Saturday, March 30, 2013


Sunday, March 31, 2013






 
Friday, March 29, 2013
Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - 57 degrees partly sunny this morning to 80 degrees and sunny. Good Friday
I have noticed that there is no activity at the Gas plant that is behind Buster today, I guess they have a Good Friday holiday.
Bonnie went into town this morning, after being up all night. Beall’s, water and Walmart today. Any time we go into town we get any empty water jugs filled at the drinking water dispenser station only two today but we are trying to stay ahead of the curve.
Diesel and water was delivered today probably back to our regular delivery schedule of Thursday next week. Between the fuel tank inside the (yellow) generator and the white fuel tank the summer, higher electric use for air conditioning, can last about eight days. The winter lower electric use about nine days thus we need to make our water stretch the same amount of time.




Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - Mar 28

Thursday, March 28, 2013
Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - 60 degrees partly sunny this morning to 74 degrees and partly sunny.

An exhausting day, low traffic. I thought our diesel fuel and water delivery would be back on the Thursday schedule, but it was not to be. The diesel generator supplies Buster with electric and powers the lights on the tower, we only use two at a time. These are on all night and provide illumination of the area we need to be in outside Buster checking in trucks. I feel that the lights keep wild life away from the area, because we do not see anything up close to Buster, except for the Road Runner birds but they are here in daylight.

I changed the header picture for today’s blog post and will keep that for a while. This is looking from inside the gate at incoming traffic. There was plenty of time for me to take this picture. To Buster’s left is the natural gas compression

Friday, March 29, 2013

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - Mar 27

Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - 44 degrees partly sunny this morning to 69 degrees and breezy mostly cloudy. Sun coming up in the east and clouds in the west, what kind of day are we going to have? Overcast and chilli all day.

Bonnie went into town this afternoon Beall’s outlet, water and Walmart today. Any time we go into town we get any empty water jugs filled at the drinking water dispenser station only one today but we are trying to stay ahead of the curve.

I found this picture on "myas.com" the San Antonio newspaper web site, taken at night from space over Texas. Buster is parked in the lower left of the Eagle Ford band of lights.


(To enlarge pictures; Click on picture to enlarge)

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - Mar 26

Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - 43 degrees partly sunny this morning to 69 degrees and sunny.

Slow day but other small crews came into our gate to different pads. I did some work around Buster after it warmed up today. I cut the window board for the air conditioner exhaust. The air conditioner is the one we have on the floor next to the passengers chair. Last summer when we first used this air conditioner we had it set on the drivers side and exhausted the heat to the drivers window. We are using the drivers chair this year as it is an easier view out the rear window of the table slideout to watch for incoming traffic. To have a side table next to the chair for a lamp and other handy items is important to us.

I went to town after Bonnie got up from her day sleep, propane bottle filling was the attempt and it was only an attempt was the two locations I found online were nonexistent. I did get water and went to H-E-B and Walmart and got take-out at the Bar B Que place. On the way out I noticed a "rig" setup since Saturday. This pad was started before we arrived in this area on March first.


New "rig" setup

 

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas Mar 25

Monday, March 25, 2013
Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - 43 degrees partly sunny this morning to 65 degrees and sunny. The cold front moving across the country is being felt here also.

One of the pad the crew’s working finished their work late this afternoon and will not be back tomorrow. So our gate traffic will slow down to a small amount.

                                                                    Our Utilities Trailer

      Diesel Fuel (white tank)

           Water for Buster (black tank)
          (white hose water to Buster)
Diesel Generator (electric for Buster and lights handles to crank them up to hight)

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - Mar 24,

Sunday, March 24, 2013
Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - 63 degrees windy 25-30 (gusts to 40) and partly sunny this morning to 67degrees and sunny. The wind gusts backed off about noon but the steady wind continued all afternoon.

We are still having to reboot the MiFi as the atmospheric conditions seam to have an effect on the signal reception. I took it easy with a late NASCAR race today and no race next week as it is Easter Sunday. It seems that days after a trip to town I am tired and do not want to do anything. But that is ok there is always the next day.

