Nathan Adrian’s Swim Helps the U.S. 4X100 Relay Team Earn Gold in the World Swimming Championships

Sunday TV usually doesn’t have much. I never have the stamina to get into “Meet the Press”. Otherwise, until later in the evening it’s just old movie re-runs and infomercials.
By chance though today, I turned on NBC in time to watch part of the World Swimming Championships taking place in Rome. The [...]

A Glimpse of Galveston 10 Months After Hurricane Ike

Hurricane Ike hit on September 13, 2008, just a little more than 10 months ago. Preparing for the storm to come through Houston, going through the dramatic ordeal first-hand, and waiting for life to return to normal afterward are experiences I won’t forget.
But in these past 10 months, I haven’t gone to the coast, where [...]

Houston METRORail Holds Ground-Breaking Ceremonies for Two New Lines

Ground-breaking ceremonies were held to inaugarate the beginning of construction of two new light-rail lines in Houston.  Work will be starting on the Southeast Corridor Line and the Northline Corridor Line.
Both of these will connect more commuters to downtown and the present line, which goes from the University of Houston Downtown on the north to [...]

Vicuña, Chile–One of Those “Magical” Places

I was sorting through the box of photos that I have, both tonight and last night, remembering old friendships and re-visiting past trips.
It makes me wonder, in these digital days, whether in the future people will be able to enjoy this kind of collection–either in the hodgepodge of envelopes still from the developer like I [...]

Houston Poised To Start Work on Five New Metrorail Lines; Officials Say These Transportation Projects Will Bring 60,000 New Jobs to the Bayou City; Completion Set for Sometime in 2012

Today contracts were let for four new lines by the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County. In addition to these lines is the fifth new line, the University Corridor Line, which is part of another contract, but is to be built during approximately the same time frame.
The almost 1.5 billion dollar deal (plus a similar [...]

Patrons in Popular Galveston Gay Bar Attacked by Rock Throwers

According to this morning’s Houston Chronicle, customers at Robert’s Lafitte, one of Galveston’s gay bars, were attacked by three thugs who entered the establishment and threw large rocks at the customers. Two people were hit in the head, one of whom was taken to the hospital and the other was treated at the club. The [...]

The Old Metal Box

Tucked away in a huge chest of drawers that my folks had in their bedroom in the farmhouse my great-grandparents had built was an old black tin box. At some time in its life, this shiny, mysterious box locked with a key, but the key must have been lost somewhere along the way, so the [...]

OK, So Let’s Try Something New . . .

I think I got the short stick when it comes to any technological genes, but I try to work around that disability.
Santa brought (and Santa bought himself) a JVC Everio camcorder, and now he’s finally trying to learn how to use it and upload to the computer and youtube. Bit [...]

Holiday Gifts For You (From Triptotheouthouse)–Wishing You All A . . .

The thermometer says 48 degrees this morning, probably not very crisp for some of you in the more northerly climes, but a mighty big change here in H-town from the 80 degrees that my car thermometer read about 7:30 last evening.
With my green sweatpants and red jacket, I probablylooked a little like one of Santa’s [...]