The Festival of Lights 2012 was this Saturday , the 17th of this month. For the past 20 years or so the local town celebrates the old German customs.

The local Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, High Schools, Fire Departments, and business march in the downtown area, some with Christmas lights in display. I tried to captured them as they marched down the street, but unfortunately the parade is after sunset. [I guess so the crowd can see the Christmas lights.] Hopefully next year I will be better situated so better pictures.

Oh, before I forget, the first few photos are members of Habitat for Humanity of Southern Brazoria County (HFHSBC) eating at the parade cookout, before the parade started.

Hurricane Sandy - Misquamicut Beach (Part 3)

Hurricane Sandy - Misquamicut Beach (Part 3) from Chris Walsh on Vimeo.

Air NZ Safety Video

Hurricane Sandy - Misquamicut Beach (Part 2)

Hurricane Sandy - Misquamicut Beach (Part 2) from Chris Walsh on Vimeo.

Hurricane Sandy - Misquamicut Beach, Rhode Island

Hurricane Sandy - Misquamicut Beach from Chris Walsh on Vimeo.

Here is some raw footage of the damage in Misquamicut, RI., caused by Hurricane Sandy. The footage was taken on October 30, 2012.

All rights Chris Walsh.

Raw Video: See Mitt Romney's full Al Smith dinner speech

House #84

House #84

Landscaping Saturday, October 13 8am-noon.

Children 6 & up welcome with parent.

Please wear closed-toed shoes & old clothes.

WALK for Habitat

WALK for Habitat Saturday, November 3, 2012

8am @ McLean Park Lake Jackson

Zombies teach CPR in new public service announcement

Fun during Bicentennial year

It was late summer of the Bicentennial year. The 4th of July had come and gone into the history books. The Connecticut evenings had started to get cool. My parents were living on Inch Cliff Drive in the village of Gales Ferry,Connecticut, part of the town of Ledyard. We lived just one mile north of the Groton Submarine Base, in the next town over.

My folks lived at the far end of Inch Cliff Drive, the end that had a over 500 feet, 45 degree long drop which ended with [a] 90 degree - all most- blind left hand turn into our driveway, [b] a one lane, blind and all most invisible dirt covered over 200 hundred years old dam with a nice 20 foot drop [left] on to the old mill site, or [right] into Mill pond, [c] lastly a right hand turn at a 110 degree turn and up the the next hill which will return you back to the top of the Inch Cliff Drive hill.

It was a Thursday night, for some reason I remember that- about 9 o'clock my parents, one or two of my brothers, and younger sister were around the kitchen eating area - around the stove- when we heard the sound of screeching tires as a speeding car hit its brakes. Then a quick moment of silence,then "splash" as a car drove into Mill pond.

I ran out the kitchen door and across the gravel driveway in to street, dress in an old white cotton shirt, old white pants, and my brand dark brown new cowboy boots.

In front of me was two door, gray or silver Mustang car half submerge to the passenger compartment with drive side door opened, and no driver.

There was a splashing sound came from the passenger side of the car, and I ran to that side of the car. Up to his knees in the water, was standing a navy sailor with a stick, trying push a half six pack of beer into deep waters and away from his car.

I must have made a sound on the gravel as down the passenger side of the car and into the water edge, because turned around facing me. "There a is other car chasing me." he began, as he step out of the water. Then he froze as eyes got realty big, looking pass me on to the road behind me. He gasped in wonder. "Tell me that there is some men dress in old clothes behind you."

I spun around face the facing the right side of the road. Silently and white as ghosts in the moon light stood a group of men dressed in 1776 colonial clothing, with their hair pinned back of 200 years old hair style. Their stood there like ghost, for a moment, before I turned back to poor sailor and said, "What guys?"

He jumped with shock and, "Don't that!" before he realized I was laughed at him.

A group of Revolutionary War reenactors had heard the car splashed into the pond and ran down the other hill side from their meeting at Ron Wojack parent's house. The Revolutionary War reenactors were Capt. Ron Wojack's "2nd Connecticut Regiment of the Continental Line." Ron folks lived up the other hill from my folks house.

