Less THan 24 Hours Before Your Most Trusted Source In News is Back In The States

So I checkED in just to make sure that Wise County - the Place and the Blog - are still there (I haven't looked at the comments submitted, I'll get to it). But I've learned . . .

• A big fire in downtown Bridgeport
• Near motorcycle death on 287
• A real death at the Ballpark in Arlington. (In front of his son no less. That may be one of the saddest thing I ever heard.)
• I'm typing this outside looking over the Sea Of Cortez and a bird almost took my head off two seconds ago. I've got my eye on him. I've named him Nemesis Bird. 
• A lady ran off the road in Wise County and was dangling off a cliff? How big does a drop off have to be to constitute a cliff? 
• Another wreck in Paradise where a guy rear-ended another vehicle.
• And photographer Joe Duty brought his A Game and was there at everyone. (I'm assuming it was his picks -- didn't look at they byline.)
• If everything doesn't get screwed up, we're going to take a small boat ride to the famous "arch" this morning. (That's "el archo" to my Spanish readers.)
• Mrs. LL learned a handful of Spanish words and has been using them like nobody's business. I've beaten her down by saying, "Next time, ask him, 'Dónde está la biblioteca?'"
• Rhiana's stage in Dallas at the Americna Airlines Center caught on fire last night?

Why You Visit Poll

Who Would You Ban Poll (For Fun)

Religious Preference Poll

Someone sent me a hot Fort Worth crime opinion

Local TV News Poll

Presidential Poll

How Do We Feel About Muslims Poll

Not bad -- RIU Palace, Cabo

Random Thought Girl Poll

I've Been Curious About This Poll

Political Affiliation Poll

This just knocked me off my hammock

Vacation view from yesterday. I'd be looking at it now if it wasn't raining like nobody's business.

Residence Poll

Gender Poll

Age Poll

Random Tues...........Uh Oh

(The Homestead's Sidewalk On Friday)

Folks, we've got some good news/bad news depending on your point of view. I'm off this week. Yep. Vacation. And for the first time in years, I think I seriously need it.

But I might be able to post a few random notes (they tell me the lobby has wifi) but I make no promises.

However, I am proud to announce that it is ..............(drumroll)............. Poll Week.

If this thing works correctly, then every day you should see three to four polls that will allow you to vote and/or see the results. It's basically a "who are you/what you believe" type of thing, but I really am interested in the response.

As for my typical "Best Of" posts during vacation .......meh.

Random Fourth Of July Thoughts

Your Wimbledon 2011 Champion. And She's Got Her Green Card! Go America! Edit: I'm officially losing it. I even watched the match. Watched her second place trophy presentation. Two days later I think she won? I'm officially senile.

• Jarhead was covering a fire yesterday in Granbury (so did WFAA)
• And he posted a pretty good random mugshot out of Denton.
• Hmmmm. He's doing all these blog posts over the Fourth of July weekend when he thought I wasn't looking? The guy is starting his own Blog Revolution over there. 
• Wow: Four motorcycle deaths near Canton. Completely innocent motorcycle deaths.
• I can't sleep in if my life depended on it.
• Tried to explain what the 4th was about to the Fourth Grader To Be In The House. Hope I didn't screw that up. (But justifying a revolution isn't particularly easy.)
• Just looked up and saw a bunch of Elvis impersonators on mini-bikes on TV at the Arlington Independence Day Parade. (Question mark forming over my head.) 
• Now my brain just hears, "We're the Flying Elvises! Utah chapter!"
• Fireworks overrated? Twenty minutes should be the absolute maximum. (And is that the one area where there has been actually no improvement in design over the last thirty years?)
• Everyone sure seemed grumpy on here on Friday.
• Been having this thought lately: If there are places I'd like to visit, I'd better get on it. 
• I almost bought a camouflage print bathing suit yesterday and then decided that I'd have buyer's remorse before I got out of the parking lot. 
• I use Google as a quick spellchecker (it'll suggest alternative spellings) a lot. I wonder if "spellchecker" is "spell-checker" or "spell checker."
• Texas will have a new law on 9/1 that makes family pets covered by a Protective Order obtained by a  real live human. It includes threatening an animal. Really. 
• Sounds like lots of people were griping about the Runaway Bay fireworks. I'm surprised Runaway Bay even does it. 
• No Hal Jay dogging today. But I just saw that Fox 4's Lauren Przybyl doesn't know who Tommy Lee is. 

Pet Him? Name Him "Free"?

Hey kid!!! You just made Jimmy Houston roll over in his grave if he were dead. Get that fish on the cutting board ASAP! It's not gonna fry itself!

And, daddy: You might want to rethink filming the kid's first deer kill. I'm guessing you aren't going to want to remember that.

Let Me Acknowledge Again