2022 Photo-A-Day

The Rice Harvest

As the combine cuts the rice, it is vacuumed up into the thresher where it is separated. The stalks are ejected out the rear and the rice goes into the hopper. A tractor pulling a bin pulls up next to the combine and the rice is transferred to the tractor's bin. As one bin fills, there is another to take its place.

A CLAAS Rice Combine

There are two harvests of rice here in SE Texas. The first happened two months ago. The cut rice produces a second crop and it is usually harvested in November-December depending on the rain and moisture content. My friend, Loyd Dalton, got us access to the Woods Farm operation for the second cutting. The rice is harvested by huge combines which cut the rice, dump the stalk and keeps the rice. The rice goes into a large bin on the combine and as it fills, the rice is transferred to a special track type truck which allows it to operate on muddy ground. The rice is then taken to a transfer point where it is put in an 18-wheeled truck which takes it to the rice dryer.

Big Boy Arriving in Navasota, TX, November 8th, 2019

I remember it being a cold wet day as my brother and I waited in Navasota for the arrival of the largest steam locomotive ever build, UP4014, aka: Big Boy. My brother, Tim, is not a photographer so I handed him the video. He was amiss and kept asking, "Why are we waiting for a train?" Big Boy answered his question and more. Tim is now asking me when is Big Boy coming back to Texas? It was fun times for a couple of old men who are brothers.

Fulton Harbor Sailboats

Lunch with Lyle Lovett

One of my favorite places for Texas barbeque is the City Meat Market in Giddings, Texas. Lyle Lovett is a friend of the owner. Needless to say, Lyle is always an honored guest. I love the old pressed metal ceiling. Oh, City Meat Market is at the intersection of US77 @ US290 in that old red brick building. My back is to the pit and serving line. You point and they cut and weigh your order. Pay by the ounce; brisket, links, chicken.

Great Lady Gulf Shrimper Docked at Fulton Harbor

Gulf shrimp boats are larger that the bay shrimp boats. They often stay for days out in the Gulf.

Dia de los Muertos

What does Day of the Dead celebrate? Day of the Dead combines the ancient Aztec custom of celebrating ancestors with All Souls' Day, a holiday that Spanish invaders brought to Mexico starting in the early 1500s. The holiday, which is celebrated mostly in Mexico on November 1 and 2, is like a family reunion—except dead ancestors are the guests of honor. Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a time to remember and honor those who have departed. Celebrated on November 1 and 2 throughout Mexico and much of Latin America, it is said that on the holiday, the spirits of the dead return home for the night to visit their loved ones. What are 5 facts about the Day of the Dead? Five facts about Día de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) It's not the same as Halloween. While Halloween is celebrated Oct. ... It originated in Mexico and Central America. ... It's a celebration of life, not death. ... The ofrenda is a central component. ... Flowers, butterflies and skulls are typically used as symbols. The POST Houston (converted from the old Franklin St. Post Office into a place of art exhibits, concerts, restaurants and offices) hosted a Mexican art exhibit earlier this year. This was one of the pieces of art on display.

Sailboats at Sunrise: Fulton Harbor

Loyd Dalton and I left west Houston @ 3:30 Thursday morning and drove to Rockport-Fulton harbor to catch the sunrise. The light deteriorated as the morning wore on from spectacular colors to a muted gray light caused by this huge cloud bank. I didn't care, it was a beautiful sunrise and I was thankful to God for another day.

Moustiers Saint Marie Pedestrian Bridge

Moustiers is the only village that we visited that had a stream moving through it. That restaurant on the left was the site for lunch! Have a great weekend.

Moustiers Door Knocker

Very typical of a French door knocker, all brass!

