Amazingly, we've had some rain. Some large hail as well but in my neck of the woods it was not big enough to damage the roof or destroy the gardens. In other parts of town, quite severe hail, like tennis ball size. I was sweating it out. After the rain the playa lakes have got more water in them. I set out to get new views of one I photographed when it was very low.
This playa lake is in an area with truck stops and related service centers.
Nice to see it with more water in it.
It gets some of its water from a large storm drain. The rest is just run-off from streets.
I re-examined some streets I've explored in the past, with my wife, to see if there were any changes. For this part of the journey I used the NIKON.
Yes, there were a few changes. I was also able to see some new things because I picked a time when traffic was very light.
Without a telephoto I could not have gotten these shots.
More next time!
I plan to have another photo series from New Braunfels later in the year. But this one is done. I also have pics from my cousin-- the house that collapsed is being salvaged, or at least someone is trying to salvage it.
There are lots of Civil War vets in this cemetery.
Ronnie Imhoff! I went to school with him! We started off in the first grade together and went all through high school. Sobering.
So many Kronkoskys!
Images like these speak for themselves. There is nothing morbid about this. This is reality.
The Jacob Lindheimer grave illustrates nicely the intellectual caliber of the people who settled New Braunfels. Let's face it-- a lot of the people who came to this country from Europe were crazies. Fanatics. But not THESE people.
The next time I visit New Braunfels I hope to be less depressed. I missed my wife very much on this trip.
And here is the famous "Meatloaf Grave". She made the best meatloaf. What a way to be remembered! Obviously, her meatloaf was to die for.
And now, some views of the house that collapsed! It has been hoisted up, and is being prepped for a new foundation. The smashed car has been removed. But I'd question the soundness of the house. Everything must have been shaken loose. I know the chimney was shattered. Everything must have been shocked when it fell over. Surely it needs a new roof at the very least. Will it ever be square again? Can it ever again have any right angles where floors meet walls and walls meet ceilings?? Thanks to my cousin for these pics!
I would not have believed it possible!
And I have my cousin to thank for this amazing tour. I'm grateful.
It had been many years since the last time I saw these things.
I knew the woman in the grave above as "Oma Tilly"-- my great, great, grandmother. I have a black and white photo in which she is holding me. I could not have been one year old at that time.
It was good to see these things. I needed a reminder of family history.
Life is ephemeral, isn't it.
And here is the unexpected part: I got a demonstration of a paranormal method of locating graves! For details, you can check the internet and there are several Youtube videos demonstrating the process, but I WAS THERE, and I saw it, and I took photos.
The pointers in my cousin's hands began to swing together as he approached a grave and crossed directly over the grave. But here's the really odd thing-- I tried it myself and the same thing happened. It was uncanny, feeling the pointers begin to move in my hands. I can't think of any way I would have caused this by any voluntary or involuntary movement of my hands, no way that my muscles could have exerted the required forces, given the loose, awkward, grip, and no way that gravity could produce the effect without a really obvious change of hand position. Try it yourself. Hold metal rods in this position and try to MAKE them cross. You can do it, but the effort is obvious, involves a lot of awkward muscular effort, and the force of gravity is not enough to overcome friction unless you really obviously twist your wrists out of position. I made a very deliberate effort to hold my hands steady. I did not expect anything to happen! And the pointers moved and crossed. I FELT them turning! I can't explain it. It seems to me that naturalistic explanations for this phenomenon are so contrived and ad hoc they don't really add useful information to the discussion. "Power of suggestion"? So how would that work, exactly, since you've still got the mechanical and physiological problem of making the rods move with no muscular effort obvious to an observer. If you try to do this deliberately, you'll find that it's impossible. So what IS the explanation? I have no idea. But it would be fun to try some experiments. If you tried cutting down the dimension of the pointers, little by little, would it still work? If it still worked and you kept cutting down the pointers, would you reach a length that wouldn't work? How about using different materials? Could you do this in a pet cemetery? And so on. Something is obviously happening, and it is hard to explain, but maybe you could put some boundaries on it. Also, it doesn't work for just anyone, supposedly. That's another boundary that could be explored. Anyway, I never expected this. Now on to more photos...
According to the pointers, there's a grave at this spot.
Well, I will finish this next time.
This playa lake is in an area with truck stops and related service centers. 
It gets some of its water from a large storm drain. The rest is just run-off from streets.
Yes, there were a few changes. I was also able to see some new things because I picked a time when traffic was very light.
Without a telephoto I could not have gotten these shots.
More next time!
