At lunch time an old Grey Bronco pulled up to the fence. Out walked a man of medium height. The floppy wicker hat and silly grin gave it away. I then recognized the person. I shouted "Clint what's up?" Clint responded, "Y'all need any help." We finished our ham and cheese sandwiches and they were washed down with a healthy amount of Gatorade. Clint drove up to the work site. He then asked me "Mind if help you build the café and hang out here?" The lively glimmer in his eye that had known was replaced with a tired look. I was stunned I then realized that the LLYC mafia could at times transmit a distress call throughout the US and acted liking a clearing-house for information. This time it succeeded in doing a good job of bringing two people together at the right time and at the right place. I replied "Its time for what your efforts of many a year ago to be reap brother sure." We hugged and the rancher asked, "Are you 2 related?" I replied, "By the blood of Christ he has sown good seed now its time reap the harvest he'll be out here this summer." The rancher replied, "Now that you got an extra hand mind if I start stringing the wire?" I replied,"Clint's yours." The rancher then said, "You know with the quick cure time on the concrete we can finish this job today." I replied "Technically it's your fence you are the boss." This was met with, "Let's get the job done."

We proceeded: the rancher's son and I were digging holes and putting in the fence posts. The work was slow the rock was firm, not wanting to surrender without a fight. Community spirit in this area was simply a matter of life and death. Despite the heat and rock, we moved with a steady determined rhythm. We covered ourselves in water and drank Gatorade by the gallon. At seven the job was done. The Café had become a separate property complete with small cliffs that the fence rode. The rancher and his son piled into the truck to shower and head to church.

Clint said,"Since I am your 1st guest uninvited I'll do the cooking." He fired up his Coleman stove and made stew. We ate and following that came time for dishwashing,which he finished before sunset. We both sat on the hood of Bronco to watch it. He looked at me and said,"It looks like you are a candidate for 'Doctor My Eyes'." I replied,"My eyes see but heart don't feel." He replied,"Same here." I looked at him,"I guess we are somewhat burnt out." He replied,"I haven't felt a darn thing other then fear and pain for the last 6 months Yosemite is supposed to be the rear in the culture war but I'll be damned if I had ever seen fighting like I had seen there. You got fat ass fundamentalists who listen to too much Rush thinking subdue means squander waste loot and old hippies claiming the creation is the creator and both were gunning for me at times. You?" I replied,"Damn near built the perfect beast yet I was singing 'Painted Black' the whole time. The second we got some negative relative moral standard time going allowing for some hints of innocence and hope in at Denton we got young Christians hiding in it instead of being sorely needed salt and light. As for New Braunfels Kurtz said it best 'The horror the horror'." Clint asked another question: "Sounds like you built what you wanted at Denton why still angry." I replied, "From Primary school on I was trained to be Unicorn be a hero the blue and white for truth and right shall live for ever more were not just words but commands a vision. I saw the brutal falsehood they were and the demise of noble dream wreaking havoc with friends that I cared about. Yet in the end when I was different than those who I cursed I had the sword of mercy to kill the dream in my hand I could not bring myself to use it. I had the sword I had order to use it yet I was scared to and at the very moment of truth where I was obligated to use it by the ghosts of those who were lost I could not. I failed. That rage towards New Braunfels and the perversion of the dream marred the wisdom fueled what I did in Denton but if you ain't with the one you love you can't love the one your with. I answered a Crosby Stills an Nash song with stark bitterness. I have answered the question of 'The River' a dream that never comes true is not a lie it is something far worse." Clint summed it up; "So here we are on the top of Edwards Plateau hanging on by a prayer brought here by God with burnt out and weary souls and numb hearts." I replied, "Yep that's about it." I headed for my bed and slept the sleep of dead men that night."

Morning rose sawing Clint making a pot of coffee. I changed and staggered out to near his car. I asked him what he was rustling up for breakfast. He replied pancakes and bacon. I then had to decide what plans for the café were for the day. I decided to start laying things out the airstrip parking lot and café. He made the comment "I know you are interested in an energy efficent construction method double walled cinderblock with cut up tires paint the east face black west face white and north and south faces grey put a wood and metal roof silver on the café and we have something that needs very little air-conditioning." I nodded in agreement a run to Mc Coys was called for. We had eggs and toast for breakfast washed down with coffee and Gatorade. He added the steelbelts in the tires would act like a radiant barrier. The coffee was stout almost the consistency of transmission fluid it provided for a great wake up.

