For skies around the world, click here.
Until next time, God bless.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Skywatch Friday
For skies around the world, click here.
Until next time, God bless.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
The Old Neighborhood
The trip down memory lane brought back so many wonderful memories.
As we left The Village, I saw this darling house which is so typical of the 1930-40's era.
After a couple minutes of driving, we entered the City of Southside, a 9-block incorporated city. I rode my bike 9 blocks to the fire station which had a bicycle rack on the side. I'd park my bike then walk across the street to West University Elementary School.
We turned on Edloe and I took some photos of the houses in the area. This was a middle-class housing area but it has come up in the world. The homes have been updated, remodeled, and dare not even guess what the market value of these homes are today.
At last we came to my house.
Originally, the house was painted white; forgot the trim and shutter color. No one had air conditioning when I was young so the enclosed room on the right was a screened porch. We ate many a summer meal there and I played jacks on the cool, concrete floor many a summer afternoon. We had one small black fan which my mother moved from bedroom to bedroom during the night so we'd at least get some air part of the night. We'd also set up cots on the porch to sleep on during Houston's hot summer nights. We've come a long way, baby.
How about this tree? Isn't it beautiful? That was my aunt's house next door. The screened porch has been enclosed too. If I remember correctly, these homes cost about $7,000, maybe $8,000, and the monthly mortgage payments ran about $40 a month.
As we were leaving the area, we drove past what was once the Bellaire Theatre. The tower is still there. I either walked or rode my bike the three blocks for the Saturday Morning Fun Shows featuring Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Zorro, The Cisco Kid, Hopalong Cassidy, and some kind of serial which made you come back next week to see what happened. :D
I've never been one to go back in time; but I must admit, Saturday was one of the most pleasurable days I've had in a long time. It was truly wonderful. So, thank you, Patty and Julie for the day.
Until next time, God bless.
As we left The Village, I saw this darling house which is so typical of the 1930-40's era.
After a couple minutes of driving, we entered the City of Southside, a 9-block incorporated city. I rode my bike 9 blocks to the fire station which had a bicycle rack on the side. I'd park my bike then walk across the street to West University Elementary School.
We turned on Edloe and I took some photos of the houses in the area. This was a middle-class housing area but it has come up in the world. The homes have been updated, remodeled, and dare not even guess what the market value of these homes are today.
At last we came to my house.
Originally, the house was painted white; forgot the trim and shutter color. No one had air conditioning when I was young so the enclosed room on the right was a screened porch. We ate many a summer meal there and I played jacks on the cool, concrete floor many a summer afternoon. We had one small black fan which my mother moved from bedroom to bedroom during the night so we'd at least get some air part of the night. We'd also set up cots on the porch to sleep on during Houston's hot summer nights. We've come a long way, baby.
How about this tree? Isn't it beautiful? That was my aunt's house next door. The screened porch has been enclosed too. If I remember correctly, these homes cost about $7,000, maybe $8,000, and the monthly mortgage payments ran about $40 a month.
As we were leaving the area, we drove past what was once the Bellaire Theatre. The tower is still there. I either walked or rode my bike the three blocks for the Saturday Morning Fun Shows featuring Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Zorro, The Cisco Kid, Hopalong Cassidy, and some kind of serial which made you come back next week to see what happened. :D
I've never been one to go back in time; but I must admit, Saturday was one of the most pleasurable days I've had in a long time. It was truly wonderful. So, thank you, Patty and Julie for the day.
Until next time, God bless.
Houston & A Walk Down Memory Lane
I love the way things seem to fall into place without a particular plan. I was just going down to Houston to spend some time with my oldest and dearest friend. We ran around Friday to do some shopping. In the meantime, Patty, my dearest friend, invited her daughter, Julie, to go with us to lunch on Saturday. Julie's middle name is the same as mine; Patty honored me by giving her my name. Anyway, Julie is young and up on all the neat places to eat, etc. Children definitely keep you updated on the latest trends. Without them, we, perhaps I should say I, have a tendency to stay in our old routines and habits. Julie suggested going to The Village area around Rice University which is way across town from the Lake Houston area where Patty and her daughter live. Suddenly I perked up because those were my old stomping grounds and hadn't been there since the 1960's.
