Holy Smoke

Opening Soon…really

2007-07-08T22:57:00.000-06:00

We have completed a lot since the last post. We are ready for business. We had a pre-opening party last Friday, which was a big success. Basically, we invited local people (some high prophile dignitaries) for a ‘dry run’ to sample the food. It was a good event for us as it allowed us to see what we need to work on as a business. We had live entertainment and good food along with comment cards on the tables and received many positive responses. The negative responses were for larger cobbler bowls, BBQ flavored tooth picks and more ink in the pens. We’ll work on that…thanks J.T.

Since the last post we have completed the final decorating touches and installed the walk-in cooler. We have a 1 week supply of most food items in the freezer and cooler and we’re ready to go. I’m waiting on my tax use permit, which should have been here last week, but I’m sure the holiday slowed that process. I think we’ll have that early this week and then we’ll open the door. For those of you asking about the Grand Opening, we’re saving that for Old Settlers Weekend, which is the 1st weekend in August. I think the best course of action is a ‘soft’ opening this week where we just turn on the open sign. That way we don’t get flooded, run out of food and we will have a good understanding of what is required for operation. There are many BBQ restaurants (i.e. the ‘original’ Sonny Bryans in Dallas) that operate on an inventory basis. When they run out of food, they close. I want to be able to serve everyone that walks in the door but not have excessive waste.

The entire process has been fun and exhausting. I will have a few more posts of before and after pictures and the grand opnening in August. Aside from that, I'm just making BBQ...and running a restaurant...and sales tax...and keeping people happy...and changing the brakes on the Jeep...and changing the bearings on Shelli's car because we've had to drive through so much high water lately...and ...well on and on.

Come to Camp Wood and enjoy some good BBQ and live entertainment starting this week! Scroll down and hit 'play' and turn on your speakers for a slideshow of the pre-opening events.

2007-07-08T22:51:00.001-06:00

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

Final Stretch…

2007-06-21T23:05:00.000-06:00

We’ve accomplished a lot since the last post. The finish-out is just about done, the ‘Great Wall of Camp Wood’ has been poured and cured, the parking lot base has been dropped, and the stage and kitchen are very close to completion. Next week we plan on bringing in all of the decorating touches. We have to be done by the 30th because I have rented out the building for a wedding reception.

Well, here’s an interesting story. I was cutting some tin to put on the stage roof / porch and the plumber walked by. He heard me complain about my wrist as it was being scorched by the hot fine metal shavings coming from the metal cutting blade. He asked what I was cutting it with and I told him a metal cutting blade…DUH? He said ‘I’ve been cutting that stuff for years with a wood cutting blade turned backwards and it works a lot better.’ Well, I looked at the plumber and he’s 73 years old…and still enjoying life. The metal cutting blade was worn down to the size of a silver dollar and I thought, it’s time to change the blade anyway and since 17 people have already made that suggestion, I’m going to try it. Here’s my tip for the day, a wood cutting (fine toothed) blade turned backwards works very well on tin, probably better because you will still have your eyebrows.

We will very, very likely be open on the weekend following July 4th. By the way, I forgot to mention Tony Romo came by to help. He drove the steamroller to compact the base in the parking lot. He’s a good guy

Busy as a Bee…

2007-06-05T22:30:00.000-06:00

The A/C guys are back again, this time I hope it’s the last time I see them for a while. Not that I don’t like them, they’re good guys, but I’m ready for some A/C. It’s not that hot, but we need to check off a box. Steve, one of the owners of the A/C Company has been up here directing the installation and he has guaranteed we will have A/C this week. The spiral duct is up and they are working late tonight putting in registers, return air, and the plenum.

The dirt guy came back last week and has all of the forms up in the back for the retaining wall. The retaining wall is so that all of the water running toward the building will divert toward the candy shop and run in that building. At least that’s what Frances (Shelli’s Mom) is saying. After the retaining wall is up, the privacy fence will be next.

