Category Archives: Texana

Texas in Israel

Posted on June 28, 2007 | Comments Off on Texas in Israel

"I believe Texans share a special kinship with the Israeli people. We are both independent-minded and self-reliant, and our history is grounded in strong stands against impossible odds." –Texas Gov. Rick Perry

I’d say that’s exactly right, and I would not join in the sniping the Texas media did about his foreign travel: to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Turkey, Israel and Jordan, apparently trying to drum up new business for the state. We do, after all, have the eighth largest economy in the world. Though I do wonder about Rick’s man-in-black, desperado look in the official Israel government photo that ran in the daily.

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Posted in Israel, Scribbles, Texana

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The Island

Posted on June 28, 2007 | Comments Off on The Island

This 14-acre residential resort on Lake Travis has been the subject of several recent search engine visits from people tracking info on it. They seem to be trying to determine how high the lake has to be before The Island would flood. I remember that it was isolated during the ’91 flood, or, perhaps, it was the one in ’97. I don’t remember that it has ever actually flooded.

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Posted in Sailing, Texana, Weather/Climate

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Blocking force

Posted on June 28, 2007 | Comments Off on Blocking force

KVET/KASE meteorologist Troy Kimmel sees a "large organized southeastward moving cluster of thunderstorms just southeast of San Antonio is moving into the coastal plains" and theorizes:

"My initial thought would be that this system.. being between us and the gulf moisture coming ashore from the Gulf of Mexico.. will temporarily disrupt the moisture flow and perhaps result in less precipitation for the greater Austin area for at least a part of this afternoon."

So far it seems to be working. Radar shows a lot of the heavy rain well east of La Grange, heading north to Bryan.

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Posted in Texana, Weather/Climate

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Lake lowering. Then not.

Posted on June 28, 2007 | Comments Off on Lake lowering. Then not.

Lake Travis dropping very slowly at this hour, down to 693.63, with four floodgates staying open. Five feet lower than forecast for this afternoon, and nothing obvious on the LCRA automated guages site to change it. KVUE’s radar shows plenty of rain across the area, and more coming in, but little of the red and yellow variety. Plus it’s moving faster than Wednesday morning. The meteorologists have a word for the red and yellow blob that pulled up almost stationary over Marble Falls yesterday that I hadn’t encountered until the other day. In keeping with the age of terrorism, I suppose. They call it a precipitation "bomb."

UPDATE  Within an hour, the lake was rising slowly again. Lots of rain falling in upstream Lake LBJ and being passed down to Travis. By 3:30 p.m., it was up to 694.5.

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Posted in Sailing, Texana, Weather/Climate

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Catastrophe 2007

Posted on June 27, 2007 | Comments Off on Catastrophe 2007

LCRA is now projecting that Lake Travis will rise to almost 697 feet above mean sea level by tomorrow afternoon, despite having four flood gates open. That would be sixteen feet above full. Have to check but that might be a record height. That’s just from the rain that’s fallen so far. More rain is expected out there tonight.

UPDATE LCRA has closed the lake to recreational boating. City of Austin has, likewise, closed its waterways. Debris, etc. 

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Posted in Sailing, Texana, Weather/Climate

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Turn around, don’t drown

Posted on June 27, 2007 | Comments Off on Turn around, don’t drown

With big storms moving in from the north, and some places out near the lakes picking up 3 inches or more, according to the LCRA’s automated guages, it seems timely to repeat the weather service slogan for low-water crossers, and to pass along this great site’s complete approach to Texas floods. For the rare reader who might benefit. I realize this isn’t radio, but it’s tempting to treat it that way sometimes. It’s not hard to get excited. We live in the most flash-flood prone part of North America.

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Posted in Rancho Roly Poly, Texana, Weather/Climate

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Bluebonnets in Israel

Posted on June 26, 2007 | Comments Off on Bluebonnets in Israel

turmusim

Turmusim, by Treppenwitz in Jerusalem. Just a similar lupine but they sure look the same.

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Posted in Israel, Texana

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