Metro Redneck??

Okay, so my sister's fiance' (Clay) told my mom (as he was on his way to a monster truck show) that he was a "metro redneck". He likes to hunt, fish, work on cars, go to monster truck shows, etc, but he's also an accountant working in the city, so he's in a tie most days of the week (I think). I was trying to figure out if a "metro redneck" could exist, or if it was too much of an oximoron. But after my first experience holding and shooting a gun (and hitting the target!), I'm beginning to come around to Clay's way of thinking.


Matt, who works at the camp and is a self-professed Redneck (no metro about it), let us shoot his .22 rifle (it was his grandfather's gun). We were aiming at an empty oil can about 40 yards away (give or take a few). Anyway, I think I shot 3 times, and I actually hit the target once. (I had to first figure out which eye to close - I know, that sounds ridiculous, but I really was closing my right eye instead of my left when I first fired). Paul also tried it out - he hit the target 3 times (out of 4 tries???). Anyway, here are some pictures.

(My pre-shooting dance)

I was surprised that there wasn't any kickback or anything like that - it was very similar to shooting a pop-gun that you get at a toy store...which is kinda scary.

I was also surprised how much I enjoyed trying to hit the target. I don't think I would be up for hunting live animals, but the target shooting was a challenge that I liked.

This was where I hit. You'll see below that Paul hit very close to mine, and then in 2 spots near the top/sides, too.

Reloading...

Then, pop, pop, pop, pop...

You can see the 3rd spot where Paul hit closer to Matt's thumb in this picture (to the right of where I hit)

So maybe the next step into researching this "metro redneck" idea is to go to a monster truck show...anyone know of a place in Texas that I can do that? :)

Bovine neighbors...

Okay, this is the third blog of the day...but this will be a short one. I just wanted to post a few pictures of our closest neighbors, so that our "city-slicker" friends/family could get an idea of what our back yard/deck is surrounded by. I had to take the pictures from inside, looking through a screen - otherwise our "neighbors" would have scattered - they're pretty skittish. Enjoy! (More pictures are posted in the Back Deck link if you're really interested).

The bull is in the forefront of the picture - he seemed to be the leader, because when he "mosied" (anyone know how to spell that correctly?) to the next field, all the cows followed.

I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but the cow closest to the deck actually has her neck through the fence and is eating grass from our yard - only about a foot from the edge of our deck.

There were a handful of calves around today - this one was the bravest (or nosiest), and got the closest to the fence. The others "frolicked" further from the house.

Adventures in Sailing...Part 1

Saturday we washed the boat after its long winter on dry land. Then we waxed it, and boy did it make a difference! We don't have a name for our boat yet - I think we're waiting for a memorable experience to occur that will render an appropriate name for her (boats are usually female, right?).

I think I discovered today that I'm really NOT a natural at sailing. I took an 8 week sailing course in 2001 (4 sessions in classroom, 4 sessions on the water), but haven't practiced it since then, and apparently the physics of sailing didn't remain with me. I pretty much turn into a stiff board - I could probably use myself as the rudder I'm so scared. Granted, today was pretty windy - I think the weather channel said winds up to 18 mi/hr. But basically any time the boat gets moving and we tip even slightly, I tense up even more. So I'm only really comfortable when we're sitting still in the water. But I hope that with practice I'll get better at that.

I did almost take off Paul's head, and I hit mine with the boom vang (I think that's the correct terminology). It's the big metal thing that apparently goes "boom" when it hits you in the head - that has to be how it got it's name. Anyway, Paul was trying to raise the mainsail higher (I got it most of the way up, but he had to raise it to the top). I was charged with keeping us level and pointed into the wind so that we wouldn't tip over. But I failed in that mission, and then barely had time to say "Coming about" before the boom was flying over Paul's head, and knocked into my life jacket cushion, which thankfully lessened the blow to my hard head. So we were all fine, but I was definitely shaken up. As we sailed on the lake, I improved, but I was only in charge of the rudder - Paul was in charge of the lines that controlled the boom. I do know that you call them "lines", not "ropes".

