Partial Solar Eclipse - October 2023

Yesterday we were in the path of a partial solar eclipse. The beginning of the eclipse was at 10:23 AM, its maximum was at 11:53 AM, and it finished at 1:31 PM.

About 30 people from church were doing some door-knocking in the morning, and then having lunch together at the church building. Dan and I offered to provide some entertainment. Our goal was to set up our telescope to photograph the entire eclipse sequence, and project it on a screen, indoors. Sadly we had a bit of a technical issue at the very beginning, so didn't catch the very start of the eclipse. However, once we got it going, everything worked perfectly. Here are a few of the images we took, showing the different stages of the event.

Some of us went outside when the eclipse was near its maximum. We noticed these little crescent shadows on the wall of the building. They were created by light from the eclipsed sun passing through the leaves of a tree. It is actually the pinhole camera effect, which works by letting light through a tiny hole and creating an image of the sun. The second photo is a zoomed in selection of the first photo.

Other strange shadow effects were happening. People were holding up their hands to cast a shadow, and between their fingers a short "stubby" finger seemed to appear. 

 

We were pretty happy with our first time effort to image an eclipse. This was a practice run in preparation for the upcoming total eclipse in April 2024. Our town, Temple, will be in the direct path of that one, so we are hoping for good weather.

Fredericksburg Escape

For weeks we've been thinking of and talking about getting away for a few days. Our spring and summer have been hectic and somewhat stressful, so we felt the need for some relaxing time away. Our plans were to leave home fairly early on Monday, September 25. It’s a 2 ½ hour drive from Temple to our planned get-away, in Fredericksburg, Texas. Dan came down with a cold a couple days before we were to leave, but he insisted he could still go. Then on Sunday evening we had a thunderstorm, and it knocked out our power for about 10 hours. It was back on by Monday morning, but Dan was pretty busy making sure everything was back up and running, plus … his cold seemed worse. He insisted we should go, despite my reservations. So we headed out, but we were running later than we had planned. We stopped in Llano to top off the charge on our car, and pulled into Fredericksburg about 3:00 p.m. We found our little Airbnb house – a “villa” as it was advertised – and had no problem unlocking with the code they had given us. It was a sweet little place, and we knew we’d be quite comfy there.

 

 

Almost every time we looked outside our window, we saw deer grazing in the wild grass or among the trees.

Our villa was just a block and a half off of the main street, but took an uphill walk to get there. We walked to Main Street for dinner, and it was kind of a strenuous little hike. That wasn’t good for Dan, who was already a bit sickly. We had dinner, came back to get the car, and drove to a grocery store to stock up on a few breakfast and snack items.
 
On Tuesday I encouraged Dan to take a completely restful, relaxing day, which he did. He napped on the couch. He napped in a chair. He napped in the bed. The whole day was a down-day. It was a pleasant place to do that. I sat outside quite a bit that day, watching deer and squirrels, and reading.
 
By that evening, Dan was a bit more chipper, and since the sky was clear, we attempted a photo shoot. Our “neighbors” in the yellow villa (they were a really sweet newlywed couple) wanted to watch, so joined us for part of the imaging. We did the Crescent nebula, mainly because there were a lot of trees, and it was one of the few targets that we could capture between the trees. I didn't feel it was one of our better shots, but it was fun to image from somewhere new.

 

Wednesday we did a little more adventuring. We went to the Nimitz gallery, which is part of the larger War in the Pacific Museum. We had already visited the bigger museum on another visit (read about it here), but hadn’t gone through the Nimitz part. We also went to the small Japanese garden that, according to a plaque mounted there was “gifted to the people of the US from the people of Japan with prayers for everlasting world peace through the goodwill of our two nations, symbolized by the friendship and respect that existed between admiral Togo and Admiral Nimitz.” It was a lovely place to pause and meditate for a few minutes.

Later that evening we went to a beautiful park in the center of town. One of the things that I loved, there, was what they called the Story Tree, which depicts the history of this little German town. 

  

 

 

The sculpture in the photo above is in the park and is titled "Lasting Friendship." It commemorates the peace treaty between local settlers and the Comanche. Depicted are Chief Santanna and John Meusebach, sharing the peace pipe.

 
On Thursday we headed home. We had a few problems on the road (nothing serious), which slowed us down, but we made it home at last, and were happy to be back in our own “villa.”
 
