We remain in Houston, where Kirby Drive has become a no-drive zone. Not that half the world isn't trying.

Between Richmond and Westheimer, parts of the street have been ripped away. There are concrete barriers reducing the lanes on each side to two. A very tall condo nears completion on the east side. A large mixed use complex proceeds on the west side. Trucks protrude partway into the traffic. Cranes swing overhead. Side streets are closed for re-paving and businesses have gone bust or moved. It is, to put it mildly, a mess. And it won't be much better when those large structures begin disgorging their residents.

Extricating myself from the snaggle, however, I saw a fine picture. Don't you hate that? A fine picture and no camera on the seat beside you?

A young boy waited for a bus in front of a large bed of roses in the yard that once belonged to former mayor Bob Lanier. He was leaning against the brick wall talking in a pleasantly absorbed way into his cell phone, while tangerine roses fanned out behind his head. Nice.

Instead of that scene, however, here is my December View for today. Another lingering remnant of Hurricane Ike, taken yesterday: