BILL KEEPS BUSY!!

Bill has been planning to build a mine "entrance" in front of his ore cart and decided this would be the week he got 'er done.  Waiting, and waiting, and waiting for the motorhome to get repaired led to lots of work getting done around the outside of the house. Finished it up this morning and were able to go get the motorhome at 11am! YAY!

Yep, his "workshop" also houses the boat,  the RAZR, his fishing
and hunting stuff, ladders, and more.   Any room for my car?
I didn't think so....

Sadly, the framing shots were overexposed...

These were the "best" I could get with Photoshop's help.

Tried the Tea and steel wool/vinegar recipe* on one side
to make sure it was the result we wanted.  Like it!

Bill started to spray paint the inside black...fumes....

He persevered and we finished the "aging" process too.

Street view - look!! Motorhome is home today!
(Way over at left of garages)

Hmm. Now we need to name it and make a sign!! LOL

*Thank you Pinterest and all the posts that can be found there - including how to age wood! I used the recipe on Craftaholics Anonymous' website.
(http://www.craftaholicsanonymous.net/how-to-age-wood-tutorial-guest-post-from-que-linda#)

OUR SECOND RIDE - October 17, 2012

It didn't take much to get Bill out and heading for the hills!  This time instead of turning right toward Shadow Mountain (local name for it), we headed onto the dirt at the end of our street and turned toward the left, headed for the radio tower.  I took a photo, but since it was late afternoon, the sun was in the west, so the tower is difficult to see in the photo.  There were still puddles of water and as we headed southwest a dirt bike passed us going fast - we didn't hear him until the buzzing was really loud and he was already past us when Bill steered away from the noise and said, wow, that scared me.  I reminded him that is why there is a rear view mirror. LOL  I have to admit, Grandpa and Grandma toodle along at 30 mph, sometimes 35 or 40, and cannot imagine hitting the 70mph (or 80?) the RZR is capable of.  We'll need Matthew to do that breaking in!

The trails look steep and scary from inside the RZR

Black dot (barely visible) is arrow to our house

 I got out to take a picture looking back toward our house without changing lens (above) and then bringing it closer in this one.  If you click the photo it will get slightly larger and you can see a darker brown rectangle. Yippee, right? That's our place.

 

This was when I was out taking photos - I walked ahead and saw quite a drop off, so when Bill drove up to me I told him to turn around (having scoped out a safe place for him to do so, 3 point turn!)... and then he drove back up without me! Too funny, but it only took a moment to walk up and climb in for the fun ride back down the lonnnnng grade which included a sharp right turn to not go up again on an even steeper grade.... well, I guess you had to be there, come visit! 

Up a different trail from the backside of the tower

I couldn't take a photo of California because of the sun's position - but you could have
seen it from here.  This is looking at Ash Meadows Preserve in the distance

And this is going back down into our valley....

Christmas Comes Early in Pahrump!!

Ok, if you drive to Carson City and have been a very good boy, it does!

Really.

2013 Polaris RZR XP

Bill and Kathy Dye -- love you cuz!

Phew, it fit in the trailer. Don't
even ask about gas mileage, the trailer weighs about 3500 lbs empty.... 










Special thanks to Ben and Jimmy at 
Michael's Cycle Works - Carson City,
Nevada.  And of course, to cousin
Kathy.

UNLOAD THE RAZR (oh, and give it a spin, of course)

We left Carson City at about 4:10am, headed home with the RZR loaded in the trailer.  Got into our valley/town limits at 11, and home about 11:15am.  Traffic was light, no highway work delays, it was a great drive! (I slept, hahaha) Now to back the RZR off the trailer -- Bill used to do this with big Caterpillar tractors on a tilting bed trailer that started flat and tilted when the weight got toward the back (that was scary!). Today felt like a piece of cake to the spectator (me) compared to the "old days":

Can't see Bill,
but he's squeezed in the front taking off the tie-downs

Backing up slowly ...

Of course, once it was off the trailer....

He had to take it for a spin!

And away he goes!!
 I was afraid he would just keep going (and I would be left behind!)
That would be so Bill, wouldn't it??

Oh good, he's coming back!
As you can see, BLM land is at the end of our street
so he could have just kept going --
but could he really (and live???) LOL

Can you see his smile??

For Kathy - one shot of our house trees gone!
(I took it while I waited for him to get back from the corner...).

Pictures of our first ride next!

Oh the sights to see...from a RZR!!

So, we were able to go up into the hills around our home and see some of the homes that truly border on BLM land.  There were a few mud puddles and of course, when I was driving and Bill had just told me if we got into mud to keep going at the same speed, don't stop and don't increase speed, what do I do?  Not see the mud and then panic!  LOL  Our baby isn't pristine (clean) anymore.  BUT, it was fun!

 The RZR in its almost factory condition, certainly the cleanest it will ever be - as in before hitting the Dirt!! (and mud)....

And, AFTER:

Oh, I'm sure we will get it way dirtier in the future...
but it is still kinda' sad....

And the views from the ride:

Snow covered peak of Mt. Charleston in distance

The orange home visible about in middle of the photo is
not too far from our house 

Looking toward our home - way, way in distance!
(Our neighbor said the home you can see is one with a
permit for exotic animals (Tigers!)) Who knew? I thought
they were a lot farther from us than they are....

We didn't see any animals, but the home sure had a lot of surveillance warnings.
Click on photo to see larger and my arrows may make sense...

Easter Egg Hunt At Grandpa & Grandma's House

Grandpa enjoys hiding Easter eggs around the front yard for the grandchildren to find.

Our oak tree (Cork) used to be a great hiding spot. It is finally getting so large the cracks don't hold the eggs very well anymore...

But there are other great spots in and around the front of the house!

Mikaela fills her "basket"

Rosslyn & Mikaela

In their Easter outfits...Aren't they just huggable??

Andrew and Julianna (he came straight from the Zoo)

Matt and Jenny

Wendy and Jesse

Us with the grandchildren

How to Train Your Dragon 3-D!!

As an extra treat and to celebrate Easter/Spring vacation, we took the grandchildren to see the Dragon movie in 3-d.  We all enjoyed it very much and look forward to the Toy Story 3-d movie when it comes out.

COLORING EASTER EGGS!

Coloring Easter eggs is an annual family tradition.  We started with Julianna and her cousins, Creg, Jeff and Dwayne - many, many years ago - and the tradition continues ... now with our Grandchildren, enjoying each other and family time together.

Stewart & Rosslyn

Mikaela

Grandpa!!

L-R: Julianna, Mom/Grandma, Matthew