Today, we are returning to the Lakeway Storybook walk’s Black History Month exhibit. If you missed the first you can go HERE and catch up. I have to let you know the photos were a challenge. It was overcast but the glass fronts on the enclosures reflected all the trees. I did my best but some are marginal. We are catered by Garrison of Austin and our entertainment is Louis Armstrong.
Finally back to a normal schedule, it was good to see the coffee machine in person. She wanted to know where I had been. Rather than go through a long story, the simple answer was,”Out.” Never to be left in the dark the machine asked,”Where?” My response stopped the discussion right then and there, “Reproductive problems.”
Of course the reproduction mentioned was a book tour but the machine decided not to pursue the subject. My coffee was delivered hot and fragrant. One sip and my mind went to the clock. The setting is for February 21, 1925. The location is New York city, and the duration is one hour. A pull of the plunger and we find ourselves in the offices of the New Yorker at 25 West 45th Street in Manhattan. The staff is celebrating the first issue.
The New Yorker was founded by Harold Ross (1892–1951) and his wife Jane Grant (1892–1972), a New York Times reporter, and debuted on February 21, 1925. Ross wanted to create a sophisticated humor magazine that would be different from perceivably “corny” humor publications such as Judge, where he had worked, or the old Life. Ross partnered with entrepreneur Raoul H. Fleischmann (who founded the General Baking Company) to establish the F-R Publishing Company. Ross edited the magazine until his death in 1951. During the early, occasionally precarious years of its existence, the magazine prided itself on its cosmopolitan sophistication. Ross declared in a 1925 prospectus for the magazine: “It has announced that it is not edited for the old lady in Dubuque.”
Just as the Champaign was openede the alarm too me back to the couch. A text from Linda Hill has come in. It reads: Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “in person.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!
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.
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.
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…
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 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.
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.
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