By the following Monday, I came down with the same cold/flu bug that Dan had, and spent the week recuperating. Finally, by Sunday, I was feeling almost normal!  
 

We Had Joy, We had Fun, We Had Seasons in the Sun,

This summer we have been plagued by blistering days, with temperatures above 100 nearly every day, and almost no rain. Despite the heat wave, we've had some great times this summer. 

VBS

Our church family, Northside church of Christ, put on a one-day VBS. I was still healing up after my fall, so didn't help out like I usually do, but Dan, once again, spent the day helping the kids have fun in the jumpy house. 

FATHERS DAY

Our congregation has a tradition, which I find such fun. On Fathers' Day, our men are encouraged to wear a Hawaiian shirt. There was good participation this year.

These three took the Hawaiian theme to another level!

BABY SHOWER

I had the joy of attending a baby shower in honor of a sweet, tiny baby girl, who spent her first weeks in the NICU, but is now at home and thriving. 

 

BOOK CLUB

One of the things I anticipate each month is meeting with the Second Tuesday Book Club, which usually meets at the library, although occasionally enjoys meeting for a meal at a local restaurant. Although it's open to anyone, its membership has tended to be women, only. I've grown close to this small group of bright, fun, and caring ladies. 

I missed a couple of our meetings, while our family dealt with hospitals, ERs, surgeries and x-rays, so returning in June was a special event. I was so surprised and appreciative when I arrived and found one of the ladies, Ellen, bearing a gift for me, a potted orchid. "Yellow," she said, "because yellow is a color that brings cheer. And I'm sure you could use some cheering up."

CENTRAL TEXAS ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY

Dan and I enjoy our membership in the Central Texas Astronomical Society. This summer the club is celebrating it's 30th anniversary,  To commemorate its founding and its continuing success, club members enjoyed a meal together, in Turnerville (not far from our observatory). The food was both delicious and abundant (especially the fried catfish!). The presentations from past and present presidents were informative and, often, humorous. 

 

NEW TELESCOPE

For the past three years, Dan and I have been using our Red Cat telescope to do astrophotography. It's been a gratifying learning experience, but as we continue to have more and more birthdays under our belts, carrying the scope to the backyard and doing the set-up has become cumbersome and exhausting. When a new line of telescopes came out from a company named Vaonis, our interest was piqued. These scopes are small and lightweight. The set-up, including alignment, focusing and tracking happens automatically. We finally decided to order one - the Vespera model - and it arrived in July. Since then, we've spent quite a few evenings imaging. We think this scope will be a winner for us!

 

 

The Lagoon Nebula, imaged on our second night using our Vespera telescope.

 

Chris' Whipple Surgery

MARCH 12 THROUGH MARCH 25
Before Dan’s heart valve replacement (read about that here), he had arranged for Chris to come to Temple to provide some emotional support to both of us, during and immediately following the surgery. But on Sunday, two days before the surgery, Chris called to say that he was so sorry, but probably wouldn’t be able to come. He told us that he had developed symptoms of jaundice, and had been told, by a doctor, to head to the ER, and that he would most likely be admitted to the hospital.

That day, March 12, was the start of a long, difficult journey. Chris was hospitalized at Houston Methodist Hospital West Campus, and went through numerous diagnostic procedures, some leaving him in a lot of pain. No diagnosis was confirmed, although some theories were considered … cirrhosis of the liver and hemochromatosis were early considerations that were ultimately discounted. By the 22nd, the doctors had decided that the best option was to transfer Chris from the West Campus to the main Methodist Hospital at the Houston medical center. It took awhile to arrange that transfer, but on March 25, day 14 of his hospitalization, he was transported by ambulance to the main hospital.

    Thanksgivings: 

• On March 19, Chris “celebrated” his 50th birthday, in the hospital, with his family. The kids decorated his room while he was out, having a procedure.
• On March 22, several from Chris’ men’s Bible study group came to visit, encourage and pray with him.

MARCH 26 THROUGH APRIL 2
I found myself emotionally conflicted. I was needed at home, since Dan was still recovering from his heart valve replacement. I was needed in Houston to help care for the grandkids, so that Kelsey could be free to spend as much time as needed with Chris. But in the end, there was really only one choice. My husband needed me to be with him for the short term, just as Kelsey needed to be with Chris. I was so relieved when Kelsey’s mom, Beverly, came to Houston, all the way from Pecos, to stay at the house and be there for Kelsey and the kids.

