Early Summer in the Steger Garden (2015)

From Flowers

Wild (2014)

IMDB

Wild (2014): Messed-up woman undertakes insane 1,100 mile solo hike to clear her head. Reckless but it worked for her. I couldn't relate. B-

POTD: Grand Palace

From 2015 03 16 Bangkok

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Bangkok, Thailand. Specifically, the Grand Palace. This has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam/Thailand since 1782.

If you're of a certain age, think Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr and the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "The King and I." If you're not of a certain age, try Amazon. You can thank me later.

Drove My Chevy to the Levee

From 2015 06 21 Trinity River

Dallas. Summer. 100 degrees. Drought. Except for 2015. This photo shows the Trinity River, normally a small stream in a large floodplain, now a major river due to this Spring's record rainfall.

That's a stop sign in the river. Ironic, as the biggest controversy in Dallas politics is whether to put a high-speed, massive tollroad down in that floodplain, between the levees that, so far, are keeping downtown Dallas dry.

Oh yeah, there was a classic car show down by the levee Sunday, too. "And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye."

From 2015 06 21 Trinity River

Bonus photos after the jump.

Filling City Council Vacancies

The commission appointed by the Richardson City Council to review the city charter made a recommendation to have a special election in case of a vacancy in the mayor's seat. (Good.) They also recommended reducing from three to two the number of vacancies in the six council seats needed to trigger a special election. (Right direction, but they didn't go far enough. It should be one.)

Monday night, the City Council deliberated this second recommendation.

Dallas Arts District Summer Block Party

From 2015 06 19 Dallas Arts District

The Dallas Arts District put on another world class Summer Block Party Friday night. The Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, and the Crow Collection of Asian Art all were open late, with food trucks and more bringing the surrounding streets to life. Combined with the adjacent Klyde Warren park, the whole area is starting to look and feel like a real city. ;-)

More photos after the jump.

For Restaurant Row, Dessert is Served First

It appears that the City of Richardson is now the proud owner of a row of restaurants along US 75 north of Spring Valley Rd. Well, not actually owner. Instead the city is just putting up the money. Someone else will actually own the restaurants and make money off of them.

Hermansen was the recipient of a very generous deal with the city. Richardson gave him a grant for the full purchase price of the five-acre tract – $2.2 million. In addition, the city will provide up to $1.2 million in grants to pay for infrastructure costs.

Source: The Dallas Morning News.

First Day of Summer in the Steger Garden (2015)

From Flowers

Bonus photos after the jump.

Chef (2014)

IMDB

Chef (2014): Talented but unappreciated chef quits and buys a food truck. As feel-good a movie as you could want. I just didn't want. C+

POTD: Thai Street Food

From 2015 03 16 Bangkok

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Bangkok, Thailand. It's a photo of a
street food vendor. Here are some quotes from just a few of the first
hits you get if you Google "Bangkok street food."

• "Bangkok is the best city in the world for street food."
• "For the best food in Bangkok, hit the streets."
• "Nowhere is the Thai reverence for food more evident than in Bangkok."
• "Known as the unofficial outdoor dining capital of Asia, Bangkok's street food is unlike anything else in the region."
• "You can wander the streets of Bangkok for weeks, pointing at every single thing that looks tasty, handing over a couple dozen baht [less than a dollar], and eating until you burst, all without ever trying the same thing twice."

Good times.