditional one year old high-chair chocolate cake all the way to the dreaded teenage peer parties. Why do we celebrate a child's birthday? We want them to believe they are special, loved and cared for, and that we're glad they are around. So what happens as we age and our approach to each other's birthdays change?

Some years we don't bother to celebrate someone's aging at all!. I agree, that at a point, the whole gift thing gets a little weird, but what has really changed? Don't we still love the person? Yes we might change the word "special" to "unique"!? But aren't we still glad that the person shares oxygen with us and exists in our lives and resides on this planet? Then why can we sometimes be so dismissive of someone's birthday? For me it comes down to saying to the person, I'm glad that we share this lifetime and this planet together, especially to my siblings.

As siblings, we will know each other longer in this life than anyone else that lived. So for "aforementioned" reasons, I send the warmest of Birthday greetings to my younger brother by just one small year, Dennis.

One year as an adult doesn't seem like much, but it is a big spread when you are children. I don't know what it is as a child, but a year can be an eternity. It seems that growing up we are more focused on our friends than our siblings. In life, friends come and go but our siblings remain.

Growing up, I didn't feel that I had a lot in common with Dennis. We had very different interests and friends. But much later in life, my grown children had spent some time with Dennis rehearsing a surprise musical number for my, yes, birthday. After the event, they all remarked how much Dennis reminded them of me. The closer I looked the more I could see it. It was there all the time hiding in plain sight.

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(The picture is of Dennis & the love of his life, Lorraine, that is)

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Some of the similarities are edifying. We love music of all kinds and all expressions. We love our wives and children and work/worked hard for the quality of their lives. Dennis has a great sense of humor, a big heart, a generous lifestyle and...a bad back. Dennis thinks and feels deeply about things but may not express his thoughts regularly or fully, especially about things like his faith. We both had/have the guilty pleasure of laughing out loud at 'Whose Line is it Anyway?" until it just became too crude.

Dennis is and has always been extremely hard working, maybe to a fault. I have never known him to be lazy. He loves family and friends around him as well as the solitude and beauty of the outdoors. He is a keen businessman and very intelligent. On the surface, I may have the paper, but underneath he is extremely bright. If he would admit it, we both like to shop and simply can't pass up an interesting hat or the perfect pair of shoes, no matter how many other ones just like them we might already have. Is that like saying we have a strong feminine side?

Many years ago, we were leaving Dennis' house and he came out teary eyed and said that he wanted to be in my life somehow, even if it was just a small way. It really shook me up because I didn't realize I was behaving like he was not! But if he perceived those feelings then the onus was on me to dispel them. So I have tried to be more open with my life and feelings towards him and to be in his life when and where ever possible.

Once when we were very young, like most kids do at some point, Dennis flew out of the house and tried to run away from home. I ran after him and had to forcibly pick him up and carry him back. Although I have long lost the ability to lift most anything, I would still carry him today if he needed it. I would certainly never want to miss the chance to say that I am glad you are on this planet. Happy Birthday Dennis.