I did these before the latest round of dust storms, so they are more cheerful than the pics I will post after these. Those others were taken in the thick of an orange sky, and I was being sandblasted.
There is just one more batch of these. These were taken near a really funky beer joint. We are talking about something like Cheers, a friendly neighborhood place, but in a very different sort of neighborhood in a very different sort of city, in a very different sort of state.
This is really out in the boonies, but the city is growing in that direction as well. Lubbock is sucking up limited and irreplaceable water resources at a faster and faster rate. Let us get this straight: our aquifer does not recharge quickly enough to matter, no matter how hard it rains.
The playa lakes around town are good drought indicators. And they are vanishing. The near-surface water table is becoming so low that soon trees will start dieing. There is no rain in prospect. In fact, it looks like we are in for a week of dust storms. Tomorrow will be very bad. Hot, dry, dusty, wind is the norm at this time of year anyway.
All that area in the foreground was under water years ago. But these are just little playa lakes. The same thing is happening to larger lakes used for recreation and drinking water.
Speaking of cars, my wife and I drive around and sometimes see modest houses with up to four cars parked in front, filling the driveways and curb spots in front. And then we see garages with their doors open and the garages are stuffed to the gills with junk-- no room for the car. This seems not uncommon here. The typical garage is full of furniture and storage boxes. And most houses have an alarming number of vehicles associated with them. And in other neighborhoods, where the houses are in a dismal state of repair,
tiny and falling apart, you see cars parked in the yard that are surely worth more than the house-- new and top of the line. We conclude that lots of people have a very twisted sense of what is important. We think this does not bode well for the future.
Now we get into a few new and old Ford Mustangs...
This one has not been restored, but could be driven.
Like new!
This miniature pony did not seem very happy.
I remember these Mercury Comets-- braking from 60mph took 200 feet and you'd end up looking back to where you'd been. Also severe understeering due to heavy frontends.
This is a Studebacker Lark.
A modern Mustang. Supercharged. Good brakes. Good handling. Lots of safety features.