I have tried out my new smoker twice since I’ve had it and all I can say is “You’ve got to be kidding, this thing is awesome!” I’ve done 2 pork shoulders and 1 brisket and I can’t say enough about this piece of equipment. I wasn’t looking forward to getting up at 4 am and starting a fire. I tested out the overnight cook and hold feature and came back in at 9:30 am and the meat was perfect. We served it at our Sunday school class party we hosted last weekend and received great reviews. For those of you familiar with meat smoking, the brisket had a perfect 3/8” smoke ring and was moist and very flavorful! Sorry about the pic of the pork shoulder, all I had was my camera phone.

We now have all of our windows back from repair as of yesterday. Shelli, Luci and Frances have been busy painting windows. There has been a lot of activity since the last post, you could say we’re as busy as a bee. Speaking of bees, they are busy little fellows. I was tearing out an old window frame this morning and noticed a few bees coming and going from where we pulled some siding off 2 months ago. Then I noticed a few more bees and then some more. Phil showed up and asked him how he felt about bees. He feels the same way I do, we don’t need no bees. I went across the street and purchased some wasp and hornet spray and we (Phil) disposed of as many as we (he) could. I watched, from a short distance. I was amazed at how big their honeycomb was for such a short time. If we had not disposed of them, perhaps we could have hired them for some finish out work. They work fast.

I purchased a neon ‘Open’ sign this week and can’t wait to turn it on. Fourth of July is right around the corner and that is our new target date…everyone needs a goal.

Let there be Lights….

2007-05-19T21:47:00.000-06:00

I installed my new gigahooter and we’re back on the net.

We have electricity! No more dragging extension cords to the candy shop next door. The lights arrived 2 weeks ago, and Phil and the electrician put them up last weekend. The electricity was turned on Tuesday and the lights were turned on today. A took some pictures today and caught John Morey (the electrician) installing an outlet. When the flash went off, he nearly jumped out of his skin. Funny thing about electricians, they’re kind of jumpy.

As I’ve mentioned earlier, all I really wanted to do was barbeque. Speaking of BBQ, I took delivery of my pit last Wednesday. It’s an Ole Hickory Pit made in Cape Girardeau, MO. I made a trip over to Concan, TX a few weeks ago to visit a man who already has one. I was sold after our talk and I feel like I’m cheating a little with this pit. It is wood burning and propane and has a cook and hold feature with revolving racks. It can be mounted inside, outside, or through the wall. Basically, you put in the wood, and the combustion chamber ignites the wood and smokes the meat for whatever time you set. The cook and hold feature is nice because you can set the timer and temperature and walk away. If the wood burns down too low, the propane burner will kick in to maintain whatever temperature you set for the allotted time. After the time is up, the unit will cool down to 160 deg. F and maintain that temperature until you’re ready to pull the succulent, mahogany colored, smoky, juicy meat from the pit.

Aside from that, we put up a lot of trim this week to finish out the walls and karners. Shelli and Luci have also started sealing the floor. The sealer is nice because it gives the floor a richer color and a little sheen. One thing I forgot to mention was the amount of gum chewing the American Legion members must have enjoyed. We must have scrapped 6,220 pieces of gum from the floor. I left one piece in honor of the LGC (Legion Gum Chewers), so when you come and visit Holy Smoke BBQ, you’ll have to see if you can find it.

Oh, also, Emmy found a tarantula out in the driveway. I kept my distance. She did not inherit that ‘fondness for spiders’ gene from me.

New Post…

2007-05-11T21:52:00.000-06:00

About time huh? We had some more bad weather come through this week and lightning struck my gigahooter for my internet connection. I have a new one on order and should be here by Tuesday. In the mean time, I’ll make my ramblings short and sweet and then run to the carport with the laptop and pirate the wireless internet from my Brother-in-Law (75 yrds away) without the gigahooter to post.

Basically, we finished staining the floors, Shelli painted some more, we put up a lot of trim, installed some new doors on the front, Trey finished the A/C stands and the units are up, and all of my kitchen equipment arrived.

Here are a lot of pictures. Fell free to ask questions and I’ll get back to you next week, unless I feel like surfing the net from the carport. Not much of a chance without bug spray. Those suckers love to hover around computer screens.

We will not be serving BBQ this Memorial Day weekend, but July 4th looks pretty good.

