Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

On occasion, I notice that cycling has its seasons. One such appeared here. Other things around our neighborhood are interesting or odd (or both), such as here. Right now, as in the video below, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Have a happy one. In North Texas, it looks like we'll be at our coldest of the year, but it looks like a cold and dry Christmas.

Odd Eye Coincidence

Earlier this month, about the same time as Chandra made his "Eye of the Tiger" post, I was riding home after getting morning coffee. Riding a bike around Ocean Shores is about as low stress as things get. You're a lot less likely to get hit by a deer than if you were motoring along, and traffic is low on the massively overbuilt roads. In some ways, Ocean Shores is almost the antithesis of a "Strong Town" since it has no industry and little infrastructure beyond catering to tourists who drive here from other places.

Anyway, to get back to the story, riding home, I noticed a car behind me. Usually, the cars pass with no delay, but THIS ONE followed me for three full blocks. They even followed me onto the loop street where our house is. Next thing you know, the car, full of young men pulled up beside me. For some reason, they seemed to want to chat as they drove alongside, though not about anything in particular. Next thing you know, one decided he needed to play "Eye of the Tiger" for me on Youtube. Yup, the VERY SAME video Chandra included in his post. I really couldn't hear it very well since cell phones really aren't noted for having powerful speakers. During the song, I slowed down a bit since I didn't know these guys and I figured out having them know where I lived might not be wise. As the song concluded, they drove on by and stopped to chat down the way with someone that happened to be taking a morning walk.

And no, I didn't think to get their license number and I didn't even notice what State the plates were.

Still, it seemed a very odd coincidence...

Whirligig Whirls and Twirls

By popular demand, though the wind was fairly light today, here's the local whirling and twirling.

Texas Oddities

Sometimes, Texas Oddities Stick to a Texas Theme, as in this Birdhouse

 Occasionally, we need reminders that people like things that are considered whimsical or odd, even in places such as Texas. Earlier, HERE, I noted oddities along my commute route. Separately, HERE, In took note of "yard art" in Ocean Shores. Out this morning, I noticed new and different whimsical items in Colleyville.

VERY Elaborate Windvane!

Elvis Has Left the Building

Elvis Slept Here

Oklahoma, among other things, is home to the longest stretch of Route 66. Back in the days before air travel became routine and the Interstate Highway System reshaped America, Elvis Presley and his entourage would travel along "the Mother Road" and often stayed at the Tradewinds Inn in Clinton, Oklahoma when traveling from Memphis to the west coast. It was a bit further along the road from where they stopped for dinner.

Elvis Had "The Room With No Number," But it USED to be Room 215

Being "The King," Elvis stayed in what he considered the best room, Room 215. I've heard others in his party slept in Room 216 next door. Over the years, fans have absconded with the room number plate so many times that nowadays, it is simply an unmarked door. The room is still decorated in the way it was back when Elvis still occasionally WAS in the building. Shag carpet and all. The motel has definitely seen better days and is now MORE than a little seedy. Tripadvisor has it rated at 1.5 stars out of 5. Needless to say, we didn't have the inclination to stay there.

Clinton is also notable for having one of the best Route 66 museums.

 

Whimsy From a Bike

Yesterday, my route took me once more past the topiary elephant I pointed out here. It prompted me to record that the Ocean Shores vicinity seems to have an unusual amount of yard art and generally "beachy" items. Some purport to be useful, such as the raccoon reflector and mailbox. Never mind that both are really just excuses for whimsy under a thin veneer of utility. Hmm, I guess this is somewhat similar to the way that Kermit on Frankenbike pretends to be a useful "horn."

Some items take a more educational bent such as the pencils and bear below.

Some take an historical perspective, such as the farm implement below.

Remember, Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires!

The Lady Told me She Got that Monkey Puzzle Tree Online Since Nobody Local Sells Them
The Cart Repair is a Winter Project so the Driver Can be Reinstated

Don't Ask Me How this Gadget Works

But many are merely fanciful, such as the final items on this post. In this case, that includes the "Texas Star" which is seen on quite a few houses hereabouts, though I haven't seen anyone agitating to join up and add a second star to the Lone Star State. One lady I asked didn't know they ARE Texas stars.

Northwest Texas?

 

 

 

And, of course, Kermit approved! Stay tuned for Kermit's NEXT adventure, entitled "Kermit Goes Salmon!"

Kermit's Garden Cousin?

