Surfing Again

  And on the second day the sun came out, but the river went up so I went back for some more riversurfing. The wave is easier to catch but smooths out and you can not turn as far out on it. Still loads of fun.

A ride on the Trinity River on a sunny day.

The sun sets over a puddle.

Surfing on a River

Catching a ride on a wave on the West Fork of the Trinity River.

   The month of May in Texas has been a sequence of deluge storms raising lake levels and filling streams far over their banks. With that much water flowing down stream, some of the low water damns in the area start to form perfect standing waves. On the West Fork of the Trinity River just down stream of the spillway at Lake Worth there is one of these waves with an eddy that is strong enough to pull flotsam right up to the wave. Watching for a minute, it becomes obvious that on a surfboard with a quick paddle it would put a rider right into the wave and for some great rides. This morning, that is exactly what I did. To the sheer amusement of a couple of folks passing by, I rode an endless wave for hours till the water level started to go back down. Getting kicked out just meant a quick tumble in the wash cycle created by the waves and a quick escalator ride right back to the start. Perfect example of the old saying,"If you get lemons, make lemonade."

Red Flame in the Bush

Vibrant colors and contrasts.

   For most of the spring Patty and I have been seeing the bright red splash of color of a male Cardinal flitting around the kitchen window. Every now and then the less flamboyant female C

That is one pissed off Cardinal.

ardinal would make an appearance at the bird feeder by the kitchen window as well. We see the species every year, but this pair seemed to stay really close by. Mowing the lawn I found out why as the male raised a ruckus and kept throwing up his crown as I moved around. It turns out they built a nest along the north side of the house.
  I took a few pictures of him as he threw his tantrum but did not want to disturb the home. As I look at the images, I am just blown away by the vibrance of the color and beauty of such a simple species. No wonder our heart races whenever we see a flash of red shoot among the branches in the woods.

Old World History

  The world over you see children playing with futbols, known in the United States as soccer. In the Dominican Republic this afternoon, I was getting a little lesson in History at the oldest convent in the New World, Convent de las Domnicanas in the old town section of Santo Domingo. In the space between the chapel and the rectory is a beautifully tiled courtyard which created a perfect playing field for a group of local youths. Old school abounds everywhere and it lends itself to new school games.

Church and futbol go hand to foot in the D.R.