Since our camera isn't water proof, I only have pictures of the boat on dry land. But here are a few so you can see what I'm talking about.

It's about a 13 or 14 foot long sailboat - 1973, so it's definitely seen some years that even we haven't witnessed. But she is good enough for us! Here's the boat at Lake Somerville - it was an overcast day, but perfect for sailing...if only I had the courage for perfect (i.e. windy) sailing days.
Okay, the picture below doesn't seem that ominous - pretty normal sailboat pose, right? Well, take note of the top of the photo. The electric wire is behind the mast. And we had to back up to get the boat into the water. And we didn't look up or scrutinize this photo before we backed up....so yeah, the mast hit the electric wire as we were backing up. I was at the wheel, and Paul was walking alongside the boat because he was volunteering to stand in the chilly water while I parked the car & trailer. Anyway, I suddenly noticed that the boat lurched forward on the trailer as we were backing down, and the lines holding the mast went slack. It took a few minutes for us to look up, but as soon as we did, we realized that we had made a big mistake!!! So note for future sailing trips - check for low hanging wires across the boat ramp and make sure to put the mast up AFTER you clear the wires!
Paul was my hero today - I got to go sailing and really only got a few drops of water on me. He stood in the water and held the boat as we went out, and came in. And he sat in front so he got all the spray off the bow of the boat.

And I just noticed the shirt he's wearing today - no, he didn't go to Texas A&M. But it was a $5 longsleeve t-shirt and we're surrounded by Aggies so it was a safe shirt to buy (you definitely do not wear any Longhorn shirts around camp!).

Spring is coming!!!!

I'm super excited that spring is arriving in new stages each day now. It's definitely an advantage of living in Texas!

We started out this morning walking to the meadows to hunt for wildflowers, and practice taking pictures of them. There are many photos I deleted, or cropped to make better, but I think I will eventually get the hang of our camera. Paul took better pictures than I did - so I'll give him credit for the really great pics that we were able to get. I won't post all of them here - you can use the link to the Spring 2007 Wildflowers if you want to see all of them. But here are a few that were fun for me to take. I actually took the ones on this blog (after many pointers from Paul).

I took this one, too - it's not wildflowers, but the new pinecones are starting to come out, so it was neat to see the new with last year's too.
This is a massive tree - I can't even stretch my arms as wide as the base of the trunk is. I saw this vine on the bottom growing up the bark - I was trying to focus on the leaves, but for some reason I could only get the bark in focus. Then I realized that the leaves were poison ivy, and I stopped trying to get them in focus. Figured the bark was a better shot.
I liked how the purple veins turned out in this picture. I had to put my finger in front of the lense in order for the auto-focus to work, but I eventually got the shot I wanted.

Okay, that's all that I'll post here...check the link for more if you are in one of the states that is still battling snow or freezing rain. And don't dispair - spring is coming soon!!!

Hobbies...

So I have a blanket that I've been trying to crochet and finish - I had great ambitions of making it to fit on top of a queen bed so that I can use it in the winter over our quilt. But after a year of working on it (or rather, not working on it), I think that if/when I finish it, I will frame it and hang it on the wall as my biggest accomplishment at this point in my life. I did find a use for a freebie tote bag that I got at the Dallas Market (3 days of walking the Dallas Trade Center buildings buying items for our little gift shop, but that's another story in itself). So my blanket has been sitting in this little tote bag since January basically untouched. And before January, I think it was sitting in an Old Navy bag (again, untouched). But before the end of 2007, my goal is to finish this thing. I like the colors - well, really I like the aqua color and the brown color. I put the darker blue in there just for a 3rd color, and some days I like it, and others I don't, but it's staying because I'm definitely not starting over! Here are some pics so you can see what I mean...

