August thru September 2025 What Another Roof ?

 August thru September 2025 What Another Roof ?

While we were in Seattle there was a Freak Storm in Austin. Everyone we talked to about it had a different story about what they experienced. We saw pictures on Facebook from the Windsor Park Neighborhood. Windsor Park was the only neighborhood in Austin that had a very freaky hailstorm, only the Eastern half of Windsor Park, but that include hundreds of homes that required a new roof as a result. We saw pictures just to the east of us where they had two feet of hail in their yards, people were having to dig their cars out of the piled up ice. Also several reports of irregular shaped hail , some long tube like hail, and other shapes. A neighbor had to have her metal roof replaced not because of hail but wind had damaged the roof. 

The Right half, Eastern,  of Windsor park had to have new roofs, every single home.

This was Exactly four years ago, we got a new roof due to hail damage.

Here we go again, we got three different opinions because we just did not want to tear off another roof! Even the insurance company said we had to get a roof. 

Done with lighter color hail resistant shingles. I wanted white to reflect the overbearing Texas sun and heat, but this is the lightest they had.

The hail damage on the fence was easy to fix, I just used a pressure washer to return the fence to its previous color.

The garage exterior wall was peppered and chipped so I needed to touch up the paint but Kelly Moore went out of business! We took a paint chip to Sherwin Williams and they have this high tech machine to match the color. 

I was surprise when it was a perfect match and you can't even tell there was a touch up paint job!

The new policy of Austin City Electric tree trimming

This Bali house is going on 4 years of construction, a neighbor told me he planned to move in this summer, but summer is over and it is not complete yet.

We had a calico cat that wondered off in the neighborhood and I wonder if some of these are her kittens?

Our Yellow Bells are doing great from early summer rains.

This Peacock is the honored subject of the Laguna Gloria's art class. He is peeking in the window to see all the cool art the kids are creating about him! 

Clara loves Peacocks, and her art shows it!

Paper mache as well

A nearby park has a pond with other creatures.

While Clara was doing art study on creatures, Drew was hard at work on the pottery wheel.

And Sea Biscuit patiently waited for Drew and Clara to come over to play.

Trip to Ft. Worth

It Was Birthday Week for Big Dave, his 93rd!!! We had a grand celebration with a balloon and Ice Cream!

If you Know You Know!

Another fine lunch with Ft. Worth friends, Roxanne and Jeff, our forever friends, Literally, since 1963

The Admiral said, you want to stop at Buc-ee's? Well we stopped at the newest one at Hillsboro, TX.

Gas pumps forever.

Supposedly really good BBQ

See me Smiling? That is before I bit into this BBQ shredded beef sandwich, I mean I ate it but, it is not real Texas BBQ. Sorry

When we got back to Austin from Ft. Worth I finally had time to play my new guitar, a 2001 Stratocaster, Every guitar has its peculiars but this one is so easy to play except my pinky finger keeps hitting the pickup selector switch, I just have to make an adjustment to my right hand posture. Very excited to have this guitar.

I ordered a cheap drone for Drew and I to play with from TEMU, and I got this cheap Chinese knockoff guitar for $.01. The strings were so bad I replaced them, then the neck was so bad I adjusted the torsion bar all the way one direction to get the action to where it was playable. It would make someone an ok first guitar. I knew they had a guitar class at a elementary school just down the street from us and emailed the music teacher. He would accept the donation!

Dropping off the guitar at Blanton elementary. 

Hooray! Our second Granddaughter, Liv on the left, has completed her Nursing Assistant Certification now she can get paid while she works toward her RN!

We went to see my brother's Dave production of OZ at Zachary Scott Theatre, a re-imagination of the Wizard of Oz with lots of audience participation, Very fun and a bit of Texas thrown in!

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

We noticed this cute Jack Russell preparing to board our flight to Seattle

He sat just adjacent to us and was on his best behavior.

Welcoming sunset's in Seattle at Shilshole.

We picked up Drew to take him to riding lessons at Rock Meadow, the mountain was out with is Ventricular Cloud.

Rock Meadow is a great walking spot.

He was trying to tell me something?

My Fourth Album "Next Destination" 

Seattle to Princeton NJ to Austin July 2025

 Seattle to Princeton NJ to Austin July 2025

Flying into Newark Liberty International Airport is a concern these days with the issues of radar and Flight controllers. We had the additional concern of strong weather systems moving through New Jersey as well. The Captain of our flight came out to address the passengers waiting through a long delay and said that if we just board the plane and taxi out then we have a better chance of making the flight and she was determined to get us to our destination. So we boarded and spent longer than normal times on the tarmac but by golly we got to take off, the flight was smooth with a bit of an edgy landing but we were able to get our rent cars and depart the airport before midnight!

