Little known outside the area, brisket is revered in Texas. Brisket is not quite as highly ranked as High School Football or Homecoming Mums, but it gives them both a run for their money among most Texans. Brisket, in…
One girl’s year in LA: 2011
This is a wonderful year’s diary of a girl’s 2011 in LA, a few seconds at a time. I think it speaks strongly to the power of visual imagery to spark memory and emotion. 2011 from hey_rabbit on…
The Weather in Austin
We’re currently living in Austin, Texas, USA. We landed here upon returning to the U.S. because we owned a home here. We stayed because it met most of the criteria we were looking for in a place to live. It’s…
The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt – book review
The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt by Toby Wilkinson My rating: 4 of 5 stars In the future, when someone uses the phrase, “monumental effort,” I will think of this book. Mr. Wilkinson has not only attempted, but delivered,…
What Do You Make?
Here in the United States, this is a holiday weekend. The holiday is Labor Day, which was established to celebrate the work and efforts of all who toil to earn a living. Like most holidays, it has accrued additional meanings…
Political Destiny
Demographics is destiny. — Arthur Kemp The political destiny of the U.S. for the next 25 years is sealed. Here’s how: In the United States, the proportion of the population aged >65 years is projected to increase from 12.4% in…
Snow Coasties – There Really Is A Difference
My coastal friends often needle me about my fly-over state sensitivities, and rightly so. The issue sometimes becomes more of a cause than an observation for me, and that’s always a dangerous slipperly slope. However, in my defense, I offer…
The Seekers
Back in 2004 I wrote a holiday message about our Christmas tree titled The Seekers. It turned out to be one of the most popular essays of that era. Since then, it’s turned into a bit of a holiday tradition, with old friends asking…
Great post on lessons learned from world travel
As most of you know, we spent most of the time between 2003 and 2009 exploring the world. We’ve got our own list of lessons learned from those travels here: http://www.hackneys.com/travel/index-lessons-byarea.htm Gary Arndt, who spent the last three years doing…
Six Lessons
(This post available as a PDF document here: http://www.hackneys.com/docs/6lessons.pdf ) I learned six lessons today. The lessons came from over the bridge. (click on photos for larger image)