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New Orleans, Louisiana
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Showing posts with label Florida. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Florida. Show all posts
Saturday, February 17, 2018
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
Disasters & Volunteers - Photos
Hurricane Harvey volunteers
Hurricane Harvey
Hurricane Harvey evacuees
St Maarten after Hurricane Irma
Canadian aid workers heading for St Maarten
My best friend's back yard in Fort Pierce, FL this morning
Key Largo after Irma
Key Largo after Irma
Jacksonville, FL before Irma
Jacksonville, FL during Irma
University of Florida in Gainesville
Fort Lauderdale hotel parking lot
Saturday, August 19, 2017
Compassion, Love and Peace
This is going to be my last political posting for a while.... the news just keeps getting more disgusting, appalling, and hopeless each day. We, humanity, seem to be degenerating at a great rate at this point in time.
I am still reeling from the attacks made by all the groups that poured in to Charlottesville, Virginia last weekend for the "Unite the Right" gathering. We are having a march in Denver, tomorrow, to celebrate the life of Heather D Heyer, the paralegal killed last Saturday by a professed Nazi supporter. This is too little, too late, but we will honor the memory of a young woman who was protesting hatred by marching quietly on a street with her friends.
There has been an outbreak of attacks against innocent people this week. First, Thursday evening, the van attack on Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Spain - that left 14 dead and over 100 injured. Then the attack in Camblis, a two hour drive south of Barcelona. (Camblis was where some of the planning for the 9-11 attacks took place.) There was also an explosion there the night before the attack at Las Ramblas, and police now believe that the people involved in the Barcelona attack had been planning to bomb several places before "something went wrong" at their manufacturing site, and they decided a vehicular attack was in order. The driver of the van at Las Ramblas is still at large and being sought throughout Europe.
Then there was the knife attack in the market square of Turku, Finland the following day. An 18-year-old man from Morocco attacked several women with a knife, killing two. He reportedly targeted eight women, one of which was pushing a baby carriage. Two men tried to intervene, and both of them were stabbed, as well; one of whom was so severely cut that he may lose his arm. The suspect was shot in the leg, arrested and taken to the hospital. Four other men have been arrested with suspected ties to the attacker.
This morning, a man in the Siberian town of Surgut, in Russia, stabbed at least eight people, seriously wounding two of them. The Russian police fired shots at the man and killed him. They are investigating the incident.
Friday night: In Kissimmee, Florida, two officers responded to a call and were apparently ambushed. One officer is dead, the other in serious condition. A man has been arrested.
In Jacksonville, Florida, two officers responded to a call about a man considering suicide. He greeted them with shots from a high-powered rifle, shooting one policeman in both hands, and the other in the stomach. The man was killed by the officers.
In Fayette County, Pennsylvania, two officers approached a man to serve a warrant. The man reached into his backpack, pulled out a gun and shot both officers. The officers shot and killed that man, also.
Too much death and destruction for me, folks.... I know this happens every day in our country, and around the world. But I want PEACE for all.
Then there is the ousting of Steve Bannon from the White House - he's going back to Breibart News to spew more hatred and ignorance.
The world needs help - compassion, love, and peace need to rule this place.
I am still reeling from the attacks made by all the groups that poured in to Charlottesville, Virginia last weekend for the "Unite the Right" gathering. We are having a march in Denver, tomorrow, to celebrate the life of Heather D Heyer, the paralegal killed last Saturday by a professed Nazi supporter. This is too little, too late, but we will honor the memory of a young woman who was protesting hatred by marching quietly on a street with her friends.
There has been an outbreak of attacks against innocent people this week. First, Thursday evening, the van attack on Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Spain - that left 14 dead and over 100 injured. Then the attack in Camblis, a two hour drive south of Barcelona. (Camblis was where some of the planning for the 9-11 attacks took place.) There was also an explosion there the night before the attack at Las Ramblas, and police now believe that the people involved in the Barcelona attack had been planning to bomb several places before "something went wrong" at their manufacturing site, and they decided a vehicular attack was in order. The driver of the van at Las Ramblas is still at large and being sought throughout Europe.
Then there was the knife attack in the market square of Turku, Finland the following day. An 18-year-old man from Morocco attacked several women with a knife, killing two. He reportedly targeted eight women, one of which was pushing a baby carriage. Two men tried to intervene, and both of them were stabbed, as well; one of whom was so severely cut that he may lose his arm. The suspect was shot in the leg, arrested and taken to the hospital. Four other men have been arrested with suspected ties to the attacker.
