To my surprise, it turns out I thoroughly enjoy documenting life through the lens of a camera. I like the point and shoot method, followed by some trickery in iPhoto or an app. Yes, it would be lots of fun to play around with a high end digital camera–it might even persuade me to get … Continue reading »
Along with my friend Adrienne and my dog Freida, I hoofed several hundred miles this past year around Lady Bird Lake (formerly Town Lake), in Austin, TX. The name’s a bit deceiving; it really doesn’t look like a lake. It looks more like a river that cuts from east to west and separates south Austin … Continue reading »
In the two+ years since the Big Scout Project launched, I’ve stumbled into an amazing array of really remarkable resources, tutorials, and online knowledge that go way beyond Wikipedia and YouTube. That’s why I’m launching a monthly series called “That Time of the Month.” Each month, I’ll share with you, dear readers, some pre-screened recommendations … Continue reading »
This is my street. Like all of the streets in this subdivision, the roads are wide but the homes are small. Even though there’s wide cultural diversity in this working class subdivision, the houses are quite homogenous. The name of this 1980′s subdivision is Buckingham Estates. Sounds pretty high brow, doesn’t it? Sounds like we … Continue reading »
I am no fan of the creepy crawler. I don’t keep tarantulas and lizards as pets. Big southern roaches completely creep me out. And I let Charles and the terrier-mix Freida track the occasional mouse behind the hot water heater. But a scout knows her wildlife, and that includes the creepiest and dangerous ones. There … Continue reading »
My memory isn’t what it used to be, but there are some things you never forget. My 16th birthday was memorable for two reasons. First, it marked the long-awaited start of driving lessons, and more than a few of you remember that joy. Of course, as an adult, I think it’s the apex of insanity … Continue reading »
Walking as much as I have this year has reminded me just how beautiful this part of the world is. It’s spring, of course, and most everywhere is lovely in spring. But this winter’s rain brought us a vivid wildflower season, made more precious by last year’s drought. BADGE WORK UPDATE: EARTH CONNECTIONS, ECO-ACTION, OUTDOOR … Continue reading »
I scammed hand washing as a kid. I turned on the cold water, without soap, played at washing my hands for about five seconds, and declared myself done. Of course, that doesn’t actually get rid of germs, but it’s hard for kids to understand how something invisible can make any kind of real difference. Why … Continue reading »
You start a project like this, and you notice that you’ll be asked to do a bit of thinking about how you might help make the world a better place. Scout badges are chock full of tasks intended to improve our homes, our communities, our planet. And last January, after participating in No Impact Week, … Continue reading »
Y’all know I’ve been fairly grumpy about this Texas summer’s heat, but maybe it’s been worthwhile. Yesterday, August 24th, set the weather record in Austin, Texas for the number of 100+ days at 70 degrees. That record will be broken today, then tomorrow, and so forth for the next couple of weeks. Brutal as it’s … Continue reading »