The doctors at the med center hospital began trying to diagnose Chris’ problem. They indicated that his symptoms pointed to cancer, but no cancer had been found or identified. On March 29 a biopsy was performed for pancreatic cancer. The next day the results showed that a small tumor at the head of the pancreas was, indeed, cancerous and was blocking the bile duct - thus causing his jaundice. Hearing the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer was earth-shattering to us.

    Thanksgivings: 

• On the evening of Wednesday, May 30, the elders of our congregation, Northside church of Christ, asked if they could pray with Dan and me. Each one of them prayed for Chris, and it was a wonderful, uplifting hour. It turned our fear into faith, and gave us the courage to move forward.
• Had that small tumor not been located exactly where it was, it would not have blocked the bile duct, causing jaundice. If the jaundice had not occurred, the cancer would have grown and spread before it was discovered.
• Kelsey’s mom, Beverly, so graciously came to provide care and comfort for the family.

APRIL 2 THROUGH APRIL 14
A very complex surgery, known as the Whipple Procedure, was scheduled for Monday, April 3, later bumped to April 4 because the surgeon was needed for a transplant surgery. Surgery was again postponed because the doctor felt that Chris’ bilirubin levels were too high. Chris was discharged, temporarily on the 3rd, awaiting a new surgery date. This was on day 23 of hospitalization. Chris went home for about 10 days, and his surgery was rescheduled for Friday, April 14.

By Thursday, April 13, Dan was able to drive again, and able to take care of himself following his surgery, so I felt comfortable leaving him on his own. I drove to Houston to take my turn at helping out, so that Kelsey’s mom could go back home.

On Friday, April 14, Chris returned to the hospital for his Whipple procedure. The surgery was about eight hours long, and went very well.

    Thanksgivings:

• Because of the rescheduling of his surgery, Chris was assigned to a different surgeon. This new surgeon was skilled in the robotic version of the Whipple procedure, so Chris was blessed to have that, which meant that the recovery time should be shorter and easier.
• Following the surgery, the surgeon told us that the surgery had been “textbook perfect.”

APRIL 15 THROUGH APRIL 24
It was expected that Chris would be in the hospital for about a week, post-surgery, but some complications arose during that week, including an abscess at the site of a drainage tube, and an allergic reaction to the feeding tube mixture.

On April 24, I had to go back home because of a medical appointment of my own.

    Thanksgiving:

•     Beverly came, for the second time, to take my place. We were a good “tag team.”

APRIL 25 THROUGH MAY 9
Over the next couple weeks, complications continued to arise for Chris, including a leaky liver (requiring the installation of a biliary catheter), a diagnosis of flu (asymptomatic), and blood clots in his extremities and in both lungs. During this time, Chris’ pain levels were very high.

    Thanksgiving:

• On May 5, this email was sent out from Chris and Kelsey’s home congregation. It was such a comfort to our souls, and a boost to our faith:

Church Family,
Our brother, Christopher Judd, is fighting recently-diagnosed Pancreatic Cancer.  Right now he is really struggling and is in extreme pain. We ask that you join us as a congregation today, as a family, in prayer for Chris, his wife, his children, and his team of doctors. We ask that today at 3:30pm you stop what you are doing and pray with the knowledge that people all over the city will be doing the same. We will do this together. We will do this for Chris.
Memorial Church of Christ

MAY 10 THROUGH MAY 18
Since Chris still remained in the hospital, I returned to Houston on May 10, to relieve Kelsey’s mom, and to provide care for the children. A week later, on Wednesday the 17th, the doctors told Chris that he might be able to be discharged from the hospital in a couple days. We were thrilled that this long-awaited goal was at hand!

That same Wednesday, I went out to run some errands, and missed seeing a single step-down on a sidewalk. As a result, I took a big fall, landing face-first on the sidewalk. I was no longer of any help to the family - in fact, they were having to take care of me now, so Dan came the next day and took me home. (Read more about that fall here.)

