Mesquite Rodeo

 On Saturday night we went to the Mesquite Rodeo.   We have lived in Texas for 12 years and this is the first time we went to a rodeo. We were celebrating my father's 65th birthday. It was a good time. 

 

This is a picture of the crew. 

 

This was one of the bull rides. 

This was the kids run where the kids were trying to pull a ribbon off the cows tail. It was madness. 

 

Josh is somewhere in that mass of kids. 

Outdoor Shower

Since we put in the sand volleyball court we have wanted to get in an outdoor shower. Today they completed the shower. It is a really nice addition to our pool area and will be very convenient for people to wash off after playing sand volleyball. 

Below is the completed shower and pictures during construction. 

 

 

 

  

Helms Family Sand Volleyball Court

When we were looking for a new house one of our top priorities was to have a backyard that was big enough that we could put in a sand volleyball court.  If you are not aware, these courts are really big (90 ft. x 50 ft.).  Almost as big as a full size basketball court.  Therefore, we were really happy to find a place that we loved that had a yard that could accommodate a full sand volleyball court.  

After much research and many calls, we decided to hire a guy by the name of Colby Howerton of Howerton Construction in Fort Worth to build the court.  Colby is an experienced court builder who was recommended by Texas Sports Sands.  Texas Sports Sands was the supplier of the most important aspects of this court - the high quality sand.  They are the undisputed leader of quality sand products in the DFW area.  Paul at Texas Sports Sands was simply outstanding.  

After several weeks of work in some challenging conditions, we finally completed the project last month.  Because of the stone retaining wall, this project was more challenging than most sand courts.  But Colby and his team did a terrific job and the result is a beautiful court that we expect to enjoy for years to come.

This is a video showing the construction process.

Before they started digging.

When they first started digging.

Getting ready to put in the frame.

Starting on the stone retaining wall.

Putting in the sand.

Sand is in place.

Completed court.

The kids enjoying the court at Shawn's graduation party.

The view of the court from our pool area.

Dialexa and Uber Deliver Pecan Lodge Barbecue by Drone

Tonight I attended an event as a guest of my coolest client - Dialexa - where Uber delivered Pecan Lodge barbecue by drone.  It was a terrific event and a bit of a glimpse into the future of food delivery. 

This is a barbecue sandwich being delivered.

This was the landing site. 

 

My friend Blake Wong who works at McDermott with me was one of the people who had their sandwich delivered by drone. 

 

 

 

 

Basketball Court

When we moved into this house 7 months ago we envisioned a basketball goal on the side.  Shawn Jr and I finally got around to getting the lines painted.  It was more of a process than I expected. 

 

 

 

 

Helms Family Pictures 2016

Below are the Helms family pictures taken last month.