Tag: Texas

Polar Vortexian!

We are having an actual winter here in central Texas, with freezing rains, sub-freezing temperatures for more than an hour, and possibility of not see above-freezing temperatures for at least 3 days. I’m calling it a Polar Vortexian, a polar vortex, Texan style.

When I came out of work on Thursday, my car was completely covered in ice, and I snapped a few shots to share with Heidi. Believe it or not, it’s not the worst ice I’ve seen. Back in my Coast Guard days, when I was stationed on the now decommissioned USCGC Sedge, we went through a rough storm just north of Kodiak, AK, and when we finally pulled into port, there was a nice glaze of ice,  of 3 to 5 inches thick. Our chief petty officer sent us out on the decks with sledgehammers, baseball bats, and anything we could find, to break it up.

Not quite the same here. I used a normal ice scraper to get rid of the ice off the precious and classic Saturn 2000 LW1. I also managed to drive the treacherous roads arriving safely at home (please note: it wasn’t really the ice that made the roads treacherous as much as it was the other drivers. This is what really makes a Polar Vortex into a Polar Vortexian! Imply what you will).

All photos copyright © Timothy J. Hammons 2021. 

Streams of Living Water: Watauga River

This is one of the things I love about Tennessee. They have streams like the one below, that flow year around. In Texas, the only time a stream like the one below has water in it, is after a rain. This was a new discovery on my first trip to Eastern Tennessee as a newlywed. There was a stream just like the one below flowing through some people’s front yard, and I asked if it ever dried up. Heidi told me it ran all year long. “How is that possible?”

 

Local Honey: Frisco Farmers’ Market

The saying goes that if you eat the local honey, you will gain an advantage over all the local allergies. But, I believe that saying is more urban legend than scientific fact. I’ve used local honey in plenty of areas, but never noticed any advantage. If this is true, can I get my health insurance to pay for my honey?

One other urban legend I’ve learned about allergies: no matter where you live, it is the allergy capital of the world. I’ve lived in quite a few places, from South Carolina, to New Mexico, to Arkansas, to Washington, to New York City, and too many places in Texas. All have claimed to be the allergy capital of the world. How does one make such a measurement? How does one argue with such a claim? Why would anyone boast about such a thing?

Maybe I ask too many questions.

I would have bought some of the below product, simply because I’m a huge fan of honey. But we already had two bottles in the cupboard.