This morning, a man in the Siberian town of Surgut, in Russia, stabbed at least eight people, seriously wounding two of them. The Russian police fired shots at the man and killed him. They are investigating the incident.
Friday night: In Kissimmee, Florida, two officers responded to a call and were apparently ambushed. One officer is dead, the other in serious condition. A man has been arrested.
In Jacksonville, Florida, two officers responded to a call about a man considering suicide. He greeted them with shots from a high-powered rifle, shooting one policeman in both hands, and the other in the stomach. The man was killed by the officers.
In Fayette County, Pennsylvania, two officers approached a man to serve a warrant. The man reached into his backpack, pulled out a gun and shot both officers. The officers shot and killed that man, also.
Too much death and destruction for me, folks.... I know this happens every day in our country, and around the world. But I want PEACE for all.
Then there is the ousting of Steve Bannon from the White House - he's going back to Breibart News to spew more hatred and ignorance.
The world needs help - compassion, love, and peace need to rule this place.
Sunday, March 12, 2017
American Farm Photos (Plus One of Swaledale Sheep)
Corn on Eastern Shore of Maryland
Schultz Farm, Kansas
Strasburg, Pennsylvania
Swaledale sheep, Malham,Yorkshire, England
A pizza farm, Cochrane, Wisconsin
Hamilton, Florida
Picking cotton in Georgia
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Wildfires in Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, & Colorado
Since the beginning of March, it seems as if there has been a "Huge Sale" on wildfires. There's a relatively small wildfire that began on 4 March in Mississippi; named the Missala, it's 90% contained and has burned 500 acres. Florida has four wildfires burning: the Badcock Grub Road fire is 75% contained and has burned 400 acres; the Hickory Tree fire is also 75% contained, but has burned only 110 acres. The Trail fire, southwest of Miami-Dade, has burned 1,065 acres and is 75 % contained. The big fire in Florida is the Lee Williams Road fire that has burned 6,500 acres and is only 15% contained.
Our two major wildfires in Colorado have almost burned out, and are 100% contained. The Wellington fire in Larimer County burned 2,000 acres. The Logan and Phillips County fire burned homes, more than 200 cattle, and burned 32,550 acres.
The other fires in three other states are all still total wildfires - except one small fire near Amarillo, Texas that is 100% contained. The total amounts of areas burned in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas are staggering: more than 861 square miles have burned in Kansas; more than 700 square miles have burned in Texas: and in Oklahoma, more than 1,406 square miles are charcoal. Livestock and wildlife have lost their lives, but, most importantly, seven people have died from smoke inhalation and/or burns. I mourn all of them.
Since 4 March, twenty-three counties in Kansas have had wildfires, and more than 1,000 square miles have burned. In Reno County, more than 6,000 acres have burned, and that fire is 70% contained. In Comanche County, more than 236 square miles are charcoal, and the fire is approaching the Kiowa County line to the north. West of Comanche County is Clark County, and 85% of the county, or 625 square miles, has burned. That fire is out of control.
In the state of Texas, the small fire near Amarillo is contained, as stated previously, but there are two other large fires burning in the panhandle. The first, near the Oklahoma state line, has burned 492 square miles, and killed 3 people. The second fire, a few miles south of the larger one, has burned 210 square miles.
Oklahoma has suffered the largest area burned, with over 1,406 square miles. they have three separate wildfires alight. The Starbuck fire began in Beaver County, Oklahoma and has crossed over into Kansas. The 283 fire is burning in Harper County; and the Selman fire is burning in both Woodward and Harper Counties.All three of these wildfires are only 10% contained.
Wow. I just totaled the amounts of land burned so far in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas and found that 3,021 square miles are scorched earth..... We need rain and/or snow!
Most of these fires have destroyed, or will continue to destroy, agricultural land. These areas are farming country - livestock, mostly cattle; and grain and vegetable farms. The food meant for our tables is being burned before it was able to produce a harvest. Look for the cost of eating staples to rise.....
Our two major wildfires in Colorado have almost burned out, and are 100% contained. The Wellington fire in Larimer County burned 2,000 acres. The Logan and Phillips County fire burned homes, more than 200 cattle, and burned 32,550 acres.
