The company Jake Welds for

Making big boy toys... He has built over 15 of these this year... and is still at it...

Close up view of the Walking Rig....

one can see the big hydralic cylinders on the bottom if you look closely.... the guys working on it look like ants.. haha...

This rig is special...

It will have feet on it on the bottom and actually 'walk' from site to site.. if in close area... so they don't have to tear down each time and set up.. the hydralic feet will move the rig, with pipe hanging in crow's nest to the next site by walking... this is an all electric rig that drills deep into the earth... quite a site to see Jake reports... and if all comes to be.. I might be able to sneak down and take a few photos of it 'walking' when they get it set up...

more photos but these are from my camera vs blackjack.. haha

Jake's welding yard where he builds big

boy toys

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From Melanie Shaklee....

The Stranger

A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small Texas town.
From the beginning, Dad was fascinated
with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family.
The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.
As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family.
In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors:
Mom taught me good from evil,
and Dad taught me to obey.
But the stranger, he was our storyteller.
He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.
If I wanted to know anything about politics,
history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future!
He took my family to the first major league ball game.
He made me laugh, and he made me cry.
The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.
Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet.
(I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)
Dad ruled our household with certain moral

convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them.
Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home.
Not from us, our friends, or any visitors.
Our longtime visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush.
My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol.
But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis.
He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished.
He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex.
His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.
I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the

stranger.
Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked. And NEVER asked to leave.
More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family.
He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first.
Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today,
you would still find him sitting over in his corner,
waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.
His name?...


. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
We just call him, "TV."
He has a wife now.
We call her "Computer".

Austyn.... and me....

Austyn spent yesterday with me the first half the day and both Grandma and I in the afternoon....
We had a great visit, but it was a typical Monday, all day long... for me, on phone, computer, etc...
anyway... Austyn brought along his game player ... and he showed me how to play the skateboard game he had.... it looked hard and (it was!)...!

Anyway, mid afternoon, I challenged him to a game and told him I was going to wax him... he he... and as luck had it, I did... but not really... see, from years of watching kids play, I knew there had to be something one could do over and over and over and it might rack up points... well, I found it and did that, and Austyn just kept learning new tricks and truly showing me all the great moves... so in fact he truly is the MASTER and I am the student.... although the score reflected I won, he was the winner in heart and mind for me....

He is really growing fast. He told me he can now sing and play tunes at the same time with his guitar. He has been taking lessons for some time and is really advancing at a record pace.

I asked him when he was going to get a hair cut, as he has always worn his hair short, and he replied NEVER... ha ha... oh do I remember when.... he he.. back in the 60's .... anyway.... his hair looks great and its wavy and blond.... and pour ole dad needs to get ready cuz these kiddos go from 1st grade to 12 grade in record time.. and in about 9 years... he will be wanting that vet and interest will change from boy things to young ladies.... and ... oh my goodness....

I am very proud of you Austyn!

My friend Bob Priess writes...........

My kiddos know Bob Priess and he and his family are great lifelong friends.... they live between Coyle and Guthrie and Bob is farmer, rancher, pilot, auctioneer, cattle buyer, real estate person... who is really a great 'people' person....

Anyway.. my purpose in stating the above is to share from time to time some of Bob's thoughts with you here.. almost every morning with my coffee comes an email and he usually includes some random thoughts about life that I find very rewarding in their simplicity...

here is today's thought....

"few people think about other folks feelings as they plod through life only thinking with their ego and an attitude of whats good for them it is refeshing to have friends who think with a true heart rather than a pocketbook" yeah its another thought from bob time of day sys bp

have a great day.... Happy Birthday.... to all....

borrowed these from Ky's Myspace... Hope she doesn't mind...

love to all.. enjoy...

Not sure who the two young men on the back are but it's Ky and Jade and Terri and David Shaklee and I bet it's in Boulder.... this summer...

enjoy the day...

my amazing niece and nephew....

Ky and Jade Shaklee taken in May of 07 ... Great shot. Don't know who to give to credit to as I borrowed these from Ky's myspace....

Enjoy the day... and all our love to Jade as he fights his battle with cancer...

We love you and think often of you and your families...

love to you too Ky... and your Mom and Dad...

one thing we do know.. the Shaklee's are inherently strong willed folks in body, mind and spirit! our best to you all

more photos coming soon, Austyn just arrived...

IMUS.....