Remodeling On A Budget

I saw this sign a couple of weeks ago, and I thought it was brilliant. Apparently this gas station used to be a Phillips 66, but it isn't any longer. Instead of replacing the old sign, the owners decided to just 'X' out the old one. I'm not sure why they chose to just cross out the '66' part instead of putting one big 'X' over the whole thing, but there it is. Out of curiosity, would you buy anything at this place?

Tomorrow after work I'm heading down to Austin for this:

I hope it's going to be an interesting presentation. Crumb is one of my all-time favorite films, and I love his comic work. I can't wait to get my hands on his illustrated version of Genesis. I'm less familiar with Spiegelman's work. I know about Maus, but I haven't read it. I hope to rectify that soon.

Sunset 11-08-09

On Sunday evening I went to a nearby park. I thought there might be a decent sunset because there were some clouds around, but as the sun started to go down it didn't look like anything special was going to happen. I was actually in my car leaving the park when the sky turned to pink. I pulled my car over and got out so I could take a few shots.

State Fair Animals - Miscellaneous

OK, I'm finally wrapping up my State Fair animal series. It really was one of my favorite things about the Fair - a city slicker like me getting to see some animals up close. Some unusual, some not-so-unusual.

Check out the baby kangaroo's arm sticking out!

I was glad that it was sunny on my second trip. On my first trip it was on the cool side, and the mama kangaroo was huddled under a heat lamp. Obviously teh kangaroo likes teh heat.

I like the way the neck feathers look.

I'm obsessed with bison. I think it's because they're like a link to the past - they are essentially the same as they have been for thousands of years. And I'm also fascinated by the fact that they used to roam freely around here. It blows my mind that someone who lived around here 200 years ago could just see bison roaming around. What can I say, I'm weird.

I felt the bison's coat - it was so thick. I can see how it makes for great insulation in winter weather.

Highland cattle

Alpaca

State Fair Animals - Dogs

One of the things I always like to see at the Fair is the dog shows. This year they had a stunt show as well as a show where dogs and their owners did dance/stunt routines together.

This red heeler caught most of those frisbees.

After the show you could get up close to some of the dogs. They really seemed to love the attention.

This was the dog that was balanced on the lady's feet in the 4th photo. From what she said he is a mix of a bunch of different breeds. It's hard to see, but in the background she had a piece of paper showing that his mom is a Tasmanian Devil & his dad is a weasel.

I had to use a flash, and I corrected the red eye on the computer. I think it looks kind of weird. Maybe I'm just used to seeing dogs with the reflections in their eyes?

This poodle was really sweet. Her coat was so thick and soft. She's a rescue dog and her and her owner are just starting out in the program to learn how to develop a "dance" routine.

State Fair Animals - Camels

There were a couple of camels (dromedaries) at the Fair - one juvenile and one full-grown. They were really fun to watch because they interacted a lot with people. Their upturned mouths make them look like they're smirking to me.

I love the look on the face of that little girl.

The way that the camel's upper lip would move to scoop up food was pretty funny-looking.

State Fair Animals - Goats

The tour of the Ark continues with...goats! The baby goats are really fun to watch. Like the piglets, they are very playful. They'll headbutt each other, run around, and they love climbing on stuff. There were some tires in their enclosure, and they loved climbing into the middle of them.

State Fair Animals - Pigs

I also saw pigs at the Fair. The little piglets were really playful.