Endless Spring

Rain and more rain

We've received measurable precipitation during every day in recent memory. We're still seeing highs only in the upper 80s to low 90s. It feels a lot more like late April or mid-May than July. I sure don't mind the cooler temperatures, but we really could use a few days to "dry out" so the ground will be able to hold more water from the next wave...

On July 2, the clouds inspired M to impersonate a well-known Edvard Munch painting...

ominous clouds over the neighbors' houses

David Finfrock on the Channel 5 weather

Big Island flashback

Check out this page from a recent REI catalog. The landscape looked very familiar to K and me, since we experienced it first-hand back in April. The location is the Pololu overlook on Hawaii's Big Island.

REI catalog page photo from Pololu overlook

K at Pololu overlook, April 2007

Boxcar sightings

Even when very few trains are running ( and due to the flooding up north, there sure haven't been many though Keller lately), something interesting always seems to show up, even if it's just a boxcar sporting an interesting logo from some faraway railroad. Here are a couple I've noticed during the past week.

Stockton Terminal & Eastern boxcar seen in Roanoke TX on July 1

Columbia & Cowlitz logo - Roanoke, TX, July 4

WSC

np: Kids in the Hall - Season 3, Disc 1

Still bloggin'

Still riding

Last Sunday, I embarked on a 100-kilometer (64 mile) bike ride through Keller, Roanoke, Argyle, Justin, Rhome and Avondale. I came home not knowing if I'd be anywhere near ready to undertake the 100-mile ride at this year's Hotter'n Hell Hundred, or if I'd even want to. I felt fine for the first 40 or 45 miles, but it was those last 15 that really hurt. It didn't help that I was riding into the wind for most of them. I flatted near Hicks Airport and ended up having to change my tire in the rain. But it was probably good that it happened when it did, because it forced me to take a break that I probably should have taken several miles earlier. I might never have made it home if it hadn't been for that flat. But Sunday's ride definitely told me something -- I'm either going to have to really step up my training to be ready for the hundred miles, or I'll settle for the 100-k again this year (if I go at all).

I joined a group of other riders for a few miles between Argyle and Justin...

On Monday, I finally made it back to the Trinity River trails (first time in over a year) for a bike ride. Consider it a "recovery ride" after Sunday's long excursion. I had almost forgotten how much I enjoy riding down there. The route closely follows the river so there aren't really any hills; some of the levees provide a degree of protection from the wind; and best of all, there's no car traffic to contend with. It's possible to ride 30 or 40 miles without entering or crossing a single street. And in certain areas, the trails continue on city streets as designated bike pathways. What's more, the trails provide a number of vantage points to observe local rail operations, which is always cool. I'll probably be riding down there a few more times this summer, and might make a weekly trip down there after school starts in the fall.

on the Trinity River trails... Monday, June 25

I met plenty of other bikes... but no cars

Still raining

Every day, the weather radar looks pretty much the same.... lots of green and yellow swirling above Texas and Oklahoma. Our typical summertime high pressure system hasn't developed this year, so nothing has blocked the gulf moisture from flowing inland and unleashing large quantities of rain. I feel bad for everyone who has been affected by the flooding, but in all honesty, I wouldn't complain if it kept raining all summer long. It has been keeping the temperatures down (highs only in the 80s late in the month of June are almost unheard of, and we definitely haven't seen triple digits yet), and is helping to keep our water and electric bills a bit lower than usual. Call me a weenie, but I'm just not cut out for those Texas summers the way I used to be.

Clouds like this build up just about every afternoon...

a rainy drive to work...

Dark clouds looming over downtown Ft. Worth

Still shooting

The rain and clouds haven't stopped me from taking a few photos here and there... I managed to get a few cloudy shots of BNSF's new Genset switchers working in Saginaw earlier this week. And last Saturday morning, a trio of UP Gensets were tied down at Roanoke.

BNSF Genset switcher # 1233 at Saginaw. Tuesday, June 26

UPY 2654 at Roanoke. June 23, 2007.

WSC

np: Lucinda Williams - "Car wheels on a gravel road"