Creatio ex nihilo

...I am still pondering Easter even though the official day has come and gone. Father Richard Rohr mentioned that " Yahweh is always creating something out of nothing ( creatio ex nihilo) which becomes the bedrock meaning of grace." Grace...how I love this word! Mary and Marshall Cunningham had us for dinner last night and shared a perfect example of this.

Three years ago their son and his friend accidently started a fire on their beautiful Hill Country Property. The fire raged for 11 hours with teams of firefighters with helicopters helping to put the fire out as it made it's way towards their home. It took over a year to clear the debris with help from local students, however, the next Spring they had the most beautiful wildflowers they have ever seen. The flowers were so glorious that photographers came to snap photos of the site. It is natures way ....crucifixions into resurrections!

So all this week Stanley Rabkey and his crew are clearing the brush around OMESA in a pro-active way of protecting our home from the unthinkable...wild fire. I went on a field trip with Mark from Allen and Allen to look at driveway surfaces which we will use to complete the road once construction is complete. This will also create a protection of sorts near the home site. The pool is another protection as it provides a source of water very close to the home and can be used in case of emergency. These are not the things I thought I would be considering as we build this home. However with drought conditions I began thinking about even more protection for years to come. We will use gas logs in both firepits instead of natural wood. This will allow us to use the firepits without the threat of cinders flying from smoldering logs onto nearby native grasses. Both firepits will be in protected areas, one in the courtyard with turf beneath. The other firepit is in the back yard, sunken into a stone patio with a wall seat that will act as a wind barrier.

Sometimes it is not about the way something looks but the way it works....keeping a balance in the decision for function and beauty Creatio ex nihilo....creating something out of nothing...prayfully keeping in mind the lives of my love ones in a balance of love, beauty and protection.

What is chinking?

This chinking stuff makes for a rustic look but more important, it was the stuff that kept the wild animals and Indians out of the poineer's log homes...that is, in days gone by. This mortar provides the protection and security between the logs to give the home strength and insulation. I choose to use the authentic materials with antique beams to provide the appearance of an aged structure.

The chinking is used on the outer courtyard walls and the inner walls of the Master Bedroom and Bill's Study.

Holy Thursday 2011

As wild fires rage across parts of Texas, we can only see the residual haze from the western sky in Fredericksburg. It is the worse fire in the state's history and due to the state-wide drought. So today we count our blessings that we remain safe from the wild fires as hundreds of homes have been destroyed. Here's some of my learnings about this environment and being proactive about safety: I called yesterday to see if we could get Stanley, our neighbor, to remove some of the glorious natural grasses from around the home site to create a natural protection around the home. Not anything we have to think about coming from Louisiana and certainly not as attractive, but necessary all the same.

Despite the drought, roses are popping up everywhere and the blooms are glorious. A beautiful reminder of this Holiest of Weeks and that in all the suffering, there is still hope in the mystery and joy in knowing that death has been conguered through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

As our attention this week is on our own interior journey, the interior of OMESA is being crafted by Mike Childs, who is laying the hand painted tiles in the Casitas. These tiles were custom colored in Arizona with muted colors and symbols of holiness.

The AC units have been turned on so the floors can slowing be laid beginning next week, the iron workers have started setting the balcony railings, the flagstone patios are nearly complete, and the pool will start taking form this week. It is an exciting time since so many subcontractors are working together to build this home...taking a personal interest in the "look", each taking pride in their contribution.

Holy Week...keeping this in mind as we re-remember what Jesus gave up for us to be free. There will be reminders of his love throughout this home, starting with the drive up the hill...the approach to a peaceful retreat.

I spent half my day this past Tueday on a field trip with Mark from Allen Keller Company, road construction. This young,knowledgeable engineer helped me select the road materials that will work within my design guidelines. The entrance and road to the top will be made from a "chip and seal" grey material to companion with the antiqued pavers and the grey mist flagstone. Just like most attempts to find the "look", this one fell into place as though it was meant to be. I stressed I didn't want the driveway to look like a residential community but instead an old mimi ranch site, nothing pretentious, simple, functional, just as it would look 100 years ago. We found a good solution that I think will function well yet provide the "look"...thanks to Mark and his crew.

