Category Archives: Texana

Interesting but dull

Posted on May 28, 2008 | Comments Off on Interesting but dull

Indiana Jones does not represent real archeologists! No kidding. I have known a few of the real ones. They are interesting enough, at first. But how many times can you explain shards, as well as chert and other lithic technology. One of the chief complaints about them–that the stuff they find is forever sealed in warehouses beyond public view–is absolutely true. Although nowadays the more enterprising ones will put the pictures of it on the Web. And you can join an archeo society to gain admission.

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Another tell-all

Posted on May 27, 2008 | Comments Off on Another tell-all

Normally I don’t even read the reviews of these kind of books. But I used to deal, now and then, with Mr. McClellan, back when he was the Austin shill for Gov. W. So I read the review and now I’m wondering what happened? Did he get in an argument with the boss, or is he just sucking up to the MSM’s favored narratives, which might (how, exactly?) determine whether he gets another big PR job anytime soon? But wouldn’t you think loyalty demonstrated would be a much better plan? Scott?

UPDATE:  Alas, Scott, it isn’t working. OTH, at least one conservative loves you.

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Chance of rain

Posted on May 27, 2008 | Comments Off on Chance of rain

That would be nice, but, so far, the radar shows most of it well to our north. What a strange May, as even LCRA meterologist Bob Rose admits, with evidence:

"…according to Dr. John Nielson-Gammon, the Texas State Climatologist, for the Central Texas region as a whole, this May is on track to be the 7th driest on record, the 13th driest March through May period on record, and the 7th driest December through May period on record. So if you think the weather has been a little unusual lately, you’re right."

So, come on rain. We need you.

UPDATE:  Well, there’s hope in River City. The temperature at the rancho has dropped twenty degrees in the last twenty minutes. An hour or so later, we had a brief shower. Pleasant, anyhow.

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Posted in Texana, Weather/Climate

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Flags

Posted on May 25, 2008 | Comments Off on Flags

Mr. Boy will go with his Mom and grandmother this morning to put a little stick flag on his Navy grandfather’s grave at the national cemetery near Dallas, in observance of Memorial Day. I think of his Air Force grandfather, my dad, who’s buried in Arlington many miles away. Someday we’ll take him there. Arlington probably put out their flags yesterday for all. There’s this touching Trace Adkins song about that place.

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Posted in Mr. Boy, Texana, Troops

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Remembering

Posted on May 25, 2008 | Comments Off on Remembering

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Austin, Texas. Southwestern architecture in a flag theme for the weekend, inspired by Instapundit.

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Posted in Texana, Troops

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Love Is A Wild Assault

Posted on May 23, 2008 | Comments Off on Love Is A Wild Assault

robert_potter_portrait.jpg

Rob Potter (left), onetime secretary of the navy of the Texas Republic and later a senator in the Republic’s congress, isn’t the main character of this novel with a bodice-ripper title. Harriet Potter is, but there’s no picture of her that I can find on the Web. Nor is the book a bodice-ripper, really, but a real adventure story of a resourceful and brave 19th century woman, only a part of which concerns Potter. Well, a large part. The reviewers at the novel’s Amazon site make it plain that this is a true woman’s book, which many women seem to pass on to their daughters.

This reviewer does likewise. But I think most men would enjoy it, even if some of the male characters are pretty despicable. The most interesting part is that Harriet and Rob were real, and most, if not all of the novel (certainly not all of the dialogue) is based on Harriet’s reporting of her life–in a lengthy, unpublished memoir that came to the attention of the Texas Historical Commission many years ago. The novel was originally published in 1959, but it’s a very contemporary read and one of the most memorable books I’ve encountered. Get a copy. You won’t be disappointed.

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Posted in Library, Texana

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Another scorcher

Posted on May 22, 2008 | Comments Off on Another scorcher

KVUE meteorologists are predicting another unseasonably hot day, with a high of 97 degrees and a low in the 70s overnight, and similar temps through what has usually been a cool and wet Memorial Day weekend. That should bring smiles to the Global Warming apocolyptees, though these warm and cool periods came and went long before anyone heard of the Gorebot and his minions. And with cooling oceans, a decline in the average worldwide land temperature and the U.S. average temeprature, a thickening of the pack ice in the Arctic and more hints of global cooling, GW is looking more like a fraud every day.

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Posted in Texana, Weather/Climate

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