We started discussing the building. We would have to have a contractor put in the wiring and plumbing. Clint would do the actual construction. Clint offered to check the legalities of building it he would go down to the Real County court house and I would take the high road to Kerrville.

Mc Coys was a friendly place specially when the found out what kind of money I had to spend. I got almost their whole stock of black spray paint. I bought over 4000 feet of twine. I got a cutter and 20 disks. I got a drill and 10 bits. I also purchased a quite a few heavy nails to act as temporary steaks. I finished off with a generator. My car was just about packed. I drove to Texaco topped my car off and decided to take 27 to 83 a compound route just a little easier on the car. I drove down to HEB and got a whole lot more Gatorade to drink.

The car drove heavy and sluggish burdened by her heavy load. I was glad to get hang a right on 27 as it split off in Ingram. I was glad I was not driving 39 but with the full load I still had my work cut out for me even though 27 was somewhat straighter. The drive was scenic and I realized I should have been enjoying it more even though I was fighting my car. I could feel the forces of inertia as I gripped the wheel and trying to gently persuade my car to do things my way. Forcing it would lead to a roll over. Mountain Home came up and I realized how much easier the drive was about to be. The windows were rolled down and the heat was beginning to build. At the gas station where 27 met 83 I filled the gas can that would be the generator's fuel.

Clint was waiting for me when I arrived. We decided to have lunch and then work for a couple hours and then take a siesta. Clint had a lensatic compass and we decided that the 1st item of work would simply be the airstrip. We ate cold cuts and drank more Gatorade.

Clint pulled out a the most current Geologic survey map for the area and we figured what compass bearings that would be the airstrip. I mentioned GPS and he looked at me like I had urinated on the Alamo. This was the land navigation he was trained and taught and he was good at it. We decided to do the northernmost corner then go south. I got a can of spray paint hammer, twine and nails. He took his bearing and directed me I lined up on him and started pulling out the twine. He signaled me which way to go and as I nailed in the tied off the string he started coming towards me with the black spray paint. The method was not totally precise but close enough. We did 3 thirty-ft relays going south and decided it was time to take a break.

Clint and I headed for the shade of his car. The only radio station we could pick up in the area was KTSA and started listening to Rush Limbaugh. We had the tarps laid out. The wind was blowing out of the south. Rush had gotten into a spiel criticizing Clinton for wanting to interfere in Bosnia. We turned off the radio and started discussing if America should be a global cop or not. We both agreed that the nation had been playing both sides using human rights to justify us when we felt we had a national interest and ignored it setting up our own scum in Latin America when it benefited us. We came to the conclusion America had the moral imperative to lead and Limbaugh was full of it in regards to Bosnia. We then dozed off for a couple hours.

When Clint and I awoke we hit working on the airstrip and we got the whole West Side of it done. The sun was begging to set and Clint fired up his camp stove and asked me to cut up the onions and tomatoes for some good chili. He got good high-fat ground meat and we used very little water. He quickly browned the meat and then came just a bit of water along with the tomatoes onion and spices and cheese. The result was something nice and hot we ate as the sun started sinking below the horizon. We cooked a can of biscuits over a small campfire. We ate we talked and slowly continued to unwind. The sunset I felt hints of sleep came that night easy.

The first day we got the airstrip laid out. Clint also suggested getting a contractor to pour the slab on which we would build the café on. I agreed wanting someone else to deal with the hard work of foundation on top of limestone. Clint laid out the building as I started using the masonry drill bits to weaken a rock that I would sledge to pieces.

The following day was more work sliding into a rhythm of the siesta work done in the morning after breakfast light lunch just a bit more work a nap work dinner and then sleep. The cycle was better suited to the climate and Clint joined me on working the airstrip. I drilled like the dickens and he broke rocks with the new sledgehammer. We both hauled the remnants off.

The 3rd day we were offered dinner and a shower at LLYC, which we took up. I called my mom and she informed me that Claire had been calling. Clint looked at me and clearly understood. I also had to get my pilot's license taken care of that summer as well.