Panini for your pleasure, please!

Panini's from a local Chef and Spokesperson
for the Texas Beef Council, Tiffany Collins.
This recipe is from Tiffany's new book,
200 Best Panini Recipes. Excellent Book!
Get it HERE.

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Got the shed dried-in just in time for Hurricane Dolly to deliver some much needed rain.

Here's a photo of the shed with the door painted and the trim complete.

Hothouse Flowers

The shed is taking shape.
Clad in OSB sheathing.

Set amid Texas Hill Country natives.



Perched on the hillside.

Strong enough to take the heat.

A Rasin' in the Sun

Jim's friend, Whitney & Peg's dad, Warren, came out to help kick start the shed framing on Saturday. Lordy, was it hot. I think it was about 103 by the time we wrapped up for the day at 3p. We went through over 5 gallons of drinking water, with barely a bathroom break among us!

On day 2, Sunday, Jim & Peg finished framing around the windows and the door. Jim completed the OSB sheething, cut out the windows, and hoisted a few of the roof rafters. A little cooler today, only about 102 or so.

The shed is 12 x 16, and the wall height is 10'. It has two windows on the west wall, and one on the north wall. The door is on the south wall and is full glass. The east wall has no windows so we can store from ceiling to floor there and to keep out the morning sun.

The shed will have electric and water hookups, just in case we want to use the building for some other purpose down the road. Here's the view from one of the west-facing windows.

Hiking Grelle

Il Poggio Secco in the Texas Hill Country features many unique nearby opportunities for R&R. This morning, we went on a short hike in LCRA's Grelle Recreation Area. Grelle wraps around an isolated cove on the upper south shore of Lake Travis. The cove's grassy beach is a good swimming spot and a two-mile hiking trail winds through the area's hills to a plateau with a spectacular view of Lake Travis. Austin Explorer has a nice review of the park and trail.

Early July

i primi fichi neri di quest'anno

even the gargoyle is panting in the heat...

texas lantana

septic bloom