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Our Lady of Perpetual Rose Glow - South Congress Avenue - Austin, Texas

Taken by pfrench99 posted on flickr

The past in the present


Posted with permission from Higher Awareness. A great site I enjoy Jesse Smith

The past in the present

"If you accept a limiting belief, then it will become a truth for you."

-- Louise Hay

Pick one aspect of your life, e.g. your health, your competence, your prosperity or relationships, and think back to when you were a child. What messages about this subject did you hear from adults at that time that are still playing on your subconscious tape recorder? Messages like: "Men can't be trusted." "Money doesn't grow on trees." "You're not smart enough to succeed in business."

How is your world reflecting your beliefs back to you, today?

"There are no limitations to the self except those you believe in."

-- Seth

Funny things about Texas.

Texas
THINGS I LEARNED FROM
BEING RAISED IN TEXAS

Armadillos sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air.

There are 5,000 types of snakes on earth and 4,998 live in Texas.

There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in Texas , plus a couple noone's seen before.

If it grows, it sticks; if it crawls, it bites.

'Twiced' is a word.

People actually grow and eat okra.

'Fixinto' is one word

There is no such thing as 'lunch.' There is only dinner
and then supper.

Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two. We do like a little tea with our

'Backwards and forwards' means I know everything about you!

Djeet is actually a phrase meaning 'Did you eat?'

You don't have to wear a watch because it doesn't matter
what time it is. You work until you're done or it's too dark to see.

You don't PUSH buttons, you MASH them.

You measure distance in hours. Like its 6 hours from Houston to Dallas .

You'll probably have to switch from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day.

'Fix' is a verb. Example: 'I'm fixing to go to the store.'


You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.

Yes, Friday night high school football games is serious football!

You carry jumper cables in your car . . . for your OWN car.

There are only four spices: salt, pepper, Tabasco and ketchup.

The local papers cover national and international news on one page, but require 6 pages for local gossip and sports.

100 degrees Fahrenheit is 'a little warm.'

We have four seasons: Almost Summer, Summer, still Summer and Christmas.

Going to Wal-mart is a favorite past time known as 'goin'
to Wally-World.'

A cool snap (below 70 degrees) is good pinto-beanweather.


A carbonated soft drink isn't a soda, cola or pop. . . . it's a
Coke, regardless of brand or flavor. Example: 'What kind
a coke you want?'

Friedcatfish is the other white meat.

We don't need nostinking driver's ed . . . if our mama says we can
drive, we can drive. If you understand these jokes please forward them to your friends from Texas (and those who just wish they were).

EVERYONE can't be from Texas . You might say it'sa gift from God! And the
most important thing we learn growing up in TEXAS is...



IN GOD WE TRUST

Solar Tubes for Container Houses

Many people are converting Shipping Containers into Houses, for under $15,000. Jesse

via My Shipping Container House by todd on 7/22/09


Finished installing the solar tubes yesterday. Wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. They don't cover installing them in a flat roof with u-panels in the instructions. There is still a few more chances of rain this week for a leak test otherwise I'll go over everything with a garden hose before the insulation is installed.




As you can see this type of sky light allows in a lot of light. They are more efficient then "window" style sky lights since the surface area in contact with the outside is reduced. And hopefully this ends the questions about my lack of windows.



Things you can do from here:

Giddings Texas Sunset hwy 290

Taken from 290.

Good Salesman at Goodsons Honda

Now is a great time to buy a new car and one of Houston's best dealers is Goodson's Honda. Ask for Josh Watson. His telephone is 832-601-4014 and his email is jwatson@goodsonauto.com

Low Tech Texas Container Retreat

Sent to you by Jesse C Smith Jr via Google Reader:

via Green Building : Jetson Green by Preston Koerner on 7/22/09

Cinco-camp-side

In April 2009, this bold vacation cabin received a 2009 Residential Architect Design Award in the custom home under 3,500 square feet category. The NY Times may have noticed, because Kate Murphy also published a feature article about the home last week. Referred to as Camp Cinco, this low-tech retreat was designed by Mark T. Wellen of Rhotenberry Wellen Architects for owner Roger Black and constructed by placing five shipping containers on hand-dug piers. The design is simple and striking.

