Our weather pattern will remain persistent and that is a good thing. We’ll see afternoon highs in the low to mid 80′s through Sunday. Overnight lows will be in the upper 50′s and low 60′s. A northwesterly flow aloft will bring little disturbances through the flow periodically and they will bring isolated to scattered storms across the area should they move through during daytime heating. Saturday will be the best chance for scattered stuff with more isolated afternoon storms possible on Friday and Sunday. Next Wednesday morning a warm front comes through and with it the heat and humidity so enjoy this stretch while you can.
Three Legged Willie Arrived in Texas on this date in 1827. He was Robert Williamson and his leg deteriorated perhaps from a run-in with infantile paralysis. So, he stuck a peg leg on the end of his knee and used it as a substitute. You can see his bad leg bent back on the top of the stump in the photo. He was a scholarly man from Georgia who could have stayed in the Peach State as a southern aristocrat but instead chose the wildness of Texas. He set up court in Shelbyville, Texas and used a general store for his courtroom and a dry-goods crate for a bench. One of his first cases featured a man that slung down a Bowie knife on the bench. As it stuck in the wood, the man declared that was the law in Texas. Three Legged-Willie pulled out a pistol and said “this is the Constitution and it overrides all.” He earned respect though, not through brutal justice like Judge Roy Bean, but instead by persuading with his knowledge of the law, quick wit and courage. He became a leader in the Texas Independence movement and is acknowledged today as a Hero of Texas.
Lady Liberty Arrived In New York on this date in 1885. On America’s centennial in 1876, the French promised to give to the United States a great statue. Part of the deal was that the Americans would be responsible for the base and the French would take care of the statue. Trouble was, both sides were short of money. The Americans didn’t get done with the base until April 1885 and the French didn’t finish the statue until 1884 and arrived on this date in 1885 in 214 crates in 350 sections. Two of the photos above are from France as it was being constructed and the third is one of it being reassembled on its pedestal in New York. It was dedicated in October 1886 by none other than our man Grover Cleveland. The sculptor, Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, needed engineering help to figure out how to build such a colossus. So he got the help of Eugene-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Ducand Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel (Eiffel of Eiffel Tower Fame) to design and build the superstructure. An American Minister ended his prayer at the dedication ceremony by saying in part: “God grant that it [the Statue] may stand until the end of time as an emblem of imperishable sympathy and affection between the Republics of France and the United States.” I’m guessing he never heard of “Freedom Fries.”
Midwest Flooding Videos I found a link to a sight that is a treasure-trove of Midwest flooding video. Some is from Network sources while others are from individuals. It looks like that its updated often so come back and click on it from time to time to see the updates.
