Cindy Hammond sent me the following report on how the local teams did in the recently completed “Destination Imagination” global finals (read this post for the back story): Over 1000 teams from the US, UK, Canada, China, Finland, Turkey, Poland, Singapore, Mexico, Guatemala, etc. competed in the Destination Imagination Global Finals held on the campus… Continue reading Local Destination Imagination Teams: Global Success
The Hapless Mechanic – Pt. 73
So we come out of IHOP after breakfast this morning and Gene points at our car and exclaims, “you have a flat tire!” Even a mechanically-challenged person like me could tell that he was right; the driver’s side rear tire was as flat as one of the pancakes I’d just consumed. The cause was obvious:… Continue reading The Hapless Mechanic – Pt. 73
Book Review (Sort of): “Blue Like Jazz”
No one ever accused me of being on the cutting edge of anything. I’m behind the curve in all areas of life, slow on the uptake. I defend myself as intelligently cautious; those who know me would say that I’m just clueless. Anyway, I offer that as an excuse as to why I’m just now… Continue reading Book Review (Sort of): “Blue Like Jazz”
Book Reviews: “The Blue Star,” “The Good Guy,” and “Blasphemy”
Summer is fast approaching, and that’s prime novel-reading season. I’ve read three novels in the past month or so, something of a record for me, and wanted to share some observations in case you’re getting summer book-buying fever. (Note: There are no plot spoilers in these mini-reviews.) The Blue Star – Tony Earley A review… Continue reading Book Reviews: “The Blue Star,” “The Good Guy,” and “Blasphemy”
The Incompetent Temporary Bachelor Chronicles: Vol. I
MLB is in another time zone on business, leaving me and the Dog Faced Girl to fend for ourselves, a task for which we each are woefully ill-equipped. In fairness to Abbye, the fact that she’s aged, infirm, blind, and lacks opposable thumbs gives her some legitimate excuses that I, for the most part (hold… Continue reading The Incompetent Temporary Bachelor Chronicles: Vol. I
Neighborhood Killdeer
Killdeer are exceedingly common throughout the US, and they’re even regularly observed around bodies of water in our arid part of the state. Still, I haven’t had the opportunity to observe them up close until a family took up residence around the stream and pond located in our new neighborhood. I shot the following video… Continue reading Neighborhood Killdeer
My Wife is a Squirrel Mule*
One of the things I hated to give up in the relocation was the view from my desk onto our back porch and yard, which provided a reliable tableau of bloggable wildlife action. My new setup has the window at my back, and it looks out on the front driveway, a much less attractive setting… Continue reading My Wife is a Squirrel Mule*
Random Thursday
Wow, it’s been a while since we’ve done one of these. Bear with me while I get my bearings. Today is Trash Day. We’ve never had Trash Day before, so this is a big deal. Our new neighborhood doesn’t have dumpsters, so we have to wheel our city-provided trash cans into the alley to await… Continue reading Random Thursday
Fire Ant Sightings in Austin
The local Destination Imagination teams competed at the state level a couple of weeks ago and did very well. Here’s a report from Cindy Hammond, proud mom of one of the participants (and here’s the back story, via the MRT): The Midland High School level team … ended up taking 2nd at State and are… Continue reading Fire Ant Sightings in Austin
From dust to dust
Want to know what a West Texas spring is like in an under-construction neighborhood on the edge of town during a severe drought? That’s the eastern edge of the Gobi Desert, aka our driveway. The thing that looks like a phone line laid across the concrete and under the occasional dune is, in fact, our… Continue reading From dust to dust