Al Jazeera visits Midland

I did some quick searches on a few local blogs that I thought might have already covered this, and found nothing. If you had a more timely report, please feel free to provide a link in the comments.

I stumbled across the following YouTube videos after following an unrelated Google link. They are a couple of 11-minute programs produced by the [infamous] Arabic news organization, Al Jazeera in September, 2007, and are entitled Main Street USA – Midland, Texas. The reports focus on the role that faith and religion play in the public and private lives of our citizens, and, of course, how they influenced George W. Bush. Midland residents will recognize many of the individuals interviewed during the course of the filming.

The underlying message is that Midland is a city of "Christian fundamentalists," a term used with great frequency, and applied both to individuals as well as the community as a whole. It's hard to tell if the Al Jazeera report is using that word as a term of disapprobation; if so, the irony is thickened given the network's Muslim target audience.

Regardless, I found the reports to be fairly evenhanded, especially considering their source. A local Muslim was interviewed and expressed his happiness at being able to live in a community where he can practice his faith without fear. In a rational world, that should be a revelation to his counterparts in the Middle East, or at least a source of cognitive dissonance, but I'm not that naive.

The most disturbing thing about these reports is not the content of the videos, but the comments left on YouTube regarding them. Read them at your own risk, if you're easily offended.

By the way, if you define "fundamentalist" as being someone who believes that there are certain doctrinal truths given down by a holy and just God that we as individuals and collectively as a nation ignore at our own peril, then I willingly place myself firmly into that category.

Neighborhood Killdeer

Killdeer are exceedingly common throughout the US, and they're even regularly observed around bodies of water in our arid part of the state. Still, I haven't had the opportunity to observe them up close until a family took up residence around the stream and pond located in our new neighborhood.

I shot the following video this morning. It was unusually cold for this time of year – temps in the upper 30s – and the killdeer chicks were seeking warmth under mama's wings. The only problem is that there were too many of them and too little of her to go around. You'll also see a short clip of the "distraction behavior" killdeer use to draw predators away from their eggs or young.

I apologize for the shaky video, as I am too cheap to buy a camera with image stabilization, too unskilled to hold a zoomed-in shot steady, and too disorganized to remember to grab a tripod.

Oh, look...

...a baby squirrel prairie dog ground squirrel...

The front page story in today's MRT is about the city's plans to reduce the population of prairie dogs. The treeware version is accompanied by a very good photo of a little critter, looking all cute and cuddly*. Unfortunately, said critter is not a prairie dog, it's a ground squirrel.

It's difficult to tell for sure from the camera angle, but I'm pretty sure said animal is a spotted ground squirrel, which has random white spots on its back (as opposed to the neat rows of spots found on the chipmunk-like Mexican ground squirrel).

Ground squirrels don't rise to the same nuisance level as prairie dogs, although they still aren't welcome by ranchers or gardeners. They're also much more skittish than 'dogs. Our new back yard is now being visited by at least one ground squirrel, and thus far he's proven too wily to be captured on camera. (But I'll get him, sooner or later).

*Don't buy that "cute and cuddly" image. Ground squirrels are mean, vicious, straight-razor-totin' creatures, and they'd as soon bite off your finger as look at you. Trust me on this; I still have the scar on my right hand from a too-close encounter with one when I was a mere youth in Fort Stockton. I was just sure the little guy wanted to be my friend. In reality, he wanted only to drink my blood. I did have the last laugh, however, as the rabies test invariably proves fatal to the subject.

New Catfish "Place" in Town

I'm not the world's biggest fan of fried catfish, but this report on a new local restaurant has even me craving some of dat bottom-feeding deliciousness. The following came by way of my inbox and I figured I'd help out with the word-of-mouth campaign. (You have to read to the end to get the location of the restaurant.)

I'm a big fan of this kind of grassroots economic development in an historically under-served area, and I hope Eddie's proves to be a big success.

Imagine This: Fire Ant Sightings in Austin

The local Destination Imagination teams competed at the state level a couple of weeks ago and did very well. Here's a report from Cindy Hammond, proud mom of one of the participants (and here's the back story, via the MRT)

Here's a photo of the proud members of the High School Destination Imagination team:

And proud they should be. Congratulations to all! But that's just the beginning.

Not only was the group skilled and intelligent, but they also had the presence of mind to take along their Valuable Fire Ant Merchandise (in this case, two coveted ceramic coasters). And thus we have the following officially documented Fire Ant sightings:

You might think that this is the first Fire Ant sighting involving someone wearing tinfoil pants, but then you've probably never been to one of my family reunions. You can also read these kids' minds: I can't believe Elizabeth's mom is making us do this!

This next photo requires a little more explanation. Cindy gave me permission to use it only if "you can make me look younger." Well, I gave it my best shot, but, frankly, it creeps me out:

I don't know who that person is on the right.

We're not in Kansas anymore...

...because we blew past it hours ago!

Update (5:00 p.m.) - West winds @ 43 mph, gusting to 55. The sand piled on my formerly-clean driveway will weigh in the hundreds of pounds before this is over.

It could be worse. I just checked the current conditions at Guadalupe Mountains National Park (150 miles west of here, or a six hour drive and three tanks of gas in this headwind), and their sustained winds are the same as our gusts. However, their gusts – are you holding onto something? – are 74 mph, which is the speed at which a storm becomes a category one hurricane.

Bicyling & Highway 191: A Deadly Combination

My happiness at hearing the sound of raindrops hitting our bedroom window – the first such occurrence since we moved in February, the Easter downpour not counting because we were out of town – was short-lived as I unwrapped the newspaper and found this story on the front page. The report of yet another bicyclist being struck and killed by an inattentive motorist on the service road of Highway 191 is all too familiar.

The 191 service roads between Midland and Odessa have long favorite routes of cyclists. These roads should be the safest imaginable, and yet a cyclist is killed every few years by distracted drivers.

The first such fatality, as far as I know, was in the mid-80s when our former high school classmate, George Hoffman, was struck on a Sunday afternoon ride just east of the intersection of 191 and 158. The main lanes of 191 hadn't yet been built at that time and all the traffic was routed down what are now the service roads, which made for an inherently dangerous situation.

But, even after 191 was completed and the service roads became much less traveled, drivers continue to plow over cyclists with sad regularity. I can recall at least three such fatalities since the completion of 191.

It's puzzling, because it's not as though drivers will come unexpectedly upon cyclists after topping a hill or rounding a curve. There aren't any of those; the sight lines are literally miles long, making a car/bicyclist collision completely avoidable.

I've logged more than 10,000 miles back and forth along 191 over the years, and have had a few close calls, but none that actually scared me. Some were due to intentionally hostile drivers (who knows why the presence of a cyclist on a multi-laned road engenders such fury from some motorists?). I actually prefer those encounters, because even in their irrational irritation, such drivers are unlikely to run me down. The drivers who just aren't paying attention are the truly dangerous ones, and despite the recurrence of tragedies like yesterday's, people continue to fall into the trap of thinking it can't happen to them.

Now that we've moved, I will rarely be riding along 191. My new routes are along narrower streets with more limited sight lines and the potential for heavier traffic. Theoretically, I'm in more danger than before, but given the history of 191, I'm not convinced that that's true.

Time to move Airpark?

Each time I read a story like this and learn about new construction in the area bounded by Big Spring St, Loop 250, Garfield, and Wadley, I can't help thinking, "is it time to again consider moving Airpark somewhere else?"

