May 6, 2015. Harper, Texas. Loren B.

Loren and his father built the ranch house in 1980. The house was designed by the owner, Mr. O'Sullivan, with no input from his wife so the plan was peculiar, but solidly built. At settlement,when we bought the ranch, we discovered that Loren was still a builder so we hired him to make minor changes and add a screen porch. He also painted the whole interior of the house. He did good work and we got to be good friends with both him and his wife. Naturally, we asked him to build the Top House, which he did. He is an old fashioned German builder. There are lots of them in the Hill Country. They work slowly and precisely. No slap dash in his work life. Ken and I had dinner with Loren and his wife several times over the years but we had not seen him for almost two years. One day after work, and just after Loren had completed all the extensive renovations to his wife's grandparents home outside of Fredericksburg where they were living, he was informed that his wife of 40 years wanted a divorce. He was stunned and very angry. And he stayed angry all through the divorce proceedings. He had no idea what was coming at him and we had no need of his services so we had not spoken to him for almost two years. He said he did not attend our 55th because he was angry and did not feel sociable. We need a second railing installed on the stairs plus grab bars put into the shower, so I called him and he quickly came out to measure after work. Both Ken and I were delighted to see him. He looks great, with his new beard and a bit of extra weight adding dignity to this good builder. Along with us, he has gone through a bit of a rough spot but we were pleased to see he seems content and busy. He is a fine worker and we wish him all best wishes.