Blogs from Nacogdoches, Texas, United States, North America - page 2

The four corners states are New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. Unfortunately my adventure vacation starts and ends with a two day drive across Texas. This started with good preparation for weeks in Nacogdoches, Texas. My basic trip has major overlap to my vacation in 2017 that I contributed to this site in 2018. Since that last travel I got older and more disabled so planning was essential for my survival. I wish I had a satellite phone cuz where I was going mostly had no cell phone reception; and where I camped in the back-country I could not walk out to get help. This was a very enjoyable spiritual experience as I could be with Mother Nature and see extinct volcanism, powers of erosion, and beautiful trees that can not live in East Texas. As ... read more

According to TSHA (Texas State Historical Association) Kingtown was named for land developer Alton King who purchased fifty acres on (the North side) the Angelina River in 1943. A residential community was established when King opened a camping area in 1943. In the 1950s he was selling lots for homes. When they damned up the Angelina River creating the Sam Rayburn Reservoir (around 1960) that attracted many new residents and increased the property values. I was driving down Texas FM 226 Southbound and saw a sign for Kingtown. I turned West on Nacogdoches County road 552, following the signs for the Kingtown Landing Liquor Store, passing by a private deer hunting lease on the North side of the county road. note: These free county road maps in East Texas are generally accurate, but sometimes do not ... read more

Yesterday watching ABC local news (KLTV), the weatherman (Mark Skirto) told us that the Space Station would be seen at 8:58 over Tyler, Texas for six minutes. (Cuz of my large trees I had maybe thirty seconds to shoot.) That would be about three minutes different than in my neck of the woods in Nacogdoches County. I had my camera and tripod ready (and a rum drink) for the fly-over. My shots were three second exposures. Sorry, you have to look hard to see the short white lines. I sent these pics to KLTV and email was bounced back to me as I had to be a member for them to see my email. I found a pick I shot last year of the Space Station that was overhead about 9:47 PM. It was darker then ... read more

A few months ago most people did not know what a pandemic was, or how deadly it could become. Just common sense told me that the Corona virus could become a global pandemic with many sick and many would perish. A pandemic is an disease epidemic with a rapid spread that develops over a wide geologic area that affects a very high proportion of the population. Pandemics can and have spread world wide. Few facts are understood about Covid-19, but this is my best understanding of the potential plague hazards. I think that Covid-19 can not last long floating free in air. The primary hazard is from infected persons coughing and sneezing virus infected mucus droplets, inhaled or from touching contaminated surfaces then touching their mouth or eyes. I think the Corona can infect somebody from ... read more

On Christmas Eve I attended a nice celebration at the home of the founder of the glass recycling "C&R Kutt Bottle" charity. We started with their "pot luck" dinner where everybody brings one food or drink to share. The food ranged from good to very good. (This is more personal, so no pics.) Then we'all went into the forest to sing Christmas carols by the large bonfire. For scale, the fire ring is two meters diameter, (and my home fire ring is only one meter diameter.) Everybody sat on chairs inside the large stacks of firewood ricks; about ten meters from the fire ring in all directions. We sang most of the night and some of us exchanged Christmas gifts. Finally we ran out of Christmas songs and it was time to go home. I got ... read more