Jalynn West arts,education,outdoors Graham, Texas – A Small Town With Big Ideas

Graham, Texas – A Small Town With Big Ideas

August 18, 2023| Lucille Webb| 0 Comments| 12:00 am

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Steeped in history, Graham TX builds on its past to promote a welcoming Community rich in tradition and committed to a progressive future. Discover Graham’s spacious town square where friendly hellos and secret bits of the past mix.

Shop at boutique clothing stores and admire the wares of local artisans. You can also venture north a few miles to Possum Kingdom State Park, where you can enjoy hiking, fishing and other outdoor activities.

Downtown Square

Graham is a small town with some great shops and restaurants. The town also boasts the largest downtown square in America and hosts many local events all year round.

You can best experience this city by strolling around the square. Grab a seat, and enjoy the sights. Enjoy the historic buildings, and the work of local artists. Then after a long day you can head over to the local restaurants and bars for a good meal and drinks.

The town of Graham marks the beginning of the Goodnight-Loving Trail immortalized in Lonesome Dove, a bestselling novel. A playful sculpture is located near the old post office. The locals are friendly and helpful, and the Young County Arena hosts a variety of western-inspired events during the year.

Possum Kingdom State Park

Possum Kingdom State Park is a haven for nature lovers and sits adjacent to a scenic lake. Visitors can explore the hiking trails or swim, fish and boat at a lakeside. There are also air-conditioned camping cabins, as well as primitive and full hookup RV campsites.

Hell’s Gate, the area’s southern shoreline, is also a spectacular view of the limestone cliffs. It’s a popular place for cliff jumping.

Other Graham attractions include the opulent Chandor Gardens with sparkling fountains, a 30-foot waterfall and fascinating sculptures or Clark Gardens Botanical Park, which boasts unique trails amid beautiful trees. Picnic areas, water sports and playgrounds are available in other local parks. Weatherford is just a few minutes away, and offers shopping and dining opportunities.

The Drive-In Theatre

Graham TX is home to a drive-in outdoor movie theater, which will make you and your children smile.

This single-screen theater opened in 1948 and is one of the oldest drive-ins in Texas, according to its website. Every weekend, they show both classic and current movies.

They have a 50’s cafe onsite that serves burgers, fries, nachos, hot dogs and funnel cakes. Outside food and drinks are not allowed, but you can bring your own blankets or lawn chairs. Pets are permitted as long as they’re quiet, friendly and on a leash at all times. The movie theater is operated onsite at Community First! The Village provides micro/tiny houses and alternative housing in Austin as part of the community initiative to reduce homelessness.

Restaurants

A visit to Graham is a trip back in time to the days when farmers, merchants, and ranchers dominated the landscape. The city still embraces the vision of its founding fathers by promoting community, opportunity, and growth.

The downtown square of Austin is one the largest in Texas. Its streets are wide enough to allow a wagon turn around. Its people are warm and friendly. And the food is delicious. Its renowned restaurants include Possum Hollow, which serves everything from soup to steak dinners.

It’s also the home of the oldest newspaper in northwest Texas. The Graham Leader has been published every week for 132. Gustavous A. and Edwin S. Graham were its founders. They came to North Central Texas in 1869 and purchased land and a salt plant on Salt Creek.

Shopping

Graham has one of America’s largest downtown squares and streets that are wide enough to turn a wagon. Its founders surveyed the town with an eye to building a community that would prosper. They created the downtown square with its 44 historic properties and built a city water plant in 1929.

Farming, mercantile, and land sales were the mainstays of early Young County until oil was discovered in 1917. That brought rapid growth, but not the uncivilized growth of other boomtowns.

The Graham Leader is the oldest weekly newspaper in Northwest Texas. It was founded in 1876. In 1884 Dr. J. E. Ryus built a two-story brick pharmacy on the west side the square. He leased the upper floor to the Federal District Court, which moved to Abilene.

Navigating the OASDI Limit 2023: What You NeedNavigating the OASDI Limit 2023: What You Need

May 30, 2024| Sarah Molina| 0 Comment| 12:00 am

Ever wondered why some numbers in finance seem to shift every year? The OASDI limit for 2023 is one such figure that’s crucial yet often misunderstood. For those scratching their heads, OASDI stands for Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability insurance – essentially Social Security. This year brings a fresh twist you’ll definitely want to get cozy with.

The OASDI limit marks the ceiling of your earnings taxed for Social Security purposes. Understanding this number is more than just ticking a box for the sake of it; it’s about smartly mapping out your financial journey ahead. In the same way you manage your credit cards to optimize credit health, understanding the OASDI limit helps optimize your financial health.

Understanding the Social Security Tax Limit 2023

The limit on Social Security tax isn’t something to shrug off. It’s the maximum amount of your earnings that are subject to the Social Security tax each year.

That limit is $160,200. A nice chunk of change, right?

