Go Fish Galvez

Thankfully, things aren’t always bigger in Texas.

Texas tar balls

Well, we finally got hit—knew we couldn’t dodge that BP bullet forever—but, so far at least, the tar balls that washed ashore recently were pretty few and far between. Counting the four locations along the Texas Gulf Coast that reported seeing tar balls on the beach, including East Beach in Galveston and Crystal Beach on the Bolivar Peninsula, the grand total of the dime- to nickel-sized weathered tar balls amounted to only about a dozen gallon bucketsful. By Louisiana standards, that’s a pittance. Read the rest of this entry »

Well, actually, happily, working!

Sun plume

So how ’bout a nice photo to make up for my long absence? (Courtesy NASA, my new contracting employer.)

Yes, I’ve been busy, and a little sick, too (sniff sniff), but recovering nicely now.

In addition to my preoccupation with the new job, I’ve also experienced a little early-season excitement, too. The first named storm of the year, Hurricane Alex, made landfall yesterday far south of us, thank goodness, and without much ado in the immediate vicinity, except for a few downed palm fronds in my front yard and a tremendous amount of street flooding in Houston. Glad I don’t live there (weak joke).

And so, with a rabbit’s foot in my pocket, the hurricane season begins…

Things are looking up—literally.

Nosedive

But I can’t talk about my new top-secret job. I won’t and don’t try to make me. No, siree! Mum’s the word.

Let’s just say it involves, tangentially at least, flying objects with floating people inside, spectacular photos that are out of this world, and at least one Tom Hanks movie.

Houston, we have no problem…

But after awhile, finally, we did turn around and head back home, walking west on Avenue P. (For the beginning of this story, see “Reflections.”)

Pick your weapon!

As we passed an old two-story home, I noticed a woman standing out in her front yard with a garden hose, idly watering some newly planted marigolds. When she glanced up, I offered a friendly smile and a neighborly “hi,” and she quickly returned the greeting and then asked, “Is that stick for other dogs or yours?”

Let me explain. On my walks around the neighborhood with Tip, I always bring along a cut-off broom handle that I use as a walking stick or staff, and this is the stick to which she was referring.

Assuring her that only rarely do I pummel my own puppy dog and instead use my walking stick to gently dissuade any loose and roaming dogs that we happen upon from getting too friendly or, worse, not too friendly, she replied that a golf club might be a more effective tool. She even offered one of her own from an old golf bag that had been left behind by a previous owner and that she still had out in her back yard. I declined the offer, happy with my broom handle, but thanked her just the same. Read the rest of this entry »

Well, it’s Mother’s Day. I’m not one, and I lost mine 11 years ago, so there’s not much to celebrate here.

Canopy of old oak trees

But the weather this morning seemed pleasant enough for a walk, thanks to overcast skies and a slight, cool breeze, so I leashed up my faithful companion, Tippy, and we headed due east on mine own historic Avenue O.

Unfortunately, after ten blocks or so at a quick pace, I was already dripping wet, due more to the mugginess of the air than to a particularly strenuous workout. Ready to get home and jump into a cool shower, I decided to trim this morning’s walk a bit, so we cut over two blocks and picked up Avenue O’s one-way counterpart, another historic avenue, P. Read the rest of this entry »

As my fellow beach-goers were packing up for the day and the sun was beginning to wane, what I found—finally, at last!—on the beach was worth more to me than all of Jean Lafitte’s long-buried bullion topped off by a winning Lotto ticket.

Fun at the beach for the Tipsters

Okay, that’s ridiculous. Gad! Just goes to show how a little unforeseen trauma can drastically skew one’s perspective, if only momentarily.

Still, I had a closer call today than I care to repeat any time soon. But let me begin at the beginning …

After a long morning and early afternoon in front of my laptop, bobbing and weaving to dodge the plethora of Internet scams (don’t ask), I decided enough already! and plopped the pooch in the pickup for a drive to the West End beaches. And a glorious day for beach bumming it was! Read the rest of this entry »