Rain Barrels

I've written on here many times about the water crisis we are currently in. Donna and I have always been very conservative about using all of our natural resources. We recycle most of what we use in our house, for example. Now, to help with the water crisis, we've begun adding rain barrels to our home.

The Concho Valley Master Gardeners offered a rain barrel class this past Saturday. Donna and I attended. The registration fee also included a rain barrel, which we "made" during the class.

After a brief introduction, we selected our barrels and began the process of making them ready to collect rain water. Below are the finished products:

Our rain barrels are located at the back of our house.

Each barrel is 55 gallons. A half-inch rain falling on a 400 square foot patch of roof will typically fill a 55 gallon barrel in about 30 minutes. Such water can then be used to water plants as needed. Since it is rain water, it is actually healthier for plants for it does not contain any chemicals. It is important to use food grade barrels which might have formerly contained items such as tomato paste or cooking oil.

After obtaining such a barrel, it is necessary to prepare it for collecting water. Begin by cutting a hole in the top where the water will enter the barrel. We placed flower pots in these holes to guide the water into the barrel, and we placed a filter, held in place by small stones, in the bottom of the pot to prevent mosquitoes and other insects from entering the barrel.

Top of rain barrel. Note flower pot directly under downspout. A filter lies at the bottom of the pot, held in place by small rocks. Pipe on left is overflow.

Next, cut a 2 inch hole on the side of the barrel near the top. This will serve as the overflow pipe. Once the barrel is full, water will flow out this pipe. You can also daisy chain barrels together. To do so, simply use plastic pipe to connect 2 or more barrels. Then, as one fills up, water will begin flowing into the next barrel. You can connect as many as is practical for your rainfall.

Near the bottom of the barrel, drill a small hole to accept a water spigot. This is how you will retrieve your water. You can then simply connect a hose to the spigot and water items as you normally would. I mounted our barrels on cinder blocks to get a bit more height so that there would be more pressure when watering.

Spigot at bottom of the barrel. Note that I turned it sideways to make it easier to attach a hose.

I dug out the ground beneath 2 downspouts and then placed 5 cinder blocks under each downspout. I filled the cinder blocks with dirt to stabilize them, then placed a 2 foot by 2 foot square of sturdy plywood on top of the cinder blocks. This gives each barrel a solid perch, and also raises them a bit to increase water pressure (more gravity force).

I don't expect 2 rain barrels to make much of an impact on the environment, but it does give me a certain peace of mind. I can now water my plants without feeling guilty, especially with strict water restrictions in place as we have in San Angelo. And I do intend to add more rain barrels. You can often find such barrels for sell for about $15, so that is not much of an investment in cost. Of course, it does take time to outfit the barrels and then locate them in your yard. When we built our house, I asked that the downspouts be put in sections so that I could later remove the bottom sections and place rain barrels beneath them, and this has reduced my work load greatly. All I have to do is remove the lower portion and I'm ready to go; no cutting or anything else is needed.

The rain barrels above are not pretty, but I have these in my back yard behind a privacy fence. We do have some spouts in front. For these, I will purchase barrels that blend into the environment better or that are more attractive, such as the one below.

I've also seen rain barrels that look like large rocks and other items that really blend in.

We have a total of 8 downspouts on our house. 2 of those are connected to short gutter runs (3 or so feet), so they will not capture much rain water. The other 6 downspouts, though, should capture a good amount of water. By using those downspouts and daisy-chaining rain barrels, a great deal of water can be collected.

For those interested in rain water collection, the Internet has tons of information. Rain collection devices vary in size, with some being quite large. I've always been interested in this concept, for as a child, my grandmother's house had a cistern next to the house that collected water during rains. It's an old practice that is coming back. To me, it's just a very practical and conservative way to live. As our resources become scare, we have to look at smarter ways to live, and we need to eliminate waste.

Trip Report: Laughlin, Nevada, September 18 - 22, 2011

Donna and I enjoy gambling from time to time. One gambling locale we've wanted to visit for several years is Laughlin, Nevada. We finally got a chance to visit this hot spot in southern Nevada on a recent 5 day/4 night trip.

