Over The River Comes Mr. Woods!

The Red River that is, meet Curtis!

Curtis is from Oklahoma and he and I are old friends, we met at an Oklahoma drama camp in 2007.  We kept in touch talking about our various theater activities and school events, then last year I invited him down to stay at the Casablanca for a week! Well this year I extended the invitation again and he almost immediately accepted!  Last year the Texas weather was hotter than friggen' blue blazes warm as usual, but all that aside he really enjoyed himself and loves coming to the Casablanca.  Curt came down and caught the Friday night show of "Pirates of Penzance", then Sunday we headed off with the others to Bowie, by 5:30 Sunday evening we were just getting  settled at the Casablanca  when my friends Pam and Brannon dropped in to catch up with Curt from last year.

Pam brought her English Bulldog "Langston" along to check out the CH&R.  We all chatted until the late hours of the morning  before someone broke up the get together. But that didn't stop Curt from playing on the newest addition  to the house....

He's pretty good! He was also driving my neighbors crazy, (Which reminds me my next musical purchase will be an accordion I can SLAM ON at 5:30 A.M.)  We stayed up even after Pam and Brannon had gone, we were sitting in the gravel pit, and I had just been thrown from one of the orange lawn chairs (they sit on a slope) for the umpteenth time and I say to Curtis "We should level this out...EVERY time it rains the gravel washes down the slope, no chairs ever go here and we could put something here..."  Curtis "Ok..."  haha! Well readers know that "Build it and they will come" attitude I'm famous for...

(Here's the slope in question, iv just dug the post holes for the retaining wall)

(The boards cut, and ready to be nailed to the posts)

(The walls up with most of the gravel inside)

(Curt pouring MORE gavel into the box)

(We then took some of the step stones I have and laid them on top of the gravel, then pored MORE gravel between the cracks making them level)

(A few rocks around the edge, and some sweeping and Viola!)

We now what to do with the simi-level  addition,  It will have two dual purposes It will be a combo stage/ a place for the bar (in about a year). Curt and I did this in about an hour, and I think I will be clearing a little cactus and installing another retaining wall on the other side of the yard. The rain water just runs down the hill in the back yard and right up against the house, these gravel filled retaining walls slow it down so the water doesn't run in the house. After our little DIY project Curt and I took the rest of the day off to swim and watch movies, and just be lazy haha!

Tune in soon for part 2 of Curt's stay at the Casablanca!

-Mick-