Porches, Porches everywhere…

2007-05-02T21:24:00.000-06:00

Everyone else in town has a porch, why can’t we? Last Saturday we brought Ray Ross and his crew back to install our porch and awning on the front. I’m amazed at how much it improved the curb appeal. Ray is the man in the picture with the long gray ponytail that you expect to see riding up on a Harley. He and his crew do good work and we’ve picked up a few Ray-isms. For instance, you need to mayzure a board before you cut it. When you do mayzure, be exact. Tell me in inches and then how many little marks. Karners are tricky. Tell me what the mayzurement is to the inside karner or the outside karner, but don’t forget if you have some little marks. We borrowed Ray’s framing nail gun a few weeks ago and it started hissing a week later. Trey called him and he diagnosed the problem over the phone. Turns out the gun had blowed a seal. Ray is a good guy and he was kind enough to finish out the stage walls very smooth so that Shelli can paint a murial. There have been many comments on painting ‘Muriel’.

We also have one bathroom complete except for the final decorating touches. There is a lady by the name of Judy who works part time at the candy shop next door who is quite grateful for this completion, as we’ve had to use that bathroom from the inception of this project. She tried to ban Trey from eating at Tony’s Tacos.

We started staining the floors this week and finished up with the cleaning and staining today. There’s a heckuva lot of floor!

Shelli is in her element...

2007-04-23T20:42:00.000-06:00

Shelli came in last week to work some of her paint magic. It’s looking really good.

Putting up the siding, however, is dragging along like a gut-shot parakeet. As we reach the windows, we have to pull them out and re-frame them too. Phil dropped off 3 of the windows in Uvalde to have the glass replaced, re-glazed and cleaned up a little. They were supposed to be ready on Friday, not ready yet.

That reminds me. I think I’ve discovered a new time zone. We’re all familiar with Central time, Eastern time, Mountain time, Left Coast time, Standard, Daylight Savings…etc. Then there’s Camp Wood time. It extends through most of Mexico and across the border into the southern Texas Hill Country, and also covers portions of Alabama, Mississippi and New Mexico. Things run a little slower in the Camp Wood time zone and I can prove it. I have one clock in the house that runs a little fast. I reset it, but eventually it runs fast again. It is the only clock in the house that has not been sucked into the grips of the Camp Wood time zone.

That’s why our windows aren’t ready…Camp Wood time.

You may remember the story of Crazy Nail Guy. Phil was pulling some old siding from the N. side of the building and discovered someone had pounded their initials into the wood with nails. It must have been the work of Crazy Nail Guy. He’s still taunting us and I’m going to find a special place for that piece of wood. There is also an APB for someone with the initials E.H.
At least we have a reliable painter!

How Dry I am…

2007-04-11T20:59:00.000-06:00

We had a few small leaks in the roof after the big storm, but nothing a little cold seal can’t fix. Cold seal is a latex adhesive, popular for fixing leaks on tin roofs. It comes in silver or white, and it helps cut down on the heat. We now have a white roof.

All of the sheet rock has been installed in the kitchen, stage and front entry. Most of it has been taped, bedded and textured. The main dining area and kitchen are much cooler now with sheet rock and insulation. We’re moving right along in that area.

Phil, Trey and I started installing the Hardie Board on the back of the building. We’re leaving the wood on the front, but the wood on the sides and back was just in too poor shape to keep. It’s going a little slower than I anticipated. You see, most buildings are framed with the studs on 16” center. That way, when you install a standard size (4x8) sheet of plywood, foam board, sheetrock or whatever, you have something to nail to on each side as well as 2 more studs in the middle. This building wasn’t built that way. I’m not familiar with building codes in the 1940’s in Camp Wood, but evidently they said some thing like;

Stud Installation
Section 16a 24b
“Studs shall be placed willy-nilly or wherever you want. However a measuring tape must be used to insure that they are unevenly spaced. If you don’t have a measuring tape, use a rock, a boot and a goat to space the studs. If a goat is not available, use another rock of different size.”

What’s slowing us down is that we have to install studs and nailer boards to give us something to nail to. Aside from that, it would go fairly quickly. We should be through with that next week.