Another hobby that I've re-discovered is playing my clarinet. In high school, I practiced almost every day for marching band and then concert band, and in college I played a little - I think I did 2 semesters of concert band. I always enjoyed it. But one day I got busy, and stopped playing. I've kept it with me all these years, though, and about 2 weeks ago I decided to see if I could still play. Turns out, I can. The first few days were a little scary - I think the dogs ran to the other room, and there were definitely some squeaky notes in there, especially as I got higher in octave. But now I'm getting better again. Although my lips are definitely out of shape - I can play for about 15 min and then my lips/cheeks are tired, and I have to take a break. But I hope to build up endurance so I can play longer - I had forgotten how relaxing it is for me. But last night I got it out to play and as I was putting it together, I ripped the cork on the bottom piece, so I couldn't put the bell on. So now my clarinet is in the shop in Austin, and won't be ready until Monday. But when I went to the shop to drop it off, I got a new book (20% off, too). So that will be fun. For all of you reading this that haven't played an instrument before, you probably think I'm crazy. But that's okay.

Here's a thought for those "musicians" out there that play music, but don't compose music (I'm in this category). I went to a music school or intense "camp" of sorts after my junior year of high school at the University of Richmond. Again, those of you who haven't played an instrument, (and maybe those of you who have) probably think I'm super weird. But I can't change my past. And I actually had a good time. All kinds of "artists" were there - those who painted, sang, played instruments, sculpted, danced, etc. All the performing arts.

But back to my thought. One of the guys who painted asked me, "Do you really consider yourself an artist - I mean you didn't write the music - you're just playing what someone else wrote, so how does that make you an artist?" As if throwing paint on a canvas in no particular order or recognizable form makes him an artist (sorry, I never understood that kind of painting). But here's my thought on that: No, I didn't compose it. And I probably never will compose anything because I don't have the desire or skill. But if all those composers (especially the great DEAD ones), composed their music, played their music, but then kept it for themselves and didn't publish it, their "art" would have died with them. And who would appreciate that? But because they did publish it, and I know how to read it and play it, I can in some way keep their art "alive" because it is still appreciated (at least by me, if no one else in my house appreciates my attempts at playing it). And because music can be reproduced so easily, thousands if not millions more people can appreciate it all at once, around the world, because it's not limited to one canvas in one place of the world. And the people who are playing the music (of the DEAD composers), are artists in my book - especially if they can play really well. Anyone else have any thoughts on this? I'm not trying to start a war between the musicians and those who paint - I truly respect painters (and all other artists) because I have no talent in any of those areas. But I just wonder if that was the opinion of one narrow-minded painter, or if all other "artists" think that musicians who play other people's compositions are not really artists.

Okay, off my soap box. Wow, that happened over 10 yrs ago - I guess I really needed to get that off my chest.

Anyway, I think I'm going to try to upload more photos - this time more recent ones. So check back later to see more pictures!

Paint, Paint, and more Paint!

Well, we are supposed to open Barn 214 on Saturday March 10th (named for Habakuk 2:14 which says "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea."). It's a building with a large atrium, and 6 rooms that can sleep up to 6 people in each room. And each room is decorated in a style consistent (we think) with a different continent of the world (excluding Antarctica). We have Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, and Australia. You can see pictures at http://camptejas.smugmug.com/gallery/2544626#P-1-9, and you can see "live" webcams (they actually update every 30 seconds or something like that) at http://www.camptejas.org/tejas/meadows_camera. We only have the webcams working during the day, so if you're looking at this at night, you'll see the last recorded image from the day (at 6pm or something like that).

Anyway, we still have much to do. I have very little to do with the construction, but tonight was the second night that I went down to help paint. I felt like I was being counterproductive at times, because every time you paint one color next to a piece of wood or wall that is another color, you'll have to go back and do touch up painting to cover up what you just did. At least in my case you will, because we don't have anything taped off to prevent me from painting red paint where black paint is supposed to be. But I guess in the long run the painting that I did saved someone 1/2 an hour or so (even though it took me 2 hrs).

