Category: West Texas

Flights of Fancy

I created this from an actual photograph. Any idea what it is? You know what? The un-retouched image is actually quite a bit more impressive: I know that some of you have seen this scene from ground-level. It’s an aerial look at the Forest Creek Capricorn Ridge (thanks, Gregg!) wind farm just north of Sterling… Continue reading Flights of Fancy

LPG Fracs: Technology for the times?

Update (1/21/12): Ran across this blog post about LPG fracing. I don’t have a great ear for subtlety, but the writer seems to be entering the discussion with a distinct bias, and some of the claims are simply wrong (or misleading – an outcry over putting hydrocarbons into a rock strata where hydrocarbons already exist… Continue reading LPG Fracs: Technology for the times?

Back Yard Action

I was going through some pictures that I downloaded into iPhoto from one of my cameras and ran across this one. I don’t remember taking it, nor do I have any idea how I managed to get the fisheye effect. But there’s something about the composition and the action that captures my imagination. I do… Continue reading Back Yard Action

Car Wash Rules

I took the pickup in for a wash job yesterday. It was the first time it had been washed since May, due to our drought-related water usage restrictions. As you might imagine, the truck was badly in need of a good scrubbing. A lot of other people had decided to do the same thing, so… Continue reading Car Wash Rules

Burn now, learn later

While the immediate economic and ecological impacts of the recent wildfires and ongoing drought in West Texas are inarguably negative, there are still some positive aspects to the situation. Steve Nelle is a San Angelo-based wildlife biologist with the USDA‘s Natural Resources Conservation Service, and he has authored a short and quite interesting assessment of… Continue reading Burn now, learn later

Fact or Fiction? 10,000 year clock being built in West Texas

That would be fact, in fact, and it’s none other than Amazon.com founder and gazillionaire Jeff Bezos who’s backing the project.  The clock, as designed, will tick once a year, have a century hand that moves once every 100 years, and a cuckoo that, well, cuckoos once every 1,000 years. And the whole shootin’ match… Continue reading Fact or Fiction? 10,000 year clock being built in West Texas

Fire Map

I’ve been tracking wildfires in West Texas via Weather Underground’s interactive mapping feature. If you’re not familiar with it, check it out when you have a moment. When you initially visit the preceding link, you’ll see a generic Google Map. Use the “Map Controls” located beneath the map to select which options you want to… Continue reading Fire Map

Redefining a Day

In anticipation of the watering restrictions scheduled to begin on April 1st in Midland and several surrounding communities, I reprogrammed my sprinkler system control box on Saturday, determined to get a jump on things rather than wait until the last minute. Our home address ends in an odd number, meaning that we’ll be allowed to… Continue reading Redefining a Day