Come Hail or High Water…

2007-04-04T08:50:00.000-06:00

The thunder turned into rain, and then came the hail. I was about to leave the restaurant building Friday evening when Shelli called and said, “Greg is watching the radar and you better get home.” So, I stopped off at the deer processor guy on the way home to look at his walk in cooler he has for sale. The wind really picked up and the sky was looking greenish. The phone rang again and Shelli said, “Where are you now? Get home.” I stopped off at the Harmon’s before going home and the hail started. It wasn’t too bad. I helped Greg secure some blankets and comforters on their new truck and I headed home. As soon as I pulled under the carport, all ‘hail’ broke loose. I stayed under the carport.

I was very impressed with the golf ball size hail we were getting. Reminded me of Spring back home. Then came the tangerine to baseball size hail. That lasted for 15 minutes, and then back to golf ball/ marble size. Shelli would come out from the house and yell something at me and then go back in. I couldn’t hear a word she was saying because large hail on a tin roof is deafening. Then she came out and yelled some more and threw a golf ball in the yard. Err? I retreated back in the carport and took some pictures of the storm. All in all, I was stuck under the carport for nearly an hour.

When the hail slowed, I put a Tupperware container on my head and ran to the house. I asked Shelli what she was trying to tell me on the carport and she said she thought it would be fun if we played a little ‘find the golf ball in the hail storm’ game. That’s what I love about her! Finding a game.

After the storm receded, I headed back over to the Harmons and Greg and I went on damage assessment. It was fun to see a lot of the creeks that are normally dry flowing like a river. We headed to some places that we have always thought, “I wonder what this looks like after a big storm?” It was impressive. On the way back we met Shelli and she advised us we had no water and Trey needed help. We met Trey and Phil at the water pump, fixed a pipe and then I helped Trey put plastic on his windows.

Everyone suffered some sort of hail damage. Broken windows (Trey had 5), roof damage, dimpled cars and psychologically impaired pets. The claims adjuster will be out this week, but I don’t think he can help Trey’s dog. She’s okay physically, but she looks up a lot now.
I’ll have some restaurant related material on here later this week.

We Need an Ark...

2007-03-28T22:29:00.000-06:00

Last week we finished the sheet rock in the main dining hall and Monday brought a flood. I was ready to head into town Monday morning but Trey came by and said ‘It’s raining, do you need anything from town?’ I was quite aware of the fact that it was raining but what he really meant was ‘The river crossing is probably washed out and you may be stuck here for a while’. We told him we could always use milk. I’m new to this area and I didn’t realize that heavy rain means you stay home. That’s crazy to a curb and gutter boy. They even sent the kids home early from school. You see, there is a lot of people like us around here who live a fair distance from a paved road and have to ford a few creeks before reaching their residence. Those creeks rise and you can’t get home. If the kids and teachers can’t get home, they have to spend the night together when they really didn’t want to spend the day together in the first place. Heavy rain = free time, but it was good because I was able to get my taxes done. I called Trey and asked him to get some coffee too.

Tuesday we went in and everyone on the sheet rock crew had a flood story. Ray said he let a sow pig go from a trap he had by the river because it just seemed cruel and unusual to leave it in the trap to drown. Personally, I think shooting the pig, dragging it to higher ground, gutting it and throwing it on the pit might seem unusual to some, but it’s certainly not cruel…it’s dinner!

As I mentioned earlier, we have a slope problem in the back as all of the dirt moves towards the building. We had pulled most of the old wood off the exterior in the back and as you can guess, we had a water situation inside the building. It just came right on in the walls. There were a few drip spots in the sheet rock, but we believe that may have been from the turbine vents on the roof. An emergency call was made to the dirt guy (since we haven’t seen him in a couple of weeks) and he came out and pulled some dirt from the walls and made a little improvement on the slope situation. A temporary fix, I guess he’ll be back to finish later.

We wrapped the cedar beams to protect them from the texture spray, put a door in the side, tore out a window and vacuumed up some water. Our Hardie Plank siding arrived yesterday, so we’ll start putting that up this week too. We’re expecting more rain tomorrow and Friday so Trey and I wrapped the turbine vents in plastic and we’ll see if things stay dry. The turbine vents will be removed soon.

I hear thunder.

Rock My World, or at Least the Ceiling and Bathrooms.