A Porcelain Shop in Moustiers-Saint-Marie

This little French village is famous for its fine porcelain. This is one of several porcelain and craft shops in Moustiers. History The art of ceramics has considerably evolved in Moustiers since the Middle Ages. At the time, only objects in glazed clay were produced, in the natural colours of green and brown. The art flourished thanks to Pierre Clérissy, who was initiated by an Italian monk visiting the Monastery of the Communauté de Lérins. He came with the secret of white enamel (tinned ceramics) in 1668. Not long after, Louis XIV had ordered all the gold and silver tableware to be melted to restore the royal treasure and to go to war. It is in this moment that Moustiers’ ceramics will acquire high notoriety all over European courts. The fashion of China and English ceramics put a stop to two centuries of uninterrupted activity. In 1927, Marcel Provence heats up an oven in the village with the purpose of restoring the image of Moustiers as a great ceramic centre worldwide. Today, there are seven workshops and a museum dedicated to it, they perpetuate and renew this traditional craft for the greatest pleasure of the visitors. Moustiers Sainte-Marie, ceramic capital Moustiers-Sainte-Marie is known all over the world for its ceramics with incomparable refinement and decors. They are created from three essential elements : water, earth and wood. The tradition of Moustiers ceramics can be found in the workshops and the galleries but also at the Faïence museum. Beautiful objects from the XVIIth century to nowadays are exhibited here. You can also discover the history of the Moustiers ceramics and the various processing steps here. Numerous galleries and workshops are settled in the heart of the village and all around. https://www.moustiers.fr/en/history-ceramics

Artist Louis Bruno at Work, Moustiers-Saint-Marie

Moustiers-Saint-Marie City Plot

Moustiers-Sainte-Marie

One of the most beautiful villages in France Since 1981 Moustiers Sainte-Marie has been listed as one of the most beautiful village of France. The church, the old village walls, the chapels, the aqueduct, the fountains represent an alliance of water and stone. The pastel colours of the tiles and the lime stones create a living architectural whole. Plus beaux villages de France Authentic and living Today, Moustiers has approximately 700 residents. The core of its economy is focused on tourism and the ceramics tradition (’faïence’). https://www.moustiers.fr/en/moustiers-sainte-marie

Train des Pignes Hooking Up Rail Cars

Train des Pignes Engine-Boxcar Coupling

The term Train des Pignes primarily signifies the four railways with metre gauge that once existed in the departments of Alpes-Maritimes . A group of voluntary rail enthusiasts in an association called Groupe d'Etude pour les Chemins de fer de Provence (GECP) operate a steam train (sometimes also called Train des Pignes) between Puget-Théniers and Annot on the Nice — Digne line every weekend from May to October, occasionally with an extended overnight trip to Digne-les-Bains.

Train des Pignes Engineer Climbs Down

Train des Pignes, the Brakeman

Train des Pignes in Puget-Theniers

The famous Train des Pignes of the Chemins de Fer de Provence is an original way to cover the 151 kilometres between Nice à Digne-les-Bains (or Digne-Nice). This mythical railway line celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2017. The Train des Pignes runs on a unique, narrow, 1 metre-wide track and goes through around thirty municipalities. There are fifteen station stops and you can also hop off at one of the thirty odd “haltes” shown by a board by the side of the track and continue your trip on foot. Four out and back trips are ensured between Nice and Digne-les-Bains. https://www.tourism-alps-provence.com/train-des-pignes/ I love trains and this one is such a good memory. My sister-in-law, Nola, told me about it and I did the research, found where it would stop and the three of us, Nola, Mary Alice and I, met it at the little village of Puget-Theniers. The only reason for not riding it was because I wanted the freedom to go where I wanted to go in our rental car.

Villars sur Var

Translated, it means "village along the Var (River)" and that's exactly where we found it. This perched village has a nice view of the river. Just down the road is railroad stop: Puget-Theniers and the Train des Pignes.

Exploring Le Broc

Le Broc was such a beautiful little village. The people who live there take a vacant spot and fill it with flowers. We will leave this little village and travel to another one tomorrow.

Le Broc, a Typical Home

No front yard? No problem. I'll get some pots!

Le Broc Shopping District

Le Broc Door Knocker