Texas Panhandle Fall and the Texas Allmanac Copy

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If the Farmers’ Almanac has predicted correctly, Texans will see “warmer-than-average” temperatures this fall.

The almanac, which has been predicting weather (with varying accuracy) since 1818, recently released its extended weather forecast for this fall.

“Your trek to the pumpkin patch may be a bit steamy this year,” the almanac says. “It looks as if The Old Farmer’s Almanac is predicting a warmer-than-normal autumn this year! In fact, it should be quite warm for the western half of the United States!”

From western Wisconsin and Illinois to the West Coast, the Farmers’ Almanac has forecast above-average temperatures. Luckily, most of Texas — all but far West Texas and the Panhandle — is also expected to see above-normal precipitation, which could cool things down or make Texans feel as if they’re ingredients in a giant pressure cooker.
The three-month outlook from the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center has a similar forecast, with higher temperatures, though it expects precipitation in Texas to be average.

When does fall begin?
The fall season spans from Sept. 22 to Dec. 20.

50 Years of the Infamous Cadillac Ranch

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Screenshot

 

Cadillac, Cadillac
Long and dark, shiny and black
Open up your engines, let ’em roar
Tearing up the highway like a big old dinosaur

Bruce Springsteen

 

It is now an American icon.  In film, books, music and art.  It’s a cosmic place!

 

It’s not really an “abandoned” place, as I normally write about, but an interesting public art installation with a bit of a rustic, sometimes lonely feel to it, accompanied by an interesting history. One of the most famous public art installations in the US sits in the middle of a large dirt lot in Amarillo, Texas. The art installation, called Cadillac Ranch, was created in 1974 by Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez and Doug Michels, who were part of the art collective Ant Farm. The group had decided to half-bury 10 Cadillacs, 10 different models, which ranged throughout the years 1949-1963. The cars were buried nose-first into the dirt, and showcased the evolution of the car’s tailfins over the years.

Chip Lord and Doug Michels were architects, while Marquez was an art student at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. When Ant Farm was founded, it was meant to bring a different, unique architectural practice that strayed from the normal ways of thinking about and doing architecture. It was meant to help step out of the box of corporate expectations and visions, bringing and blending strange artistic styles and odd ideas into the mix. The group had connections to numerous eccentric millionaires, including Stanley Marsh 3, an artist, businessman and philanthropist. When he was asked by the group to help fund the Cadillac Ranch project, he responded “It’s going to take me awhile to get used to the idea of the Cadillac Ranch. I’ll answer you by April Fool’s Day. It’s such an irrelevant and silly proposition that I want to give it all my time and attention so I can make a casual judgment of it.”