Houston Natural History Museum: a lot about oil...
A simulated trip down a borehole. Unfortunately, part of the 'realism' imvolves not enough light to take a good picture. Neat, anyway.
A simulated trip down a borehole. Unfortunately, part of the 'realism' imvolves not enough light to take a good picture. Neat, anyway.At the Houston Rodeo: Chief Touch-the-Clouds; I'd never heard of him before...
And, the Houston Rodeo - there's a major-league rodeo circuit, and Houston is one of the big ones.
And, the Houston Rodeo - there's a major-league rodeo circuit, and Houston is one of the big ones.It turns out that now, Houston is all about oil - scarcely any cows at all. But cows and horses and the cowboy thing are more fun, I guess.
More about the horse culture: Different places illustrate different things. Here' it's cowboy boots.
There are often a lot of guys just riding around the arena. Some are officials, maybe they all are...
The Cutting competition: The idea is to cut one pony out of the herd, and keep him from rejoining it:
Here, he's seperated one out, and has to keep between it and the herd:
As the calf goes one way, man and horse have to move just as fast as calf alone does
...and sometimes pretty fast:
Obviously, the horse himself must have to understand what's going on -
Bull riding: By that time the light was pretty dim - easier to watch the monitor than the actual bull. Out of about eight riders, only three even mamaged to stay on the minimum time - about 8 seconds. The bulls are really not very happy to have guys on their backs.
Rodeo Clowns - they distract the bull after he's thrown the rider...high art in its own right.
The Cutting competition: The idea is to cut one pony out of the herd, and keep him from rejoining it:
Here, he's seperated one out, and has to keep between it and the herd:As the calf goes one way, man and horse have to move just as fast as calf alone does...and sometimes pretty fast:Obviously, the horse himself must have to understand what's going on -Bull riding: By that time the light was pretty dim - easier to watch the monitor than the actual bull. Out of about eight riders, only three even mamaged to stay on the minimum time - about 8 seconds. The bulls are really not very happy to have guys on their backs.Rodeo Clowns - they distract the bull after he's thrown the rider...high art in its own right. Some other stuff: they planned to have the chicks hatch on the same day:
The Houston Art Museum: Crab, by Alexander Calder
Then, on to San Antonio: The Alamo, of course. Basically a church and grounds - very bad place to try and defend, even against somebody as inept as General Santa Anna...
Beautiful grounds, though
The Houston Art Museum: Crab, by Alexander Calder
Then, on to San Antonio: The Alamo, of course. Basically a church and grounds - very bad place to try and defend, even against somebody as inept as General Santa Anna...Beautiful grounds, thoughSan Antonio Botanical Garden
San Antonio Museum of Art
The famous Riverwalk - about a half-mile long park, right in the middle of the city
Boat along the 'Walk
At night 
O Henry lived here for a couple of years, before he got to be famous
...in a rather modest house
He worked for this weekly paper, perhaps as editor. Partly humorous. Didn't last; O. Henry went on to other things...
Fort Sam Houston: the Army Medical Depot (AMEDD) Museum: WWI medical wagon
Korean-era Bell H-13 Medevac helicopter: No cockpit lights, no radio, a battery so weak that sometimes it needed a boost from external equipment to start the motor. If they had to fly at night, they used a flashlight to look at the dials.
Poster about the Buffalo Soldiers - black US cavalry troops who served in the West right after the civil war. The Indians gave them the name. They saw a good bit of action.
A combination meat can/coffee cup: Imagine eating 4 days rations of meat out of this, then trying to drink meat-flavored coffee out of it, sort of sideways -
Up into the Panhandle...
Palo Duro State Park
Boat along the 'WalkAt night O Henry lived here for a couple of years, before he got to be famous
...in a rather modest houseHe worked for this weekly paper, perhaps as editor. Partly humorous. Didn't last; O. Henry went on to other things...Fort Sam Houston: the Army Medical Depot (AMEDD) Museum: WWI medical wagon
Korean-era Bell H-13 Medevac helicopter: No cockpit lights, no radio, a battery so weak that sometimes it needed a boost from external equipment to start the motor. If they had to fly at night, they used a flashlight to look at the dials.
Poster about the Buffalo Soldiers - black US cavalry troops who served in the West right after the civil war. The Indians gave them the name. They saw a good bit of action.
A combination meat can/coffee cup: Imagine eating 4 days rations of meat out of this, then trying to drink meat-flavored coffee out of it, sort of sideways -
Up into the Panhandle...Palo Duro State Park
Barb with her own personal-size mesa
Desert Crust: Fairly new wrinkle in ecology of the desert. It turns out that a whole lot of the life in the desert is concentrated in this crust, less than an inch thick; if you step on it at all, and break it, it dries out and dies. Life is complicated.
Lubbock, Texas: The Panhandle/Plains Historical Museum. Old Oil Rig
Prehistoric Mini-rhinocerous
Prehistoric Mini-rhinocerous
A lot on oil exploration and drilling. It starts with prospecting: The Geologist - note Indiana Jones topper:
Drilling Crew
Once the well is drilled, if there isn't enough yield, the Shooters lower dynamite down the well and explode it to fracture the formation.
Something I hadn't known: A lot of natural gas has so much gasoline in it that they have to refine the gas and remove the gasoline from it:
Back to the cowboys business: Charles Goodnight, namesake of a famous cattle trail, the Goodnight - Loving Trail
Various bits:
Various stirrups:
Spurs:
Drilling CrewOnce the well is drilled, if there isn't enough yield, the Shooters lower dynamite down the well and explode it to fracture the formation.
Something I hadn't known: A lot of natural gas has so much gasoline in it that they have to refine the gas and remove the gasoline from it:Back to the cowboys business: Charles Goodnight, namesake of a famous cattle trail, the Goodnight - Loving Trail
Various bits:
Various stirrups:
Spurs:
