Christmas Eve flight to Hondo

Tom asked me if I wanted to go flying!  We met at the ranch and flew to Hondo, about 10 miles away.  We gained quite a bit of altitude to get over some hills as we left Medina then descended into the valley as we approached Hondo.  Hondo was an old Air Force Base opened during WW-II and is now the Hondo Municipal Airport.  After landing we were going to make a pit stop and get a drink of water but could not get into the filed business office.  As we were getting ready to leave what appeared to be a P-51 landed and taxied up to us.

The plane was a home built 2/3 scale replica of a P-51.  Turned out Tom knew the pilot and he asked us if we wanted to look at some planes so we followed him over to his hangar.

Quite a surprise as we saw many different planes.

Even another P-51!

While we were talking another plane flew over and landed and a lady climbed out of the cockpit.  We had been talking with here friend and turns out that between them they have 6 planes here at Hondo and a few more in Medina!

After leaving Hondo we took a scenic route back to the Ranch flying along Highway 16 so we could see Lake Medina and even San Antonio off to the east.  On our way back Tom found some large open fields and he did lots of maneuvering as we flew a whole lot closer to the ground so he could show me just how the Gyro handled.  Was amazing to say the least.

Flying down the Medina River

Later in Novemebr I got a text from Tom asking me if I would like to go for a ride!  Of course.....  It was cooler with some overcast but we had a great flight from the ranch hangar down along the Medina River.  Medina River

Gyro trip to Fredricksburg for lunch

Tom called me and asked if I wanted to go for a ride and I did!  We met at the Kerrville municipal airport and flew to Gillespie Field near Fredricksburg  Takeoff Kerrville to Gillespie Field.  Stopped for lunch at the Airport Diner and had a great burger and homemade chips.

Departure, Gillespie Field  As we became airborne we saw another Gyrocopter on the apron.  We flew back over the Kerrville airport and then over our house before heading back to Kerrville.  Video taken after leaving our house on the way back to Kerrville  Approach to Kerrville

After lining up on the runway we flew quite a ways down before Tom landed really close to the approach ramp.  The Gyro will normally land in 50 - 100 feet but we were quite a ways from the approach ramp so we flew on down the run way.

Flying in Texas

It has been awhile since I posted anything so thought I should get this blog more up-to-date.

We've settled in and are still working on some landscaping projects, planting trees and believe it or not, still moving dirt!  I get a whole lot of help from Lewis thankfully.

Lesley started her dog training business last winter and has had a good steady list of clients.  I have wanted to fly a Gyrocopter since I was a teenager and several months ago I saw one fly over the house.  Turns out that one of Lesley's clients husband owns the Gyrocopter that I saw and I was able to beg a ride recently.

In early November I drove over to a ranch near Medina and met the Gyro owner Tom at the hanger where he keeps his Gyro.  There was another family there as well, going to also take a ride.  Here are some photos of one of the rides that day

Tom built the Gyro from a kit while he lived in Atlanta.

Here is a video link for one of the days takeoffs  TangoGyro Takeoff

The takeoff first involves a rotor spin up to about 200 RPM and then the takeoff roll.  Here on this field the roll is kind of  bumpy but not bad.  The engine on this Gyro is a 110HP Yamaha unit used on snowmobiles.

Getting close to finishing

We've both been spending lots of time at the house getting things ready for our move in which will happen later this coming week.  

Things that we've finished recently:

Guest bathroom, tile.  Conventional tub/shower.

 Bar sink and counter top. 

Kitchen showing Wolf cooktop, wall oven, disposal and two sinks.

Cedar ridge beam in Living/Dining room.

Have final plumbing nearly completed, temporary sink in master bathroom while we wait for installation of vanity tops, water softener in but need to commission, all appliances in and tested, 3 zone HVAC system in and fine tuned. 

HVAC system is a standard AC/Heat pump unit with an auxiliary Propane furnace that takes over once outside air temp drops below 38 degrees.  The three thermostats control dampers that allow us to heat and cool 3 areas in the house independently.  Really works nice.

Lots of little things now to take care of and then finish moving and unpacking our stuff.

Merry Christmas

Christmas Eve and I was working on the house.  Did some baseboards in the kitchen and laundry room getting ready for appliance delivery next week.  Started on crown molding over kitchen cabinets and did toe kicks for all vanities and kitchen cabinets.

Counter tops should be installed in a week and then will hang pendant lights that we found over the bar/prep sink counter.

Drive and walks completed this week.  Mostly concrete with an area of crushed granite in between.  Looking at Compact tractors now - lots of dirt moving, landscaping, post holes, and grass cutting coming up!

Merry Christmas

Major Progress

It has been awhile since I've posted anything so here goes:

The electrical work is complete, lighting is all LED, floor tiles in with 2 rooms left to be grouted, bathroom tile will start Monday, rain gutters and driveway work started yesterday, finish trim underway and Propane tank should be installed early next year..

We finished installing all but one cabinet and once I finished with the under cabinet lighting will install cabinet top crown molding.

 Kitchen/Bar area with wall oven cabinet on the right.

Kitchen proper with opening for dishwasher shown.  Under cabinet light wiring visible.  Hope to finish that today.

Counter tops should be installed within the next week except for the entry hall cabinet and laundry room - I'm doing both of these with Wilsonart Laminate.

This have been quite a project and we are mostly enjoying it!

Stucco finished sanition system nearly complete

The stucco texture was finished this morning and the crew was going to start painting but a cold front came through last night.  Windy, rainy, 42 degrees so crew going to come back tomorrow and finish.

The septic system was started yesterday with placement of the two tanks but today was serious work with plumbing done, wiring for the lift pump, and installation of bio-diffusers in the leech field.