Alarm receiving unit Incoming Sensor Outgoing Sensor


Crude Oil Truck departing the Ranch next to us


 

Elks Lodge - Brandon, Florida

March 27, 2013
I found this laying in the drafts folder (I usually do not go there) it was started but not finished. It is what it is.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Escapees Sumpter Oaks RV Park, in Bushnell, FL 68 degrees and mostly cloudy with fog. Bonnie and I said our good by’s to Karen and Mark and left Sumter Oaks after eleven this morning. A long fifty-eight mile trip to our new camp site.

Elks Lodge - Brandon, Florida 86 degrees and mostly sunny."We are catching our breath from the drive today". Construction and traffic in the Tampa bay area is hectic and we will try and use the back roads.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - Mar 23

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - 63 degrees foggy morning to 86 degrees and sunny.

Bonnie tried placing th MiFi in another place to "see" the repeater antenna better and the signal seams ro be more constant "steady" and not having to reboot the MiFi every so often.

After Bonnie got up I went into Pleasanton for drinking water, gasoline and shopping. On the way I made a stop at another gate guards place about four miles driving from our gate, Dan & Eileen they work for the same company. I heard of them from the fuel & water delivery person and that made my trip longer than I originally expected. Their gate is almost three miles further west than ours right on Franklin Ranch Road. I stopped there again on the way home as I made a purchase in Walmart for them.

The main dirt road "Franklin Ranch Road" was graded later in the week, the grader started working on Thursday morning as I was returning from San Antonio making it’s first cut. Today the six almost seven miles on Franklin Ranch Road was much better.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, TX Mar 22

Friday, March 22, 2013

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - 69 degrees mostly cloudy morning to 90 degrees and partly sunny with humidity. It did clear to sunny late in the afternoon.

Ok the Verizon signal does go and come back and it is at least usable now. More to follow later on this subject. I updated the blog profile reflecting our gate guarding and expected travel routes.

I just piddled around all day as I am in recovering from a big day yesterday.

(To enlarge pictures; Click on picture to enlarge, click on the X in the upper right to return to the blog)


We are in this band of Eagle Ford in McMullen County Texas. Pleasanton is in Atascosa County our area is in the orange band in the picture, Lanie & Loyce are in Dimmit County

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas Mar 21

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - 62 degrees partly sunny morning to 84 degrees and mostly cloudy and I can feel the humidity.

I was up early and drove Silver Sally into San Antonio mainly to pick up a package I had delivered to FedEx office. This is the Wilson cell phone signal amplifier and repeater antenna for the telephones and the computer MiFi. I also went to Home Depot for screws, wood, extension cord and water filter cartridges. Both stores were in the same shopping center and across the street was an Office Depot where I needed legal size clipboards so convenient and close to interstate thirty-seven. An easy trip and I was back the gate by nine-thirty as Bonnie could go to sleep. The round trip was 136 miles from the gate.

Now setting up the amplifier and repeater antenna adjusting the gain to obtain a good signal for the MiFi and telephones. We now can get a signal and use both the telephones and the computer MiFi. We have a gate alarm device and the wood 2 by 2's are to set the sensors in a better location to know when a vehicle is coming in or out. This ground is close to cement trying to pound in a stake is not easy I got one in and the other is held up by the traffic cone.
Taken from inside the gate on the road to well sites.
 
The cone supporting the gate electronic sensor.
 
 
 
Taken from outside the gate on the road to well sites.
 
 
 
Road runner with a lame foot.

 

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - 61 degrees rainy morning. Windy overnight and this morning and clearing after eight o’clock. To 84 degrees and partly sunny.

Continuing a slow week and the morning started slow as a tree came down blocking the road coming off Franklin Ranch Road and to our gate. Men from the gas facility being worked on (built) hacked a way thru. The contractor is supposed to collect the black water did not come as contracted yesterday and came late today. Their schedule is every two weeks, I guess two weeks plus one day is the same?

