Packard Shack & LED lgts - in the making ...(& still hot)

I started building a free standing carport/shed at the beginning of summer...but the hot weather has slowed that process waaaayy down. At the time I had two 1948 & 1949 Packards to house in there.....but now only one.

My nephew Joe was "sweet talked" into spending the night here so we could get an early start on getting the roof rafters up. Went fast with me on the ground and him on the ladder...done with this stage by 9:30AM. Next is 1x4 nailers run cross-ways and then the tin. I used 20 ga metal studs for rafters.

Joe is trying to sell an old truck that was passed down to him from an older brother. '84 Ford F150 short bed with a 302V8 auto. He only wants $650 for it, as it needs a tad bit of TLC, but will start and run. We had to go find a battery for it today...got a good deal on a 1yr warrantee 600cca batt for $30. Hopefully someone will nab this thing off Craigslist.

I've also been fiddlin' around with making some 12V LED lights for use at the cabin, as under cabinet lights for the countertop. I saw these LED flexible strips online somewhere for $3 each. Cut a stick of 1-1/2" PVC pipe in half, used spray glue to hold a piece of wrinkled mylar space blanket stuff in for a reflective surface....now I need to figure out a simple switch...maybe a 12V rocker switch for automotive use type device>?

THIS IS A ROUGH PROTOTYPE HERE...not pretty, but I bet it'll work fine.

(snickers okay...but no guffaws and horselaughs, pls)

These pics were not turned sideways when they were downloaded (uploaded?)..Maybe "Oldfool" can offer some ideas...he helped alot last time with the moving of pics for me.

Anyway....TR has been way too hot for a trip...(even though, right NOW it's 108 here and 98 near Camel's Hump in TR) ...I guess the rainy season ain't gonna happen down there this year....I sure hope it does. Shoulda started by now.

Adios for now, y'alluns.

B-foot

"wasted days and wasted nights"....

Bigfoot here...yes..AGAIN.! partial group of our trash bottle collection...(I was gonna haul them to the Legion, but they are way too clean for that!) We have about 30 of each...giving them away on Craigslist finally.

And this looks like a giant peice of "Bit-O-Honey"....but it's really a skinned 40 gal hot water heater from my sis' house....after I peel off all the insulation foam it's another candidate for a solar batch water heater

Here's the garden so far...after last year's very dismal crop I'm just not too excited about gardening anymore.....just a few peppers, cukes and 'maters so far...and a couple weeds.

This is a native wild plant called "Cowboy's toilet paper" that came up this spring in the garden area.... have not tried it out (yet)

And a few tomatoes...already blooming after last night's 1.5" heavy rains here west of FTW

I've been rolling the idea around in my empty head for some time...that I really oughta build a carport for the twin Packards...one is under the carport now, and the "keeper" is sitting under a canvas tarp out in the open. Just a simple 20x20' simple structure would do...and I think I have enough recycled 2x10s and 4x4 posts to do it...might have to buy some tin for the roof. (I better get going on this soonly..cause once it gets HOT I ain't gonna drag my rather obtuse and large-framed ass outside to do anything much) .......I just gotta figure out where to situate it on my piece o' dirt here. I'd really love to sell the black 1949 Packard...!

One of the feral teenage cats dropped 4 kittens a couple weeks ago...Now the other "momma to be" should be squirting hers out any day I'm guessing....(gotta find a burlap sack)

My DIY recycled/re-purposed/greenyfied birdbath dealio...(can't see the water in pic)

Looks like another TR trip at the end of the month...only for a few days, like last trip.

Caren's Lexus tranny is doing fine.

Been sunny, cool and very breezy here today after storms and rain last night.

I got a book on Amazon lately.."Build your own earth oven"...that might be useful down at TR for an outdoor cooking appliance....Seems fairly simple to build, very cheap, and supposed to work wonderfully for breads, pizza, and also meats.

Only drawback .. you need to have some firewood to heat it up for cooking....that stuff ain't so plentiful out west.

http://www.amazon.com/Build-Your-Own-Earth-Oven/dp/096798467X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1302557237&sr=1-1

OKAY...enough blathering on here.

Seeyall.....!!