Overheard #201

"Decimate and disseminate are two different words with two different meanings."

Sensory Tour of Texas

Sight:

To my surprise, Eastern Texas does not look like the set for a John Wayne movie. They get lots of rain so the grass is lush and the trees are tall.

Sound:

Everything is bigger in Texas, including the insects. These 2-3 inch grasshoppers chirp constantly, and the cicadas sing.

Smell:
There are agricultural smells, exhaust and dust. Trucks and SUVs are popular; the distances are long. (The landscape is green, but the population mostly isn’t.)

Taste:
The Texas barbecue and Mexican food was delicious but less spicy than I expected. 

Touch:

The heat and humidity are astounding to someone who has lived in MI for 25 years. This is the old stage coach road after the trees and brush had been cleared. This type of yard waste is typically burned in Texas, and the picture shows several burn piles. Imagine a huge bonfire on hot and humid summer day. (No one seems to worry about the carbon footprint.)

Overheard #200

"He's as handy as a button on a shirt."

Texas

Tomorrow, we fly to northeastern Texas to visit family. None of my current writing projects are set in a small Texas town, but I’m eager to take notes of sights, sounds, smells, tastes and textures – in case my characters ever have to go there.

See you next week.

Overheard #199

"It’s no good having road rage on a bicycle."

The Right Word

In Diamonds and Rust, Joan Baez wrote:

“Then give me another word for it
You who are so good with words
And at keeping things vague”

Perhaps there is a time for vagueness and a time for specificity.

When wandering around the Web, I learned that the Arabic language has over one thousand ways to refer to a camel. The names may denote the age or sex of the camel, whether a female camel has been bred, how fast the camel runs, or how much water the camel wants to drink.

Think of how many expressions we have for our vehicles. We have slang terms like gas-guzzler, specific expressions like ’56 Chevy Biscayne, and general acronyms like SUV. We have hot rods and clunkers, Vespas and H.O.Gs (Harley Owners’ Group), mopeds and monster trucks.   

It all comes down to using the right word at the right time in the right place.

Sunday

looking into a poppy

Rosebuds don't stay perfect for long.

The optics on my new camera aren't adequate for this shot. Still, I like the composition. I recharged the battery in my old point-and-shoot (which has a great macro lens) so I'll be ready for the next spider.

Overheard #198

"They don’t want to instill hope."

Passage of Venus

A friend took this picture with an iPhone held up to a telescope. 

photo by Greg Glenn

Graduation

Overheard #197

"I’m cool, but you’re chill."