Somehow I missed "2nd Connecticut Regiment" as they ran down the hill. But now I called to them and let them known that navy sailor guy was okay. And then had my brothers lead the poor guy to my parent house.

Easy Money

Please note that all names are change to protect the guilty.

:-)

Many years ago, I worked for a local company that owned a landfill and a scrapyard. Normally I did light bookkeeping at the main scrapyard office. But occasionally I ran the garbage truck scales out at the landfill when the clerk called in sick.

One day an old flat bed truck drove on to the scales. It was weighted down with two feet tall of iron pipe on the flat bed or about $100 dollars of scrap iron.

The driver came over to service window, inquired how much we would charge him to dump all of his scrape iron. I carefully explained our rates for dumping in the landfill. The driver thought for a moment than asked if we gave discounts.

I politely reply, no, but about 10 miles down the road there was a scrapyard that would be happy to buy his iron pipe and scrape iron.

To my surprise the driver shook his head, left to right and then he explained that was too far the drive.

I remember standing there with disbelieve for a moment, for my that is my company's scrapyard, the one I just drove from this morning to the landfill. Was too far the drive?

"So be it !" I thought to myself. Now when a country boy says "So be it," You can usually hear, feel and see the sandbag falling at the person he just said that to, but this guy stood there. No lighting bolt or sandbag from the sky hit him.

I must have turn away from the service window because i found myself staring at the long green 40-yard metal dumper box sitting half way between the landfill office and the landfill.

Suddenly I had a plan.

I turn back to the service window and the driver. I remember saying that, I knew my manager did not really what any iron pipe in his landfill because one pipe disable a Caterpillar D8 bulldozer last week- it rip out the oil pan-, but I would let him dump the iron pile for free where that long green metal dumper box was sitting. The driver said, "okay, but he need some help unloading the pipe."

I nodded and told him let me call my boss.

"Mikey," I began, "I have problem. There is flat bed truck loaded down scrap pipe and iron on the scales and the driver dose not what to drive to the scrapyard. I known you do not what the pipe in the landfill, because the damage it could do to the D8 bulldozer, so he is willing to dump it at the green 40-yard metal dumper box but he needs some help unloading it. please advise."

Like bees to honey, Mikey and Eddy, the number #2 boss, came running and unload the truck. After the truck drove off, Mikey took green 40-yard metal dumper box to the scrapyard and got paid cash for his hard earned work.

Each one of the landfill crew was handed $20 extra bucks that day. Of course, the office, me, as not the landfill crew therefore received nothing.

Well--- all most nothing. ;-)

Mikey came back to the landfill office and handed me - $10 dollars.

A little while later, Eddy did the same and handed me -$10 dollars.

And then Big John show up and handed me another - $10 dollars.

As I said, "Easy Money"

:-)

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Raiders of the Lost Ark now playing at Starplex's Lake Jackson Brazos Stadium 14

Habitat House 84 photos

The first of the Habitat House 84 photos are posted to the Internet. The House build is sponsored by the Dow Chemical Co. Freeport, Texas.

This is a ten day build, Thursday though Saturday, then Monday to Saturday. Landscaping will be finished later in the month.

I hope to shoot most of the mornings before I run off to work and then post the photos to my blog. later that night.

Russian ships displayed at DNC tribute to vets - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

Russian ships displayed at DNC tribute to vets - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

Neil Armstrong

On July 21, 1969, I was listing to Neil Armstrong as commander of Apollo 11 and Buzz Aldrin, lunar module pilot land the Eagle on the Moon. I remember thinking the future of man spaceflight is here.

Boy was I wrong.

Little did I know that only 12 men would walk on the Moon. Neil Armstrong was the first. And twelve men later, Eugene Cernan was the last person in history to walk on the lunar surface.

The end of the America space race.

Will future astronauts as they ride other countries rockets into space remember we once controlled the thunder?

Or will they just lick the stamp and asked, Neil who?