The hot, hot weather has broken in Texas! Most of the state set 100-day records, both consecutive and total number. Austin blew through their total number of 100+ degree days with 78 (8 more than previous record). Its supposed to be 58 degrees tomorrow morning here in North Texas!!!

The good and bad news is that it has been dry. Good because the humidity has been in the low teens which makes the temps livable if you don't stand in the direct sun. But that means no rain and water levels are low. Some towns down in the Hill Country have had their wells run dry. Ranchers are selling off their cattle because their is no grass or hay to feed them. They usually get 4 sometimes 5 cuts of hay out of a field. This year they were lucky to get one. Expect higher beef prices this fall.

Now we just need rain. The state has had record wild fires with over 20,631 wild fires that have burned 3,549,047 acres and destroyed 690 homes so far this fire season. It is so dry they are concerned fires will spread too fast and not be contained. The last big fire they had near Possum Kingdom Lake had 35 Fire Departments respond. Took them 3-days to contain it. This cold front brings wind but no rain. Pray the fires don't go out of control.

My college room mate, who now lives in Vermont, sent me a picture of his flooded back yard from Irene. I told him us Texan's don't take kindly to people bragging about how much water they have. At least he laughed. I know the flooding situation in Vermont and New York has not been good.

Thats good news, I take it that the bulldog is no longer in the driveway on top a pile of ice either.

Tayhas- the go big state.

Big cold, big heat, big Bucks in them sendaros!!!! Gota be hearty to live there.

It's cooling off nicely here too, Slimers. Bout 62*. Although ya go 30 miles inland and WHAMMO. I got rhino-lips today playing in the desert- forgot my chapsitck.... Salad dressing hurts!

Stovey, thanks for making me laugh this mornig. A cool 64, we can actually open up the house for the first time in probably 3 months. Forecast lows are in the mid-50s for the rest of the week. 14 fires flaired up in North Texas yesterday. Lucky us, the biggest one got dumped on by one of Mother Nature's isolated rain showers and extenquished. That doesn't happen too often. Take care of those lips!

OV1, some dogs down near Austin would like those ice cubes today. Wind was higher today and fires were more out of control. In the Hill Country near Austin, a fire started today and has already consumed 300 homes! Its 0% contained. When winds are 10 mph, a fire can jump a road. Today the winds were 20 mph - fireman just can't keep up with the flames.

Update: 38 fires active and 476 homes more consumed by fire today!

Yep- all it take is a spark..or an airplane.

www.kget.com/news/loca...dWZvA.cspx

Near where I like to hunt....naturally.

October is our busy season...then it's all bets are off who's gonna make it out of the canyons.

Hot weather returned to Texas with no mercy. All records have been broken all over the state. Big fires have wiped out over 1500 homes in the last week. Thursday is supposed to be the last day of 100+ degree weather. Here are some impressive photos of the drought conditions.

photoblog.statesman.co...ht-of-2011

Moonlit shots of Cypress Creek are pretty dramatic.

It never rains here so our water bodies go up and down with famers demand. One day we are racing and skiiing the next we are 4 wheelin' in the river bed. Would be awful though if one depended on rain for crops and livestock...man that's rough!

Drove down to South Texas yesterday - Houston and Austin areas. You can really see the affects of the drought. Stock ponds are low or dried up. Trees look sick or you will see a couple all brown (dead) in a clump of green. You could tell where the recent rain had fallen with the varying amount of greenness in the grass. There was a spot just north of Huntsville TX where it was obvious that had had no rain at all. Everything was dead!!! All the tall hardwoods were dead, the every greens were brown, and they were cutting down all the trees to get rid of the fire danger. Lots of rain is still needed.

Have no fear, global warming and all associated disasters will no longer be applicable from 1 jul 12. From this date all 22 million Australians will be paying through the arse for a carbon tax that will save the world.
So fear not the 1.3 billion chinese or the 1.2 billion telemarketers in India all burning stuff and creating "carbon pollution" the reemed over Aussies will save you.

On another tack, glad to hear the heat has finally abated, if its anything like here, next you'll get floods.
Goodluck with it.

Good one dhc4, isn't it interesting how we think we can abate a tiny fraction of pollution and actually make a dent. It's just another means for tax dollars. No scientific evidence whatever and global history shows the ups and downs of ozone and particulates and warming and cooling throughout the history of man and beyond. Mother Earth going through her natural motions was taught and documented in my school years and many others before me. We can only thank politicians for the scare tactics mentality that brings us a new thing to tax. Now we tax the motions of the earth and blame ourselves, as if we are taxing our own breath and blood.

Suz

Stop global warming- send Al Gore to Geneva and bomb them both!

Problem solved.

Goddamn global warming idiots, how many times does it need to be debunked?

stovepipe wrote:

Stop global warming- send Al Gore to Geneva and bomb them both! Problem solved. Goddamn global warming idiots, how many times does it need to be debunked?

Argue against it and they call you names.
Nope this is all about control and power.
They have finally cracked the holy grail of all governments, they can now TAX air.
The only thing left now is the length of your rod and how often you use it, and you can be sure they're now working on that. Wait for the next UN sanctioned study.

we have had nearly 90mm of rain since yesterday arvo here in south canterbury. woo hoo the spring growth is going to go balistic now.