There's no doubt that the airstrip is an asset to certain people in Midland, certain influential people whose business interests are often – but not always – aligned with the best interests of the city in general. But, increasingly, the presence of an airport in the core of what would otherwise no doubt be booming residential and commercial construction seems like an extravagance that needs to be reconsidered based on what's best for the community as a whole.

From dust to dust

Want to know what a West Texas spring is like in an under-construction neighborhood on the edge of town during a severe drought?

That's the eastern edge of the Gobi Desert, aka our driveway. The thing that looks like a phone line laid across the concrete and under the occasional dune is, in fact, our phone line. Smooth move, AT&T. It's a long story, but the image is the tech equivalent of a car up on blocks in one's front yard. Anyway, I shoveled four wheelbarrows full of sand from the driveway (in order to make way for more).

That's the lovely view from our front door, taken yesterday afternoon as the winds began to hit 30+ mph and the humidity dropped below 6%. The trees barely visible on the horizon? They're about 2 blocks away.

That's the result of a windstorm from a week or so ago. We got the same amount of blowing dirt, with the added bonus of copious quantities of tumbleweeds. These are stacked on our front porch. After cleaning our yard, I helped our neighbor do the same with his, and together we hauled two trailers stacked over six feet high with these nasty critters. I'm not telling where we hauled them, so don't ask.

Drill Thrill

After an extended break from blogging (don't tell me you didn't notice), I can't think of a better "first post" than to call your attention to this article in today's Midland Reporter Telegram which profiles The Nephew's involvement in Texas A&M's Fish Drill Team (something I reported on here, a while back).

I don't know that most people – including many current students – would necessarily agree that the FDT is "famed," but in the niche of precision military drill teams the adjective certainly applies. It's great to see some recognition extend beyond that niche, and we appreciate MRT's managing editor, Stewart Doreen, for picking up on the story and producing a well-written article.

And to The Nephew we say, "way to go...we're proud of you...now, HIT THE BOOKS!" ;-)

And, by the way, if you have trouble finding printed copies of today's MRT, it's simply because his mom has bought them all.

Alon Refinery Explosion

Updated at 4:40 pm

Anytime you feel your house shake from an event 40 miles away, you know it's serious. This morning's explosion at the Alon Refinery in Big Spring was a reminder that the oil and gas business is a dangerous one.

Here's a photo circulating through the 'net, uncredited, from the initial explosion. I don't know if this was taken in Big Spring or in one of the nearby communities like Colorado City Coahoma. Judging by the shadows in the photo, the photographer seems to be looking north(ward), so it's probably set in Big Spring itself. My thanks to Kelly Stark for forwarding the image.

Update (3:00 pm): Robert Thomas emailed the following photo, again uncredited. This is a familiar view of the refinery from I-20, west of the facility (as you're leaving Big Spring). It looks like something from Dante's "Inferno," doesn't it?

Update (4:40 pm): Here's another photographic perspective, provided via email by Danny Lunsford. The flame coming from the "tower" on the right side of the photo is a flare of waste gas, a part of the normal operation of the plant. The flame near the middle of the photo is not.

Local news reports are that all employees are "accounted for," but I haven't heard any report about injuries. Update: Reports say that only one person was four people were injured, and no injuries are life-threatening. Amazing.

This refinery is not huge, compared to the big ones along the Gulf Coast, but its 70,000 barrel per day throughput will still be felt in a market where supplies are already tight.

Aerial views of wildfire aftermath

Last week's wildfire could have caused so much more damage than it did. Mother Nature, human intervention, and some well-placed lease roads brought the fire to a halt before it encroached on any neighborhoods, but as you can see by photos below, it came close.

Mark Springer forwarded these photos to me, and he's trying to learn the identity of the photographer so we can give them proper attribution. If you know who took them, please let me know.

For what it's worth, our new neighborhood is just outside the frame of the first photo, to the right (which is west, as this perspective looks southward, toward downtown Midland), approximately even with Midland Country Club. Click on the photo to see some labels on a bigger version.

The next photo seems to show the origin of the fire, and the resulting "plume," as it spread to over 9,000 acres in a matter of hours. George, over at Sleepless in Midland, did a good job of summarizing the event.

Introducing: Fire Ant Personals!

The Gazette has a new feature: helping people renew connections with one another.

OK, not really. But I do have a special favor to ask of you who live in the Midland-Odessa area. I've been contacted by someone in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, about helping to locate an out-of-touch friend whose last known residence was in Odessa. Here's the scoop:

Thanks for considering this rather unusual request. We return you to our regular Content Free™ programming now in progress.

Shoveling it at Sibley

The groundbreaking for Phase 1 of the Sibley Nature Center's expansion took place this afternoon, and I'm trying to scoop the MSM outlets that were well represented at the event.

Here's the video of the actual turning o'the dirt:

Pretty exciting stuff, huh? Actually, you might (if you live in Midland) recognize several of the folks in the video. Starting on the right, the folks with the shovels include Mark Nicholas, Wallace Craig (yes, that Wallace Craig), Chuck Henderson, Tom Craddick, Hiram Sibley and his wife – whose family foundation helped established the Center, Jan Artley (Board president), Frank Cahoon, Burr Williams (Executive Director, in an exceedingly rare appearance wearing a suit!), Mary Ann Dingus (never could get a photo of her husband, Bill, with Tom), and Travis Durham (I think; please correct me if I'm wrong).

That's the most work I've seen Wallace do in years. ;-)

Anyway, this expansion project is going to be pretty cool, and will be a great opportunity for West Texans to get involved with an educational project that will benefit generations to come. Be sure to monitor the progress via the first link above, and think about becoming a donor.

Starbucks to offer free WiFi

Starbucks has announced that it will start offering a couple of hours of free WiFi to its customers who have a Starbucks card. Presumably, this freebie must be accompanied by a purchase, although the press release doesn't explicitly state this.

As an SBUX card holder, I have mixed emotions about this announcement. The downside is that if you think it's now hard to get a table at the Midkiff store, just wait until the Midland College students don't have to pay to get internet access.

The upside is that this will surely force other holdouts to match SBUX's move (I'm talking to you, Barnes & Noble).

In any event, I doubt that I'll start lugging a laptop to Starbucks, as the overall atmosphere is not conducive to business productivity. If I need or want WiFi in that setting, the Harvest Caffé has got Starbucks beat, hands-down.

By making this change, Starbucks joins the ranks of other elite Third Place providers like, um, McDonald's, IHOP, and Schlotzky's.

Remembering the Belt Buckle Building

I started writing this last November but never got around to finishing it. I was reminded of it this morning when I received an email from a friend and former ARCO co-worker providing a link to this video of the building's demolition.

An article on the front page of yesterday's newspaper trumpeted the pending demolition of what many people consider to be the city's biggest architectural eyesore, the so-called "Belt Buckle Building" located downtown at 300 N Pecos.

The building was constructed in 1969, and a fourth floor was added in 1976, about six years before I arrived in Midland and made that floor my home-away-from-home for almost fifteen five years as an employee of what was in 1982 the Permian District of the North American Producing Division of Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO).

The building is a fairly wretched example of groovy Sixties architecture, with big yellow concrete "buckles" bolted onto the exterior serving not only to offend passers-by, but also to provide cozy nesting places for pigeons, swallows, and even the occasional bat, if the stories are to be believed. What you can believe is that there's little that's more unappetizing than having as the primary view from your office the resting place of birds with questionable digestive efficiencies. Building management would occasionally rise up in arms to combat the rats with wings by spreading -- presumably without informing local bird activist Midge Erskine -- poisoned corn around the buckles, so that we were then feted with dead and decaying bodies accompanying the poop.