2007-03-20T21:36:00.000-06:00

I haven’t posted in a while because last week went fairly uneventful, except we found a new plumber and bought some benches. We mostly got things ready for the sheet rockers to show up this week. We also had some friends from out of town come in Friday for the weekend, so there really weren’t any pictures to show a lot of progress.

Funny thing about those benches. We went to lunch one day, and as we came back there was a couple looking around the building. We talked with them and found out they are fairly new to the area and are building a house north of Barksdale. Turns out he was the Chief of Police in Addison for 17 years and they used to live Plano. Small world. In any case, he mentioned he had some benches he purchased from the Kelly Air Force Base Officers Club he wouldn’t mind selling. We went and looked at them with our interior decorators (Shelli and Frances) and promptly purchased most of his inventory. We now have benches from Kelly Air Force base in a building that was once an American Legion Hall, built with wood from the barracks from the old Air Force base in Hondo. Hmmm…maybe we should consider a name change, something military.

The plumber came by last Friday and we started laying out the plan for the kitchen. There was one drain in the kitchen area we wanted to utilize, so we were going to build the janitor closet around it so that we could use it to drain the mop sink. However, some squirrel that was getting into the building had been stashing pecans in there for some time. It wouldn’t work. The pecans weren’t so much the problem as it was old cast iron 1¼” pipe and time had just taken its toll. It wouldn’t work.

We needed a solution to drain all of the kitchen equipment anyway, so we decided that we would tap into the sewer line between the 2 bathrooms to handle all of the draining. That meant we would need to bust a hole in the slab under the stage. That was accomplished Friday and things started to happen.

Yesterday (Monday) we began to hang the insulation in the ceiling. Ray Ross came by and said he would have the sheet rock delivered this morning. Also, the plumbers came back today and our new front windows were delivered. Needless to say, it was a bustle of activity today. We were bumping into each other, but to me that’s a good thing. It means things are happening.

We finished hanging insulation today and about ¼ (maybe less) of the sheet rock has been hung. I’m rather pleased with the way the sheet rock is going up. Much like anything else that is 60 or so years old, there are a few sags in this roof, but they don’t really show with the sheet rock in place. It’s like spandex that way. As long as we don’t add any sheen to the ceiling no one will notice.

The pictures are of the benches, window and sheet rock delivery, new drain under the slab, bustle of activity and the new windows installed (one still needs to be framed). I’m starting to see a restaurant in this building.

The Blues are Gone

2007-03-10T22:37:00.000-06:00

I took Monday and Tuesday off this week, as I had to visit the Doctor and get back on my BP medicine. Trey and Phil also needed to do some work on the cabins and horse pens as there are going to be 22 people from a horse riding club visiting the ranch next week. The girls also had to go to the Orthodontist and the dog needed grooming.

This week we removed the blue paneling from the front of the building, all of the siding from the south side of the building, and most of the siding in the back. Underneath the blue paneling was some siding that was popular in the 50's . Underneath that was some tar paper with a brick pattern, like asphalt shingles (popular in the 40's). Underneath that we found Noah's Ark, and underneath that we found a few Jurasic fossils. We also tore out the windows in the front and reframed for some larger windows. The siding and wood on the sides and back will be replaced with Hardie Board. We are going to save as much of the wood on the front as we can, but the sides and back are in pretty poor shape. We are going to put an awning/porch on the front, so that will help protect the wood underneath it, but above that, we will need to use Hardie Board as well. Just too many holes and gaps to keep the water out.

The plumber was supposed to show up Thursday, he didn’t show but called and said he would be there Friday morning @ 9:00. He didn’t show. We are now shopping for a new plumber.

Our electrician, John Morey, had to go to Mississippi last weekend to visit a sick relative, but came back today to help us finish the wiring in the dining area. John is doing this job on the side, so he can only give us attention on the weekends. I like John, but he has a tendency to talk over my head. He might as well be speaking German. At one point he said something like, “John, take the 12/3 back to the dilly whopper, pull the 18/23 685 over to the 110, and get the 220 homerun and we’ll pull it back to the panel loop.” I think he saw the glazed look in my eyes and said very slowly, “John, take the 12/3 back to the dilly whopper, pull the 18/23 685 over to the 110, and get the 220 homerun and well pull it back to the panel loop.” I advised John Morey that if he would talk to me like a kindergartener, I could keep up. He still uttered a bunch of google-de-bloop, but I just figured I could pull wire and punch holes until reprimanded.

