A great man is gone

We went to a memorial for our friend Bill Wittliff a short time ago. He was an icon of the Texas cultural scene -- in fact, he wrote the television script for "Lonesome Dove" which many of you may have watched on television.

A towering memorial

This clump of desert plants with the century plant reaching to the sky is a memorial for Cactus Pryor, who was an Austin legend in the broadcasting community He was also the unofficial court jester for LBJ.

Tribute to Miguel

Our friend (and everyone else's, too) Miquel Ravago died recently. This portrait by artist Roi James in the restaurant he co-founded (Fonda San Miguel in Austin) is surrounded by candles and flowers in his honor. We will all miss him.

Helen Thomas and a friend of ours

We went to a memorial service for a friend the other day-- here is a photo of him with Helen Thomas, the famed AP journalist.

Orlando Memorial

Jackie discovered this memorial to the Orlando shooting victims on the Hike and Bike Trail.

A 9/11 Memorial

Sometimes on our walks we take a turn through the Texas State Cemetery on the East Side. On a recent visit, we discovered this 9/11 Memorial with a piece of twisted debris.I think FFP is saying, "I never noticed this before."

Four lives lost

Four young lives were snuffed out during SXSW in 2014. This memorial is near the place where they were murdered by a drunk and high driver. 

Memorial Bench

This memorial is on the south side trail of the Butler Hike and Bike Trail along Lady Bird Lake.

Ferryboat Propeller

In downtown Austin near state buildings you never know what you will find memorialized. We happened to notice this at a tiny pocket park near a building on 11th Street. A plaque nearby identifies it as the "Thornton Ferry Boat Propeller." This came from a propeller-driver ferry boat that ran between Galveston and Port Bolivar between 1959 and 2000. The propeller weighs 3000 pounds! The ferry boat was named for a state official (Eli Thornton) so this is, I guess, a memorial to him. Today the ferry boats use some other sort of propulsion system.called Voith Schneider which has a much less nostalgic propeller system.

The homeless tree

A local charity created this tree for the people who have died on Austin's streets in recent years.

A nice memory

I see little flowers like this along the footpaths and wonder who they are for.

Tending the Wounded

In this shot you see more of the scene from the Vietnam Veterans memorial. The soldier's arm from yesterday was that of the wounded soldier on the right. The designers intended him to be one of our South Vietnamese allies. However, he was later 'changed' to an Asian-American soldier. I read in the newspaper  recently that they didn't change all the elements of his uniform and, in fact, there are epaulets and other details that would mark it as a South Vietnamese uniform. The reason for changing it to an Asian-American was to complete the ethnic tableau of the soldiers.  White, black, Hispanic, Native American were already represented. (I have to confess, I just saw soldiers.) There was also the issue that this monument was about Texans who died. Dog tags with the names of the dead are entombed in the monument.

Soldier's Arm

In this detailed shot from the Vietnam Veterans memorial on the Capitol Grounds you can see how realistic the soldier's skin appears (especially with the rain drops that were dotting the statue that day).

Vietnam Veterans

In the Vietnam War, 3417 Texans fought and never returned. There is a memorial on the Capitol Grounds that was dedicated this year to those who fought in that war.

Life goes on

While the three students in the front were holding up photos of people who were shot in the 8/1/66 massacre on the University of Texas campus, a girl in the background was flashing "hook 'em" and having her photo shot on the steps of the main building.

Honoring the dead

On August 1 this year, the 48th anniversary of the Tower Sniper massacre at the University of Texas, some current day students organized a memorial service on campus. In this photo, they are holding up pictures of the three people who died inside the tower. The man with the camera is Keith Maitland, who is making a documentary about the shootings.

36th Infantry

This memorial on the Capitol Grounds honors the 36th Infantry Division (also known as the Texas Division) with their arrowhead T patch rendered large.

They Paid the Ulitmate Price

Linda and I walked past the Peace Officers Memorial on the Capitol grounds recently.  Two names on this panel leaped out at me.  Billy Paul Speed was killed on the campus at The University of Texas on Aug 1, 1966, trying to deal with the Tower sniper.  (He was about two blocks away from me when he died.) J.D. Tippitt was killed on Nov 22, 1963 in the aftermath of the Kennedy assassination.

Ghost Bike

Unfortunately there was a fatal bicycle accident on the Congress Avenue Bridge recently and so there is a new ghost bike memorial. Be careful out there, folks.

Poverty is Deadly

On Auditorium Shores there is a small tribute to people who died on the street. Our friend Jackie noticed butterflies in the tree that with the memorial at its base (click picture to enlarge). " I did a little research at the House the Homeless site and deduced that the butterflies represent citizens who have died in poverty in Austin/Travis County.