This morning I awoke to a nearby rock formation, The Garden of the Gods, bathed in early morning sunlight. It was a very nice way to start the day, and as I said earlier, it is one of the things I like best about Colorado. I just wish I had been closer, in order to get a more detailed photo.


Once I got to work, we had some bagels, and then it was time to unload a flatbed truck. The truck was loaded with steel that will be used to build a huge lean-to shed in the back of the shop. It took a lot of concentration to get everything off safely. It was nice to do some work that didn't have anything to do with pipes or a deck.

After that, Bob and I went around campus to check things out. It turned out that one of our irrigation clocks had stopped working. We had to get into the German House in order to fix it. Inside the German House I saw all these old movie posters in German. I figured that maybe some German-type people would be looking at my bloc, so I decided to include a photo of it for all of you.













After that, Bob and I went to my irrigation system on the west side of Slocum Commons. They have recently laid sod down upon the earth there, and so we went to check and see that everything was getting wet. It was.



For those of you who have been reading this bloc earlier, you know by now that we have undertaken a major deck restoration project. Tonight we entered a new phase. Replacing the trek Decking back on the stringers. It is nice to see part of the deck take shape again.

My friend Tim was heading down Interstate Highway 80 the other day. He was on his way to architecture school in St Louis. He called me and asked if I could meet him in Cheyenne Wyoming for the day. So, I took a day off of work and headed north. I took along our mutual friend, Miss Holly, for some company on the ride. It was a pleasant drive up, and it was very nice to see Tim. We sat by a lake with ducks floating by when the wind changed directions. A foul odor came wafting by. Tim noticed the smell first and commented on it. Miss Holly said, "There is a factory over in that direction." Tim responded, "What do they produce, stink?" Miss Holly smiled wryly, "Actually, Tim, they produce the odorous chemical that is used to make natural gas have a distinct smell. So they indeed did produce stink. But that was the only unpleasant moment over the next two days. We had a wonderful time together talking about old times and old friends.


Holly's parents live in Cheyenne, and I used to live in Cheyenne as well. So, I had to stop by my old house and see how it is doing. It is fine. But back then I was half the size I am now and everything seemed twice as big to me then. It felt as if I was in a miniature world. A very strange feeling. But I think the house has held up quite well, which is nice to see.


Miss Holly and I headed back through Denver on the way to Colorado Springs. I stopped at Denver University to ask some questions of the Financial Aid office. It was nice to see the campus again.


Oh Dad and I had some success last weekend getting the deck primed and painted. Very good news indeed. We spent quite a bit of time tonight putting the decking back on.

Well, as I said earlier, the deck is progressing despite the rain. Above is a before and after picture showing how it looks now that it has a good coat of primer on it.

Well, I can't say that much has been happening here. The summer drags on. I go to work at Colorado College, and come home and help Dad work on the deck. The deck is turning into a huge project. We seem to just use more and more putty, primer, and wood preservative. But today we finished priming the entire south side of the deck. Now a cold front has come through and the thunderstorm are firing up and bringing some cool air and rain. The rain is much needed, but it limits the time we are able to work on the deck.


I finished putting in my irrigation system on the west side of Slocum Commons on the CC campus. I think the system turned out quite well and it gets everything uniformly wet, which I guess is the point. It is nice to work outside and I enjoy it, but I look forward to school starting August 30th.





Just after lunch the other day we saw a butterfly feeding on all the flowers near our grounds shop. I took some photos of it. I think this one is particularly beautiful. Nothing much in the way of news. I have started reading a book on the history of finance and democracy. I find it very interesting, and it is good to get my mind on the subject for graduate school.