Yesterday’s post about the cheesy lawn animals apparently struck a chord with some of you fellow rednecks art connie-sewers. I’m happy to see there are other serious patrons of yard art out there. In particular, I enjoyed hearing from Dale Thompson, an intrepid Gazette reader who enclosed some photos of an occupant of his back… Continue reading Yard Art Follow-Up
Expanding Lawn Menagerie
Did you ever pass by one of those stores where the inventory is crammed into a vacant lot and wondered what kind of unwashed, uncultured redneck rabble buys something like that for public display? Well, now you know. Now, in our defense, since our lawn is almost dead, thanks to the drought and watering restrictions,… Continue reading Expanding Lawn Menagerie
“Honey, I shrunk the bike”
I finally got around to trying my hand at disassembling our new tandem and figuring out how to load it into the truck. I’m not entirely pleased with either activity, but I figure they’ll improve with practice. The biggest problem I had was removing the timing chain. For you non-tandemists, that’s the chain that connects… Continue reading “Honey, I shrunk the bike”
West Texas from Above: The End
Scarily observant Gazette readers Katie Hilburn, Gregg Ulvestad, Jon Wheeler, and Mark Springer correctly identified the final aerial photo in the series as the area around Hogan Park in Midland. The small body of water directly beneath the “fish” (which is a pond at Hogan Park Golf Course) is part of the wonderful nature preserve… Continue reading West Texas from Above: The End
West Texas from Above: Part 8
Incredibly eagle-eyed Gazetteers Gregg Ulvestad, Lisa Blake, and Les Blalock recognized foto numero siete in our series as..well…as a number of things, all of which were correct although not precisely the answer I was seeking. That’s my fault for not being more specific. The photo is of the Penwell area, a few miles east of… Continue reading West Texas from Above: Part 8
West Texas from Above: Part 7
Gazette-crazy map mavens Paula McKinney and Les Blalock recognized the sixth photo in our series as Balmorhea State Park, which has the distinction of not actually being located in Balmorhea, but “Toyahvale State Park” apparently doesn’t have the same cachet. Every scuba diver in West Texas has cruised the crystal waters of Balmorhea. Debbie and… Continue reading West Texas from Above: Part 7
West Texas from Above: Part 6
Cartographically crafty Gazette readers Jon Wheeler, Joe Lee, and Chuck Rubins all correctly identified photo numero cinco as the famed Odessa Meteor Crater, renowned across the galaxy as, well, a semi-big hole in the ground. Some say it’s proof that we Earthlings aren’t the only ones who have problems texting and driving. Plus, it has… Continue reading West Texas from Above: Part 6
West Texas from Above: Part 5
Astoundingly intelligent Gazette readers Gregg Ulvestad, Chuck Rubins, and Paula McKinney correctly identified aerial photo numero cuatro as the world-famous Monahans Sand Hills State Park. I have fond memories of the Sand Hills, despite taking two classes of fifth grade boys over for the day as a part of my Sunday School teaching duties. (Word… Continue reading West Texas from Above: Part 5
West Texas from Above: Part 4
Loyal Gazette reader Joe Lee once again had way too much time on his hands and easily identified aerial photo numero tres in this series as a view of Big Bend National Park, which covers almost a million acres of the most starkly beautiful country you’ll ever lay eyes on. Don’t let the apparent desolation… Continue reading West Texas from Above: Part 4
Venus in Transit (A faithful re-creation)
For those who were unable to experience the joyous, mystical, deliriously magnificent spectacle of Venus crawling across the face of old Sol like a mobile blackhead, you’ll get another chance to see it in about 105 years. But if you have other plans – like, say, washing your flying car or catching Betty White live on… Continue reading Venus in Transit (A faithful re-creation)