[AGL] rising from the mud

[Connie Clark]

the Lotus in Hindu and Buddist religion, is the symbol of spiritual enlightenment.

I’ve always liked working east Harris County, out by the San Jacinto River.  Unlike the west side of the County, it is not engulfed in new subdivisions of overpriced mega homes, rather, it is still holding out with mobile home parks, or other semi-rural houses scattered on acreage lots mixed with industrial.  There is also the occasional, but essential biker bar. The scenery always seems so fertile green. There are still patches of indigenous palmetto just beyond the roadside ditches, but East Texas tall trees are harder to find this far south.  People living on the east side work around the petro-chemical industry or the ship channel for the most part, and are blue collar all the way.

Earlier this week, my assignment was to inspect an asphalt road near Old Beaumont Highway, for road damage and traffic matters that residents complained were an issue due to the presence of big rig trucks.  This is not the first of such complaints, and I’m seeing this condition increase dramatically the past few years on lot's of roads near the ship channel area.  In unincorporated Harris County there are no controls.  If someone wants to spread gravel over 20 or so acres, and convert the space to drilling pipe, tank or large container storage, they may, and will do so.  There is money in it. Some of these ‘distribution’ facilities are small time operators, and some are national chains. The expansive Port of Houston, refineries and the petro-chemical industry has stimulated a lot of growth in trucking jobs, and much of the trips across the state and country start and end here in East Harris County, not far from the historic San Jacinto
 Battleground.  

I felt like a midget driving along this one-mile long 2-lane black top, as lines of trucks greeted me and big rigs swung across both lanes to make a turn into their driveways.  Reported incidents include a fatality due to folks trying to drive around stopped and backed-up trucks.  There is little or nothing we can do to help the low density resident population in the area short of rebuilding the road, someday. But, I took the pictures and made some notes to take to the analysis and problem solving session, and set out for the office.  

The Sheldon Reservoir was close enough to call to me for a short break  – hadn’t seen it in a while.  The signs at the park warned of alligators and sure enough I did see one staying cool in the water.  The reservoir level was a little low, but deep enough to support acres of blooming lotus.  

I recognized the water plant because I had a pink one in my backyard pond blooming until the surrounding trees got so big there was not enough sun.  The same large 14” diameter leaves, and 8” blooms, but yellow, were standing tall above the reservoir water rather than floating on the surface like water lilies. 

Lotus flowers are distinctive in that the seed and the flower develop simultaneously.  I took some pictures with the office camera. Wish I had my nice digital, but these came out ok. This is my first sighting of mass lotus, and if this turns out to be a new, invasive plant here in Texas, I would be like to be enlightened.

http://picasaweb.google.com/connie3c/Lotus

Good morning and good health to you all,
Connie
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