JR has been building a new dock in Giddings for about...um...2 years? The water is down, the water is up, the money is tight, the water went back down, so we're, meaning he is back at it again. This dock is HUGE! Here's a peek at the unfinished project.
He has added more posts and more cross beams and even put a few 12 ft boards on top since this photo was taken last week. You can see from the photo how low the pond is. At it's highest, it is about a foot under the top of the new dock. There was also an old dock setting right beside this one, that he hauled up to the top of the hill with his tractor and we'll be bringing to the dump unless JR wants to haul it back to League City for a guy I know who recycles metal. Oh heck, here's a photo of the old dock:
JR was going to use the old dock as a base for the new dock, but a week before he started on the project, we were both on it, looking at the pond, and it collapsed. I was like the wind and off of that thing so fast all you saw was a blur. JR just stood there in a slight crouch like a ninja. Needless to say, he changed his plans and started a new dock from scratch.
We have record low rainfall, meaning NO rainfall for a very long time and the pond keeps lowering, little by little, so we have been making extra trips to Giddings to work on the dock. Last weekend he did a lot, plus changed the jack on the camper and some other stuff.
This weekend my sister, Tonya, was singing about an hour and a half away from Giddings at a winery. So I suggested to JR we bring the trailer to Giddings, stop for more dock supplies, drop off the supplies in Giddings, then head to Austin, (Dripping Springs), to hear Tonya and possibly hook up with Morgan before returning that evening to Giddings where we have a camper. This was taken right after a trip to the car wash where it got squeaky clean.
So we loaded up the FJ, hooked up the trailer, stopped at Home Depot in Brenham where JR bought more wood for his dock, probably the most expensive dock in Giddings, and I found Amaryllis bulbs for 1/2 off! What a find! They were even red ones that I have been looking for. I was tickled. We made a very quick pit stop in Giddings, then headed to Dripping Springs. It's a real nice town. Very pretty. Population said 1,500, but from the way it was built up, I would think it needed a new population sign from the census bureau.
Tonya spotted us right off and came over for a quick hug and to say hi and then she went back to singing while we listened for a bit before I popped inside to taste some wine.
The woman on the left was hilarious and that was before I got a buzz on.
JR and I went back outside and I took a zillion pictures of Tonya singing. She is amazing and if you ever need a softer rock, country, folk type singer for a wedding, party, graduation, birthday, funeral, etc., her name is Tonya Tyner and she is for hire. I was thinking what I could have a party to introduce her talent to my friends and acquaintances. Thinking. Thinking.
JR and listened to Tonya and played a game where you throw golf balls on strings at a stand with 3 different bars. JR won. At this point I had consumed almost a full bottle of wine on an almost empty stomach and I was feeling no pain. We did run to a place after Tonya finished called The Barber Shop. The woman's husband in the picture above told us about it. It sold oodles and oodles of different kinds of beer. I don't even remember what I drank.
.We went to Tonya's apartment, met CJ, her boyfriend, and let out her dog, Kettle, then went to a restaurant called The Shady Grove.
Morgan met us with her friend, Drew, and I don't know where my camera went, but I wish I had taken some photos. Morgan looked really pretty in her new glasses and the outfit she had on.
JR drove the hour and a half back to Giddings while I practically snored the whole way. Once there, we went to sleep with me waking up every 15 minutes thinking I heard mice. It was horrible. I even woke JR up to check the floor by my bed to see if he saw anything. I definitely need a fan on for noise the next time we sleep there. I am not much of a country girl when it comes to thinking I hear rodents. EW! It could have been a leaf on the roof for all I know, but the thought...yikes.
We woke up and JR started in on his dock after our walk around the property and a quick breakfast of granola and Greek yogurt. I was planning to wash my hair and read a bit, but while coming back from the dock, I looked over at our property line which touched our neighbor, Tim's, and saw his trash all over the ground on our side of the fence.
I got a few plastic grocery bags, a pair of gloves, and walked over to the trash and started picking it up. Tim's burn barrels had disintegrated in huge areas on the can, so they were tipping over. You would think he could use one of the 50 barrels he had stacked up further along the fence, but he continues to put his trash in the holey barrels. Nice. We had cans, glass jars, plastic bags, bread bags, dressing bottles, styrofoam plates, you name it, all on the ground and stuck in the cedars that were growing there. I told JR we need to put up some chicken wire to stop his garbage from blowing over to our side and he agreed.
The funny thing is I don't think Tim even notices his trash blowing around. He has so much crap on his 5 acres that he is running out of room. I was thinking of taking a photo, but thought that would be too mean. :) Since the pond was so low, I took another empty bag and walked around the perimeter. In front of Tim's place there were cat food cans, aluminum pop cans and broken bottles. I don't think they realize how bad that makes everything look.
One day about a month ago, our property had cat food cans all along the edge of the pond. They were empty and just sitting there, so we grumbled about people leaving trash and picked them all up. Is that a way to catch something? Once you catch whatever you were hunting, wouldn't you come back and pick up the trash? If not, stay off our section.
One highlight of our trip:
Look at all of those pigs!!! I think there are 5 babies and 3 adults. You can click on the picture to make it bigger. It makes me shiver! LOL
Then there was a deer:
There was also a raccoon, more pigs, coyote, deer, fox, and I think I saw a chicken. I will never sleep in a tent there again. LOL We moved the field camera to a place we call the "cabin spot", so we'll see what we see next time.
Morgan drove up in the afternoon Sunday and JR took us for a boat ride in the pond and I walked her around to the cabin spot and my babbling brook spot that are my favorite. we then grilled brats, ate, and all packed up for home.
It was a GREAT weekend and I enjoyed myself thoroughly! When I got home, Kimbre had a card for me and Tressa had stopped over with a BIG spinach artichoke pizza from BJ's. YUM! I love that pizza! I immediately ate some and tried to figure out how I could manage to eat the whole thing before I get my wisdom teeth pulled on Wed. I don't think it's going to be a problem. lol
Til next time!
Pam
I love it! I hope I can post this????? We'll see, every month I drive and drive for miles trying to find your house and every month you patiently explain how easy it is to find :)
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