Fishing and swimming in the San Gabriel River(s) and Lake Georgetown.

Well friends, I'm watching the wind pick up outside the living room window, and the news says Ike is coming right through our back yard on his way to the north country. I hope the Lesser Includeds get to play for the masses sometime soon - I know registration for the Annual has tripled since we started entertaining. Has to be the banjo, or maybe the singers, or maybe the handsome drummer or keyboard player, could be the fill-in bass player, or the talented rhythm guitarist, no, i'ts probably the banjo player. Remember, you heard it here folks:
Exit Only.

I know most of the Houston office has reported in safe, but has anyone heard from our Galveston members? I hope everyone's safe and made it through Ike okay -- the pictures on the news are just amazing. I was expecting damage, but not this!

Prayers for everyone affected by Ike. Andrea, as bad as this one was, Galveston got lucky when the storm moved east just before landfall. As a lifelong Houston resident until 3 years ago, I actually expected it to be much worse for the Island. Let's hope the death toll remains small, that in itself is a miracle!

Can I blame AgProsecutor for the no hitter AGAINST the 'stros last night? I mean, this thread did start off with such a comparison...

On a more serious note, I am also keeping the folks in southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana in my prayers. I have heard from a couple of friends and family of mine down that direction, but am still waiting to hear from others (I assume because of the lack of power). I went to school in Houston and am also wondering about the law center. When Allison hit in 2001 (and it was very minor compared to this) the law center flooded badly, damaging or destroying many archives in the library. They have just done additional major renovations to make the commons area much nicer as well (the commons and the library are both below ground...)

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ken Sparks:
Maybe Clay could speak on the ethics of rattlesnakes.

---

Rattlesnakes and defense lawyers, same difference, I'm ready to go.

Clay, you have been to our famous Rattlesnake Roundup, haven't you?

This article caught my attention last night.

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/09/16/0916ikeag.html

"Officials say that up to 20,000 head of cattle and horses have been displaced in Chambers and Jefferson counties. Many of those cattle are dehydrating after eating saltwater-soaked grass and lack fresh water."

As a fifth generation Texan whose father was literally the first generation off of the farm, I was fortunate to grow up as a child with weekends and summers at my Grandmother's and several Uncles' ranches and farms in East Texas to reduce the influence of that "big city livin'" that became my families life after my Mom and Dad moved to Houston and attended college and law school after military service.

I remember those times fondly, and learned many lessons from those days on the farm. My family began farming and ranching in this great State in 1821, long before Texas was a State. Indeed, my great-great-great grandmother and her second husband were among the first to farm and raise cattle on the barrier island of Matagorda and it's mainland areas.

As an erstwhile student of Texas History, I know that cattle and horses were for many years raised on most if not all of the Texas barrier islands that we now flock to for fishing and recreation, and indeed, for our Annual TDCAA seminar.

As civilization (and I use that term loosely) encroached on these sandy pastures, very few areas like this remain today. One of those areas was on Boliver Island in Galveston and Chambers Counties, as well as the lands on the mainland side of the bay. It was always nice to see cattle and horses on the island when I went fishing at Boliver or played the occasional gig at the Ships Wheel in Crystal Beach.

Anyway, I decided to make a small donation, as I normally save some money to enjoy a wonderful dinner in whatever beach locale we have our TDCAA seminar. Since our seminar will be postponed for some time, I'll have plenty of time to set aside some money for that dinner. As for now, there are some livestock and farmers/ranchers that need it more than I do.

Like many of you, I often lament the loss of some of the old time values that our ranching and farming heritage here in Texas holds. I'm not a farmer or a rancher, although I know some of my brother and sister prosecutors are. I'm not even a cowboy, despite my heritage of cowboy ancestors, but some of my fellow prosecutors are real cowboys and cowgirls.

But that doesn't mean I don't think highly of those folks who feed us and who continue to follow this way of life, despite the hardships involved.

What sites are under consideration for the re-scheduled Annual Update?

You gotta take Lubbock off the list, 'cause Lubbock County just had 8 inches of rain last week & some areas are still flooded. But if you pick Lubbock & put it in October, for fun, the attendees could go to any number of playa lakes & watch the Canada geese, which overwinter here & outnumber the humans quite a bit. Watch where you step, though.

Also entertaining: cotton stripping & the cutting of ensilage. You could take a tour of the new dairy North of Idalou, or go tour one of the award-winning wineries. Texas Tech Museum has art collected & made by Anthony Quinn on display.

Texaner dritter Generation deutscher Abstammung

Yikes! I spent a year in Lubbock one day...

I guess we could all do like Trey and suggest some sites for the relocated annual.

What about Alpine? I can't recall ever having a seminar there. They have lots of motels there, and probably Sul Ross could be convinced to provide classroom space. Yeah, it's a long haul to Alpine, and the nearest commercial airport is in Midland, but it is not near as flat as Lubbock.

Or Port Aransas? Port A weathered Ike very well, and they have lots and lots and lots of motels and condos there.

And it would be a welcome change from locations frequently selected to hold seminars: Corpus, San Antonio and D/FW.

Think outside the box.

You know, they never, ever, have hurricanes in Europe. When was the last time you heard of a conference canceled along the Italian coast?

Or in the Greek Isles?

The Greek Isles or the Italian coast sounds great. Unfortunately <sigh>, I'm absolutely certain that my state agency will not spring for that trip. Besides which, I'm sure that none of the resort hotels are on the State's Hotel/Motel contract. <LOL>

janette

Vancouver?

So I propose Ruidoso, Texas.

Its up in the mountains, so its cool and bracing. Great horse racing. Pretty scenery. Lots of cafes (boy are they expensive! And they don't give you much to eat! But they are very High Tone, so its worth it, I'm told).

So I vote for Ruidoso.

Realistically, a suggested locale for an update relocation has to have hotels, restaurants, a meeting space large enough to accomodate our group, and some sort of access to a major aiport for those far flung prosecutors like Brumley, whose wives won't allow them to drive more than 200 miles.

So I guess I'll start a poll on the likely destinations.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mark Edwards:
Clay, you have been to our famous Rattlesnake Roundup, haven't you?

---

Why yes I have, reminded me of docket call for some reason! ; )

Greg, as the prosecutor from Chambers County, I can tell you it's not just the cattle that are suffering. We have lost entire communities, wiped from the landscape. I am told that I can't try to go back to my office because we won't have power until maybe the end of next week. Since Entergy still has zero power restored to the county, I'm doubtful on that estimate. When Rita blew through three years ago with considerably less damage and force, we were out of work for two weeks and it basically took a full year to get our dockets back in order.

Right now I am a prosecutor in exile. I have taken the kids to Georgetown and plan on relying on the local DA (thanks, John), to help me get some filings done for extensions, etc.

Dan, so good to hear from you! I have been thinking about you, and I know others have too. I assumed you fled Ike to Wilco.

Likewise, I hope that Mike and your assistants, investigators and staff are ok as well.

Please let me know if there is any way I or our office can assist you. I know you are in good hands in Wilco, but we are ready to assist you as well. We are just right down the road.

Almost everyone in the Wilco DA's office knows how to get in touch with me if there is anything I can do personally or professionally for you.

There are many things about this storm that have stunned me, but I must say the most frightening image was the picture of the lone house in Gilchrist. I know your county was hit and was hit hard.

Glad you and yours are safe.

[This message was edited by Greg Gilleland on 09-18-08 at .]

I'd send you an e-mail, but I don;'t know when you'll get it. I still owe you an adult beverage from the Crimes against Children Conference. There's a spare room and a bottle of something friendly for you when you need it.