What's a Warning to Do?



CURRENT WARNING - Older Adults Should Limit Outdoor Activity - and How Old are "Older" Adults?

THURSDAY UPDATE
One of the above came out at 4:46PM this afternoon, precisely as I was halfway home on my bike. After the fact warnings are not too useful!

Sometimes government, at least at the local level, is phenomenally responsive. One might wonder about this sometimes. I'll give you an example. NCTCOG sends me email alerts when pollution levels get high. Things are, in theory, pretty bad when there is an Orange Pollution Warning. We're told to limit outdoor activity.

The alerts that have been issued SINCE "Bike to Work Day" look like the picture above. I asked the NCTCOG lady about those warnings, and particularly their mention of bikes as shown in the "before" warnings that are pictured below.

No, I didn't suggest they actually eradicate cycling from their suggestions, merely that they might want to consider what they are advising. Mostly, I get these after I have left for work and am checking my email at Starbucks on the way home. Yup, simply based on a semi-serious inquiry at BTW Day, NCTCOG has changed their email broadcasts. I was surprised, particularly after the response I got from Fort Worth when I made input to their bike plan.

Government response aside, has anyone in otherwise reasonable health ever suffered some sort of damage due to failure to limit outdoor activity during such episodes? For example, would the Cowboys or Rangers cancel a game due to a pollution warning?



Before BTW Day, We Older Types Were Supposed to Limit Outdoor Activity but Were Also
Supposed Bike or Walk Instead of Driving

Comment on Texans?

Graffito, or a Comment on the Intelligence on  the Owners of the Lot Bordering This Wall? This Appeared this Week - in "Pure, Sweet, Bedford, Texas"

One thing I learned while living in California is that graffiti begets MORE graffiti. Apparently, they haven't learned that SOCAL lesson around North Texas. You see, back in January, I posted THIS odd post about some comment that was mysterious to me.

THIS week, another appeared on the same wall to keep the first one company. The owners of this now vacant lot; until recently a motel, haven't caught on to the notion that y'all have to be VIGILANT to keep graffiti from completely taking over otherwise nice and polite walls. It's something that even those in NEW YORK CITY seem to know.

Apparently, an Admonition from January that Has Been Followed-Up...

Odd Scene From a Bike

Graffito on a wall in Bedford, Texas. Is that a Bomb?

Every once in a while, there's simple stuff along my bike commute route that simply seems - ODD. The graffito in the photo above is one such. Which also brings up the observation that there's a lot of construction going on along my route lately. Actually, other than the wasteful addition of lanes to yet another freeway (the 183 Airport Freeway), mostly, it is demolition. The mud in the photo above used to be a very nice motel. And they recently demolished one of those little tiny Starbucks drivethrough places within a couple of miles. And at least a half dozen other places. One wonders if they plan to grow food crops here as we go past "Peak Oil?" One documentary I recently watched forecasts that gasoline will cost $75/gallon within the next ten years. We shall see, but certainly I'd be surprised if it weren't much higher than at current before then. After all, the Chinese want to be "just like us" and THAT is a LOT of gasoline!

Smelly Side of Cold Weather

If It's Wool That's Doing This, Why Only the Left Foot?

Cold weather can be tough on cyclists. This year, I had problems in the cold weather I'd never experienced before. Foot problems. More specifically, LEFT foot problems. Blisters and sore spots. I have no idea why, other than they appeared with the regular use of warm wool socks and disappeared this week with the return of light socks in our warmer weather.

Allergy? Perhaps, but I can't imagine any allergy that only afflicts ONE foot. The RIGHT foot didn't behave abnormally in any way.

Some things might remain mysterious forever more. They didn't explain this in bicycle school! While I imagine this might be related to the tendency of the third foot on my left toe to get numb on occasion while riding, I do not have any good explanation for things...

Commute Oddity

Lighthouse Cemented on Top of a Mailbox in North Texas

North Texas is not bordered by any large bodies of water. It doesn’t have a particularly strong nautical tradition, despite the presence of Naval facilities and even a ship named for the City of Fort Worth. As a result, it strikes me as odd that there should be two light houses on my commute route.

If this were Mukilteo, Washington, lighthouses would be a common sight. One does not expect to encounter them in North Tarrant County.

Less Unusual is this Storage Place - This Chain Used to be Shurgard Storage
Still, What Does a Lighthouse Have to do with "Public Storage?"