But, at least the buckles weren't dangerous -- except to aesthetic sensibilities -- unlike the windows, especially those on the west side of the building and on the fourth floor, where I happened to office. This may come as a surprise to many, but we occasionally play host to wind storms in this part of the country. When the wind was blowing out of the west and at a vigorous rate, one could see the window panes bulge inward like some possessed edifice out of a horror movie. On at least one occasion, a window shattered, shredding an accountant's chair in the facing cubicle. Fortunately, the occupant of that cubicle was out at the time. Building management got a clue and reinforced the windows with sheets of Plexiglas. They still bulged and sighed during windstorms, but at least the office furniture was safe.

I have many fond memories of the people and experiences from my time in that building, but the structure itself? Nah, I'm not going to miss it. However, I do hope plans by a couple of locals to save some of the "buckles" and make them into an art project work out. That would be a fitting use for one of the Tall City's more distinctive architectural features.

And speaking of license plates...

...it's nice to see that the Big Bend design alternative for the new Texas plates is kicking the tags of the other designs.

You can cast your vote here. Voting ends on Monday, the 11th.

Along with the change in graphics, the new Texas license plates will carry seven digits instead of the current six, beginning in 2009. This change is primarily due to the intense lobbying carried out by those who recognize the importance of being able to vie for a plate reading "FIREANT".

Question for the City

We were out at the house around 10:30 this morning and the masons were hard at work, constructing the brick columns that will be integrated into our walls. I was a bit surprised at this, but the foreman said that as soon as the temperature hit 33, they hit the job site.

I mention this because it contrasts with the absence of a concrete crew at the disaster site former known as the intersection of Midkiff and Wadley (for those not familiar with Midland, this is one of the busiest intersections in town, and it's narrowed to one or two lanes in each direction while they convert the roadbed from asphalt to concrete). To my untrained eye, the construction is very close to being complete, perhaps even a day's worth of work. Someone made the call that the weather was too bad to work (it's now partly cloudy, in the mid-50s) and so the motorists of Midland get to endure the mess at the intersection for another weekend.

I'm sure there's a valid reason for losing a day of construction. I'm simply glad that the crews working on our house are apparently less vulnerable to the vagaries of the weather.

Best Mexican Food in Midland?

I have all kinds of ideas for serious, thought-provoking, pithy posts. But, really, there's not much in life more important than good Tex-Mex, so those other things will wait. Plus, it's Janie's fault for bringing up Wall Street Bar and Grill.

Here's my list for where to find the best Tex-Mex/Mexican dishes in town. Feel free to try to convince me otherwise.

• Fajitas - Romie's


• Stacked Enchiladas - Abuelo's (especially with a fried egg on top)


• Asado - Dos Compadres


• Tortilla Soup - Jorge's (Big Spring & Loop 250; recipe is different at Midland Drive location)


• Tacos (plain) - Rosa's


• Tacos (exotic) - Casa Lopez (Soft Tacos Durango: beef, chorizo, avocado, fresh pico de gallo in soft corn tortillas)


• Nachos - Dos Compadres


• Seafood Enchiladas - Cancun Grill


• Huevos Rancheros - Wall Street Bar and Grill (I know, I know...but have you ever tried 'em?)


• Breakfast Burritos - Jumburrito (chorizo, huevos y queso con salsa verde)


• Chips & Salsa - Tie: On the Border & Abuelo's


• Brisket - Casa Lopez


• Chile Relleno (traditional) - Dos Compadres


• Chile Relleno (exotic) - Cancun Grill (shrimp and crab smothered with corn queso)

Notably missing from my list are nominations for best sopapillas, flan, menudo, rolled enchiladas, and non-breakfast burritos. It's about time you guys started pulling your weight around here!

FutureGen: West Texas dodged a bullet?

I realize that this won't be construed as anything but sour grapes by the good people of Mattoon, Illinois, but since the selection of that location for the FutureGen project had barely hit the ground yesterday before the DOE began waffling about the project's funding, it does seem appropriate to share one (or two) cautionary words that have a bit of relevance: Superconducting Supercollider.

It's tempting to say that if the availability of government funding is the primary motivator for undertaking a project, then that project is doomed from the start. However, that's not a fair nor accurate description of FutureGen, which has sound and desirable technological underpinnings. And there have been some noteworthy scientific achievements arise from federal government initiatives (the space program comes to mind). Still, the DOE is not NASA, and it's better known as a political pawn than an agent for technological breakthroughs.

So, the appearance of sour grapes notwithstanding, the West Texas FutureGen team is likely better off if it can move forward with a private initiative. And to the folks in Mattoon, best of luck; you're going to need it.

And the winner is...

...Illinois!?

Bummer.

[No clue? Here's an overview.]

Midland Blood Drive/Reception to Honor Local Soldier

You may recall this recent post about wounded Midland soldier John Faulkenberry. I've learned that John and his wife will be in Midland for a short visit with family beginning December 5th, and that a combination reception/blood drive has been organized by their families on Sunday, December 9th. Here are the details, along with some additional background information:

This seems like one of the best excuses I can think of to donate blood (as if we really needed an excuse). If you live in the Midland/Odessa area and can fit it into your schedule, please mark your calendar accordingly, and pass this along to anyone else who might be interested.

Lone Star Bunker Update

It's been a while since I remembered to visit, but I see that the Lone Star Bunker is now finished and inhabited. I hope bunker_man will continue to check in from Fort Davis and share his views of the wonderful scenery, and the continuing progress on his retirement villa.

Snow: Dodging a Bullet

Notice anything unusual about the following photo, which was taken from our backyard this morning?

If you're not familiar with West Texas, you might be tempted to state the obvious. "Why, there's snow. It doesn't snow in Midland!" But that would be wrong, because snow is not an uncommon occurrence, even as early as Thanksgiving.

No, what's unusual is to see such heavy snowfall on deciduous trees like the pecan trees shown here. Normally, we'd have a killing freeze that would cause the trees to drop their leaves before the first snowfall.

Fortunately for us, the snow was dry and the temperatures warm enough that most limbs were not overly burdened. I've seen no damage to trees in our neighborhood, and after January's destructive ice storm, we're plenty relieved by that small blessing.

It's easier to enjoy the beauty of nature when you're not worried that it will be accompanied by violence.

GI Jill & a Midland Connection

Many in West Texas and particularly in Midland have been following the condition of SSgt. John Faulkenberry, a Midland native who was seriously injured in combat in Afghanistan last summer (listen to an interview with John's dad conducted by the local CBS affiliate here for more details about the incident) and is now undergoing rehab at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C.

John's dad, Richard, just happens to be from Fort Stockton, and my wife and I attended high school with him, his brothers, and his sister. Thus it was a rather strange coincidence when I received an email from Maryland blogger Soccer Dad, who, recognizing only a reference to Midland, wanted to alert me to a photo of SSgt. Faulkenberry being visited by Miss Utah 2007 at Walter Reed on October 24th.

As it so happens, Miss Utah is a soldier, aka Sgt. Jill Stevens, aka known as G.I. Jill, and she'll be competing in the upcoming Miss America pageant. I suspect she'll be the only contestant who is a decorated combat veteran, as she served an eighteen month tour as a medic in Afghanistan. She is a member of the Utah National Guard's 1st Battalion, 211th Aviation Regiment, and she's also (duh) quite a looker, even if the tiara-BDU combination is just a teensy bit incongruous.

By the way, the last report I read about John is that his rehab is progressing nicely, although he still has a long road ahead of him.

And for those of you who are lonely Corps members at A&M, you can download a poster of Sgt. Jill, suitable for hiding from upperclassmen.