Don Laughlin's Riverside Casino offers various travel packages from numerous cities around the country. Fortunately, San Angelo is one of these. For a very low fare, we were able to book round-trip flight aboard Sun Country Airlines and 4 nights at the Riverside Hotel.

Riverside Hotel and Casino in right foreground; other resorts in left background

Laughlin is located in southern Nevada along the west bank of the Colorado River. The airport is just across the river in Bullhead City, Arizona. Laughlin is a relatively small community with fewer than 10,000 residents, while Bullhead City is quite a bit larger, perhaps 35,000 or so. Down the river are numerous other neighboring communities, such as Fort Mohave, Arizona, and Needles, California.

Don Laughlin founded the community of Laughlin in the mid-1960s. His life story is quite interesting; it is one of those inspiring American success stories. Mr. Laughlin is still alive and well and is very active in the day-to-day management of his Riverside Casino and Resort.

Since the founding of Laughlin, other casinos have moved in to cash in on its success. Today, there are several casinos lining the Nevada side of the river. They include (in ABC order):

• Aquarius
• Avi
• Colorado Belle
• Edgewater
• Golden Nugget
• Harrahs
• Pioneer
• Regency
• River Palms
• Riverside
• Tropicana

Numerous casinos line the west bank of the Colorado River in Laughlin

Aquarius (right) and Edgewater (left). The Aquarius during our trip had the best video poker games in Laughlin. Note the river taxi.

In addition to gaming, these casinos/resorts provide many other services. Each property normally provides several dining options ranging from low end (MacDonalds, Subway, etc.) to fine dining. They also provide all kinds of entertainment, from big name acts (Vince Gill, ZZ Top, etc.) to anything else available, including comedy. Most of the entertainment caters to older people for Laughlin is considered by many to be an "old Vegas" town.

 

In addition to gambling, Donna and I walked the entire River Walk from the Riverside (north end) to River Palms (south end). Harrahs is located just south of River Palms, but the River Walk is not complete to Harrahs. It is a long walk, so after making that trek and visiting all the casinos along the way, we rode a water taxi back to our hotel.

Donna on the Laughlin Riverwalk. Across the river is Arizona.

We also took a boat tour aboard the U.S.S. Riverside, which took us from our hotel north to the Davis Dam and then back south to the cove where Harrah's is located. The tour is professionally done, and the information provided about the area is interesting and entertaining.

The U. S. S. Riverside

Davis Dam and spillway gates, up river from Laughlin

Harrahs is considered by many to have the best locatino of all casinos in Laughlin. It is situated on a cove of the Colorado River on a bit of a hill. It also has a private beach for its guests.

From our hotel, we enjoyed a wonderful view of the Colorado River and the Arizona landscape to the east. The mountains in that area are rugged and jagged, looking something like broken teeth on a saw. A lot of people would say that such a landscape is barren and boring (in fact, I overheard one of our fellow travelers call it a "no man's land"), but Donna and I really enjoy the desert. It also reminded us a great deal of the areas where we lived in Saudi Arabia in the 1980s.

Jagged peaks of Arizona desert mountains across the river from our hotel


Donna and I loved the river, and we really enjoyed our river tour. We were impressed by the clarity of the river. Even at the deepest part of the channel, you could see the bottom. The current was strong, too. In a local newspaper article I read while there, I saw an item that indicated the current was 8 mph. All day long, people were on the river, either swimming, boating, kayaking, or zipping about on jet skis. There are numerous river tours, some as long as 6 hours and going as far as Lake Havasu where the London Bridge is located.

We are already planning our next trip to Laughlin, but this time we hope to drive so that we can see the country more up close and personal. Regardless, Laughlin is definitely a place we want to return to.

Night at the Theater: Cabaret

I wrote a month or so ago about Donna and I attending a dinner theater at Angelo State University. We then purchased season tickets for Angelo Civic Theater, and we attended our first performance last night. And it was great!

ACT is housed in an old movie theater, and there isn't that much seating. The stage is a bit small, too, but there is nothing small about the talent. Donna and I were very impressed by the performance we saw. Cabaret is not an easy play to perform as it involves so much singing and dancing. The accents are also difficult for inexperienced actors. But the folks at ACT were pros last night. Accents were very convincing, and the musical performances were impressive.