    Thanksgivings:

• On May 14, the men from Chris' Bible study group crowded into his room, once again, to encourage Chris
• Chris and Kelsey’s long-time friend, Jason, had come from the Dallas area to encourage Chris and help Kelsey with some chores around the house. That, in itself, was a great blessing. But it turned out that God had another reason for bringing him to Houston. It was Jason whom I relied upon to take me to the ER and stay with me for several hours there, until Kelsey was able to come.
• I had no broken bones in my face, and only a small fracture in my right arm.
• Our friends from Temple, Paul and Kathy, offered to come, with Dan, to Houston, so they could drive my car home.

MAY 19
The day I left, which was Friday, May 19, Chris was, indeed, discharged to come home! This was after 59 days in the hospital, separated by a brief time at home immediately before the surgery.

The first night at home was interrupted by pain, which led to a run to the ER. It was determined that the pain was a result of some fluid on the lung, but the doctor wasn’t too concerned about it, and sent him back home.

    Thanksgiving:

• The wonderful news learned from the x-rays done during this ER visit was that clots were no longer seen in his lungs!

MAY 19 THROUGH JUNE 13
From that day on, Chris began growing stronger, and experiencing little to no pain. On June 5, he began working (from home) half-days.

JUNE 14 THROUGH JUNE 30
On Wednesday, June 14, he went in to have the two bile drainage tubes removed. The procedures went well, however that evening he started experiencing pain and running a fever. Kelsey took him to the ER, and they admitted him, putting him on IV antibiotics. On Tuesday, June 20, a PICC line was inserted, and he was sent home with elastomeric pumps (also known as IV medicine balls), which could be attached to the PICC line, so that IV antibiotics could be administered once daily, from home.

Assuming he is infection-free, Chris is scheduled to begin six months of chemotherapy beginning on July 12. He will go in for the treatments once every two weeks. Around the beginning of 2024, we hope to celebrate the end of chemo and the beginning of a cancer-free new beginning. Please join us for praying for God’s blessings for our son.

    Additional Thanksgivings:

• Friends from all over the world faithfully prayed for Chris throughout his hospital stay.
• Friends who provided transportation for Beverly, for me, and for the children, to and from the hospital, and to and from church services.
• Friends who provided transportation for Robert to get to and from school.
• Friends who gave restaurant gift cards and cash to help with expenses, while Chris was not able to work.
• The Memorial church of Christ benevolent committee, who helped the family out financially and sent a team to Chris and Kelsey’s home to replace a fence that was in disrepair.
• An anonymous Christian who helped pay for Robert’s tuition for next academic year.

My Big Fall

It was Wednesday, May 17. I was in Houston, helping to take care of kids, pets and household, so that Kelsey could spend all the time she wanted and needed with Chris in the hospital (see that story here). The kids were nearing the end of the school year. Robert was finishing up 7th grade, and Clara was almost done with her junior year of high school.

One of Clara's teachers was giving extra credit to any student who brought to school some kind of treat  that was meaningful for their family. Clara wanted to make a batch of our family favoritesthat we call "French cookies." She asked me if I would make sure we had all the ingredients, so she could make them that evening. Of course, I was more than happy to do that.

Now, one of the ingredients in French cookies is a two-tablespoon splash of brandy. Being a teetotaler, I'm always a bit uncomfortable shopping for that bottle of brandy. I looked for it at the grocery store, but couldn't find it, so I decided to go to the little liquor store I had seen in a strip mall near Chris and Kelsey's house. After parking, I walked down the sidewalk, heading to the liquor store. I was only steps away from the entrance when I missed seeing a step-down, and - just like Wile E. Cayote - I stepped off into thin air, and crashed, landing face-first, onto the concrete.

There I was, sprawled on the sidewalk, in front of a liquor store, looking, I'm sure, like I'd imbibed at least a bottle or two of brandy from that nearby liquor store. I didn't lose consciousness, but I couldn't move. My head was hurting, and my right eye had already swollen shut, my lip was bleeding. A young man came running up and helped me to my feet. I was wobbly, hardly able to walk, and my right arm was beginning to hurt. The "good Samaritan" held onto me and walked me inside the liquor store. The shop attendant took one look at me, and let out a little scream. He brought me back to the tiny employees-only restroom and let me splash some cold water onto my face. He gave me a wet paper towel to put over my eye. From somewhere, a woman appeared on the scene. She was horrified at my appearance, and tried to convince me that I must not drive. She wanted to call family for me, but I knew my family was an hour away at the Houston Medical Center. So I drove home. I was only five minutes away, and I didn't have to go on any busy streets. I wasn't thinking clearly; I probably shouldn't have driven, but I made it to their house without incident.