MDC and the Devil

This article has the local blogosphere buzzing, and rightly so, I think – although it also calls to mind something C.S. Lewis wrote about the devil. He said that the biggest mistakes people make about Satan are to either attribute too little or too much power to him.

In any event, the Midland Development Corporation is in a no-win situation at this point. It cannot – I repeat: cannot – compete in a blogging war, should it come to that. It has neither the resources nor the expertise nor the sheer willpower.

But, more importantly, it doesn't have the weight of facts. It's interesting to me that the consultant in the article doesn't dispute the veracity of any of the claims made by local bloggers about the activities and results of the MDC. Unlike the situation where another town's bloggers were characterizing it as racist, it's difficult to argue against documented dollars and cents.

So, the MDC is faced with an age-old dilemma of, well, inconvenient truth. And in such situations, an equally old adage will no doubt apply: if you can't get a better story, get a better storyteller.

Oh, and guys...good luck with that "buying a good search engine ranking" thing. That's also know as "paid advertising." That's bound to enhance your cred.

Local Political Debates & Media Coverage

Update (10/23): As predicted, last night's debate was given prominent coverage this morning by the newspaper (front page story and photo) and the TV station (footage and commentary during the morning news show) which co-sponsored it.

I'm about to again reveal my ignorance of the Way Things Work in journalism, and no doubt be taken to task for sticking my nose into business that isn't mine, but I'm puzzled and concerned about how local media outlets are covering – or not covering, to be accurate – public events meant to educate the voting public.

The latest puzzle arose yesterday when all the candidates appeared at a meet-n-greet event, followed by a debate between the two mayoral candidates. If you read this morning's Midland Reporter Telegram, or watched the CBS affiliate's local news program, you might think that these events didn't actually occur, as neither gave any acknowledgment to them. BUT...tonight, there will be an actual debate between the same two candidates, televised and covered in exquisite detail by both of those outlets.

How to explain this? Uneducated skeptic that I am, I suspect it's because yesterday's events were sponsored by the local ABC affiliate, and thus they were deemed unworthy of coverage by the competition. (To be fair, the local ABC website has nothing about tonight's debate, as far as I can tell.)

I realize that the news game is a competitive one, and one-upsmanship is nothing new. However, I can't see how the public is served when media outlets completely ignore events designed to instruct and inform said public simply because they're sponsored by a competing outlet. That seems juvenile and short-sighted.

I'm especially disappointed in the newspaper's lack of coverage, as it seems to indicate a complete mind-meld with KOSA-TV. Any day now, I expect to see something in the MRT's banner indicating that it's been renamed the MCM-MRT. It's one thing for TV stations to compete head-to-head; quite another – again, in my uninformed opinion – for the newspaper to take sides with one of them.

Political "Job Fair"

Mel Hudman, news director over at KMID-TV, is asking the Midland blogging community to help spread the word about next Sunday's candidate meet-n-greet-n-debate at Midland Center. I won't be able to attend but I promised Mel that I'd give a plug to this event, which is likely one of the last opportunities to find all of the citywide candidates in one spot.

The keynote event is a televised debate between mayoral candidates Wes Perry and Stephanie Sparkman. The debate starts at 6:00 p.m. at Midland Center, and will be televised by KMID; Mel will be the moderator. You can submit questions to be considered for the debate via this website.

I don't know whether another debate between these two folks will reveal anything new; this will be at least the third such face-off (unless I'm getting confused by all the other political debates). However, the "Job Fair" that precedes it seems to be a unique opportunity to talk with all the candidates for city council plus the mayoral wannabes. They've all agreed to participate, and each candidate will have a booth, making them in effect, captive audiences. This little soirée commences at 3:00 pm, again at Midland Center.

Note to Midland bloggers: Please help publicize this event if you don't mind devoting a post to it. I don't do much political blogging anymore, but this is an exception. The goal is to improve voter turnout in November. And if you post some interesting questions or issues to be submitted to Sparkman and/or Perry, Mel might even give you a hat-tip!

Why Blog: Part Eleventy

Several of my blogging buds recently posted about an article that appeared in Christianity Today in which the author proclaimed the death of blogging. I haven't read the article (nor, I confess, all of the posts about it) but I suspect it goes something like this: blogging is hard, you can't make any money at it, and besides, no one cares what your cat had to eat yesterday.

Fine. Whatever. If that's what the author had to say, he or she missed the point of most blogs, and that point was eloquently stated by my pal Jim (OK, so I did read some of the posts): I'm just interested in writing stuff down. IOW, there's no grand over-arching scheme to get rich and famous and do anything more than have fun with words and ideas.

And, occasionally, uplift the spirit of someone you don't know and likely never will.

Like the family of the man to whom Tricia pays tribute in this post, a man many Midlanders will recognize.

That post is an example of why blogging should continue. A woman writing from the hinterlands of Michigan about her memories of her pediatrician back in West Texas represents the purest motives for blogging: telling others about someone who was important to her, and doing so in a way that honors the memory of the one she's writing about. As an added bonus, she also added something to our knowledge of our city's history.

I didn't know Dr. Allen while he was alive, but, thanks to Tricia, I do now, if only in the tiniest of ways. Because of her skillful writing and her interest in just writing stuff down, an intangible fabric is woven a bit stronger.

What did you do with your time today?

The Life Cycle of Students

Warning: What follows is possibly the biggest setup in history for the lamest joke. Proceed at your own risk.

The guy pictured at right (hi, Dale!) stopped by our table at Romie's last night (fajitas are the Wednesday night special, doncha know?) and asked me about an English teacher I had in junior high (following up on a comment he left on this post).

On the drive home, after stopping for dessert at S$s, my wife asked me who he was, because she moved to Fort Stockton fairly late in her high school tenure and while she thought he looked familiar, couldn't quite place him. I said something to the effect that I would pull out a high school yearbook when we got home and she could see if she recognized him in his larval phase.

She, being of the razor sharp and quick wit, replied, "are you sure he wouldn't have been in his pupal stage?" Get it? "Pupal"? "Pupil"?

Ah, you just had to be there. And being a biology major might help.

Plane Talk

The CAF Airsho is going on even as I type this, and I can hear the occasional rumble of a vintage fighter, bomber, or trainer through the windows. There's nothing quite like the sound of those old rotary aircraft engines.

Yesterday's bike ride took me under the approach pattern for the airport where the planes are based for the weekend, and a steady stream of aircraft flew above me, either arriving for the show or getting in some practice time.

I think a B-2 Stealth bomber passed overhead while I was riding, but, of course, I can't be sure.

Interview: Bill Lawless, Founder of "Impact Midland"

If you've got a keen eye, you may have noticed a new link in the Gazette's sidebar, in the "West Texas Blogs" category. The link hooks you up with Impact Midland, a relatively new blog beautifully conceived and executed by telecommunications guru Bill Lawless. Impact Midland is unique among the West Texas blogging community in that it's an audio-blog, consisting of recorded interviews and readings, with Bill acting as the producer, director, interviewer, sound engineer, and everything else.

Bill and I were co-workers back in prehistoric times, which emboldened me to turn the tables and request an interview with him, to which he graciously consented. From a geekish perspective, I'm not worthy to even be in the same room with him, so we did the interview by email, instead of a podcast, but I think you'll enjoy finding out more about Bill and his new blog.

Bill – I listen to several podcasts everyday and find that it is a very good way to share information. You can listen while driving, walking, bike riding, etc. I am a technology type and have always been interested in electronics, ham radio, computers, the internet and audio production. Podcasting is a way for me to pull all of those interests together. It's also a way to live out a childhood dream to be a DJ of sorts. When I record I set behind an ElectoVoice RE20 which is a microphone you will find in 90% of the radio stations in the country.