Bonnie ventured into Pleasanton again today as out drinking water is low. The water that is delivered to Buster is not for drinking. And there were other places to shop, Walmart, H-E-B (Texas grocery store) Beals.

March 15, 19



Friday, March 15, 2013 to Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Friday, March 15, 2013

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - 50 degrees mostly sunny morning to 84 degrees and sunny. To 86 degrees and only a light breeze all afternoon.

Went into Jourdanton, TX for mail had pills sent there and sat in front of Verizon store and used high speed WiFi and Turbo Tax to send in our 2012 federal tax. I was also there to talk with the MiFi sales person that I am using the 4620 at Buster and receiving a signal sometimes and not able to send e-mails but I am receiving them. Road Runner birds are around here collecting bugs and come very close to you if you stay still. They are doing a good job keeping the area bug free.

Very slow day here at the gate and I am expecting a slow weekend gate traffic also. I have some projects to do on Buster so it is the right time to get busy on them.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - 50 degrees mostly sunny morning to 86 degrees and sunny. To 86 degrees and only a breeze all afternoon. It would have been or felt hotter without the breeze. We have a lighter dew this morning.

Light gate traffic today. I worked on some projects around Buster today nothing completed only moved forward. I am tired after going into Pleasanton yesterday. As I was up early Friday so Bonnie could get to bed early then getting back late from the trip to town. It is about an hour and forty minutes just travel time round trip from the gate to SR 97. Then dinner and some time together makes for a very long day on Friday.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - 59 degrees mostly cloudy morning to 97 degrees and sunny. We have normal dew this morning and the clouds in the distance I can see some light ground fog. It is hot today.

It is a Bristol race day (NASCAR) and I am only manning the gate and watching the race today. Silver Sally stepped slowly around the Bristol track in December so we could see the Christmas light show, 28 degrees of banking. There was very little traffic today. Out of three weekends this was the quietest one yet, very little gate traffic.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - 65 degrees foggy morning to 95 degrees and sunny. It took until noon for all the fog to burn off and it was a nice blue sky day from then on.

Another slow gate traffic day for me and Bonnie went to bed early so she could make her first trip into Pleasanton this afternoon.

I ordered a Wilson AG SOHO 60db Wireless Amplifier - 801245 [800/1900mhz] to boost the telephone and Jetpack Verizon signal here at the gate.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - 60 degrees mostly sunny morning to 87 degrees and partly sunny.

Another slow day, very little gate traffic. Watching the Road Runner (birds) coming

very close when sitting still. One has a lame foot but still is getting along well. They are after bugs. Today there was another smaller bird actually turning rocks over looking for bugs. We have out own army controlling the bug population.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Sunday, March 10, to Thursday, March 14, 2013

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - 63 degrees mostly cloudy gray morning. Burning off to windy and sunny into the evening 79 degrees.

Slower day as it is Sunday. Just not much going on here and no internet. On my trip to town last night I forgot to update the blog and did not stay connected long enough for the e-mail to send. Ok next trip they will get out.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - 43 degrees mostly sunny morning. Sunny all day although the wind continues to blow to 74 degrees and would feel warmer with out the wind.

I called the 3 G Store and the cable I have from the old modem will work with the new Verizon device. The gate is slow today.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - 46 degrees mostly sunny morning to 84 degrees and sunny. The wind was down to a breeze making a nice day

Today I got information from a pickup driver about "sure Phone" made by Motorola a plate to back the phone and get better telephone signal reception. I will check that out tomorrow.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - 46 degrees mostly sunny morning to 84 degrees and sunny. The wind was down to a breeze making a nice day.

I checked on th sure phone and that is not for my Motorola Razor telephones, probably

for I Phones. 3 I called G Store and found out about a couple of options I could take. I am mulling them over.

Pictures with this post were taken at the gate at sunrise, around Buster and along Franklin Ranch Road cows along the road.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - 48 degrees mostly sunny morning to 84 degrees and sunny. To 84 degrees and only a light breeze all afternoon bit after dark there were some wind gusts I was glad I had brought in the awning.