Chris and Kelsey's very dear friend, Jason, was at the house. He had come from the Dallas area to give Chris some encouragement, and give Kelsey help with a few things around the house. When I got home, he was upstairs, taking a nap. I called for help, and Jason came down, sat me in a chair, got an ice pack for my eye, and opened a bottle of water for me. He was so calm and capable that it felt like I was being seen by my own personal EMT. There was an urgent care clinic not far away, so he took me there. When the clerk at the clinic saw me, she said, "We can't help you! We don't treat headwounds. You need to go to the hospital."

The hospital was around a corner and down a block or two - very near by - so Jason took me to the emergency room. My right eye was swollen shut, and my lip was bleeding. I wasn't clear-headed. So Jason  graciously took the clipboard with the registration paperwork, and filled it out for me, identifying himself as my "son," to make things easier. I was so grateful for his kind and competent care that I was very happy to claim him as my son! Eventually I convinced him to leave, since he wanted to get to the other hospital to see Chris. Kelsey showed up soon afterward, to sit with me until I was seen by a doctor.

An MRI showed no broken bones in my face. X-rays showed a fracture of my right arm, near the elbow, but not too bad. By evening I was discharged with a splint on my arm and a prescription for pain meds. Kelsey took me home and took great care of me that night. 

I was quite a spectacle, as you can see in this picture, which looks like a mug shot.

 The next day, Dan came from Temple to take me home. I was certainly no longer an asset to the family; instead I had become a burden. Our good friends, Paul and Kathy, came with Dan, so that they could drive my car home. The blessing was in the timing, for the day that Dan took me home was the same day that Chris was discharged from the hospital, making it a bit easier on Kelsey to handle everything on her own.

A week or so later I was able to get an appointment with an orthopedic doctor. He took the splint off my arm, x-rayed it again, and said that the break was such that it probably would heal without a cast. He did put a sturdy elastic wrap on my arm, which he said could be taken off for showers. I was so happy not to have a cast. 

It's been a little over six weeks now, since my fall. The bruising on my face is nearly gone (easily covered up with a little make-up), and my arm is feeling good as well.  This Thursday I finally proclaimed myself "HEALED." I went and got a much-needed haircut, removed the elastic wrap from my arm and, that evening, went out to dinner with friends.

RAMBLINGS ON THE HEART

The human heart … it’s a muscular organ, about the size of a closed fist and located between the lungs. Its job is to pump blood through our body’s circulatory system. I’ve been thinking about the heart a lot lately, even though we celebrated Valentine’s Day over a month ago.

The cute little red heart that shows up on Valentine cards, and has morphed into an emoji to be tacked onto text messages and emails, is widely recognized as a symbol of love.

The history of that symbol is long and somewhat unclear, but may go back as far as an ancient Indus Valley civilization.

I even read that the ancient Romans held a belief that there was a vein they called the vena amores, that ran from the fourth finger of the left hand directly to the heart. Although the anatomy was inaccurate, this belief persisted, and may have been why the wedding ring is traditionally placed on that finger.

 

 In more recent history, 1977, to be exact, the heart symbol actually became a verb. That’s when the “I (heart) NY” logo was created to boost morale for a struggling New York City. It caught on, and now we can “heart” anything and anyone.

 

I’ve heard that the word “heart” occurs over one thousand times in the Bible. In most of those scriptures, though not all, it denotes a person’s center of emotions, intellect, morals and devotion.

 

As I’ve mentioned in my blog, before, Dan and I are amateur astrophotographers. One nebula we’ve imaged is the Heart Nebula. It is 7500 light years away from Earth, and spans an area of the sky that is four times the diameter of the full moon. It has a companion nebula - the Soul Nebula - which Dan and I have not yet imaged. Dan tells me that this pair of nebulae never dips below the horizon - it's always there. That seems appropriate for something we think of as representing “love.”

 

So, why am I so preoccupied with the heart these days?