Cinco-camp-diagram

Camp Cinco spreads the typical home features into different containers. One unit is for storage, another has kitchen amenities, and the last three each have a bed and bathroom. The interiors are clean and minimalist -- just perfect for relaxing in the middle of nowhere -- and behind the cargo doors, each unit has sliding glass doors. That way, the monstrous Texas animals and insects stay outside while the occupants gaze at the passing horizon from the inside.

Similar to what we saw with the steel canopy on the Ultimate Desert House, the roofs on Camp Cinco provide both visual and cooling benefits. The roof will absorb a portion of the heat from the Texas sun (and shade the home, too) while some of the rest of the heat will be cooled by winds passing between the container and corrugated steel.

Residential Architect reports that the construction cost was about $202 per square foot, which at 800 square feet for the project, puts the overall construction (and not design or land) budget at roughly $161,600. Lastly, if you're interested in hearing the background story, I suggest you read the owner's own account of how things happened:

[+] No deposit, no return by Roger Black.

Cinco-camp-bedroom Cinco-camp-kitchen

Cinco-camp-south

Cinco-camp

Photo credits: Hester + Hardaway, Rhotenberry Wellen Architects.


Things you can do from here:

Cinco Camp, Brewster County, Texas

Posted for information only with all rights belonging to Cheryl Weber

Custom / 3,500 square feet or less

2009 residential architect design awards



Source: residential architect Magazine

By Cheryl Weber) *all credits belong to her)

Cinco Camp, Brewster County, Texas
Rhotenberry Wellen Architects
Midland, Texas

Hester + Hardaway
The rusted boxes rest lightly on hand-dug piers. Coplanar floating roofs shield inhabitants from the sun's heat. A rear window and swing-open double doors invite cross-ventilation through the MDF-wrapped interiors.

View slideshow

Shipping container architecture is nothing new, but adapting the shells for living often undoes their built-in economy. With only minimal modifications, these serve as rugged guest cabins on a West Texas ranch. “We didn't want to leave a scar on that somewhat fragile landscape,” Mark T. Wellen, AIA, says of his solution. “If you disfigure the surface, the cacti and low shrubbery can take years to come back.”

The containers (one is for storage) were outfitted off site with a rear window and MDF floor, walls, and ceiling—almost like a cigar box. Then they were hauled in, two at a time, on an 18-wheeler and craned into place from the existing road.

Concrete footings for small piers were hand-poured, and floating roofs were popped on for shade. The jaunty roofs allow breezes to cool the units. “Most of our sun is overhead here, so they're largely in the shade,” Wellen says. When the containers are occupied, the big doors of each unit swing open and are strapped in place. Closed down, they're impervious to weather and wandering wildlife. What's more, they're a playful mirror image of the boxcars rolling by on distant tracks.

Down in the valley and 45 minutes from the closest town, the cabins are “a romantic and poetic folly. Great fun!” said a judge. “And it looks like it will last forever.”

principal in charge / project architect: Mark T. Wellen, AIA, Rhotenberry Wellen Architects
general contractor: Steve Ekstrom, Ekstrom Construction Co., Midland, Texas
project size: 800 square feet (combined)
site size: 3,500 acres
construction cost: $202 per square foot
photography: Hester + Hardaway.

Posted for information only with all rights belonging to Cheryl Weber

Which Is Worse? Drunk Driving or Cell-Phoning?

This is a great article to read.

via The CarGurus Blog by jgoods on 7/21/09

Total DistractionBoth are equally likely to cause an accident, according to research the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) squelched. Today the full body of research on driver distractions is being made public for the first time since the studies began in 2003. The New York Times broke the story on its front page this morning.

It seems that certain unnamed members of Congress, including members of the House Appropriations Committee, pressured NHTSA officials into withholding their research, even though it found that cell phone use (even the hands-free kind) and texting were deadly. The researchers "estimated that cellphone use by drivers caused around 955 fatalities and 240,000 accidents over all in 2002." Hands-free headsets didn't eliminate the risk, since the conversation itself caused distraction.