Did I mention that i don't like to paint that much? I think the year of remodeling that we did to our house in St. Louis turned me against paint. They say that paint is the cheapest and most effective tool for re-decorating. But I highly dislike detail work, and no matter how big the wall is, at some point it comes to the point where it meets up with the ceiling or another wall...and unless the whole rooms is one solid color, you have detail work involved. (If I could type the sound of someone throwing up right here, I would type it out - that's how I feel about detail work).

But I really like the finished product. So once it's done, I might figure out how to put some pictures up on my blog...even though, as I mentioned earlier, I really had nothing to do with its construction, design, or anything worth mentioning. But it's a fun building and our guests are going to love it!

Billy Blanks Boot Camp

So my sister is getting MARRIED in May and I'm a bridesmaid. And I really want to get back in shape before then, so Paul and I purchased the Billy Blanks Boot Camp DVDs. It's 3 DVDs - Basic Boot Camp, Abs Boot Camp, and Ultimate Boot Camp ($20 at Sam's Club - a great deal). It came with these bands that you use to add resistance to build muscle, etc. So Tuesday night we both tried it out, but I wimped out on the bands part. Today, though, we got up before work and did the whole video and I used the bands. Can I just say...

OUCH!!!

I know I'm going to feel this all over tomorrow! And we just did the Basic Boot Camp - I haven't even opened the other two DVDs.

I hope I can stick with it, and that the pain pays off with visible results in May. Whew!

Job Description...

So I got a call from a friend in St. Louis today, who I haven't spoken to in probably over a year - not on purpose - just because I'm terrible at keeping in touch with friends when I move, even though I think about them all the time. So it occurred to me that I haven't really told everyone what I'm doing down here in Texas. So here's the best job description that I can come up with. Other "camping professionals" will understand why I list so many roles - it's how camps work. On my job offer, my job description listed a few official duties, and then a miscellaneous section that has "as needed" at the end of each line. So here we go:

Office Manager - Receptionist, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Armored truck driver (as I take the money from our safe to the bank in town)

Reservations Manager - if you want to book a retreat, summer camp, or personal getaway, I'm your girl. I also put together the contracts and send them out, etc. Considering that our reservation system consists of paper and pencil (so we can erase & make changes), it's a process to get them created and mailed out.

Gift Shop Manager - though if you know me, you know that I have no fashion sense (besides blue jeans and a t-shirt), so trying to pick out the newest "fad" that the kids will want to buy, and that ladies groups will "ooh" and "ahh" over is a bit challenging. But I sure can operate a cash register!

Cook - the position that my mom laughs at the most because she just can't imagine me feeding 200+ people when I can't serve peanut butter and jelly or cereal...yeah, so I learned a few things about food service - I mostly do this on the weekends, and I still haven't gotten better at making meals at home - but frosting for a cake that feeds 80 - I'm on it!

Mail Woman - Yes, we drive our mail to the post office on most days - it gets me out of the office each day, which is nice.

Flower Delivery Woman - gotta have flowers on the tables in the dining hall - at least during retreat season.

Climbing Wall - I don't do this as often anymore, but every now and then you'll catch me running the ladders and ropes if we're short-handed. And believe me, after you zip down, you want that ladder fast because harnesses just aren't that comfortable when you're just hanging there in the air and the adrenaline has worn off.

Thankfully I don't have to lifeguard anymore. While I love to swim, I don't really fancy watching others swim from a hot chair, I don't care what Bay Watch wants you to believe - it's not that glamorous.

Most of my day is spent on the phone with people that call wanting to make reservations. And then I try to finish all of my other tasks in between phone calls, which means I rarely get to finish a thought in my head without being interrupted by the phone again. So sometimes it's a challenge to remember to do all the things I promised a customer that I'd do because by the time I get a moment to do them, I've talked to 15 people in between!

Well, that's the gist of what I do. If you want to find out more about Camp Tejas, check out our website - it has pictures and all kinds of good info. Go to www.camptejas.org. You can even buy a t-shirt if you want!