The name Impact Midland is something that I thought long about. I didn't want to build a website that was just for me to play podcaster on. I wanted to build something that would challenge me technically and be useful at the same time.

From a biblical perspective I would like for the readings and interviews to perhaps cause folks to reassess their view of who God is and their own relationship with Him. You can't read or listen to the Psalms without getting a high view of God. The Valley of Vision is a collection of Puritan prayers. The Puritans had a high view of God and it was evident in their prayers and the way they lived. Today it seems that that we treat God very casually. We use His name in a casual sometimes vulgar manner, we treat Him as though He were some sort of cosmic Santa Claus instead of the high and holy sovereign of the universe. Our casual view of God is not only evident in the way we live our lives form day to day but in the way we worship. In the Psalms we learn how to truly worship. In worship the focus is not on me but on God.

Bill – Interviews are something new for me. I listen to as many as I can because I find that it is a good way to learn about someone or something. The first interview is with my pastor and the second with a pastor friend that is starting a church. I chose them as my first because I know they would be easy on me but also because I felt that they had something to say that would benefit folks in Midland that may be looking for a church.

Bill – Everyone. I know that this is a simple answer but it's true. I do not have all of what I want to do with this website fully developed yet. I have a hundred ideas but need to pair that down to something that keeps my interest as well as useful to other Midlanders.

Bill – I have been involved in 2-way radio and telecommunications for 30+ years and in that business audio quality is always very important. I decided that if I was going to do this that I would do it right. I am in the process of building a recording studio using professional audio equipment. I would like to produce a program that sounds good so that when I compress it to a size that is easy to stream or download that it will sound good on your computer speakers or iPod ear buds. I am staring at 153 knobs, 10 faders, buttons, switches, inputs and outputs, sends and returns, cables, microphones, LEDs, thresholds, ratios, mix, drive, level, filters, speakers, headphones and I could go on. I have a lot to learn but that's what keeps it interesting for me.

I also have a portable set-up that I use when I go to various places to have people read for me or interview. A lot of the portable equipment on the market is very expensive and sounds great or cheap and sounds so so. I managed to finds a portable unit made by Marantz and had it modified by a professional audio company who made improvements to the pre-amps and microphones. This recorder records in MP3 format so that I don't have to do any conversion.

The biggest challenge so far has been to find good music that fits the theme of the website and is affordable. It is very important that I have permission to play the music that I use. I am paying about $30 dollars per minute for a few of the songs and for the others I have been given permission from the artist at no cost. I really like the no cost option.

On the computer side of the process I am using a PC but will be moving everything over to Mac in the near future. The production software I am interested in runs on a Mac. The production studios that I have visited recently all use the Mac.

Bill – I have an interview with Dr. Mark Dever of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC in October that is a huge opportunity. My pastor and I will tag team this one.

Other projects I have in mind are not theological. I enjoy giving safety talks at work and would like to do a recorded audio version of that. I recorded my last talk but it did not come out well at all. I would like to interview various folks in Midland and discuss safety issues.

I would like to find Midland story tellers and capture their tales for others to enjoy. I could go on and on and would be interested in ideas from others.

I would like to do an interview at the food court at the mall. I think it would be cool to have the background noise there part of the recording.

Bill – I have been working in technology for 30+ years. I spent 21 years with ARCO and am now with Key Energy. Prior to ARCO I worked for an engineering firm in Austin building microwave communication systems for MCI, Sprint and others. I think back on my career and the time that I am most proud of was my 6 years in Algeria. We built infrastructure to support a large oil recovery project near the city of Hassi Messaoud, in the middle of the Sahara Desert. There I learned to speak French and enough Arabic to get myself in trouble.

I am a preacher's kid and grew up in a Christian home. I became a Christian at the age of 17 while living in Abilene. I went to Hardin Simmons for a while then several years later attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. I struggled trying to figure out what I was supposed to do ministry wise. I preached in my church and other churches in the association where we lived and had a jail ministry. It became evident to me later on that full time ministry is not where God wanted me. My ministry is where I am at; using the skills that God has blessed me with.

Bill – If you are from Midland and would like to read a Psalm or a Valley of Vision prayer for me I would like to talk to you. It would be cool if we could put together a CD that had the book of Psalms read by Midlanders on it.

I have a blog titled Reformed Lawless at billsbible.blogspot.com and I manage my church's web site at colonialbiblechurch.org. Perhaps I should add a bit of a warning to the theological content of the website. I am very narrow minded when it comes to theology. I believe that the bible is the word of God, literally, and believe that it contains everything we need know about life, our relationships, and worship, how we do business, God and our relationship with Him through Jesus Christ, everything. I believe that God is absolutely sovereign. I believe that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and there is no other way. I hold to the 5 solas of the reformation; Sola gratia ("by grace alone"), Sola fida ("by faith alone"), Sola scriptura ("by Scripture alone") Solus Christus ("in Christ alone") Soli Deo Gloria ("Glory to God alone").

I appreciate Bill taking the time to reply to my nosy questions, and I hope Midlanders will give him some good ideas for future interviews. And at the very least, visit Impact Midland and help Bill find out if he's really got enough bandwidth in his hosting account!

Midland from the Air

I thought some of you Midlanders might enjoy seeing the Woodland Park housing development from the air. My pal Tommy and I went up in his plane a week or so ago and this is one of the shots I took. Click the image to see a bigger and uncropped version (~150kb).

This shot was taken through the airplane's windshield, and the weather was a bit hazy to boot, so the details aren't very sharp. But you can still make out some of the major features of the area.

Midland Country Club and a portion of the golf course is shown in the upper right portion of the photo. That's "A" Street slicing across the image; the road is unpaved beginning at the north end of the development, for those who haven't driven out that way before. That big green area on the south side of the development is reserved for the eventual building of a new elementary school and city park.

The pond that's surrounded by trees (take my word for it) is almost finished. A second pond will be developed where you see the other body of water, which is probably the result of rainfall runoff.

The undeveloped lots in the west and northwest sections of the subdivision – look for the green strips between the streets – are planted with grain sorghum (aka milo), which I thought was an odd choice. The developer explained that they wanted to plant something that grew fast and held the soil in place, and the county extension agent came up with that. I wonder if they'll bring in a combine around harvest time?

For those of you not from West Texas, I'll try to anticipate and answer two of your questions. One: yes, it is not usually so green around here. Two: the irony of naming this development "Woodland Park" is lost on no one.

West Texas Cowboy Church

There's a new Cowboy Church in the area – the West Texas Cowboy Church ("WTCC") – and it has a website.

The Cowboy Church movement (the churches are also referred to as "Old West Culture Churches", but not by anyone I know) is one of the fastest growing evangelical movements in North America. The Baptist General Convention of Texas has a goal of assisting in the planting cowboy churches throughout the state in order to reach an estimated four million people who may be "better served" by this brand of worship than what they find in the more traditional church setting.

(An interesting side note: Fascination with the American "cowboy culture" is actually a worldwide phenomenon, and it could form the basis of an evangelistic tool in some pretty unlikely areas.)

My home church, First Baptist of Midland ("FBC"), is one of the main partners in starting WTCC. Much of the WTCC leadership is comprised of FBC members, but the church is actively seeking additional volunteers.

If you know anyone in the immediate vicinity of Midland/Odessa who might be interested in this type of worship experience, please pass along the web address. WTCC's upcoming Western Heritage Days (first weekend of October) would be a great way to learn more about the church while taking in some authentic examples of "The Cowboy Way."