First we went to the Backstreet Cafe, located in an old house on the edge of River Oaks, for brunch.
It was soooooooo Houston. I loved it and the food was scrumptious. Patty had a lobster sandwich, Julie had shrimp and grits, and I had migas -- ok, I'm not very adventurous when it comes to food. The food presentation was lovely; but wouldn't you know it, I was so hungry that I forgot to photograph the food.
After brunch we went to The Village. Parking was always difficult, but in the fifty years since I'd been there, a parking garage was built. :D The first shop we came to was Furniture with a Soul where I found this jewel.
I did not buy it but may end up ordering it online. I have to find a place for it first; however, I love turquoise. I need something turquoise on my wall somewhere.
It was soooooooo Houston. I loved it and the food was scrumptious. Patty had a lobster sandwich, Julie had shrimp and grits, and I had migas -- ok, I'm not very adventurous when it comes to food. The food presentation was lovely; but wouldn't you know it, I was so hungry that I forgot to photograph the food.
After brunch we went to The Village. Parking was always difficult, but in the fifty years since I'd been there, a parking garage was built. :D The first shop we came to was Furniture with a Soul where I found this jewel.
I did not buy it but may end up ordering it online. I have to find a place for it first; however, I love turquoise. I need something turquoise on my wall somewhere.
When I saw this sign it brought back so many memories of hopping the bus to get The Village, the movies I'd seen there -- admission for adults $0.25, $0.05 for children, my elementary school, and the ambiance of the area where I lived for 9 years.
I haven't the faintest idea why this sculpture was featured in the common because certainly no wild hogs were running around when I lived there.
We stopped at The Chocolate Bar for dessert.
Thought this was kind of neat hanging on the wall.
I allowed myself this one indulgence. I just know I looked ten years younger after eating it because the sign promised me that chocolate is anti-aging. :D
After shopping at The Village where I bought the cutest outfit for therapy dog visits, we drove to the West University Corner Bakery to sample some food for an upcoming baby shower Julie is giving. I only took one bite.
I love the look of these tiny tiles.
The next blog entry will be The Old Neighborhood. Until then, God bless.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Houston
I visited my oldest and dearest friend since the 7th grade this weekend in Houston. I lived in Houston 43 years before moving to the Texas Hill Country. What strikes me most as I get closer to Houston on the drive is the changing vegetation from brown to lush green. I do miss the green - not the humidity - but the intensity of the green and, at times, the hustle, bustle of the city.
On my first visit several years ago to my friend's house, she met me at a specific spot and proceeded to tell me that we would turn left at the first stop light after the bridge. So here I am following her car but was somewhat puzzled when we kept traveling straight after going over 5 or 6 places that I considered a sort of bridge.
I travel regularly over "low water" bridges that are approximately 20 feet in length and most of the time there is no water. The above photo has water but it is the only one I could find after searching through bookoos of folders. :D However, you get the idea.
More to come on the trip to Houston. I took a wonderful walk down memory lane.
Until next time, God bless.
On my first visit several years ago to my friend's house, she met me at a specific spot and proceeded to tell me that we would turn left at the first stop light after the bridge. So here I am following her car but was somewhat puzzled when we kept traveling straight after going over 5 or 6 places that I considered a sort of bridge.
I travel regularly over "low water" bridges that are approximately 20 feet in length and most of the time there is no water. The above photo has water but it is the only one I could find after searching through bookoos of folders. :D However, you get the idea.
It wasn't until I saw this one did I understand what she meant by bridge. It is at least a half of a mile, maybe longer. I couldn't help but laugh at myself because I'd forgotten what bridges were like in my old hometown of Houston since we'd moved to the Hill Country in 1982.
Lake Houston. Don't you just love the fluffy clouds. Houston skies are like that most of the time.
More to come on the trip to Houston. I took a wonderful walk down memory lane.
Until next time, God bless.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Hunting Wildlife, Part II
Eureka! At last, some wildlife captured on film (?), disk (?), digital (?). Film doesn't really apply anymore, does it.
Deer are stirring around as the sun goes down.
