Detour on the Eternal Road – A Review by Thomas Wikman

~ John W. Howell ~ 1 Comment

Thomas Wikman has hosted me on the Detour on the Eternal Road. He has also published a beautiful review on his blog. Ig yoiu would like to take a minute to read it  Here is a link to the review.

 

A little more about Thomas

” I am a retired software / robotics engineer with a background in physics—but this blog is primarily about Leonbergers, an unusual and fascinating dog breed that is known for its size, affectionate nature, and intelligence.

I know a lot about Leonbergers because my family was lucky enough to live with one for thirteen years. His name was Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle—but we called him “Bronco” for short.

Bronco wasn’t our only dog, but our world wouldn’t have been the same without him. For instance, he once saved the life of our pug by fending off an attack from another dog. He probably saved our Labrador’s life, too, by sniffing out an impending insulin shock before it happened. Then there was the time he scared off a trespasser who’d been terrorizing my wife and other women in the neighborhood.

Bronco is no longer with us, but even in his passing he was distinctive. Leonbergers tend to live less than nine years—but Bronco came very close to reaching his thirteenth birthday. In fact, he received an award for longevity called the “Grey Muzzle Award.”  We already knew he was a special dog, but we sent his DNA to two labs for research anyway.

As for me: in addition to being a dog lover, I am a craft beer enthusiast and brewer, an amateur astronomer, a student of French, and an avid reader. From time to time, I may write about these or other subjects here, in addition to writing about dogs. I live in Dallas, Texas, but I am originally from Sweden. I am married to Claudia, and we have three children: Jacob, David, and Rachel.”

His Book (click cover for Amazon)

Comments are turned off and can be left with Thomas.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – Fri-Yay/Good News

~ John W. Howell ~ 85 Comments
An example of the pods at Dallas Love Field Airport – credit: JetWind Corporation

Today’s good news story comes from the Good News Network.

Jet Engine Exhaust is Turned into Electricity to Power Dallas International Airport

By Andy Corbley –

An intuitive piece of hardware collects days’ worth of renewable energy from airplane engine exhaust before takeoff from a Dallas airport.

“Boarding is completed” is a common refrain heard over the intercom system in the moments before taxiing to the runway.

At that moment, the pilot will begin a series of engine tests and pre-flight checks, during which the turbine engines will idle with their ferocious noise and exhaust fumes.

A company called JetWind has realized that all that idling force is like the strong winds needed to power a wind turbine and has built a series of pods that can capture it during the 5-10 minutes the aircraft is sitting at the gate waiting for clearance to taxi.

“The main goal of our project is to harness the consistent wind created by jets and convert it into an eco-friendly energy source,” JetWind’s founder and president, Dr. T. O. Souryal, told Interesting Engineering.

“What was once considered wasted energy can now benefit energy grids, ultimately promoting smarter and more sustainable infrastructure across the globe.”

Three years of testing between 2021 and 2024 have informed the official deployment of JetWind’s flagship product at Dallas Love Field airport. 13 sets of pods will sit beneath the gate hooked up to external batteries that connect to the grid the airport uses. Solar panels add to the energy generation, and the whole set can create about 30 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy, enough to power a family home for a few days.

While it isn’t nearly what the average airport will consume during a day of operations, when combined with 12 other systems like it, it can make a big difference in reducing the building’s carbon footprint.

“Dallas Love Field has always been a hub of progress, and the introduction of JetWind’s Energy Capturing Pods reinforces its position as a testing ground for innovative technologies,” said former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert.

“By converting man-made wind into energy, we highlight Dallas as a leader in sustainable solutions and prove that cities can take significant steps toward tackling global energy challenges.”

The debut of the JetWind pods at Love Field has attracted attention from around the globe, including companies and governments from Switzerland, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Ecuador, the UK, France, and Australia.

The good news in today’s story is that not all energy projects are enormous. Even the little ones count. Today’s JohnKu is about little steps. I hope you have a beautiful weekend.

Small by John W. Howell © 2024

Even small projects,

Can add up to big savings . . .

It is worth small steps.

Detour on the Eternal Road – Review by Jaye Marie and Anita Dawes

~ John W. Howell ~ 18 Comments

Jaye Marie and Anita Dawes have written a lovely review of Detour on the Eternal Road. I am very grateful for their support on tour and for taking the time to read the story and let everyone know their thoughts about it. They are very talented sisters who author books. In addition, Jaye is interested in gardening and her bonsai collection. Anita also writes compelling poetry. I am delighted that Anita and Jaye volunteered to host a stop on the tour. Here is a link to their post.