Want better service? Be a better customer.

Stewart Doreen addressed an issue in Sunday's newspaper (I'd provide a link but I don't seem to be able to find anything anymore on MyWestTexas.com, including a site search box) that's near and dear to the hearts (and stomachs) of most West Texans: the shortage of wait staff at local restaurants.

It's not at all unusual, as Stewart pointed out, to be placed on a lengthy waiting list for a table, and observe that up to half of the restaurant's tables are empty because there aren't enough servers. My wife and I have experienced this most often at the larger chain stores (The Olive Garden, Outback Steakhouse, On The Border, and Chili's come to mind).

The theory is that better-paying jobs in other sectors of the economy are drawing people away from these roles, and there's no doubt that that's often the case. But I have to believe that another strong disincentive to being a waiter or waitress is the apparently unavoidable requirement of dealing with inconsiderate customers. Perhaps if we were easier to work with – and that encompasses more than basic politeness – more people would be willing to fill the server jobs that are now empty.

For example, it's not your waitress's fault that you had to wait for 30 minutes to get a table in a half-empty restaurant. Don't take it out on her. And if she seems frazzled, perhaps it's because she's doing double duty on a double shift.

Or your waiter is new to the job, and the shortage of personnel meant that he didn't get the training he needed to give you the quality of service you think you deserve. Again, not his fault; believe it or not, it's not all intuitive.

And if you really want to make the profession more attractive and competitive, try being more generous with your tips. Being a waiter or waitress will never compete on a strict hourly basis with most jobs in the oil patch, but a little more liberality with your tips would do a lot to bridge the gap. And don't tell me you can't afford it; if you walk into the restaurant knowing that a 10% or less tip is all you can provide, you need to be walking into a different restaurant, one that doesn't involve tipping, or eating at home.

The bottom line is that you and I, as customers, represent the single most important factor in determining whether our waiters see their jobs as something worth making a commitment to. We can help make the work more competitive with the alternatives.

Media Confluence in Our Backyard

I just caught the premier of what will apparently be an ongoing feature: Jimmy Patterson appearing live via webcam on the local CBS affiliate's early morning news show, pitching features appearing on the newspaper's website and in the current edition of the treeware version.

I confess that I don't get it.

I suppose there's some value as a technology "proof of concept," although if this morning's YouTube quality broadcast is any indication, even the technology isn't quite there, yet. Jimmy and the CBS anchor, Krista Escamilla (who, by the way, continues to be one of the more likable and capable on-camera personalities in this area) stepped on each other's lines or succumbed to long uncomfortable pauses, giving the impression that Jimmy was broadcasting from, say, Baghdad instead of his home.

In any event, it's unclear to me what value this arrangement will bring the average viewer. I also wonder what the TV station and the newspaper hope to gain, and I'm curious about the back story, including who approached whom and what financial or promotional consideration, if any, is being given on both sides.

This sort of collaborative effort is harmless (I think) and could be entertaining, and if entertainment's the end game, then there's no problem. OTOH, I'm completely missing the journalistic value at this point. Perhaps that will clear up (along with the webcast quality) as the concept evolves.

Something interesting coming up in a local election?

Update (8/17): Well, how about that? It's not so hypothetical after all.

So, hypothetically speaking, say you're an incumbent city councilman who's decided to seek another term, and you find out that your opponent will be a local college student just a few years past voting age. Do you:

1. Essentially ignore the opponent, spend as little money as possible, and count on "business as usual" to get you re-elected, but run the risk of being upset if not downright humiliated at the polls?
   
2. Engage the opponent as if he's got a fighting chance, spending a bunch of money to deflect the threat, but run the risk of appearing to be a bully?

Just curious. You know, hypothetically speaking. ;-)

Surfing the 'Lube

I hauled the laptop to AvisLube (Wadley and Loop 250) in order to get some real work done while waiting for the Durango to be serviced (3,000 mile checkup, inspection sticker, etc.). What I didn't anticipate was that after a couple of years of leaving comments on its feedback form, I find that the company has installed a wireless network – and I can't resist the urge to post something. I mean, it would be hypocritical of me, wouldn't it, to rant about having access only to a wired network for the usual twenty minutes it takes to change the oil and filter (oh, the humanity!), and then not to actually use the wireless version now that it's available.

[By the way, it doesn't instill confidence when the service tech comes out, tells you that the transmission fluid is past due for a change, and when you agree to letting them handle it, hands you a waiver form to sign agreeing that they're not liable for any problems caused by the performance of that service.]

OK...I've gotten this out of my system. It's off to work I go.

Seven Wonders of West Texas - Results

I've been flooded with inquiries as to the voting results for the recent "Seven Wonders of West Texas" poll ("flooded" being a precise qualitative term found midway on the continuum bounded by "zero" and "two"). Most of the nominations were taken via comments to this post, and they were then turned over to MyWestTexas.com for the actual voting.

Although the deal was that I was to have access to the final results in order to post simultaneously with their appearance in the newspaper, that didn't happen, for whatever reason. But since not all my visitors have access to the local treeware version, and since the online story is a bit buried, here are the final results:

Man-Made "Wonders"

• Balmorhea State Park (Toyahvale)
• Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine (Midland)
• McDonald Observatory (David Mountains)
• Indian Lodge (Davis Mountains)
• Summer Mummers (Midland)
• Southern Pacific Railroad Bridge, Pecos River Canyon (Val Verde)
• Paisano Pete, world's largest railroad [sic] (Ed. – Should be "roadrunner") statue (Fort Stockton)

Natural "Wonders"

• Chisos Mountains (Big Bend National Park)
• Santa Elena Canyon (Big Bend National Park)
• Marfa Lights
• Guadalupe Peak/El Capitan (Guadalupe National Park)
• McKittrick Canyon (Guadalupe National Park)
• Caverns of Sonora
• Monahans Sandhills

Thanks to everyone who nominated their favorite places in West Texas. Of the final fourteen, all but one (the Shrine, which I've never visited) came via your nominations on the Gazette.

Judy Fulton (Miss Judy) Passes

In June, I wrote about Judy Fulton, who portrayed Miss Judy on the local franchise of Romper Room. Judy's son, Doug DeBolt, had run across yet another post about local TV in the 60s and sent me an update on his mom.

I received another email from Doug yesterday informing me that Judy passed away last Monday. Doug also provided some additional information that might resonate with long-time Permian Basin residents:

Here are some of the links provided by Doug:

• Moving Tribute on Legacy.com


• Obituary and guest book


• 6-minute video of "Miss Judy and Friends" from the Odessa Fire Department historical site (Note: In addition to capturing "Miss Judy's" obvious grace and beauty – I'll surely not be the only one to whom the mental comparison to Jacqueline Kennedy comes to mind – this video is a fascinating historical snapshot of Odessa from 40+ years ago.)

I must admit that Midland Community Theater was not on my family's cultural radar screen back then, not in the backwaters of Fort Stockton. I thought a trip to the movie theater was akin to visiting Disneyland. But I understand that the theater was thriving both in Midland and Odessa (via the Permian Playhouse), and Judy would have been no small celebrity as a result, even without her television appearances.

Our condolences go out to Doug and the rest of Judy Fulton's family.

Be Careful What You Wish For -or- Uncle!

OK, it's official. We've had plenty of rain. It can stop now. Please.

Our backyard gauge has measured 5.1" inches in the last 30 hours, and it's raining as I type this. Street flooding early Thursday morning was bad enough that the water lapped within a few feet of our front door, a phenomenon we haven't seen in the 25 years we've been in this house. (Our new one will be much better situated, elevation-wise.)