The other fires in three other states are all still total wildfires - except one small fire near Amarillo, Texas that is 100% contained. The total amounts of areas burned in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas are staggering: more than 861 square miles have burned in Kansas; more than 700 square miles have burned in Texas: and in Oklahoma, more than 1,406 square miles are charcoal. Livestock and wildlife have lost their lives, but, most importantly, seven people have died from smoke inhalation and/or burns. I mourn all of them.
Since 4 March, twenty-three counties in Kansas have had wildfires, and more than 1,000 square miles have burned. In Reno County, more than 6,000 acres have burned, and that fire is 70% contained. In Comanche County, more than 236 square miles are charcoal, and the fire is approaching the Kiowa County line to the north. West of Comanche County is Clark County, and 85% of the county, or 625 square miles, has burned. That fire is out of control.
In the state of Texas, the small fire near Amarillo is contained, as stated previously, but there are two other large fires burning in the panhandle. The first, near the Oklahoma state line, has burned 492 square miles, and killed 3 people. The second fire, a few miles south of the larger one, has burned 210 square miles.
Oklahoma has suffered the largest area burned, with over 1,406 square miles. they have three separate wildfires alight. The Starbuck fire began in Beaver County, Oklahoma and has crossed over into Kansas. The 283 fire is burning in Harper County; and the Selman fire is burning in both Woodward and Harper Counties.All three of these wildfires are only 10% contained.
Wow. I just totaled the amounts of land burned so far in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas and found that 3,021 square miles are scorched earth..... We need rain and/or snow!
Most of these fires have destroyed, or will continue to destroy, agricultural land. These areas are farming country - livestock, mostly cattle; and grain and vegetable farms. The food meant for our tables is being burned before it was able to produce a harvest. Look for the cost of eating staples to rise.....
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
US EPA Superfund Sites - Map & Photos
EPA map of Superfund sites
Elizabeth Copper Mine, Vermont
Gold King Mine, Colorado
Old coal tar deposits on the Gowanus Canal, New York
Quanta Resources, New Jersey
San Jacinto River, Texas
Tar Creek, California
Cabot-Koppers, Gainesville Florida
Friday, October 7, 2016
Nasty Weather - Matthew
I have to admit that I don't remember much about weather-watching before the family moved to Florida in 1961. I do remember snow when we lived in Millington, Tennessee, and I remember feeling hot and sticky when we lived in Kingsville, Texas. We moved to Gainesville, Florida a few weeks after I turned 5 years old, and Dad retired from 22 years in the US Navy. Our house in Florida was a little smaller than our house in Kingsville, but we had a great yard with trees and bushes. The house floor actually sat about two feet above the ground, so it could breathe and stay cool in the summer. Gainesville, itself, is about in the middle of the northern peninsula of Florida; it took 90 minutes to drive to either the Atlantic Ocean, or to the Gulf of Mexico. There was a nice fishing lake about a mile from our house, and lots of little creeks and swampy areas nearby.
And, as I've frequently mentioned, we (or I) spent most summers on the barrier islands of Chincoteague and Assateague, in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Virginia. My Grandfather purchased a small lot on Peterson Street and built a catalog-ordered Sears & Roebuck house just before he married Grandma, two weeks after her 16th birthday, in 1915. The "big kitchen" was added onto the house in 1919, and Grandma chose the wall paper to be used. It was an oyster-white background, with blue-grey trellises and large old-fashioned English pink roses - some in bloom, some still buds. Besides the corner with the warped floor boards, so that the rocking chair was permanently tilted back, the thing I remember most about the big kitchen was the wavy brown lines at five different heights, that ran all around the room, marring the wall paper. (There were six, after the Ash Wednesday Storm in 1962.)
Now, Momma always kept a decent house - she dusted and cleaned and vacuumed, so nothing was dirty, even though we did have piles of books and magazines all around. One summer night, after wiping the kitchen table clean, I asked Mom if I should try to wipe away the brown marks on the wall paper. I think I was six or seven years old at the time, and she explained that those brown marks "were history - the history of the house and the island." They were the high tide marks of hurricanes and nor'easters and big storms - and they couldn't be washed away. I think I loved that room even more than the rest of the house, once Mom told me that. The latest owners of Grandpa's house knocked off the kitchen and enclosed the front porch, so the history I grew up with is no longer visible.