July 1 we flew with family to Newark International

Pre-colonial community's eventually joined to become Princeton

So many Colonial era homes still survive but this one ( our Air BB) had updated siding and a completely modern interior

I do not recall seeing black squirrels last year when we were in Princeton

They gutted this house and re-imagined it.

Day 2 we were out the door with the grandkids and off to Terhune Orchards https://www.terhuneorchards.com/

This cat is the main attraction

The Oregon Trail is not far away, is it?

IT was just a short walk from the AirBB to the Delaware Raritan Canal
See: https://youtu.be/JC0a1KzjIV4?si=wPZyLqLHWfyaQFEa

Recent rains had the water flowing see: https://youtube.com/shorts/5ae0NDr3_v4?feature=share

A very fun day visit from our Brooklyn granddaughter, Ella. She took 1 subway and two trains, a two hour ride from the city. We picked her up at Princeton Junction Station, then we took a hike around Princeton University

You can see the Delaware and Raritan Canal passes right through the Princeton property.

WE stopped at the book store on the Drag, Nassau St

Hook 'Em

Time to cool off, It gets hot in New Jersey Y'all

The Nassau Diner on the drag is a great place for take out

This family enjoys animals.

WE dropped Ella off at Princeton Junction 
Station where you can catch a train every 20 minutes to Brooklyn! The mass transit system up here is so convenient, Sorry we cant think of those things in Texas.

We went to Morven Museum for July 4th Holiday events. see https://www.morven.org/ They had a great opportunity inviting everyone to sign The Declaration of Independence. No time like Now to sign for sure! We all bellied up to the signing table and squeezed in our signature next to John Hancock! The White haired guy exclaimed "All us traitors are in this together!"

Ringing the Bell see: https://youtube.com/shorts/c3tfT-kEXGk

Kids can vote here!

The next day we heard the news from Texas. Yet another Flood disaster in Central Texas. 

My first home in Abilene, Texas had a creek just beyond the back yard fence, I recall from a very early age of 3 when our back yard flooded almost up to the house. That must have been very impressive to me. Later in life when it was time to buy our first home I was not interested in anything near a creek or other body of water in Texas. I did go look at a home that was just across the street from Lake Austin, most of the homes that lined the constant level lake were out of  our range but this one was within the high end of what we could afford. The only problem was that it was downstream from Mansfield dam. To much risk for me. Central Texas has endured floods for as long as as anyone can remember, deadly disasters are not uncommon every 8-10 years. Texas Flood is the debut studio album by the American blues rock band Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, released on June 13, 1983, by Epic Records. The album was named after a cover song featured on the album, "Texas Flood", which was first recorded by blues singer Larry Davis in 1958. Everyone in Texas knows where the floods will occur. Those born in the fifties are already dropping dead left and right by flood or otherwise.  I pray that those in power have learned from the latest event and construct the necessary technology in place to provide adequate warnings to save those who for whatever reason choose to sleep in the path of raging waters. https://www.npr.org/2025/07/05/nx-s1-5457759/texas-floods-timeline

Ella's good friend Quinn went to Rider, we just happened to be driving by so we stopped by to walk the campus.

Where you can transform your Future: https://www.rider.edu/

Lake Travis before the floods.

                       A map of all the Texas lakes                                                                                                 now full after the floods.

Lake Travis after the floods. We have witnessed this several times before. Just more damaging, more severe due to the increasing effects of climate change. What will the future floods be?

Imagine being from Austin and finding a Whole Earth grocery store. became a great place for lunch

Vegan Melt

We ended our time i New Jersey at an airport hotel so we could easily manage making our flight to Austin, You could see New York City from the rooms window.

We were greeted by a Coopers Hawk when we returned to Austin.

Sea Biscuit could barely wait for this moment!

It's not hot in Texas

Well, this would be my first visit to Q2 stadium, the MLS 2025 All Star game!

Lots of fan fare before the game.

See that sombrero? Big D has been trying to get on the Jumbotron for a long time, that camera beamed right on that cute kid in the Verde Sombrero! And everyone of us got in on the action, FUN! 

Do not know who this guy was but everyone else in the stadium seemed to know!

This picture was taken by Big D's dad all the way back in Seattle!

A week of a Texas Horse Camp

His years of experience are showing see: https://youtu.be/p3F12Uc6B90

First time to complete the show unassisted!

Due to the unusual amount of rains, July has been noticeably cooler, very few 3 digit temps which has made for more friendly outdoor time. Hover that is changing the last week of July as the HOT HUMID days storm in. One way to stay cool and have maximum fun is a Good OL Family Dinner

It takes two, We are missing 4: Kendra & Ella in Brooklyn, Liv in Portland, and Russell in Seattle
From the Left Sister Ginger, Brother Dave, Nephews Lux, Zack, Luna, Josh, Daughter Lia, Grandkids Clara and Drew, Admiral Lynn and son Graeme.