Of course, Abbye is miserable. Regular readers of the Gazette already know of her loathing of rainfall, particularly that which comes in the morning hours when she expects to get her walk. We headed out this morning during an apparent break in the precip, but it began to sprinkle as we made our way to the park. By the time we got there, the sprinkles were turning into a steady drizzle. She quickly did her business and we made a u-turn to head home, cutting our normal routine short.

The drizzle escalated to rain status and I resorted to what Abbye views as the ultimate in humiliation: picking her up and carrying her under the protection of the umbrella. This isn't exactly fun for me, either. She weighs only 17 pounds, but she carries heavier than that, for some reason. And, of course, she was wearing as her fragrance the ever-popular eau du wet dog.

Anyway, as of August 3rd, our yearly rainfall measures 50% more than our normal annual average, and we could desperately use a week or so of sunshine.

God, could you please arrange that? But, of course, not too much sunshine. We've grown accustomed to the cool weather. But, please, remove the humidity while you're at it. And the mosquitoes. Yeah, that should do it.

We're not that hard to please, are we?

Cinnin' and Grinnin'

The news that Jack in the Box is coming to Midland didn't set off any fireworks in my personal universe. It's been so long since I've sampled its wares that I forget if there's anything worth getting excited about.

On the other hand, the confirmation that we'll soon have one of these in our neighborhood* is a horse of a different color. I'm a sucker for cinnamon rolls to begin with, and those made by Cinnabon are, frankly, a vice that I can't resist.

Of course, at 730 calories and 24 fat grams (funny; Cinnabon doesn't list nutrition information on its website), I'll have to bicycle close to an extra hour to counteract the effects of one of those bad boys.

Yeah, I can do that. ;-)

*If you live in Midland and haven't yet seen the sign, the new store will be on the south side of Wadley, just east of Loop 250, across from Academy Sports and Mardels. That's right – same general area as the new Jack in the Box. The Cinnabon store will be combined with a Schlotzsky's and a Carvel (I think) ice cream franchise.

The Seven Wonders of West Texas

Inspired by this post over at blogHOUSTON (which in turn was inspired by the recent announcement of the New7Wonders of the World), I'd like to solicit those Gazette readers fortunate enough to reside in West Texas (and if you have to ask, you're not) to nominate candidates for "The Seven Wonders of West Texas."

Update: Here are the boundaries for what's considered "West Texas" for purposes of this project: North - Lubbock; East - San Angelo; South - Rio Grande; West - El Paso and Texas/New Mexico border. Yeah, it's a big area – that's part of the glory of it.

Submit via the comments an awe-inspiring or otherwise amazing or iconic place or thing that you feel is a must-see for any visitor to our region. Once nominations are closed, MyWestTexas.com will take over and provide a way to vote for the top 7 in the categories of "Natural Wonders" and "Man-made Wonders." Watch for details about that voting process.

I'll kick things off with this nomination: McDonald Observatory, Fort Davis.

Updates – Other nominations include:

• Balmorhea State Park swimming pool, Toyahvale (submitted by Rob O.)
• The "John Ben Jackrabbit" statue at the ECISD headquarters, Odessa (submitted by Rob O.)
• Larry McMurtry's bookshop, Booked Up, Archer City (submitted by Jim) The jury has decreed that Archer City is not geographically qualified to be in a West Texas list.
• Lubbock Lake Landmark, Lubbock (submitted by Rob)
• Santa Elena Canyon, Big Bend National Park (submitted by Jimmy)
• Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park (submitted by Jimmy)
• Guadalupe Mountains, Hudspeth & Culberson Counties (submitted by Jimmy)
• The Marfa Lights, Presidio County (or the Milky Way?) (submitted by MLB)
• The Globe Theater (Globe of the Great Southwest), Odessa (submitted by Sherry)
• The Monahans Sandhills, Monahans (submitted by Sherry)
• The Rio Grande, El Paso to Del Rio (submitted by Sherry)
• McKittrick Canyon, Guadalupe Mountains (submitted by Sherry)
• Capote Falls, Presidio County (submitted by Mike Jordan)
• Paisano Pete (world's largest roadrunner statue) - Fort Stockton
• Caverns of Sonora, Sutton County (submitted by Ospurt)
• Wink Sinkhole, Winkler County (submitted by Ospurt)
• Southern Pacific Railroad Bridge, Pecos River Canyon, Val Verde County (submitted by Ospurt)
• Chinati Foundation Complex, Marfa (submitted by Jeff)
• Comanche Springs, Fort Stockton (submitted by Jeff)
• The Sibley Mansion, Alpine (submitted by Jeff)
• Kokernot Field, Alpine (submitted by Jeff)
• Courthouse, Presidio County (submitted by Jeff)
• Courthouse, Pecos County (submitted by Jeff)
• Courthouse, Jeff Davis County (submitted by Jeff)
• Courthouse, Crockett County (submitted by Jeff)
• Million Barrel Oil Tank Museum, Monahans (submitted by Jeff)
• Fake Prada store, Valentine (submitted by John)
• Stainless steel spire atop Guadalupe Peak, Culberson County
• El Capitan, Culberson County
• Alley Oop Museum & Fantasy Land Park, Iraan
• Summer Mummers melodrama, Midland (submitted by Tricia)
• Pecos Cantaloupe (submitted by Tricia)
• Hueco Tanks State Historic Site (pictographs and rock climbing), El Paso
• Meteor Crater, Odessa (submitted by Wallace)
• Capricorn Ridge wind farm, Sterling City
• Indian Lodge, Davis Mountains State Park (submitted by Bill)
• The Ballinger Cross, Ballinger (submitted by Denise)
• Blue Origin Spaceport, Van Horn (submitted by Denise)
• Guadalupe Peak, Culberson County (submitted by Ron Jose)
• The Caprock, between Gail and Post (submitted by Sherry)

Technorati tag: 7 Wonders of West Texas

The Jimster gets high for charity

Jimmy Patterson is going to perform the 21st century equivalent of flagpole sitting and in the process hopes to raise a bunch of money for a very worthy cause. I'm supporting him (financially; he's on his own up there on that shaky overgrown forklift), and I hope you will as well.

Veteran readers will recognize this as the 2007 version of Blogathon, that wacky event where those with nothing better to do blog for 24 consecutive hours, fueled by caffeine and the desire not to disappoint their pledgers. It's all done to benefit the charity of the blogger's choice, which in this case is Midland Fair Havens. Jimmy's got a good summary of the important work that MFH is doing, in the post linked at the beginning of this one.

As he explains, I'm not going to be able to participate this year; we're taking the Nephew to College Station in preparation for turning him into an Aggie (no need to thank us; that's what we do). But I still plan to stay up as late as, say, 10:30 p.m. in an awesome show of solidarity with the Jimster.

Anyway, I sincerely hope that all of you who so generously supported my Blogathon efforts in past years will consider shifting similar support over to Jimmy's campaign. After all, the cause is the same, and he's actually going to provide some entertainment – in a scary, desperate, insane sort of way. And, really, what's better than that?

[But don't get too comfortable over on that side, because I plan to be back in '08!]

New Restaurant in Midland

Update (7/18/07): An alert reader visited the restaurant and got some clarification on the name – it is "Southern Velle," not "Southern Belle." The rather unusual title apparently comes from the name of the owner. Thanks, Marci, for the clarification!

I'm a big advocate for locally-owned businesses, and especially restaurants. While there's much to be said for the consistency provided by major chain restaurants, they frankly don't provide much in the way of memorable experiences; one rarely leaves a Chili's or an Olive Garden or an Outback thinking "wow...that was really great!"

