Winter Trip 2015: Bryan/College Station/P.E.T. Workshop--Part Three

Wed. Jan. 28: Marv got right back to work on the available drive trains but I was at a bit of a loss for jobs so I did a little bit of several things. I learned how to put together the wooden seats and backs and used up all the cut wood that was available for those. Then I packed the bags of Assembly Parts and Tools, and bags of extra parts until I ran out of wrenches and bags. I ended the morning by putting cushions on the seats I had built, leaving one undone and one started but not finished for me to do tomorrow. After lunch today we drove southwest to Somerville Lake, a very large reservoir, about 45 miles away. There is a state park there with two units across the lake from each other. We went to the larger one to ride our bikes. It has about 6 camping loops, including an equestrian area, and a big picnic area/boat ramp. There was hardly anyone there and we rode 8.5 miles in and out of all the loops. In the whole place there were only two campsites taken and one host site, all on different loops. The sun was shining and it was nearly 80°, with a breeze off the lake, so after biking we sat at a table in the picnic area and read for a little while before driving back to Bryan. Dinner tonight was at the old Brauhaus for really good German food and Shiner beer on draft.

Thu. Jan. 29: Marv spent most of his last morning painting metal parts for the P.E.T.s. They do it with regular hand held spray cans so his hand cramped up on him frequently. He wore a face mask and there are huge exhaust fans in the small room but it still got a bit “heady” in there. Patient George, the former foreman, taught me how to cut the material, change bits, add staplers, and attach seat belts so I was capable of building a seat from the cut wood on up. As I finished the two left from yesterday, Chester put together the wooden parts of three more seats and backs. I got them all covered and on the shelf for packing. It had been really nice to work in such a welcoming, grateful workshop and we were exhorted to come back anytime. After a quick lunch at the campsite we drove to the George Bush Library. We hadn’t been really planning on paying it a visit, but Ken, our P.E.T. contact is a docent for them and wanted us to see it so we met him there at 12:30. He got us in for free, gave us the “lay of the land”, and left us at the theater to watch the twenty minute video about the Bushes. Then we used the audio tour to guide us around the extensive displays. We learned that he had based his life on service to country and closeness of family, values learned from his parents. After two and a half hours we were back outside to enjoy the last really warm day of sunshine we expected to see for a while. A park right at the border of College Station and Bryan gave us a chance to hike a mile on trails that wound through bamboo and other plants twenty feet high that sometimes hung low enough we had to bend to go through the tunnels they formed. From there we found a recycling center where we could get rid of some things we didn’t want to just throw out. We are noticing that at least this part of Texas is more service based than Michigan. There were three guys who came out to help us with our small bag of recycling, and there are baggers at every lane in the grocery stores and people to take your groceries out to the car, if you wish. We made spaghetti for dinner and listened to MSU beat Rutgers 71-51 with our Spartan Access before watching another “Newsroom” and heading to bed.

Shop Foreman, Jeff, beside the P.E.T. trailer

Peggy makes an important call in George W. Bush's Oval Office

Marv is ready to sign a bill in the Oval Office

George W. Bush Library