Tag Archives: Houston

The Summer of the Rising Tides, Day 83: Readying for Converging Storms

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, impediments, Personal goals, Personal Values, Social, Striving

August 22, 2020, Beaumont-

I was up at 1 a.m. and at the Shuttle Bus stop by 2:15. We got to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport at 4:30. Thereafter, I moved on autopilot through the check-in stand, on through security and found my way to the departure lounge-where I drifted in and out of sleep, whilst waiting for the 9 a.m. flight. Such is the process of catching a morning flight, by going from Prescott to Phoenix in an economical manner.

I slept for virtually the entire flight, waking long enough to help my seatmate find her seat belt buckle, lodged between our two seats. The flight itself was not unpleasant. Yes, we had to wear our masks the entire flight-as well as on the shuttle, in the terminal and in the departure lounge. In fact, I had the mask on all day, except for meals and whilst in the rental car.

After a fashion, the team ironed out bugs, regarding this evening’s lodging, when we will meet, via Microsoft Teams, tomorrow and who is going where, in the immediate few days ahead. I am on a team that will deploy to western Louisiana, if needed. Right now, I am resting in a motel room in this eastern Texas city, about an hour past Houston.

The whole reason for our being here is to face storms that will arrive in the area either Tuesday or Wednesday, as well as the flooding that may occur in their wake. I will keep you posted, as best I can.

The Summer of the Rising Tides, Day 82: Call of Duty

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, impediments, Inspiration, Personal goals, Personal Values, Service Activities, Striving

August 21, 2020-

I had a sense that this down time was getting too humdrum for the Universe’s liking. After a few minutes spent wrangling about the best way to counter sex trafficking, there came a phone call.

Two tropical storms are approaching the Gulf Coast states. Each is expected to hit that region on Tuesday, after wreaking havoc in diffferent parts of the Caribbean. The call was for me to go to Texas-specifically to Beaumont.

I’ve been in that area a few times, though not as a Disaster Response volunteer. I do know just how much water can fall in the bayou country-from Houston, south to Padre Island and east to Biloxi and Gulfport. Without going into detail, we volunteers need to be absolutely on game, ready to give any and all disaster victims our very best.

Someone pointed out, with regard to rescuing trafficking victims, that there is no room for hodgepodge or for guessing games. The level of professionalism needs to be at the very highest. The same is true, in a different theater of operations, with disaster relief.

I will keep in touch, from Beaumont and wherever else I may deploy, over the next several days.

The Road to 65, Mile 178: But For The Grace

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Posted by on in Personal goals, Social

May 25, 2015, Reno- Yesterday, for us here, was a day of reflection, of gratitude towards the fallen, and of intense discussion about spiritual matters.  I will need to invest a fair amount in my vehicle, this week, and I will be okay; it will be okay.

I am terrified for our country’s fourth-largest city.  I haven’t spent much time in Houston, over the years.  I have a few friends there, and will be in touch with them by private message, tomorrow.  I appreciate, to this day, the assistance given us by some Space City residents in 1984, when my wife was deathly ill, after our return from Guyana.  They sacrificed greatly on our behalf, and set the mold for our own welcoming of people into our home, over the years- some for weeks, others for months.

Now is time for everyone’s thoughts, prayers and actions to be focused on Houston, on Texas, and on the south central part of the country. Water, everywhere, is our sustenance, and yet our threat. Across the globe, India has a different issue:  Extreme heat.  I’ve not been there, but those who have, have told me that the intense heat throughout most of the subcontinent nearly exceeds anything habitable- yet people make do.  It falls to those of us who are doing relatively well, by comparison, to also focus positive energy in their direction.

I’ve had a fair share of difficulty and challenge in my life.  Yet, the old saw about missing my shoes, until I met a man with no legs. always resonates- especially in times like these.  God bless the fallen.  God bless the displaced.

The Road to 65, Mile 72: Dreams in Abundance

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Posted by on in Travel

February 8, 2015, San Antonio to Fairhope, AL- A number of eateries in Texas opt to close on Sunday.  In the case of a barbecue spot in Houston, it was their loss.  After having had a good breakfast at a Country Pride franchise, east of San Antonio, I made the 200-mile jaunt to Houston, for a visit with an online friend.  His daughter, along for the visit, made the event another ten degrees of spectacular, with her views on matters and sharing her dreams for the future.

The journey included a stop outside the town of Seguin, named for a key figure in the Texas War for Independence from Mexico, in 1836. He was a mayor of San Antonio, during the transition.  The doors below are from his rancheria, south of present-day Seguin.

SAM_3845   The Rest Area also features a Nature Trail, in which the most notable feature, this time of year, is this holly bush.

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I next stopped briefly in Flatonia, a town with a sizable Czech population.  The downtown was deserted, but I got some views of what it once was.

SAM_3850 This train spotting tower once was a frenetic place.

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Here are some nearly forgotten gems from the early 20th Century.

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Once in Houston’s northwest side, I met my online friend, and new young friend, for lunch at the interesting and awesome Spaghetti Western.

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SAM_3856 The day thus enlivened, including with a few pirouettes and tales of confidence by the young lady, I moved on, with a stop in Anahuac, near Houston Shipping Channel and the San Jacinto Tower, across the channel.

SAM_3861 Lake Charles, the first town I entered in Louisiana, has a lovely lakeside park, with a small nature walk and sizable Convention Center.

SAM_3865 An alligator topiary greets the visitor.

SAM_3869 The pond was empty, as were the birds’ nests.

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I continued on, through Lafayette, Hammond, Slidell and Covington, LA (dinner was at at a Hot Wok,near there), the Mississippi Gulf Coast and Mobile, before settling in for the night in Fairhope, just southeast of Mobile.  So many wonders escape the camera, in the dark and during a time of needing to get sleep.  I will hopefully get to Mobile, Biloxi and Lafayette, at least, during daylight hours, on the way back.