So, it's important that for every Outback we have a Wall Street Bar and Grill; for every Olive Garden, we have a Luigi's or a Venezia; for every Chili's, we have a KD's Barbecue or a King and I or a Casa Lopez. It's even better when we have something for which there is no major chain equivalent.

Which brings me to the main point of this post, an introduction to a relatively new restaurant in Midland called "Southern BVelle."* My wife and I learned about it a week ago after a dance class, and we decided to try it out last night, again following a class. And we walked out thinking, "wow...that was really great!"

Southern BVelle is located across the tracks – literally. It's on Terrell Street, just across the railroad tracks that run parallel to Highway 80/Business 20. It's down the block from Birkhead Feed Store, if you know where that is. If you're coming from Odessa and not familiar with the area, take Business 20 past downtown, and turn right at the first traffic light east of Main Street.

It's in a big unassuming block building, painted white; the sign outside declares it to be the home of "Taste of the South with a Touch of Jazz," [Ed. – Slogan corrected] and it lives up to the billing on both counts.

Inside, the place seems as big as a football field, nicely decorated with well-spaced tables sporting white tablecloths. The centerpiece of the restaurant is the large stage at one end, fronted by a spacious dance floor. A few tables are available on the dance floor itself; the remainder of the tables ring the floor, and more are in a separate dining room for those who want a somewhat quieter dining experience.

The restaurant features live music on Friday and Saturday nights. The band last night was Millennium Jazz, and it was excellent. (We recognized the name as it was the featured band for one of the Ballroom Dance Society's monthly affairs that we'd missed due to other commitments.) The band played a mix of jazz and pop standards, from Peggy Lee to Stevie Wonder.

But this is primarily a restaurant, not a dance club – the food is the main attraction – and it didn't disappoint. The menu is eclectic, with the obligatory chicken fried and ribeye steaks and fried catfish, but also featuring items like brown sugar pork chops and homestyle fried chicken, fried cabbage, collard greens, cheese grits, and cornbread that just begs to be drenched and eaten with sweet milk (however good you think the Cracker Barrel is going to be, I assure you their cornbread won't hold a candle to Southern BVelle's).

I had the aforementioned pork chops (you can also get them grilled, without the brown sugar glaze, although I can't imagine why you'd want to); my wife tried grilled chicken breast served with cornbread dressing. We were both quite impressed with the quality of the food, and the Milky Way cake we split for dessert was, simply, delectable. Entrées range in price from about $8 to about $18 (I'm basing this on my imperfect memory, so don't hold me to the exact details).

The service was solicitous, and a bit leisurely, but we didn't mind because the music was so enjoyable. Total cost of the meal, excluding tip (and we just had water to drink) was about $26, and worth every penny.

I'm making a big deal out of this for a couple of reasons. First, as I said at the beginning, I think it's important for Midland to cultivate home-grown businesses, and I hope you'll at least give Southern BVelle a try, and pass the word along if you enjoy it. I especially like the idea of a new business flourishing in a location that hasn't always enjoyed the best of reputations (and even now, it sits adjacent to a less-than-toney nightclub).

Second, there are darned few nice places to go to dance in this area, where the music doesn't showcase a steel guitar and songs about longnecks (neither of which are bad in and of themselves; we just need a bit more diversity, sometimes), and where you can get a good meal in a non-smoking environment. Whether you want to sit and listen to the music, or practice your rumba or foxtrot, Southern BVelle may just be what you've been waiting for.

Give it a try and let me know if you agree with my assessment. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner (including Sunday lunch).

*Update: There seems to be some confusion as to the name of the restaurant. Here's a scan of an ad that ran in the 7/11/07 edition of our local newspaper:

The stylized text of the restaurant's name matches that on its sign. Perhaps my brain is interpreting the name according to context and past experience, but I read it as "Belle" and not "Velle," even though the font is ambiguous. However, you'll note that the ad proclaims the appearance of the "Southern Velle Jazz Band." So, either the copywriter misinterpreted the name, or I've misinterpreted the sign. I'll have to wait until we return to the restaurant to clear this up, unless some alert and inquisitive reader can do it for us. (And if it is "Velle," I'd really be curious to know what it means. Because as far as I can tell, there's no such word.)

Austinite succumbs to envy over Midland's smoothly flowing interstate

When Dave Barry did it to Grand Forks, North Dakota, the city invited him up and named a sewer lift station in his honor.

Austin's John Kelso has just done it to Midland. Wonder what we should name in his honor?

The difference is that Barry is funny.

Sticky Doorknobs and Jessica's Well have their own takes.

Rick Gets Richer

I was flabbergasted to learn that our city council approved a $481,000-and-change settlement with departing Midland City Manager Rick Menchaca. This settlement includes 16 months of salary, one-third more than was called for in his supposedly "at-will" employment contract.

According to news reports, the council (in a 5-2 split) approved the magnanimous settlement in order to avoid potential litigation. This is an interesting theory of city governance – decision-making through lawsuit avoidance – although the recent "dry cleaners/pants lawsuit" in New York proved again that anyone can sue for anything. In the case of the city manager, the defensiveness of the council makes one wonder whether Menchaca's departure was handled properly from a contractual perspective.

However, it's not insignificant that the only practicing attorney on the council, Mayor Canon, voted against the settlement. His response was that he was comfortable sticking to the strict requirements of the employment contract, which seems an eminently reasonable thing to do.

Being the cynic that I am, I'm probably reading too much into the arrival in Midland tomorrow of a DOJ mediator to hear concerns about recent city police actions. The mediator is coming in response to a request by LULAC, the same group who held protests in response to the dismissal of Menchaca.

The council's generosity with taxpayer's money is one thing, but the long-term significance is in the implicit message to future employee-litigants: "you litigate; we capitulate."

Romper Room Reminiscing

A couple of years ago, I posted about a local cartoon show from my childhood called The Admiral Foghorn Show. That post and another one about an artist who appeared on the show stimulated a number of comments and emails from folks who remembered the shows and/or the actors from the decade of the 1960s. A few people mentioned a similar show of that same vintage, Romper Room, the local version of which (the show was essentially a franchise that appeared in just about every market in the US, and a few overseas) featured Miss Judy.

I was a little older than the target demographic, and thus was more fixated on the cartoons of The Admiral Foghorn Show, but Miss Judy was still a part of the collective consciousness of anyone growing up in west Texas during that period. And so I was pleased to get an email from someone who'd found one of the aforementioned posts, although some of the content wasn't so pleasant. Here's an excerpt:

The email came from Doug DeBolt, who is the Newsletter Editor for GEMC / GEORGIA Magazine. Doug, who graciously granted me permission to post this, was born in Odessa in the 60s, but hasn't been back in almost twenty years. His mother, Judy Fulton, is now 67 and dealing with metastasized breast cancer. She's also an advocate for the implementation of electronic medical records as a way of sparing patients the trials of having to repeat their medical histories over and over to every new physician they encounter.

If you remember Miss Judy from your childhood, or if you had kids that watched her on Romper Room, you might want to add her to your prayer list. I'm sure that she and her family would appreciate it.

Technorati tag: Romper Room

"Makng News: Texas Style" – Week 3

Having just watched the third episode of Making News: Texas Style, I'm wondering more than ever why they haven't subtitled it Cramming 20 minutes of original programming into a one-hour slot. And 20 minutes might be stretching it. As much as I want to see how the series unfolds, I'm not sure how much more I can take of the repetitious "what's gone on before" and "what's coming up next" announcemen