The two small outside circles call attention to eyes and the circle just to the right of the deer looks to be a skunk. I think Mr. or Mrs. Skunk lives under the red barn just a few feet to the left of this photo. When I let the dogs out of the yard fence, both dash to the red barn to sniff the space under it. Something lives there and Maggie, for sure, wants at it. Luc likes to identify a smell and then moves on to another smell. lol Maggie hates skunks. I've seen her grab one and slam it to the ground over and over again, ignoring Mr. Skunk's defensive measures. When Luc gets a whiff, he wants no more of it and moves away. It's the devil to get skunk off Maggie. First I use tomato juice, second is a mixture of peroxide, Ivory dish soap, and baking soda, and then a bath. But with all the efforts, Maggie will still carry a faint smell of skunk for about a week. Therefore, we try to time the walks to when skunks are tucked away in their dens.
Thought this was a pretty good shot. There are three deer in the photo.
As soon as the rain lets up, I'll take the camera back to the garden to see if the cantaloupe-eating critter can be captured in a photo. So far, Tropical Storm Hermine has given us 2 inches of rain which is added to the 2-4/10's inches last week. We are extremely pleased because our rainwater collection tanks are almost full. We lost about 4,000 gallons of rainwater earlier this summer when hubby mowed too close to one of the tanks. The mower sheared off a valve, i.e., water went everywhere. Fortunately, there is a cut-off valve between the two tanks which was closed and we were able to save about half of the water. We've been limping along rainfall-to-rainfall. July and August are usually very, very dry, and many times September is the same. Hermine put us in good shape.
Until next time, God bless.
As soon as the rain lets up, I'll take the camera back to the garden to see if the cantaloupe-eating critter can be captured in a photo. So far, Tropical Storm Hermine has given us 2 inches of rain which is added to the 2-4/10's inches last week. We are extremely pleased because our rainwater collection tanks are almost full. We lost about 4,000 gallons of rainwater earlier this summer when hubby mowed too close to one of the tanks. The mower sheared off a valve, i.e., water went everywhere. Fortunately, there is a cut-off valve between the two tanks which was closed and we were able to save about half of the water. We've been limping along rainfall-to-rainfall. July and August are usually very, very dry, and many times September is the same. Hermine put us in good shape.
Until next time, God bless.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Hunting Wildlife
This wildlife photography thing is not as easy as I thought it would be. I set the camera in the big garden for 7 nights trying to catch the critter that eats cantaloupe. I moved it around several times to get a better angle. All I got was a couple of photos with one tiny shiny eye, sometimes two tiny shining eyes. After 7 days and nights, I wanted to get "something" and moved the camera to another location where I see deer jump the fence every evening except the last two. lol Meanwhile back at the garden, the critter came in to dine on more cantaloupe.
Here is "bad" dog, Luc, and the only photo worth posting from the deer crossing location where the camera was armed and ready to fire upon any movement. I brought the camera up to the house this morning to be moved to a location where I saw at least 5 deer staring at me yesterday evening as I walked out to check the big garden.
I've not given up on the garden marauding critter but I want something to show for this effort. One thing I learned when moving the camera to a location other than the garden: carry gloves, a limb saw and a lopper along with the camera to cut away brush, etc., so the camera will have a clear view. While cow trails are easy to spot, I'm going to have to start trying to find wildlife trails. Now that is a good one for this city-bred gal.
Until next time, God bless.
I've not given up on the garden marauding critter but I want something to show for this effort. One thing I learned when moving the camera to a location other than the garden: carry gloves, a limb saw and a lopper along with the camera to cut away brush, etc., so the camera will have a clear view. While cow trails are easy to spot, I'm going to have to start trying to find wildlife trails. Now that is a good one for this city-bred gal.
Until next time, God bless.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Sky Watch Friday
We've got a norther blowing in which means in Central Texas at this time of year that our morning temps may drop below 70 degrees. :D
For those who are waiting to see what kind of critter is raiding the garden, all I have with the wildlife camera so far are two tiny, shiny eyes. Whatever it is, it is small; most likely a bunny. I moved the camera closer to the cantaloupe that seems to be its current favorite. Stay tuned. Tonight might be the night that the camera gets a good enough photo to identify this critter. As soon as there is a good one, I'll post it; then it is on to bigger critters of the day and night.
Go here for skies around the world.
Until next time, God bless.
Addendum: Those skies brought 2 1/10 inches of rain last night! Hallelujah!
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