Sunday, March 1, 2020

Green Shoots for "Tree the Town"


Amir Omar, former city council member and force behind "Tree the Town", hosted a small event Saturday designed to bring together interested individuals to update them on a new tree-planting initiative and brainstorm ways to involve the community.

For a profile of Amir Omar and "Tree the Town", see the recent feature article by Lauren Decker in Richardson Living magazine, "T3: New Life With Deep Roots". For some of the history, see the archives of "The Wheel". Going forward, follow what the new initiative is up to and hopefully get involved yourself by following the Facebook page "Tree the Town".

After the jump, more about "Tree the Town."

Saturday, February 29, 2020

POTD: Lake Titicaca

From 2019 08 23 Puno

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Puno, Peru on Lake Titicaca. All I've known about Lake Titicaca, and I've known this since childhood, is that it has a great name (one that inevitably draws snickers from adolescent boys) and that it's the world's highest navigable body of water. I now know that its altitude is 12,500 feet, the lake is huge and I've seen just a small corner of it. It is the largest lake in South America. The photo is from a small bay on which is located Puno, the largest city on Lake Titicaca. That's Puno in the background.

Bonus photo after the jump.

Friday, February 28, 2020

Review: Year of the Monkey

Year of the Monkey: Stories
Amazon
From Year of the Monkey, by Patti Smith:

Open quote 

Coffee denied, I sat on the outside bench going over the edges of the night before. It was the last of three nights in a row performing at the Fillmore and I was pulling the strings off my Stratocaster when some guy with a greasy ponytail leaned over and puked on my boots. The last gasp of 2015, a spray of vomit ushering in the New Year. A good or bad sign?"

Serendipity brought this memoir by Patti Smith to me. Patti Smith is an accomplished poet, author, artist and punk rocker who, to my embarrassment, has escaped my knowledge up to now. My loss.

Thursday, February 27, 2020

The Call of the Wild (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes
The Call of the Wild (2020): Disneyfied Jack London, with men less violent, dogs less abused, and wolves not very wild at all. CGI animals show Hollywood doesn't need real animals any more. If only they wouldn't give them human expressions. Still, a good family movie. B-

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

POTD: Commerce on the Altiplano

From 2019 08 23 Puno

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the highway between Cuzco and Puno, Peru. It shows a roadside market at 14,222 feet. And some damn fine hats being worn by the women selling to the tourists who stop.

Bonus photos after the jump.