Next week we plan on hanging the insulation in the dining area so that it can be sheet rocked. I hope an Artic cold front passes Monday morning, as it can get quite warm 16’ up next to that tin roof. I included some pictures of the building front during tear down and John Morey striping the metal clad from the 12/3 on the homerun to the panel loop. I have no idea what I just said.

Return of the A/C Guys

2007-02-28T22:16:00.000-06:00

We also ran some electrical wire

Last Saturday Phil and I went to town to meet John Morey. He is the Electrician and he knows a lot about electricity, protons, electrons, harmonics, keeping conduit cool and what keeps the Earth on it’s axis. I just acted like I knew what he was talking about and nodded my head. I get the feeling he is going to save us some serious time and money. We ran all of the new metal clad wire in the dining area so that Ray Ross can sheetrock the ceiling in the near future.

The A/C guys showed up this week to test the units. And guess what, THEY WORK. They heat, they cool, and they make Slurpies. I had a long discussion with the A/C guys about ductwork. We decided that the best course of action would be to stage both units and run one plenum and Y the ducts through the rafters to allow the ceiling fans to hang in the middle without obstruction. Staging both units will allow the larger unit to act as primary and as the building heats or cools, the other unit will kick in. More efficient.

Trey and I (mostly Trey) tore out the walls between the bathrooms and the outside walls to create a hallway to the kitchen and the office. Then reframed for the bathrooms. We (Phil and Trey) also tore out the commodes, sinks and associated pluming. There has been a lot of ‘patch-work’ construction in this building in the last 60 years.

I have included some pictures of the cross ties that will be the new ceiling, the wire we ran, some framing that Phil did where we will carry the walls up to the new ceiling and some wall tear down. I hope that in the next 2 weeks we will have some pictures that will show some real progress. We’ll get there now that Crazy Nail Guy is out of the picture.
By the way, I’ve enjoyed reading the posted comments. Keep them coming!

A Torx Screw is a Terrible Thing to Waste

2007-02-24T20:58:00.000-06:00

Crazy Nail Guy

First, let me say I thought I took some pictures this week but after looking through the camera card, I guess I didn't. I'll try to get some on here early next week.

This week we finished putting up the cross ties that will be the new ceiling and tearing down the old ones. The old ones did not come out without a fight. Back in 1948, there was a man assigned to nailing in the boards on the south side of the building. We have named him Crazy Nail Guy. He decided that 16 nails on each 2x6 were not enough to hold this building together, so bending the ends of the nails would do. I’m not a friend of Crazy Nail Guy, but I do admire his thoroughness. He is still with us in spirit as we called out his name several times this week (*&#@! $%@^!* Crazy Nail Guy).

If you are familiar with a slotted screw, then you were probably born before 1982. If you are not, then let me tell you about a little device that can cause you more torment than tearing down a board installed by Crazy Nail Guy. There were many slotted screws in this building and I hope we have eliminated them all.

When we began putting up the cross ties this week, it went well. We had nice torx screws and screw guns for installation until Tuesday morning. That’s when we ran out of screws. Trey and I ran from the hardware store to Get-N-Go trying to find more torx screws but had to settle on Phillips. When installing the first board with the Phillips screws, we stripped the screws and the bits. We ran back over to the hardware store and purchased 2 shiny new double-headed Phillips bits. We promptly broke off both ends of each bit. This wood we’re talking about is not your ordinary pine timber. It is 60 years old, well seasoned and does not take kindly to a screw. When dropped from 14’ it not only breaks, but splinters and shatters into shrapnel. We used the stripped Phillips bits to finish the job and that’s when Phil showed up from Uvalde with a large box of torx screws.

We also pulled out the A/C units this week and set them behind the candy shop so the A/C guys can come test them. The A/C units were actually in the neighbors yard and occupied by Kujo the dog. Moving the A/C units was fairly uneventful except for Kujo the dog. I’m not going to take up space on this entry to talk about Kujo. I get the feeling he’ll come back into play when we put up the privacy fence. He scared me.