We have a heavy dew this morning and in the distance I can see some ground fog. A slow gate traffic wise.

Well I got the MiFi jetpack 4620 today. Connected to Buster’s antenna and Amplifier. Basically not much help. I called G Store again and discussed my conditions here and will order a Wilson-sleek-cell-phone-hotspot-signal-booster next week. Basically a receiving antenna, amplifier and a broadcast antenna. This is for the Motorola Razor telephones and the MiFi jetpack 4620. I hope this works for us.

I am sorry to not have posted any pictures in yesterday’s update. I did upload pictures to Picasa but did not have the time to add any to the blog. Travel into town is almost one hour each way plus the time in town. Wednesday I needed, the post office and Verizon and that took a while to kill the first jetpack and paperwork for the new one. Then gasoline for the car, drinking water jugs (5) to fill, shopping in Walmart and bring home something hot for our dinner (takeout). I left Buster about one-twenty and arrived back after eight (and it was dark).

Pictures with this post were taken at the gate at sunrise, around Buster and along Franklin Ranch Road cows along the road.


Merry's new sleeping place foot pedal area


 
looking into the site







 




Wednesday, March 13, 2013

March update

Tuesday, March 5 to Saturday, March 9, 2013

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas -

Tanker trucks started the day today, mostly cloudy and the wind started before sunrise today and traffic was picking up until after eight then the workers started leaving because of the weather. I shut the generator down every other day (odd numbered) to transfer fuel into the generators tank and to check the engine oil. Before shutting off the company generator I start Buster’s generator to maintain electric power into Buster.

Two busy days of gate traffic here at Fox creek gate. The property owner stooped by with his wife and another woman to check on a bull and steers they have on property. Bonnie and I have not seen anything bit wildlife here on this property. The next one over there was a handful of cows grazing today.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - 38 degrees mostly sunny to 67 degrees and mostly cloudy, a nice day gone cloudy. I went to Pleasanton, TX today shopping and there is a Verizon Store there I wanted to see what was available to improve the signal both telephone and internet. Not much available there, now my next trip I will check on th 3 G Store.com on line for signal boost equipment. Verizon has another telephone set that "might" improve signal but not for the Jetpack we have. There is another Jetpack that has a better antenna and an antenna port for adding a booster.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - 45 degrees partly sunny to 87 degrees and variable all day going full gray overcast to partly sunny for a short time.

Starting off a slow day, and end just a little slower than Wednesday made some calls today checking on options to improve internet there is an adapter cable for another Jet-Pack and my amplifier but no one can say the signal will come in at the range we are. It will require me to purchase the cable and Jet-Pack and conduct my own test. If the Jet-Pack does not work, in fourteen days I can return the Jet-Pack but I own the cable. This is only for three G service. Four G service requires a different amplifier which would have to purchase.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - 45 degrees mostly cloudy gray morning. To 81 degrees a changeable day with the sun trying to poke our and not succeeding with s few spritz showers but mostly gray day.

On the Verizon telephone I got the "Driod" sound indication a message. Carefully checking I noticed a single small bar for signal there was a voice mail and I was able to listen and I called back with the ATT GO Phone. I do not know if the atmospheric conditions helped but I will continue to pursue this avenue.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - 71 degrees mostly cloudy gray morning. A slow start today with some of yesterdays trucks staying over night.

Bonnie got up early this afternoon so I was able to make a trip into Pleasanton to do more research on acquiring internet here at the Fox Creek Gate. I will need a cable for my Wilson amplifier then a different device from Verizon. Next test the signal here at Fox Creek Gate.

 

 

 

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Cowtown RV Park - Aledo, TX

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Cowtown RV Park - Aledo, TX (West of Ft. Worth) 40 degrees, mostly sunny to 59 degrees and mostly sunny in the afternoon and a good breeze in the later afternoon.