Another study

found that drivers using a hand-held device were at 1.3 times greater risk of a crash or near crash, and at three times the risk when dialing compared with other drivers.

Texting? Forget it. You might as well be driving from the passenger seat.

Police DistractionWhether pressure came from the cell phone industry or not is unknown, but Congress has once again worked to promote a special interest at the expense of the general good. And those in the Bush administration, including Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, should be held accountable. This time, these guys actually have blood on their hands.

It will take a massive campaign to get people to stop phoning while driving. Is that possible? Is it desirable?



Things you can do from here:

Tomball Depot Park


Tomball Depot Park
Originally uploaded by Jesse C Smith Jr
My picture of the depot park. Tomball has the Farmers Market here 2nd Saturday each month. Great idea. Our new mayor seems to be doing great.

Other drivers can snitch on litterbugs

This is for the girl at Tomball Whataburger.

via chron.com Chronicle on 7/19/09
Alleged violators reported to the state get a letter and a litter bag reading, "Real Texans Don't Litter."


Houston firm wins offshore S. Texas wind leases

Great to see a local company win.

via chron.com Chronicle on 7/17/09
A Houston company has won leases off Mustang Island and South Padre Island to develop wind farms.


Things you can do from here:

Bank Robbers This Week Recognize Anyone?

BanditTracker.com

Link to Texas Bank Robbery Suspects

Bank of America-South Hulen St.

Posted: 17 Jul 2009 08:18 AM PDT


Date: 07/16/2009
Location: Bank of America
Address: 4751 South Hulen Street
City: Fort Worth
State: Texas
Race:White
Sex:Male
Hair: Black
Eyes: Unknown
Height: 5’ 6" to 5’ 8"
Weight (Min): 140
Weight (Max): 165
Description: Blue bb cap, glasses, mustache. Gray t shirt and gray or white cotton short. Running shoes.
Narrative: Subject entered the bank and demanded money from the teller. The subject entered and exited the bank from the east doors. A witness saw an undescribed SUV in the parking lot that may have been the getaway car.
Contact: Detective Michael S. Baggott FBI/Safe Streets Task Force 817.989.3330
Weapon Shown: No

Smelly bandit

Posted: 17 Jul 2009 07:57 AM PDT


Date: 07/15/2009
Location: First Convenience Bank
Address: 6650 North Beach Street
City: Fort Worth
State: Texas
Zip:76137
Race:White
Sex:Male
Hair: Brown
Height: 5’ 5" to 5’ 8"
Weight (Min): 180
Weight (Max): 200
Description: Black bb cap, white long sleeve t shit with "Texas Longhorns" logo on front, blue jeans and white/blue tennis shoes. Strong body odor combined with heavy odor of cigarettes and alcohol.
Narrative: Subject passed the note and demanded money. Threatened the use of a gun.
Contact: Detective Scott Thompson FBI/Safe Streets Task Force 817.989.3317
Weapon Shown: No

D and S Lawn and Automotive 703 W Main St. Tomball

I have known Steve and David from their first day and I have never been unhappy with them in any way. At one time I ran Tomball Lawn Care and Nursery, We had 2 crews and tons of equipment. They were the place that we purchased our equipment from and they did all repairs. Never a problem. They were always friendly, very knowledgeable, Didn"t sell me anything I didn't need and never over priced. Good People. I still use them today. If I find a business I can trust I stay with them.
D-S Lawn and Automotive has a complete service center to provide automotive, SUV and light truck maintenance and repair at a competitive and affordable price. Our automotive technicians are A.S.E. certified and have more than twenty-five years of automotive repair experience.








Our lawnmower service center can keep your riding mower or walk mower tuned up and ready for the season. We provide maintenance and repair service for most brands of residential and commercial walk lawnmowers, riding mowers, gas trimmers, chainsaws, tillers, gas blowers and edgers.





Small Tile inlay table.
Rustic Cowboy Coolers.

Great Coolers.
John Henry Sauces, 2007 Bar B Q sauce winner.


Large inventory of Lawn Equipment.







DISCLAIMER

I DO NOT CLAIM OWNERSHIP OF ALL PHOTOS AND ARTWORK USED IN THIS BLOG OR IT'S CONTENT.

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