Lesson for the week:

1) There is no place on this planet for a slotted screw.
2) Phillips screws are great, but only under low torque.
3) Torx screws are great.
4) Hex screws (AKA Allen wrench and Ikea furniture) and Robertson screws are superb.
5) Crazy Nail Guy invented slotted screws.

If you want more info on this go here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillips_Head
If you’re a female you probably don’t care, so go here http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/default.asp?order_num=-1&

The Dust has Settled..a little.

2007-02-15T22:53:00.000-06:00

Monday started off with Trey heading to Kerrville to get some cedar timber. The plan was to get the old ceiling out along with most of the old joists and crossmembers, and replace with 3 4x6 cedar timbers along the entire dining hall. As you can see from the pics, all went well, no one got hurt and we are all breathing a little easier.

Trey likes to play with the cutting torch, so he fabricated some nice steel plates to join the rafters. There is a common understanding that if the job involves the welding machine or cutting torch, just stand back and let Trey work. He starting cutting the plates with the cutting torch which worked well. But, he decided a metal cutting blade on a cicular saw would work better as the torch only cuts a straight line if you can hold your hand steady for 7 straight hours with people standing over your shoulder giving all sorts of advice.

The A/C guys came by this week for some heating and A/C advice. We were happy to find out that the 2 A/C units outside have heat strips. We weren't sure what to expect since there were several gas heaters in the building. Hopefully the units work, the A/C guys will be back to test them. One of the A/C guys saw Trey cutting the steel plates and said, "Hey, you know you can turn a wood blade backwards on a skill saw and cut metal with it." We didn't try.

Trey was talking to the Ag teacher from the High School Wednesday night and the metal cutting issue came into the conversation. He said, "Hey, you know you can turn a wood blade backwards on a skill saw and cut metal with it." We didn't try.

The dirt guy came by this week too. He's going to do some excavating and grade the slope in the back to pull the water onto someone elses property so it's not our problem. He's also going to improve our parking situation in the back and on the side of the building. He didn't mention anything about cutting steel with a wood blade turned backwards on a circular saw.

Well, we got a lot accomplished but there's still more to do. The dust has settled for now, but like a Rocky movie, I'm sure it will be back.

Future Projects...

2007-02-09T22:51:00.000-06:00

Here are some pics of things as they are now. The 'Pirate Stage', bathrooms and kitchen need some serious attention. Check back soon and we'll keep you posted. Hopefully we can add to this once or twice a week!

Some Clean Up

2007-02-09T22:46:00.000-06:00

Nothing beats a bubble bath after a dirty job.

Ripping out the Ceiling

2007-02-09T22:23:00.000-06:00

We decided that the ceiling needed to be raised. This was by far the dirtiest job. All I really wanted to do was make BBQ. I didn't realize Trey, Phil & I could have been on an episode of 'Dirtiest Jobs'. I think there was nearly a 1/4" of dust on top of the sheetrock ceiling. We've been blowing black snot-rockets for days.

The Tear down

2007-02-09T22:18:00.000-06:00

We finally got to work and started tearing stuff down. When the airforce base closed in Hondo, TX in the 1940s, the wood from the barracks was donated to the American Legion to build the hall in Camp Wood. So the original boards in and outside the building are over 100 years old! We are tearing out the groovy paneling to get to the original wood. They poured the concrete in front of the building before there were stock laws and evidently cows wandered across the wet cement. Their hoof prints are visible in front of the building! After hosting many American legion meetings, dances, and banquets, it served its last call of duty as a bingo hall.

Snow Delay

2007-02-09T21:06:00.000-06:00

We settled in to our new home and were ready to go to work, but then came the snow. We were without electricity for about a day and 1/2 and the kids missed school for 3 days! Work on the restaurant would have to wait since it is a cold dark building without electricity.

Picture of building in Fall of '06

2007-02-08T23:06:00.000-06:00

Ok, we had this crazy idea of opening up a BBQ restaurant in Camp Wood, TX.

It's a small community in the SW portion of the Texas Hill Country. The old American Legion Hall Post 562 came up for sale and thus became our venture. We moved to Camp Wood on December 28th and started tearing stuff down. This picture is of the building when it was purchashed. Whew...lots of work to do!