I uploaded the wrong pictures --here are those from 2005 that we had taken in Death Valley. They reported that they had not seen so many flowers in the last 50 years.

The weather has been so strange that its hard to predict what will happen next. One Morning last week we woke up to snow at the edge of our valley. It only lasted a few hours, but it was quite unusual. When its bad out, I usually try to find some thing else to do. I turned a bowl made out of mesquite which I had cut into slices about a month ago. I liked the way the grain shows up when you add linseed oil to the surface. Next to my bowl, you will find the log from which this production came.

Last week , with friends we finally made it again to tour Death Valley. the scenery was spectacular and we saw some things that we had not seen before. The weather was in the 80's so it was nice and warm. Our goal was to see the spring flowers which are visable every spring. They were not as plentyfull as a few years back. Enclosed in this postingare two pictures I took at about this time with the flowers running right up the mountain.

This is a little gathering is for Rennae's 39th Birthday Party. The purple hat represents her birthday. We had to spray paint it to achieve that perfect color

After taking a class on beads, Rennae has been making jewelery and I have been making an effort toward a garden. I am adding manure this year and letting it lie till next year when I'll try to grow a few things--mostly winter crops. I did put a metal fence around the outside to keep the dogs from rolling in it. By clicking on the picture, you can enlarge the image.

Just like the rest of the country, the weather has also been unusual here. Although we have had blossoms on out trees and there is evidence of spring, we have extremes like snow in the mountains one day, and 85 degrees just 24 hours later. We have never had a lot of luck with roses, but they are beautiful this time of the year. As you can see, ours are doing quite well.

This is what the furniture looks like when we bought it. It has darker stain and seems to be pretty good wood--I don't think I'll get it done before next fall.

Here I'm taking the paint off a door on a painted furniture that we had bought. It's a slow job that no one wants to do.

As you can see we are planning for a "labarynth" for the open area in our yard. Its going to take many stones which we will have to bring in from the desert.

Get to Know Me

I'm just a regular guy who is retired and wants to keep in touch with people that have known me or will know me in the future. My wife describes me as a "workaholic". I just like to be busy and like to do things for myself or others. My comfort level is maximized when I have all my things around me. Some would say that I'm a pack-rat. I have never liked winter all that much and now travel between north and south. I have not decided where I consider home, but navigate between Minnesota and Nevada. I always like to do things myself and ask for help as a last resort. Carpentry and woodworking is now my greatest joy, with making things grow is a close second. I ride cycle whenever possible and enjoy the freedom . EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN MY LIFE IS SEEN AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ADVENTURE. I take chances because it gives me an upportunity to test myself and it gives me great satisfaction to overcome adversity. Doing things my way often becomes my goal and frustrates others. I like myself and can hardly wait for each day to start a new. I like church because it keeps my ambitions and my "darker" selfish side in check. I like the freedom from Government which I don't trust all that much.