Bugs, Dirt, Water & Bones

---

(Camp Tejas)

Now we’re Texans, and enjoying it. Camp Tejas is about 40 miles east of Austin, outside of Giddings, which is a town of about 5,000. Tejas is Spanish for Texas, and means Friend. It runs summer camps and year round retreats. It’s really two separate camps now, an upper (the newer part), and the main camp. Last summer they had 5400 campers go through here, so you can imagine it’s a huge, active place.

Last Saturday we went to Smithville for the Airing of the Quilts. It’s the first time they’ve done it, and after the response they got, the lady from the Chamber of Commerce said it will be an annual event. It’s based on the tradition of women hanging the quilts out to air before winter came, so many quilts were hung downtown~~some very old, and very well used, and some brand new, and for sale. There were also venders selling quilting supplies, etc, and music and craft venders in the park, but for the most part the quilts were the main attraction. It was fascinating to see the stitchery in some of them, and the intricate designs, but some of them were obviously made for warmth, and not for design. And by the smell of them, and we weren’t there until after lunch, the fresh air was something they needed! Musty was the smell of the day. The townspeople were urged to hang their quilts also, so as we drove around town there were quilts at many of the homes, hanging from decks, or clothes lines, or draped over chairs in the yard! It was like a humongous bridal shower! We met up with some good friends, and shared lunch, and then ended up going to their home for dinner as well!

Monday afternoon one of the staff told us they were going to drain the lake here on the camp to put in the footings for a lake house, which will be completely in the lake, with access by a bridge. They were trying to drain the lake with siphons, but it was going too slow, so they decided to dig a trench to a lower lake and let the water flow, and we could go watch it! Most of the camp staff, and their families, were there, and the staff had brought beverages as well as candy bars and brownies! That gives you the mood! We watched as they dug the trench and the water poured into the lower~~dry~~lake. The end of that story is that the lower lake wouldn’t hold all the water, and the two lakes became level, and they had to dig a trench from the trench and let the water into a field! We didn’t see that part.

A fun side note: in March Bob and I are coming back here on project (we’re leaders on that one) and by then they will have had two groups of Baptist Builders in here, and we should be helping finish the lake house for our project! I’ll keep you updated for the rest of this month. This will be the first repeat project for us.

The men are working on building a new conference center (same project, different camp!) and the women are sanding, priming and painting 2x6’s and 2x8’s to be used someplace. I’m painting small signs that will be posted on buildings, and as well as some directional signs. We’re working outside, which is wonderful.

Jane went to an orthopedic surgeon on Tuesday, and they did surgery on her arm, Wednesday morning, to put in a plate where the bone was crushed. As I write this, Wednesday afternoon, we’re still waiting for them to return to camp. We’re praying for a complete and speedy recovery for her.

---

Photos

Outdoor science class:
this is a scorpion. A staff member found it on the lumber he was carrying (for the women to paint) and showed it so we would know what to be watchful of.

I added this one so you would get
a closer idea of the size. It's not very big, but it runs fast...though not fast enough, because Mike killed it. It was very light in color, and difficult to spot, even knowing it was there. I don't want to see another one.

As long as we're studying science,
look at this Daddy Longlegs....he has serious weight issues. (To which the locals would reply, "You're in Texas, and things are bigger in Texas!"

This is the digger, and you can bet
it's not being run by an RVICS person!

Just to the point of releasing the water.
You can see the piece of pvc pipe sticking out~~David picked it out of the ground like a soda straw, and just tossed it aside! Impressive!

Notice the water coming around
the bucket~~this is the scoop that freed it!

The bucket is in the top of this shot.
It's a shot of the first water!

This makes me smile because of
all the people watching the water!

Our new yard:
Camp Tejas. These are nice solid, level parking places....we like that!

Pop on the Patio,
which is really Pop on the Road! But we're in the shade, and that's the goal.

Comments

[Margo]

Quilts
Okay so I see bugs, a trench, and a digger for the guys - where are the quilts?

[Danielson]

Hi, Margo!
I didn't take pictures of the quilts~~not because I didn't have my camera, rather it was because where would I stop taking pictures of them? Sorry.... :)

[Lisa]

That lake house sounds cool! What is it going to be used for? That scorpion is about the color of the camel spiders we had in NM. Very ugly and very hard to see until you are right on top of them. I learned to shake *everything* when I picked it up, even if it was a towel off the towel rack lol Please tell Jane I am praying for her recovery, I hope there are no set-backs.

[Danielson]

Hi, Lisa!
The lake house will be used for as a guest house. (and no, we're not guests!) Anything with the name camel spider (or wolf spider, or itsybitsy spider) sounds disgusting. I'll tell Jane. She asks about Blair, and relates his healing to hers.