WORK WEEKEND, MAY 2006

Hey kids, here's a few shots of what went on at Creekland this Memorial Day weekend. Much was accomplished. Unfortunately there are no photos of Liz and Jeff moving the outhouse - I know you're disappointed. Click on a photo to enlarge it.

Tons of cleaning and planting has occurred. Deb K was busy in the garden, along with Val and Gentri. Paul also added some new features to the stage. The stage now includes a new beam running across the width to hang lights, and it should be much easier to get a cover over the stage if it decides to rain.


Major Construction: There's a new set of stairs and a deck on the path down to the creek that everyone will certainly use. The construction crew included Paul, Ovid, Erik Emig, Bernie and Jerry. As you can see, it's snazzy and it's much easier to make it down to the water!



The view from the new deck





Judith did a great job repainting the picnic table and benches. My close-up shot of the table didn't turn out, but you can almost see it here in this shot of Bernie and Paul. Check it out when you get there, it's cool.



James dazzled everyone with his craftsmanship. There are new solar-powered lights on each path that are amazingly beautiful and fully functional.



James came up with a fabulous design that casts complex spiderweb shadow patterns, which will be really fun for those of you who plan to stay up late. They're a trip!

Bernie, Whitey, Jeffy and Ovid played a few ditties late Sunday night. The music was excellent as always, and it traveled far in the humid night air. I was in my tent far back in the woods listening. It was a great way to end a tiring day.

Good to know that you're out there and that you're visiting the website. This site has gotten over 100 hits in the past two weeks. In other words, this works!

See y'all in three weeks!!!

Jeff & Jen's trip to Europe - Click for Pics

A full month after leaving for Spain and Portugal Jen and I finally have our pictures online. The two weeks we spent on the Iberian peninsula were fantastic beyond description. Looking back it almost doesn't seem possible to squeeze as much into two weeks as we did. From Sevilla to Granada and then a week in the Algarve region of Portugal we hit too many cafes to count, Moorish fortesses, Orchards as far as the eye can see, and some of the most beautiful beaches and coastal cliffs in the world.

Starting in Sevilla we spent 3 days exploring the city and enjoying the nightlife. The days were spent wandering narrow cobblestone alleys, eating & drinking in streetside cafes, and experiencing Spanish culture in form of a bull fight that was shocking and visceral. The nignts were spent pretty much the same way but the culture was provided by Flamenco and sangria.

Next on the agenda was a two hour train ride east to Granada, nestled at the feet of the Sierra Nevada mountains and home of the Alhambra, a ginormous Moorish fortess built in the 9th century. Unfortunately by the time we hiked up from our hostel the tikets were sold out and we weren't able to see the inside. However, we hiked further up an adjascent hill covered in wild flowers and were treated with a fabulous view of, not only the Alhambra, but also the city of Granada and mountains in the distance. After our walk back down we stuffed ourselves with excellent pizza and two pithcers of sangria, which made the rest of the walk back much more enjoyable. After four days and nights of travel and staying in hostels we were ready for a night in a real hotel so we treated ourselves that night. At five the next morning we were walking through an almost deserted town to the train station to head back to Sevilla to pick up our motorcycle.

Up until this point in our trip our luck with the weather had been stellar. It had been sunny every day and between 70 and 75 degrees. Sure enough, as soon as we sit our butts on the motorcycle for our 4 hour drive to our resort in Portugal, it started to rain. (More to come......)