While living in Florida, we saw, via television, what happened during hurricanes. In Gainesville itself, we had lots of rain, some flooding, and high winds - but we were never hit as hard as places along the coast line. I lived in Florida, pretty much straight through, from July 1961 until the fall of 1995. These are the Hurricanes that struck Florida, or near by, while I was there:
1964 - Cleo and Isabell 1965 - Betsy and Dora 1966 - Alma and Inez 1968 - Gladys
1972 - Agnes 1979 - David 1985 - Elena, Juan, and Kate 1987 - Floyd 1992 - Andrew
1994 - Tropical Storms Alberto and Beryl; Gordon 1995 - Allison and Erin
And, of course we watched the horrific coverage unfold in 1961 with Hurricanes Carla and Hattie; in 1967 with Hurricane Beulah; Camille in 1969 was devastating; then Celia in 1970 - and Alicia in 1983, Gloria in 1985, and Hugo in 1989.
I feel so much sympathy for those of my friends, family, and colleagues who are being impacted by Hurricane Matthew. I know that a lot of folks I know are under evacuation orders, and are not at home with some of their most prized possessions. I wish I possessed magical powers and could wave my hands, or wriggle my nose, and make the seas and winds calm again. (No, I do not want to be a God, or God-like.) I just wish that our coastal areas could enjoy calm weather... Friends, please let me know if there is anything that I can do for you. Know that you're in my heart and thoughts...
And, as I've frequently mentioned, we (or I) spent most summers on the barrier islands of Chincoteague and Assateague, in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Virginia. My Grandfather purchased a small lot on Peterson Street and built a catalog-ordered Sears & Roebuck house just before he married Grandma, two weeks after her 16th birthday, in 1915. The "big kitchen" was added onto the house in 1919, and Grandma chose the wall paper to be used. It was an oyster-white background, with blue-grey trellises and large old-fashioned English pink roses - some in bloom, some still buds. Besides the corner with the warped floor boards, so that the rocking chair was permanently tilted back, the thing I remember most about the big kitchen was the wavy brown lines at five different heights, that ran all around the room, marring the wall paper. (There were six, after the Ash Wednesday Storm in 1962.)
Now, Momma always kept a decent house - she dusted and cleaned and vacuumed, so nothing was dirty, even though we did have piles of books and magazines all around. One summer night, after wiping the kitchen table clean, I asked Mom if I should try to wipe away the brown marks on the wall paper. I think I was six or seven years old at the time, and she explained that those brown marks "were history - the history of the house and the island." They were the high tide marks of hurricanes and nor'easters and big storms - and they couldn't be washed away. I think I loved that room even more than the rest of the house, once Mom told me that. The latest owners of Grandpa's house knocked off the kitchen and enclosed the front porch, so the history I grew up with is no longer visible.
While living in Florida, we saw, via television, what happened during hurricanes. In Gainesville itself, we had lots of rain, some flooding, and high winds - but we were never hit as hard as places along the coast line. I lived in Florida, pretty much straight through, from July 1961 until the fall of 1995. These are the Hurricanes that struck Florida, or near by, while I was there:
1964 - Cleo and Isabell 1965 - Betsy and Dora 1966 - Alma and Inez 1968 - Gladys
1972 - Agnes 1979 - David 1985 - Elena, Juan, and Kate 1987 - Floyd 1992 - Andrew
1994 - Tropical Storms Alberto and Beryl; Gordon 1995 - Allison and Erin
And, of course we watched the horrific coverage unfold in 1961 with Hurricanes Carla and Hattie; in 1967 with Hurricane Beulah; Camille in 1969 was devastating; then Celia in 1970 - and Alicia in 1983, Gloria in 1985, and Hugo in 1989.
I feel so much sympathy for those of my friends, family, and colleagues who are being impacted by Hurricane Matthew. I know that a lot of folks I know are under evacuation orders, and are not at home with some of their most prized possessions. I wish I possessed magical powers and could wave my hands, or wriggle my nose, and make the seas and winds calm again. (No, I do not want to be a God, or God-like.) I just wish that our coastal areas could enjoy calm weather... Friends, please let me know if there is anything that I can do for you. Know that you're in my heart and thoughts...
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Assorted Photos
This manatee was spotted off Cape Charles, Virginia earlier this week.
Chief Mountain, Montana
Red squirrel, Wales
Puffins
Kansas
Sunset on Sanibel Island, Florida
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Christmas Scenes in the United States
Hawaii
Las Vegas, Nevada
Key West, Florida
Waterville, Maine
Seattle, Washington
San Francisco, California
Marshall Point Lighthouse, Maine
Sacramento, California
Denver, Colorado
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