Cabaret is a musical set in Berlin about 1930 as the Nazi party is beginning its rise to power. The play focuses on nightlife at the seedy Kit Kat Klub and revolves around a young English cabaret performer, Sally Bowles, and her developing relationship with a young American writer, Cliff Bradshaw.

There were really no weak performances in the large cast that I saw. The dancing, acting, and singing were all good quality.

I look forward to the next performance at ACT.

Earthquakes, droughts, and heat -- Oh My!

I don't know about you, but from my perspective, the weather seems to have changed a bit since Katrina. And it isn't necessarily that the weather is more violent -- though we have had some violent storms in recent years -- it's just that the weather seems a bit more unusual.

This year is a good example. So far in San Angelo, Texas, we've had 100 triple digit days. We broke the old record by more than 30 days. And all of this comes at the same time we are having a record drought. About 1500 or 2000 miles east of here, they had a rather unusual hurricane roar through  a couple of weeks ago. It wasn't the wind that caused most of the problems, but rather heavy rains. Wish we could take some of that water off of their hands.

Not long ago, a mild earthquake shook the East Coast.

Not to be outdone, West Texas decided it needed a mile eathquake, too. This past Sunday morning (9/11/11) at approximately 7:27, a 4.4 magnitude shake occured near Snyder, nearly 100 miles due north of San Angelo. I happened to be at the computer reading a weekly column a friend of mine writes, when suddenly there was a little shake. It actually felt as if I were in our travel trailer, and someone bounced the trailer. I didn't think anything of it until Donna mentioined it later that morning. Then we both agreed it was an earthquake.

We felt another one sometime in the 1990s while we were living in Ozona, about 80 miles southwest of San Angelo. There was a nice quake somewhere south of Alpine, Texas, and it was felt over much of the Big Bend and Pecos River country.

Wonder what will happen next. Maybe we'll have a tidal wave in San Angelo.

San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts

The second Saturday of each month, two events take place along the Concho River in downtown San Angelo.

The first of these is "Old Town Second Saturdays." Old Town at El Paseo de Santa Angela is located near the river on Orient Street. Five historic structures have been re-located there for preservation purposes. As such, the area has been designated as an historic district illustrating early architectural styles for the San Angelo area. On the second Saturday of each month, artists, designers, and craft vendors showcase and sell their goods in this historic district.

Just across the street from Old Town is the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts (SAMFA). On the second Saturday of each month, SAMFA hosts "Family Day". On Family Day, entrance to the museum is free and different cultures are highlighted. This month, exhibits on Mexico were on display.

San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts with its distinctive saddle-shaped roofline.

Donna viewing the exhibits

Downtown San Angelo across the Concho River

The Concho River winds through downtown San Angelo

Mermaid statue and pedestrian bridge.

Trip Report: Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Gardens

The Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Gardens is located just a few miles south of Ft. Davis, Texas, on highway 118. The Nature Center covers 507 acres of rolling grassland and igneous rock outcrops. The Center features over 165 species of trees, shrubs, and perennial forbs of the Chihuahuan Desert, and approximately 200 species of Chihuahuan Desert cacti. Visitors can enjoy viewing plants and scenery on over 3 miles of trails.

                The mission of the Center is to promote public awareness, appreciation, and concern for the natural diversity of the Chihuahuan Desert region through research and education. The Chihuahuan Desert covers approximately 220,000 square miles in Mexico, Texas, New Mexico, and a small area in Arizona.

                It would take a large part of a day to see all the exhibits, plants, and trails of the Center. Donna and I were limited on time, so we only spent about 2 hours there. We first visited the Mining Exhibit, which explores the mining heritage of the Northern Chihuahuan Desert. It consists of a replica of a 19^th century mine, artifacts, minerals, and ores.

Various sage plants. The purple blooms are beautiful.