Dental appointment I tried one and that did not workout. Went and found another dentist but a longer trip to get there. This one worked and we had dinner and did some shopping before returning late to buster.


Buster at Cowtown RV Park
 

Sunset RV Park, Austin, TX

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Cowtown RV Park - Aledo, TX (West of Ft. Worth) 36 degrees, mostly sunny. A nice day for driving Buster. I had two choices of routes south and elected to take I 35 south. There is construction on the route adding lanes from four to six lanes and this construction zone stretches about eighty miles south from the junction of I 35 W and I 35 E towards Austin.

Sunset RV Park, Austin, TX 61 degrees and mostly sunny. The trip today was two hundred and sixteen miles took about four hours of driving. We attempted to get together with Carole and Avery but they were busy with school parents night and book fair. Bonnie and I went to the store for supplies as we will be out in the "bonnies" soon We push on to Cotulla, TX in the morning.

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas

Friday, March 1, 2013 to Monday, March 4, 2013

Friday, March 1, 2013
Sunset RV Park, Austin, TX 28 degrees and mostly sunny.

Just as Bonnie and I were going to leave headed for Cotulla, TX and the "yard" we got a telephone call telling us to head to Jourdanton, TX we have an assignment to guard a gate there. Buster got a drink of diesel fuel in San Antonio $4.069. Interstate thirty five down was extremely heavy traffic coming to a stop in some places must have been only volume because we saw nothing. In San Antonio we switched to I 37 south to Pleasanton then SR 97 west I called Brad for further direction and headed south on SR 16. Brad met us and Buster followed Brad to the gate.


Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - This assignment opened today, there has been gate guards on this location before and we are filling a new requirement. Our company supplied generator left Abilene at two in the afternoon and arrived at midnight. We used Busters generator for "house" power until then. The generator trailer has additional fuel tank for the generator, three hundred-fifty gallons of water for use in Buster and a light tower with four large outside lights on a crank-up tower for nighttime use (24 feet). I had went to bed and got up when the generator trailer arrived then tried to go back to sleep that was a job as the hour and a half of sleep took the edge off and tossed all the rest of the night. Bonnie stayed up and monitored the gate watching checking big tanker and pickup trucks in and out.


We have no Verizon service at the gate, no internet or Verizon telephone I am drove Silver Sally into Pleasanton, TX to get ATT GO Phone, telephone ATT (3 G) does work at the "Gate". We now have an ATT cell and will e-mail to family soon with the number.

Saturday, March 2, 2013
Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - I got up and had a quick breakfast and relieved Bonnie so she could get some sleep. Gate traffic tailed off after two o’clock into a slow evening.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - 52 degrees and mostly sunny all day into the seventies.


Waist (black) water tank (300 gallon capacity) was delivered, it will be emptied every two weeks. We had workers here all day late into the evening working one site. There are six sites inside the gate that are pumping or working tanker trucks pulling both days.

Monday, March 4, 2013
Fox Creek Gate Tilden, Texas - 52 degrees and mostly sunny all day to 85 degrees. Two sites were busy all day pickups coming and going. All different types of work trucks but no tanker trucks. We have all our needs covered with electric (generator) water (300) gallon tank and black water collection tank for Buster.


Today gate traffic picked-up and there were flurries of trucks in and out until after dark but no tanker trucks today.

 

 

 

 

Friday, March 1, 2013

Cowtown RV Park - Aledo, TX (west of Ft. Worth)

Monday, February 25, 2013

Canton I -20 R V Park Canton, TX 55 degrees and cloudy. There was rain overnight with most of the weather east of us or moving north west of Dallas.

Cowtown RV Park - Aledo, TX (West of Ft. Worth) 55 degrees, cloudy and windy. There we some sprinkles, but the wind 15 to 25 and gusts to 45 that were pulsing on Buster. Bonnie and I went to the social security office in Fort Worth to apply for a new card for her. Then found a Walgreens to get both of us passport type pictures we need for tomorrow.



Canton I 20 RV Park