A little more about Jaye

Jaye Marie came to writing rather late but has always loved books.

She enjoys reading many different genres, so was surprised to discover a passion for writing detective thrillers. Four of them to date, with more to follow.

She also enjoys running a website/blog, https://jenanita01.com and loves meeting all the wonderful people who drop in to say hello!

 

Jaye has 13 titles published. You can see all of them at Her Amazon Page

A little more about Anita

Anita Dawes loves all things esoteric, magical and the otherworldly and would prefer to live in a fairy tale. In between these moments, she likes to visit old churches and ancient buildings.

She has written six fiction novels in various genres, Bad Moon, Simple, Secrets, The Scarlet Ribbon; Let it Go and Not My Life. Presently working on a sequel to her popular supernatural romance, The Scarlet Ribbon.

Anita has recently rediscovered her childhood love of poetry and often writes and posts them online.

Once owned by an egocentric black and white cat called Merlin, named after her favourite hero, Anita dislikes computers and prefers to writes longhand, sharing a website http://jenanita01.com with Jaye Marie, who transcribes and edits her work…

Anita has 19 titles published. You can visit them at her Amazon Author Page

I have closed the comments so you can leave them on Jaye Marie and Anita’s post.

Thursday – A Little Personal – Twiggy and Tempeste confront Winter Weather

~ John W. Howell ~ 128 Comments

“Not sure going outside to play is a good idea, Tempeste.”

“Why not? Looks okay to me.”

“Mom took me for a walk earlier and it was cold.”

“Cold? Since when does Texas cold bother us?”

“This was a little bit colder than Texas cold. It was freezing.”

“Hey Dad. How cold is it out there?”

“Right now it is 22 degrees Fahrenheit  ( Minus 5.5 C) Feels like 2 degrees F (minus 16.6 C)”

” Well that does seem a little colder than we are use to.”

“I wouldn’t plan on spending too much time out there.”

“Okay Dad. We appreciate the advice.”

“Well Tempeste. What do you think?”

“Hold on. Wait till Dad is out of ear shot.”

“Yeah he’s gone. What do you think?”

“I say a couple of sweaters and we are good to go. I’m going to have a look see.”

“How does it look?”

“Would you believe there is snow on the neighbor’s roof?”

“You’re kidding.”

“I’m not kidding. There are flurries blowing around. I think Dad is right. Let’s hit the couch.”

“Sometimes that old guy knows what he is talking about, Twiggy.”

“I’m just glad he doesn’t put us to work or something.”

“Work? Whats that?”

“The curse of the sleeping class.”

 

Detour on the Eternal Road Tour – Stop Fourteen with Thomas Wikman.

~ John W. Howell ~ 44 Comments

Thomas Wikman is a person with many interests. He and I got to conversing after I found out one of his interests is beer. He knows a lot about beer and it was fun. Since those days, I have followed Thomas on his blog and have realized that he writes about physics, science, book reviews, life, Leonberger dogs, and any number of other subjects. He has another blog named Superfactful where he explores finite subjects. Here is the link. https://superfactful.com

I am glad Thomas volunteered to host me on the tour today. Here is a link to his post.

 

A little more about Thomas

” I am a retired software / robotics engineer with a background in physics—but this blog is primarily about Leonbergers, an unusual and fascinating dog breed that is known for its size, affectionate nature, and intelligence.

I know a lot about Leonbergers because my family was lucky enough to live with one for thirteen years. His name was Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle—but we called him “Bronco” for short.

Bronco wasn’t our only dog, but our world wouldn’t have been the same without him. For instance, he once saved the life of our pug by fending off an attack from another dog. He probably saved our Labrador’s life, too, by sniffing out an impending insulin shock before it happened. Then there was the time he scared off a trespasser who’d been terrorizing my wife and other women in the neighborhood.

Bronco is no longer with us, but even in his passing he was distinctive. Leonbergers tend to live less than nine years—but Bronco came very close to reaching his thirteenth birthday. In fact, he received an award for longevity called the “Grey Muzzle Award.”  We already knew he was a special dog, but we sent his DNA to two labs for research anyway.

As for me: in addition to being a dog lover, I am a craft beer enthusiast and brewer, an amateur astronomer, a student of French, and an avid reader. From time to time, I may write about these or other subjects here, in addition to writing about dogs. I live in Dallas, Texas, but I am originally from Sweden. I am married to Claudia, and we have three children: Jacob, David, and Rachel.”

His Book (click cover for Amazon)

I have turned off comments so you can leave them with Thomas.