                Our second stop on our Nature Center tour was the Botanical Gardens Walk. This half-mile walk features over 165 species of plants native to the Chihuahuan Desert region. Plant families are grouped, and plants are labeled. Located halfway through this walk is the Cactus and Succulent Greenhouse, which contains over 200 species of cacti and succulents for biodiversity conservation. Near the end of this walk is Cactus Hill, which consists of a solar water feature and a scenic overlook.

Donna atop Cactus Hill

                To finish our day at the Nature Center, we went for a true hike. We started on the Upper Loop Trail, and then journeyed down the Modesta Canyon Trail to see Modesta Spring. The Upper Loop Trail is an easy half-mile walk on relatively level ground. However, the Modesta Canyon Trail is nearly 2 miles of moderately challenging trail that ventures down into a narrow canyon that can test aging knees.

Looking down into Modesta Canyon

Donna near the top of Modesta Canyon enjoying the shade.

Trip Report: McDonald Observatory

Sitting atop Mt. Locke, a 6,791 foot tall peak in the Davis Mountains a few miles northwest of Ft. Davis, is McDonald Observatory, a research unit of the University of Texas at Austin. Three domes sit at or near the top of Mount Locke while another observatory sits atop nearby Mount Fowlkes. To learn more about the telescopes used at McDonald Observatory, click here.

Donna and I arrived at the Frank N. Bash Visitors' Center -- at the base of Mount Locke -- a few minutes prior to 11:00 AM one morning.

Frank N. Bash Visitors' Center, with domes atop Mt. Locke in background.

What a stroke of luck! We were just in time for the Solar Viewing tour. We started with a program in the theater. An employee spent almost one hour showing live shots of the sun and explaining about sun spots, solar flares, and prominences. Only 2 other people were in the theater, so Donna and I were able to ask questions and interact with the presenter on a personal level.

Next, the presenter loaded Donna and me (the other two people did not join us for this part of the tour) in a bus and drove us to the top of Mt. Locke where we had some wonderful views to the south.

View from atop Mt. Locke. Pointed spire in center is Mitre Peak, about 25 miles or so to the south. Between the two flat-topped mountains is Cathedral Mountain, probably 50 or more miles to the south.

We then entered the dome housing the Harlan J. Smith 2.7 meter telescope. At the time of construction (1966-68), this was the third largest telescope in the world. Since this telescope is only used at night, we were shown how the telescope moves, how the doors to the dome opened, and other mechanical operations.

Harlan J. Smith Telescope

We finished our tour on Mt. Fowlkes, which is home to the Hobby-Eberly Telescope, one of the world's largest optical telescopes with a 9.2 meter mirror. This is the newest addition to the telescopes at McDonald Observatory, and it was dedicated in 1997.

Hobby-Eberly Telescope (dome) atop Mount Fowlkes

Mirror of Hobby-Eberly Telescope. It is difficult to actually see the mirror -- look for reflections of poles. We had a difficult time seeing the mirror in person, and we were only about 10 yards from it.

Approaching the Hobby-Eberly Telescope atop Mount Fowlkes from the taller Mount Locke.

Otto Struve and Harlan J. Smith telescopes atop Mount Locke (center) and Hobby-Eberly Telescope atop Mount Fowlkes (right)

I believe this is the Otto Struve Telescope, which is very close to the Harlan J. Smith Telescope atop Mount Locke.

This is a smaller telescope on a ledge of Mount Locke below the Harlan J. Smith Telescope.

This was a fascinating tour, and well worth the $8 per person admission. It began at 11:00 AM (promptly) and finished about 1:30 PM. I was actually able to man the controls in the Harlan J. Smith Telescope and not only manipulate the telescope but to rotate the dome.

McDonald Observatory is a different world. A small community exists at Mount Locke. Employees are housed on site. The scientists work at night. After all, the observatory is located there due to the dark, clear skies, a result of being so far removed from population areas. Also, the land was donated, so the price was right.

The University of Texas partners with many other institutes around the world, and scientists from non-partner insitutes can reserve time on the telescopes -- at a price, of course. There are also many opportunities for regular folks to enjoy the observatory, including regularly scheduled "star parties".

This is a  must-see site for anyone passing through this area of West Texas.