On Tuesday, March 14, Dan went into the Baylor Scott & White Hospital (BSW), here in Temple, for an aortic valve replacement. This was accomplished through a procedure known as Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), which means that he did not have to have open-heart surgery. Although this was the less-invasive way to have the valve replaced, it was still a major procedure.

Dan spent two nights in the hospital following the TAVR, and came home on Thursday, the 16th, wearing a temporary, external heart monitor, due to the possibility of “heart block” following this kind of procedure. He was doing well until Saturday morning, when he was complaining of lack of energy and feeling “off.” Around 1:30 that afternoon the heart monitor company contacted him, which resulted in him calling the BSW Patient Advisory Nurse. She stayed on the line with him for about a half-hour, and determined his heart rate was in the 35 beats/minute range … way too low! So she sent him to the ER. We were taken back immediately, and an EKG verified he was in heart block. What that meant was that the heart’s electrical signals were not passing between the upper part of the heart and the lower part. Therefore the heartbeat was erratic.

Because of that, Dan was readmitted to the hospital and, the next day (Sunday) went back into the OR to receive a pacemaker. That second procedure was successful, and Dan’s heart, once again was beating properly. He stayed another night in the hospital, and on Monday, came home again, with a monitor that would send heartbeat data back to his medical team.

We have been blessed, throughout this past week, with an outpouring of love and assistance from our church family. Six friends sat and visited with me at the hospital on Tuesday, for the initial surgery. Others sent cards, visited at Dan’s bedside, brought food or took me out to eat. Prayers were raised from, an "army" of people.

Dan is still recovering. It will be a couple weeks, probably, before he’s back to normal, but he’ll get there, with God’s help. Thank you, everyone, for the love you've shown us. 

 

Valentine's Day, Dinner in Waco, One More Astro Shot

VALENTINE'S DAY

We were invited, this year, to a Valentine's banquet, which featured a "Not-so-newlywed Game." It was held in the fellowship room at church, and hosted by Cindy and Buddy, and Lori and Glenn. Couples dropped their names in a bucket upon arriving, for a chance at being a contestant in the game, and Dan and I were one of the four couples selected!

Buddy played the part of the gameshow host, dressed in outrageous '70s attire (toupee and all!). Here's a photo of the host of the original Newlywed Game, Bob Eubanks, and our own decked-out host, Buddy.

   

At the end of the rounds, Dan and I were tied with another couple. After two tie-breaker questions, we were still tied. To break the tie, a point was given for the couple married the longest. The other couple had been married 54 years, while we were only at 53. We lost, but since the prize wasn't an all-expense paid vacation to the South Pacific (or anything like that), we weren't too sad.

DINNER IN WACO

Last Thursday we drove to Waco to have dinner. Thursday is, traditionally, our "date night," but we often just grab a quick bite somewhere close to home. Last week we decided to get out of town and try an Italian restaurant that Dan had discovered on-line, called Portofino's. We were pleasantly surprised. It was a very nice place to eat, right downtown, on Austin Street, across from the historic Hippodrome Theatre.

Right next to the theatre is the Green Door Lofts (Magnolia Lofts). The classy renovation of these lofts was featured on Chip and Joanna Gaines' Fixer Upper show. What caught my eye was the beautiful, namesake green door.

ONE MORE ASTRO SHOT

Monday night Dan and I were able to take one more astro shot from our backyard. This is known as the Great Orion Nebula. This nebula can be found (sometimes with the unaided eye) just below and to the left of the belt of three stars in the constellation Orion. To the naked eye, it appears as a small glowing "smudge." We had imaged the Great Orion Nebula once before, but hadn't gotten the focus right. This time, we were happier with the outcome.

A Couple of Recent Astro Photos

We finally got back to shooting the skies, once again, in the past couple weeks. Here are two of the photos we took and processed. This first one is called the Horsehead Nebula. If you look closely, you'll see the dark horsehead at the base of the larger red nebula. 

And last night we shot this one ... the Rosette Nebula. We were surprised that we got as good a shot as this, considering the sky was lit by a full moon. 

Wintery Weather

We've had a winter storm pass through over the past few days. It came as a reminder that it truly is WINTER (but was nothing compared to our February ice storm of 2021.) The temperatures hovered just under freezing, the roads were icy, and the trees and shrubs were glazed with ice. Wednesday evening church service had to be cancelled, but it's looking like Sunday will be back to our normal Central Texas, mild, winter weather.