During this holiest times, I am working on the main drive into the property with thoughts about safety, protection, yet beauty and view. I want it to set the stage for what will be a sacred home on top...and as folks approach, they begin to calm down, see God in the surroundings, find peace in the approach and it culminates in a glorious view of Enchanted Rock....Peace be with you.

Western Sky

Chasing Daylight

that's how I've been feeling lately...wondering what is next as this home is being built. Chasing daylight...getting the exterior done so I can concentrate on the interior, such a metaphor for this time of life.

....moving into my birthday weekend with gratitude for 58 amazing years...can't help but wonder where the years have gone. I remember being 35 and thinking " I am doing this thing called family: I am a wife, a mother with a career and a housenote, dog, aging parents, social activites, responsible for 3 children from diapers to college and for their weddings.... how will all this ever happen?" OH MY!.... It seemed as though I would never see the end of parenting.

Now, here I am for the first time in many years, free....I am not the first call when one of the kidos needs or wants for something..... and blessed our we that each of our adult children married wonderful spouses who we like as people and love as our own. This is just one more blessing.

Today the quiet sets in, the phone doesn't ring as often, their lives are busy as they take the path of making their own families and I notice the sun is setting.

....so as I watch the sun fall in the sky, I think my life is a miracle. Just having the opportunity to build this home is a miracle. We were more than bankrupt just 12 years ago. Bill has lived through 2 heart events, me just one, we came to understand the love of a pet, Butcher, who brought pure joy to our life, we saw Nicole receive the Jefferson Scholarship at a time when we didn't know how we could send her to the college she deserved, Ellie graduates from Medical School with the most prestigious honor, William lives through kayaking trips on fierce rivers around the world, Edna Marie wants to see her son after 20 years, Bill's family shares in the love and life of Beth O'Brien when she is taken from us ...and more.

....so as I watch the sun set in the western sky, there's a peace, stillness, love that all is good ...not knowing how much longer I will be chasing daylight, I move to the interior of this home and get busy with floors, cabinets, countertops and tile. This is when it starts looking beautiful! This is when the hard work begins to pay off...another miracle.

Casita #3 Balcony

Spring in Fredericksburg

It's April but unlike the saying "April Showers brings May Flowers", we are in a drought. The Blue Bonnets are suffering from lack of rain so even though it's 80-90 degrees during the day, the wildflowers are not as prolific. NO MATTER! It is beautiful in the Hill Country with blue skies, blazing sunsets, crisp nights, flowering roses and tall grasses. The house is becoming a home and Spring has brought it alive with workers, activity, re-newed energy as everyone is working together, helping each other during this birthing time. WOW....that is what I said when I saw it for the first time in 7 weeks. WOW...it is really a work of art. All the old doors are hung, the interior stone niches are part of the gallery hall, the plaster color is warm and inviting, the stone patios are a rich misty grey flagstone just like the bits of color in the stone walls, the excavation for the pool has begun, preparation has begun to lay the custom color tiles in all the baths and kitchen and all the special faux painting around the windows and doors is complete. WOW...the photos don't do it justice. The detail and artistry is outstanding.

Today, I sat for a bit just looking at this home on top of the mesa. I still don't feel connected to it accept as an art project. Now I am beginning to select interior beds, antique chests to house TV's, fabrics for the gallery bench pillows, iron firepits for the courtyard, the main upholistry pieces for the Master Bedroom and more. It is as though I am the General Contractor on someone else's home, and I guess in many ways, this is so...it is all God's anyway, right? So looking in the distance at Enchanted Rock brings a smile. One hundred years from now, I wonder if this home will still be owned by an O'Brien family member? I wonder if Enchanted Rock will still be enchanted? I wonder if the home will look like when it's 100 years old? I just wonder....