S2L77: Cappadocia

From 1977 04 08 Turkey

Cappadocia, in central Turkey, is one of those unforgettable places that combines otherworldly geology with spellbinding history. It's a land of fairy chimneys and underground cities where early Christians sought refuge from ancient Romans. They carved houses and churches from the soft volcanic rock or tuff. These were occupied for centuries until just a generation or so ago. Today, an open air museum showcases hundreds of such living quarters and dozens of churches dating back a thousand years.

More photos after the jump.

Inaction Items

You may remember I made something of a deal out of the fact that the Richardson City Council met away from city hall, without video cameras to record their deliberations, four separate times in August and September. The meetings were billed as "Council goals retreats."

It's over a month later now. What are the goals and near-term action items the council came up with? Follow me after the jump as I play detective to find out.

Review: The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Amazon

From The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barberry:

Apparently, now and again adults take the time to sit down and contemplate what a disaster their life is. They complain without understanding and, like flies constantly banging against the same old windowpane, they buzz around, suffer, waste away, get depressed then wonder how they got caught up in this spiral that is taking them where they don't want to go."

 

Profound thoughts of a 12 year old French girl, wise beyond her years, and of a 54 year old concierge, educated beyond her station. After the jump, my review.

Lookout! Farm, Fire, Filth

Lots of news from Lookout Drive recently. First was the announcement that Owens Spring Creek Farm was closing. Then was the ribbon cutting for Richardson's new fire training center. This week, down in Austin, the rebuilding of the Lookout Drive Transfer Station (LOTS) gets one more step closer to reality.

That trash transfer station has been a regular topic here on The Wheel. Most recently was last November, after a public hearing on the project, when the neighborhood learned that the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) had made all the concessions they were going to make to address the concerns of the neighborhood. Next week in Austin the neighborhood makes its last (?) ditch effort to stop the project as the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) holds a review of a request for reconsideration of the TCEQ's decision that the NTMWD project application meets the requirements of applicable law.

After the jump, the TCEQ's response to the neighborhood complaints.

Cottonwood Art Festival - Fall 2013

From 2013 10 06 Cottonwood Art Festival

From 2013 10 06 Cottonwood Art Festival

Saturday was cool and drizzly, but the weather Sunday was ideal for Richardson's twice yearly Cottonwood Art Festival, now in its 44th year. After the jump, more photos from this fall's festival.

Junior High Band Night 2013

From 2013 10 04 Jesuit at Berkner

The Dallas Jesuit Rangers defeated the Berkner Rams 31-14 Friday night at Wildcat-Ram Stadium, but the bands kept the home team's fans in good spirits. It was Junior High Band night, with young musicians from Apollo and Liberty Junior High Schools joining the Mighty Ram Band on the field and in the stands.

More photos after the jump.

College GameDay - Northwestern University

This week ESPN's College GameDay is in Evanston, Illinois, at Northwestern University. This week GameDay is featuring the matchup between The Northwestern University and the visiting Ohio State University. Go Wildcats!

The photo is a screen capture from College GameDay. Recognize anyone?

Another "Where's Waldo? John?" after the jump.

S2L77: Mount Ararat, Turkey

Van, Turkey
April 10, 1977
A Turkish man helped us communicate with a waiter. Later he sent a bottle of wine to our table and paid for desserts and ice cream. A good welcome to Turkey.

Source: Personal travel notes.

From 1977 04 08 Turkey

I love Turkey. Perhaps it had something to do with that warm welcome in eastern Turkey. Eastern Turkey is rural, poor, and scenic. Mount Ararat, the mythical resting place of Noah's Ark, is in eastern Turkey. We didn't search for the ark. The Turkish people turned out to be the real attraction of eastern Turkey. I wish I had a photo.

More scenic photos of eastern Turkey after the jump.

Say Goodbye to Spring Creek Farm

Imagine finding a peaceful farm with rolling green grounds, beautiful horses, animals, and a museum in the middle of busy Richardson, Texas. This lovely spot is Owens® Spring Creek Farm and it's available to you and your family. Source: Bob Evans.

Or rather, it *was* available. Owens Spring Creek Farm is closing. Owens Spring Creek Farm, a Richardson institution for over 80 years, was increasingly an anachronism in the city. The land on which it sat is too valuable to sustain hay rides and pumpkin patches, so Owens Spring Creek Farm is soon to disappear forever, to be replaced by... that is the question.

After the jump, some speculation.

OTBR: Kunnati Bay, Saarema Island, Estonia

Latitude: N 58° 22.944
Longitude: E 022° 57.546

A child on a road trip with his family asks, "Where are we?" and the father answers, "Let's check the map. We're off the blue roads [the Interstate Highways marked in blue on the road atlas]. We're off the red roads [the US and state highways]. We're off the black roads [the county highways]. I think we're off the map altogether." It was always my dream to be off the map altogether.

After the jump, a few of the random places (and I mean random literally) that I visited vicariously last month that are "off the blue roads".