A Routine Year

Last year, 2014, we found ourselves in a routine...from Attwater Prairie Chicken NWR...to Moosehorn NWR...to Southeast Louisiana NWR...back to Attwater Prairie Chicken NWR.  The same places over the last two years.

Here we are once again on the prairie, our third year back.  We are having the same start to 2015 as 2014...cold and rainy.  Last year, we did not get out with the heavy equipment because of the rain!!!

We did have a wonderful year...a tour of the Painted Churches of Texas, the State Capitol in Austin,  the Booming and Blooming Festival here at the refuge, our class reunion, Moosehorn in May, moving into the new office, the Fishing Derby, then Southeast Louisiana NWR "Wild Things" and last but not least, being with our family once again.  We ended the year by buying our 2015 Ford Lariat!!!

We have worked a total of four days, what with the holidays and all.  Our supervisor, Darrell (maintenance), asked if we could build some benches.  I said, "sure, but we need a plan."  I immediately got on the computer and came up with this!!!

From here, with the plans, we went to this.

We all got into the act...I have never seen Darrell so excited over a project...he wanted to get in there too.

They let me chisel out the slots for the legs!!!

This is how they turned out...yes, they, as we built three of them.
AND, we are not through yet.  Wallace started sanding them down when John Magera walks in with another idea.

Let's put a blue goose on the back of the benches.  Guess who gets to do that?

Using a Dremel, I went to work. Having never used one before, I practiced first.

Next I move to the real thing, the actual benches.

We shall see how this turns out in our next blog.  I love a good challenge.

Until next time...