Detour on the Eternal Road Tour – Stop Thirteen with Liz Gauffreau

~ John W. Howell ~ 1 Comment

Liz and I have followed each other for what seems like forever. I have enjoyed Liz’s stories, poetry, and her classic New Hampshire humor. She is an accomplished poet and fiction writer. She has published a novel, Telling Sonny: The Story of a Girl Who Loved the Vaudeville Show and two collections of photopoetry, Grief Songs: Poems of Love & Remembrance and Simple Pleasures: Haiku from the place just right.  Her second novel, The Weight of Snow and Regret, is based on the closing of the last poor farm in Vermont in 1968. The Weight of Snow and Regret will be released on October 1, 2025.

I am very honored that she volunteered to host Detour on the Eternal Road on her blog today. Here is a link to that post.

More about Liz.

Elizabeth Gauffreau writes fiction and poetry with a strong connection to family and place. She holds a BA in English/Writing from Old Dominion University and an MA in English/Fiction Writing from the University of New Hampshire. Her fiction publications include short stories in Woven Tale Press, The Long Story, Soundings East, Ad Hoc Monadnock, Rio Grande Review, Blueline, Slow Trains, Hospital Drive, and Serving House Journal,among others. Her poetry has appeared in North of Oxford, The Writing On The Wall, The Larcom Review, and Natural Bridge. Her short story “Henrietta’s Saving Grace” was awarded the 2022 Ben Nyberg  prize for fiction by Choeofpleirn Press.

Liz’s professional background is in nontraditional higher education, including academic advising, classroom and online teaching, curriculum development, and program administration. She received the Granite State College Distinguished Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2018. Liz lives in Nottingham, New Hampshire with her husband. Find her online at https://linktr.ee/egauff.

Here are her books (click photo for Liz’s Amazon page)

I have turned off comments so you can leave them on Liz’s post.

 

 

 

Views of the Neighborhood – A Concert at the Lakeway Activity Center

~ John W. Howell ~ 66 Comments

Today, we are visiting the Lakeway Activity Center to attend a concert by the singing group A Capella Texas. This concert is in a series of brown bag lunch concerts sponsored by The Lakeway Arts Committee.

Here’s a little about A Cappella Texas.

A Cappella Texas entertains audiences with world-class a cappella harmony featuring new and challenging contemporary a cappella, doo-wop, gospel music, and traditional barbershop arrangements. Since 1961, Austin has been home to a Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS) chapter. In the past six decades, the Austin Chapter and its quartets have brought people together in harmony and fellowship to enrich lives through singing. Hundreds of local singers and schools have joined in the fun as they have encouraged and preserved the uniquely American a cappella art form known as barbershop music.

We are catered by Acre 41 of Austin, and our entertainment is Home Free.

Menu

Eggs Your Way – bacon or sausage, breakfast potatoes, toast

Tres Leches French Toast – strawberries, powdered sugar, whipped cream

Huevos Rancheros – sunny egg, crispy tortilla, black bean, avocado, jalapeno, queso fresco

Salmon Poke Bowl – maitake, edamame, cucumber, avocado, ponzu, sushi rice

Wagyu Flat Iron & Eggs – eggs your way, breakfast potatoes

Spinach & Mushroom Egg White Omelet – havarti, breakfast potatoes, toast

Smoked Ham & Pimento Cheese Omelet – house pimento cheese, breakfast potatoes, toast

Buttermilk Pancakes – blackberry preserve, maple syrup

Sausage & Egg Burrito – chicken sausage, queso chihuahua, pepper jack, salsa roja

Thick Bacon Benedict – hollandaise, English muffin, asparagus, poached eggs

Picture of an old time school bus

Let’s go

The Activity Center.

The Center courtyard. Places to relax.

Tortoise ceramics in the courtyard

There is a sign for the performance.

Tables decked out for Valentine’s Day.

The Chairperson of the Arts Committee welcomes everyone.

A nice turnout.

Some know how to do it.

Getting ready for the performance.

The Chairperson of the A Capella Texas group makes an introduction.

There they are. A note on the

Up a lazy river.

A wonderful concert. Now, it is time to enjoy some acapella music and enjoy brunch.

 

 

 

Saturday – A Little Personal – Twiggy and Tempeste at Play

~ John W. Howell ~ 125 Comments

“Yes, mom. Twiggy and I are here playing.”

“Go on out there. She is looking for us.”

“Okay, Mom. I’ll tell her.”

“Tell me what?”

“Mom says not to rub the chairs and to play nice.”

“The only reason the chairs are facing out is so you won’t jump on the table.”

“Do you know how much fun it is to land in the center?”

“The last time you had that bowl of roses all over the place.”

