Specwriter

U.S. 59 does get us pointed in the general direction of the lower Rio Grande Valley but eventually one has to get onto U.S. 281 to complete the trip. IIRC, Senator Bentsen did have business connections in Houston as well (and as a U.S. senator he did represent the entire state) so there is some logic to the naming of the highway in his honor.

Makes me think of that scene in the Cheech and Chong movie.

Great line, mkultra. Unfortunately, most of my classmates, and myself in particular, were not educated enough at that time for such a clever analysis. We were freshmen and most of us were rubes from the suburbs or even the country!

Correct about Bentsen, JM. My mistake though the reasoning of why his name is on a highway that goes to Laredo when he was born in Mission, Texas eludes me. I pass through the Juan N(epomuceno). Seguin interchange several times during a given week (S. H. 225 is often a preferable alternate to the Gulf Freeway when traveling to or from the bay area. For those unaware of who Seguin was his story is interesting: www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fse08. You might have to copy/paste this web address.The naming of this interchange in honor of Seguin is appropriate IMO due to his involvement in the battle of San Jacinto.

About the same here, Michelle. Besides Roman Meal I had no idea there was anything other than white bread before I moved away from home. Imagine my amazement and delight to discover rye, pumpernickel, and challah.

BTW, my last remark was meant as a joke. Don't anyone get all up about it. I certainly do not blame only those two individuals for the difficulty congress is having these days. Perhaps I should have used this emoticon,

That explains that. What then is the rational behind naming the US 59/I-69 - S. H. 288 interchange after Lloyd Bentsen? Perhaps it could be renamed the John Boehner/Harry Reid interchange since it is always so gridlocked.

My parents were big fans of Roman Meal. They were convinced it was "healthier" than white bread. It certainly stood up to chunky peanut butter better than the white bread of the day.

Second image (sunset) is stunning. Thanks for posting.

Good composition and framing on this one which we know is not easy with a selfie.

I like any building that expresses innovation in engineering but they have to function as well. Designs that provoke one's sensibilities when new may go out of fashion. OTOH if they don't push the envelope just a little they run the risk of fading into the background.

Remember politicians (most at least ) are also human beings capable of doing distinguished things. Is the Johnson Space Center named for the former senator and president because he was able to finagle that important facility for Texas or because he championed many other social programs for people throughout the nation? BTW, notable achievements for his nation or not, what does Ronald Reagan have to do with a stretch of U. S Highway 290?

If this is the Tom Colbert I think it is I know him as a very wise and insightful individual. Just to focus on a single point, that of the definition of a parkway, I think his description says it best: serious attention being paid in the design of the roadway to the scenic and spatial experience of drivers and the development of meaningful relationships between roadway, landscape and urbanism."

And St. Joseph Parkway (formerly Calhoun) is the exception that proves the rule. As I've stated before, streets in the downtown grid running parallel to Texas Avenue are all avenues. This includes Franklin, Prairie, Rusk, Polk, Jefferson, etc. So the thoroughfare should be called St. Joseph Avenue. I have no quarrel with the St. Joseph part since I am not fond of the Calhoun I believe gave rise to the previous name.

Big +1 on this, Subdude.

My freshman year in college our literature professor had us view Last Year at Marienbad for an upcoming writing assignment. It is an unusual French movie in and of itself but it was even weirder when the class saw it because the projectionist did not realize it was filmed in Panavision (widescreen). He set up the projector with a standard lens and everything we saw was elongated vertically. We just thought it was some goofy cinematic effect. When the professor started reading the student's papers about the movie it didn't take him long to figure out what had happened. He thought it was hilarious.

They probably didn't and it surely did not make any difference regarding their fates! Bar-B-Q, yum.

The fire was at an adjacent property. Thanks to everyone for the information and input. Whatever goes in I hope the medallion, now (or previously) located in the basement on the spot of home plate for the old Buffs stadium is preserved in some form.

I think your guess is a very good one, Purdue. In the past we've had contractors ask to tap contingency funds to put in temporary (gravel) drives so that their schedules wouldn't be so impacted by long stretches of rainy weather. I haven't see that problem much lately until the beginning of this year. Many contractors are now including it (temporary surfaces) as part of their overhead. When this brick is no longer needed it can be scraped up and, hopefully, put to some appropriate use instead of going to a landfill. Most demolition specifications are clear about what can be done with this type of waste. Usually, it is not a good idea to bury it on the site though some of the unscrupulous will do that to save transportation and disposal fees.

Good catch with the clear plastic ducts, bruce. I did not see them until I enlarged the image.

Yesterday about 9:15am I was driving north on the Gulf Freeway and noticed a motor coach parked under the canopy at the Finger's Furniture store. There were several pickup trucks nearby as well but nothing I could identify as belonging to a particular company or municipal entity. The fence is still up around the parking lot. Does anyone have information regarding what may be happening with this building? Talk about potential!

I agree Arne's is in jeopardy because of the increasing value of the land but wouldn't it be a pity to loose the place. Architecturally the building is a cipher but the stuff inside and the way it is piled in there is a hoot. I've bought everything from chew toys for my dog to Cinderella themed plates, napkins, and table decorations for my daughter's 4th birthday party to a 6 quart pressure cooker for my kitchen (for a fraction of the price at a department store, BTW) at Arne's. My wife just got a new dog and bought all kinds of accessories for the pooch there for half what they would have cost at P--co.

An acquaintance of mine lived in Moscow in early 1980's and was supplied with a Lada automobile which was a Soviet built Fiat that looked like the box it came in - nothing stylish about it at all. He jokingly said he doubted the car could go fast enough to actually hurt anyone riding in it; a bit like the cartoons where Wylie Coyote's Acme rocket sled falls to pieces around him and he just slides on his butt across the desert.

In the 1950s air conditioning was probably the single most expensive option available on an automobile and it was very expensive; often as much as 10% or more of the total price of the car.

I would think there are bound to be others. I can't think of any in particular off-hand. Other HAIFers can you help? The Ponte Vecchio is rather famous probably because it is in Florence which is another architect's candy store.