editor

If you've ever seen The Talented Mr. Ripley, this is where a good deal of it was filmed.

We were the only people in the hotel almost the entire time we were there. Tourist season didn't start until May 1. The hotel has another pool that's filled by a volcanic vent. It has to be emptied every day. In the morning it's filled with this hot, thick, green water which turns brown as the day goes on. It's supposed to kill any skin problems you have.

Where I'm from people don't eat crayfish; they're considered the roaches of the sea. I picked up "mud bugs" living in Houston.

Reading this thread jogged a memory for me -- I remember the seafood department on Friday's would bring in massive metal tubs full of wriggling mudbugs for weekend cookouts. They were huge -- maybe the size of a twin bed.

No kidding. Great cheap food, great water, cheap local wine, nice people, cheap and abundant transportation. The only downside is the hoards of German tourists that fill the place from May 1 through July 31. And that in certain parts of the island people don't speak a lick of English. Italian (naturally) is the primary language, followed by German and then French. Fortunately, I took French in school and picked up enough German from my mother to get by.

No, I got back in May, but I was working on some client photos first before doing these. These were all taken in April and May. It was really cold there.

Pictures of Ischia Ponte, Italy. Not to be confused with Ischia Porto, which is another thread.

Pictures of Ischia Ponte, Italy. Not to be confused with Ischia Porto, which is another thread.

Spent some time on the island of Ischia off the coast of Naples this past spring. The big town is Ischia Porto. Here's some pictures:

Yeah, Biggs and Meijer compete directly in some markets. It's great for the consumer. For years both chains would try to beat each other on milk prices to lure people into their stores. I took a picture once when it got down to 49 cents a gallon. 49 cents! I pay almost five bucks a gallon here and I'm only an hour from freakin' Wisconsin. As for differences between Biggs and Meijer, it was kind of like the difference between Wal-Mart and Target -- mostly perceptual. I shopped at Meijer simply because it was more convenient and the Kentucky store was cheaper because of lower taxes.

Looks like a combination of the Citigroup Center in New York and that big new bank building in Shanghai.

It was out on the western part of Beltway 8. It wasn't really very good compared with other hypermarket chains like Meijer. It was pretty dirty and dark and run down. The largest part of it was the supermarket, but then there was a large portion that sold baby and children's clothes, and basic dry goods. The front part of the store was divided into a few smaller stores like a crappy jewelry store and a travel agency and a few other miscellaneous things. All in all, the place was pretty depressing. I'd go there every other month or so. The clientele was mostly Mexican and Asian and you could get a lot of fresh ethnic foods and fruits and vegetables because of this. You really didn't miss anything. I've been to an Auchan outside Budapest, Hungary and it was pretty much the same as the one in Houston, except the clientele was Russians and Turks instead of Mexicans and Asians. I've been to a bunch of Meijer stores in Ohio, and they're great. In some regions hypermarkets thrive. In others, they don't. I don't know why the Auchan died in Houston.

Sometimes looking forward to Caturday is the only thing that gets me through the week.

Aye, today be the best o' both worlds. Gar. Ahoy, not only it be Talk Like A Pirate Day, 'tis also Caturday, argh!

No kidding. If you get a flat, try to make it to the nearest freeway!

It's a mosaic. The different directional assistance signs downtown have artwork on the back. In this case, a pixellated eye

It was $110 when I lived in Houston (-2003). I know this because I used to have people towed out of my private parking space several times a week. But I think under the Safe Clear program, drivers aren't charged for the tow, as someone mentioned earlier.

I think the impetus was more about cars stalled in traffic lanes than on the shoulder. Back when I paid attention to traffic reports in Houston I seem to recall it happening all the time, and I never really understood why. With the cars I've had once you get them moving, you were pretty much OK until you turned them off again. The reason the stalled vehicle thing sticks in my mind is because particular Houston traffic reporter got in trouble when one of those stalled vehicles was a taco wagon and he called it a "roach coach" on air. His boss accused him of being a racist and wanted him fired. It didn't happen simply because she didn't have that power.

There are always people against everything. I think with the population sizes we have today it's just a mathematical certainty. There were people against building the Astrodome. Heck, there was a huge movement among artists and intellectuals against the Eiffel Tower. You're right, though -- I remember there being a very vocal minority against the Safe Tow program. I don't remember what their argument was, but in hindsight it must have been pretty stupid.

Four Seasons Magazine has a feature this month about the best things in Austin. http://magazine.fourseasons.com/concierge_recommends/americas/austin/concierge_recommends_austin_texas/?roie=cci2186

if only there was a way to get a PNG version of this. Of course, who would host such a monster?

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_16029/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=UBvexafb

This afternoon Council Member Anne Clutterbuck and Parks and Recreation Director, Joe Turner, Upper Kirby TIRZ and Management District Board Chairmen and others will dedicate the first set of new trees to be planted on Kirby Drive between Richmond and Westheimer. From the press release:

Here's the Third Ward piece: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112888084