THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER

It probably won’t last at this height of slightly more than 681 feet above mean sea level, not if La Nina kicks in and we get another dry, scorching summer. But it’s certainly an improvement over last summer’s view of this then-dry upper end of Cypress Creek Arm.

Not many people had ever heard of nineteen-year-old Garrett Gilbert when he was rushed onto the field last night at the Rose Bowl to substitute for the injured Colt McCoy.  Garrett is better known here where he led his Lake Travis team to two state championships. His father Gale played QB in the NFL, for [...]

Building, launching and sailing a wooden Catboat on Lake Travis. Since she draws just thirty inches, this year’s drought is of little concern. I’m envious.

Years ago, one of the daily’s photographers (I hesitate to guess which one) took a couch out to one of the Islands, propped an Elvis-on-velvet on it and immortalized the droughty geography. This photo is from June. Probably worse now, since there’s been no rain to speak of. But there will be. With El Nino [...]

A familiar view, from my sailing days, coming out of Cypress Creek Arm into the main basin. Heading west. Lake’s much lower than this now, but it’ll come back. It always has, AGW and other doomsday predictions to the contrary notwithstanding.

All our triple digit days means the big lake in the Highlands chain is dropping 1.5 to 2 feet a week now, according to the LCRA: 1) 614.18′ set in August of 1951 2) 615.02′ set in November of 1963 3) 636.58′ set in October of 1984 4) 640.08′ set on July 13, 2009 639.53 [...]

The lake she is sinking like a stone, two feet lower than at the link there which was a week ago. I mean fifty-one percent of capacity? Whoa. On the other hand, we’ve been here before, just three years ago, in fact, and it’s not yet as low as it was in 2000. The important [...]

Having sold the family sloop, we no longer pay much attention to the ups and downs of the reservoir called Lake Travis. It has been quite low in previous droughts, but seems to be trying to set a new record in the ongoing one. It is now at six hundred and fifty-five feet below above [...]

The Chicago Bears already were down on RB Cedric Benson for a pitiful average of 3.4 yards per carry–a product of chronic injuries since leaving Texas in 2005 as its only running back to gain a thousand yards in four consecutive seasons. Now his pro career is in doubt after his third arrest (but first [...]

The Chicago Bears already were down on RB Cedric Benson for a pitiful average of 3.4 yards per carry–a product of chronic injuries since leaving Texas in 2005 as its only running back to gain a thousand yards in four consecutive seasons. Now his pro career is in doubt after his third arrest (but first [...]