“I’m going to shake some sense into Crabbie.”

“That crab has no sense, so good luck.”

“You want to trade toys?”

“Mmm. I’m happy with this one.”

“What, Mom? Yes, we are playing together.”

“That’s pretty funny. We aren’t even close to playing together.”

“Well, we could if you would share that doll.”

“I’m almost finished with it.”

“So I can play with it?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Wow. It looks pretty wet.”

“You know how it is with toys and mouths.”

“Okay. What did you have for breakfast? Whale?”

“You saying it’s funky?”

“It smells days old. Where are you going?”

“Out to get Crabbie.”

“That will be a no. I just can’t let you do that.”

“Alright, I’ll leave Crabbie alone if you stop tickling me.”

“Say, Uncle.”

“No way.”

Detour on the Eternal Road Tour – Stop Twelve with Dave Williams

~ John W. Howell

Dave and I recently started following each other. I was attracted to Dave’s blog by his great sense of humor. Once there, I discovered he writes poetry, has eight books published, and draws. In addition, Dave has special features on his posts. Right now, he is running a Joy Project, where he invites writers to fill in the blank on “Joy is _________.”Dave will then publish the piece on his blog.

I am delighted that Dave volunteered to help spread the word on Detour on the Eternal Road. Here is a link to Dave’s post.

More about Dave in his own words

I fell under the spell of books when I was growing up and working in my grandparents’ bookstore: Gingerbread Square Books in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware—a small coastal town that gets crowded with tourists in the summer months. When I began reading books, I was transported to another place, the world the book conjured for me. For me, it was magical.

Now in my 40s, I still feel this way. The ability of an author to pull you into his or her story is truly magical. When I thought of what kind of jobs I could possibly be interested in when I eventually became an adult, I wanted to be one of those people who was able to make that magic happen for readers. And I still do.

Along the way, I’ve found the act of creating is also a kind of magic. When I write, I often fall into the story, and it’s a rush that I’ve come to seek out, one that I’ve become addicted to. That rush doesn’t happen every single time I write, and those days are ones to be pushed through. Frustration is also a part of the process, which makes me value the days when writing clicks well.

I live in Maryland with my wonderful wife, Sue, and our two daughters: Tess and Molly. It’s been a joy to watch them fall in love with the magic of books, from when I read to them, to consuming a great deal of books on their own.

I had the joy to be on the Sharing the Heart of the Matter podcast, hosted by Wynne Leon and Vicki Atkinson. If you’d like to learn more about my background, please listen to Episode 51: The Magic of Stories, available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music.

Also, you can reach me at davewilliamswriter [at] gmail.com if you’d like to reach out that way.

Dave’s latest (Click for Amazon)

Visit Dave’s Amazon Author page for the rest of his books.

I have closed comments here, so you can leave them with Dave.

Detour on the Eternal Road Tour – Stop Eleven with Marie Ann Bailey

~ John W. Howell ~ 1 Comment

I have known Marie Ann Bailey almost since the first day I started blogging. We somehow connected and then collaborated on a simupublished set of posts on the Top Ten Things Not to Do. We wrote and published over a year’s worth of the posts. Marie was the creator of not only mutual publishing but also the idea of ten things not to do. “There are plenty of Top Ten to-do lists,” she said. How about a Top Ten Not to Do list?”  We both loved the idea; the feature was born and continues today.

You can see why I’m excited and grateful that Marie volunteered for this tour. The link to her post is here.

A little more about Marie in her words.

“I am a writer living in the southeastern United States with two cats, more yarn than I can knit up in a lifetime, and a dear husband who doubles as my best friend.

My writing career started in the fourth grade when I was asked to read aloud a story I wrote. Since then, I’ve taken creative writing classes whenever possible, joined writing groups and literary guilds, and participated in readings.  Still, in spite of the support I received from mentors and fellow writers, lack of self-confidence made it easy for me to give up on writing. Once I got a “real” job (in an office with a biweekly paycheck and benefits), it was hard to argue with anyone that I should or could expect to do better by writing.

I’ve made a lot of detours in the past thirty years, trying to become a Professional whatever (social worker, data analyst), trying to believe in careers and working in offices and 401k’s.  But now that I’m retired, I’ve woken up to the fact that those things–career, working in an office, going to meetings, conferences–has little value for me. My writing has picked up, as have my publications.

In my ideal world, I’m always dressed for yoga, writing until I’m empty of words, knitting down my stash, reading up my leaning tower of to-be-read books, and cuddling with my husband and kitties.”

Marie didn’t mention that she is an accomplished photographer as well.

I have turned off comments so you can leave them with Marie.