Introductions and Howdy

[Kent Lee Ivey <kkiveylw@xxxxxxxx>]

Good to meet you , John !

Spent about three years there in Ceder Park, working
downtown Austin. When I  began dreaming of hydralic rams
that would mount in the bed of my pickup to spear rude
drivers  on MOPAC, I realized that I needed to come back
here to Big Spring Texas where the people are few and
friendly.

That Austin Chalk  You have round you is a great deal like
what we have here ,  same kinda country , only it rains
where you are . We have two stone quarries near here , one
in Sterling County ,owned by a truely eccentric fella , very
big in the Confederate Airforce, the quarry is Texastone ,
they advertise in Stone World magazine now and again.

They produce limestone tile , arch pieces, lathe  pieces...
I do not think that there is anything that the mind of man
can imagine that  they will not try to do in stone.

There is another outfit along the same line at the old Air
Force base here, and that is where I get most of my stone .
The slab sides, broken pieces and great stuff that just was
not quite right for them , they throw in the bad washouts
around the county, free to the  fella with a strong back and
a silly buddy to  roust back out of the arroyo. I am a
pretty big ole boy , so have moved some fairly large pieces,
but as I see from a lot of postings , I am in company  with
those who are getting a little stiff lately. Time to rig up
that winch truck!

The limestone ranges from pink, almost still coral,to a
densegrey, that I imagine is what Portlandis like . I have
never seen actual Portland stone , but from reading
descriptions, it sounds just like this. Also yellow tinted
stone with great masses of imbeded fossils.

 I am just learning about carving, and listening to the
stone , and feeling what the stone is telling me ...hmmm,
that sounds a little out there for a West Texan , but sho
nuff, it is more feel than think.

Just finished reading a great little book, by Simon
Winchester, " The Map That Changed The World", about William
Smith  and the birth of Modern Geology , put out by Harper
Collins publishers, ISBN # 0-06-019361-1.

Great read, for  folks who look at rocks a little different
 from the rest.

Man, I am chatty at 5 in the mornin ! John , very good to
meet ya , and look forward to squatin on the front porch
with ya some more.

Thanks for making me feel welcome!