I found out almost accidentally that the Kerr County Road and Bridge Dept will install driveway access for the cost of materials!  So went up and wrote a check for $130 and they will haul in about 8 yards of aggregate, grade and pack so that we have easy access to our lot - less work when it comes time to do the complete driveway and concrete apron.

Construction Update

It has been awhile since I posted anything so wanted to post this photo and a brief update.

Most of the exterior work is complete now waiting for final stucco on the exterior.  I completed installation of 200ft of 1.25" water line and a pressure regulator yesterday.  Conduit for power, TV and data is in and working on conduit for power to the garage today.

Drywall is in and should have final mud work today.  Going to look at a few texture samples and then texture and interior painting starts next week.  Once this is complete will have concrete floor stain work done then begin cabinet and countertop installation. 

Garage door, plumbing and lighting fixtures, and all cabinets are in our local storage unit.

We are about 2.5 months into construction and everyone says that we have been very fortunate that the work has been progressing at this fast pace.  I'm hoping we can be in and settled by year end!

18 Sept ready for roofing

Builder continues to make great progress.  Wiring is well underway and AC installers are hard at work.  Plumbers are supposed to start work today and the painter has been scheduled to come in and do the fascia and soffits.

All cabinets are on order, all plumbing fixtures are on hand, other materials arriving daily.

Cedar posts for both the front and back porches should look really nice. 

Framing nearly complete

The framers got a lot done and are taking a long weekend.  Pocket door frames were delivered yesterday and windows should be here in another week or two.  Plumbing and electrical has been started and AC contractor starts next week. 

Counter tops and some of the cabinets are on order and we should have the rest of the cabinet order finalized later today.

Work continues

When we visited our homesite yesterday the workers had completed the first roof layer on the garage, were beginning the installation of concrete board on fascia and soffits, and were nearing completion of the interior ceiling trusses for the living/dining area.

Garage roofing

We plan to use the garage as storage for materials going forward so will have wiring, ceiling and doors completed as soon as we can.

Interior ceiling trusses

Progress continues

Roofing trusses and backer board continue to go on and progress continues.  I am trying to take a photo of our new home as we progress thru the building process on a daily basis from roughly the same spot.  I want to put a slide show together showing the external work as it progresses to the point of roofing, stucco and stone.

Roofing progress

Yesterday afternoon I was amazed that the framers had already started work on the garage roof.

I was even more so this afternoon when I visited.

The crew will be working all weekend and hope to finish next week.  Then they move on to a 7000 sq ft home that is next on the schedule.

Framing has started

The first part of the framing crew showed up this morning and set to work putting down string lines.  We went over framing details and made a few minor changes based on locations of plumbing and electrical rough in.  We had move the wall behind the fridge back 6" to make room for our larger fridge/freezer and the ice maker suf was slightly out of position - moved that .5" further back. 

We also increased one wall thickness from 2x4 to 2x6 in the pantry to accommodate the main power line and breaker panel.

Everything else is fine and framing is underway.  The full crew of 16 plus will be on hand tomorrow morning!

Lumber Delivery

We had to run an errand this morning so we stopped by our lot and were really surprised to see that the first load of lumber had been delivered.  Moving along nicely.

Ready for framing

I checked on progress Friday morning and the contractor was pulling forms and cleaning up around the slabs.  He said he was in a hurry because he thought that we would start to see rain around 3.  He was right!

Forms are off and the slabs are ready for framers to start.

We had only a small amount of rain over the weekend with generally dry conditions forecast for this week into next.  Out next door neighbor is having a large beehive (upwards of half a million bees) removed from a dead oak today) and framers are scheduled to start work tomorrow.


we will also be meeting with the concrete stain company and countertop installer this week.

Foundation pour begins

I left our rental house at 6:30 this morning and when I got to our home site the concrete pumper was in place and the crew of 10 was already hard at work.

The ReadyMix trucks were ready and waiting and the pour began with boom lights on.  The pour started with concrete directed to the floor beam areas and once these were filled they moved back to begin filling the floor slab area.

I was amazed at how quickly concrete could be pumped into place and also how quickly the concrete crew could deal with it! 

At one point there were 5 concrete trucks on site, two pumping, once waiting along side and 2 on the street waiting to get in.

In no time at all the home foundation forms were full of concrete and the crew was hard at work leveling and smoothing.  That was a sight to see as well.  I drove into town to pick up some food for the crew (a mixed variety of burritos, 21 total, from Marys Tacos).  I also picked up a case of drinks and when I got back to the job site at about 1015 the guys were ready for a feeding frenzy.

House slab

I left for awhile to talk with the HVAC contractor and when I got back at 1200 the pumper was gone, concrete was done and the guys were doing some cleanup ahead of rain showers that were moving into the area.  

Garage slab

Before I knew what had happened the guys pulled out and then a very nice gentle rain started falling.  Nice timing to keep the slab moist and cool it down some as the concrete cures.

It's 5:00 now and a light rain is still falling and the outside temp has dropped to 82 degrees.

Power is in and ready to go

The power company finished working on our electric service today while I was home watching the eclipse.  Now have 200 amp service and I installed 2 20amp breakers for temporary power during construction.

Hello Mr Moon

I took a break from building our home today (I've really been working hard...) so that I could watch the Solar Eclipse.  I had a shipping box left over from a recent Superbrightleds order so I made a viewer and set it up in the back of the truck.

 Definitely hi tech!  Watched as the eclipse just started

 till it was a maximum here, at 1:09PM CDT

I also managed to get a short video as clouds partially obscured the image.  Will try to move to YouTube and post the link here at some point.