What Is the Social Security Tax Limit?

Let’s break it down. If your earnings hit that $160,200 cap, you’ll pay a maximum of $9,932.40 in Social Security taxes for the year. Your employer will kick in the same amount, for a total of $19,864.80 paid into the system on your behalf.

But if you’re self-employed, you’re on the hook for the whole enchilada – 12.4% of your earnings up to that $160,200 limit. The silver lining? You get to deduct half of that amount on your tax return. Every cloud, my friend. This is akin to how wisely managing your credit can lead to significant savings over time.

Now, let’s say you’re an overachiever and earn more than $160,200. Congrats. But here’s the thing: you don’t pay Social Security taxes on anything over that amount. It’s like hitting the jackpot, tax-wise.

How the Increase Affects Payroll Taxes

So, how does this compare to last year? In 2022, the Social Security tax limit was $147,000. That means the limit jumped by $13,200 for 2023. Not too shabby.

But wait, there’s more. If you’re a high earner, you could pay up to $818 more in Social Security taxes this year compared to 2022. It’s all thanks to that increase in the wage base limit.

So, what does this mean for your paycheck? If you earn $160,200 or more, you’ll see 6.2% taken out for Social Security taxes until you hit that magic number. Then, poof. No more Social Security tax withholdings for the rest of the year. It’s like a little bonus, right? Much like how responsibly using credit cards for monthly expenses can help manage cash flow effectively.

what if you want to learn how to draw anime and manga art? Tutorialwhat if you want to learn how to draw anime and manga art? Tutorial

October 4, 2024| Lucille Webb| 0 Comment| 12:00 am

Starting your journey into drawing anime and manga can be both an exciting and challenging adventure. With so many unique styles and characters, it’s no wonder why so many people want to learn how to create their own anime or manga art. However, if you’re a beginner, where do you start? In this article, we’ll guide you through the essential steps to help you begin drawing anime and manga on your own.

Learn to draw anime and manga on Medium.com

Step 1: Master the Fundamentals of Drawing

Before you dive into drawing anime and manga, it’s crucial to understand the basic principles of drawing. Even though anime and manga are stylized, having a strong grasp of basic drawing principles will help you improve faster. This means grasping key concepts like perspective, proportions, and anatomy.

Work on Basic Shapes and Forms

Everything you draw can be broken down into simple shapes. From circles to squares and triangles, mastering these forms will become the basis for all your future artwork. Make sure you practice sketching these shapes from different perspectives and angles.

This will help you understand how to create 3D objects on a 2D surface, which is essential when creating characters.

Step 2: Study Anime and Manga Styles

After you’ve become comfortable with basic drawing techniques, it’s time to start studying anime and manga-specific styles. Anime and manga have unique traits like exaggerated facial expressions, large eyes, and dynamic poses. Get familiar with these traits by reading manga or watching your favorite anime shows.

Deconstruct Your Favorite Characters

One good method for learning anime drawing is deconstructing your favorite characters into simple shapes and forms. Take a character from an anime or manga you love and try to recreate them Using basic shapes. This will give you a better understanding of how these characters are constructed.

After deconstructing, gradually build up the details like hair, clothes, and facial features. You’ll start to see how even the most complex-looking characters can be created using a few simple techniques.

Step 3: Master Drawing Anime Faces

The face is one of the most important aspects of anime and manga characters. It’s often the first thing people notice and can convey a wide range of emotions.

Focus on Eye Styles

One of the most distinguishing features of anime characters is their large, expressive eyes. There are many different ways to draw anime eyes, ranging from simple to highly detailed. A good place to start is by practicing drawing different eye shapes and experimenting with different expressions.

Anime eyes are highly expressive and can convey emotions like happiness, sadness, or anger. Mastering anime eyes will bring your characters to life.

Work on Face Proportions

Anime faces often have different proportions than real-life human faces. The eyes are larger, the nose and mouth are smaller, and the overall head shape may be more exaggerated. Practice these proportions by sketching the face from various angles like front, side, and three-quarter views.

This exercise will help you become comfortable drawing faces from different perspectives.

Step 4: Learn to Draw Anime Bodies

While faces are important, learning to draw the body is essential for creating dynamic and believable characters. Like faces, anime bodies tend to have exaggerated proportions. The limbs may be longer, and the characters may have more defined or stylized physiques.

Study Simple Anatomy

Even if anime bodies are not entirely realistic, it’s essential to understand basic human anatomy. This knowledge will help you create more believable poses and movements. Study how joints bend, muscles flex, and bodies move.

Once you have a good grasp on anatomy, you can start experimenting with more stylized and exaggerated poses.

Step 5: Start Drawing Daily

Consistency is key when learning to draw anime and manga. The more frequently you draw, the faster your skills will improve. Try to set aside at least 30 minutes to an hour each day for drawing.

By making drawing a daily habit, you’ll quickly see improvement in your skills. Keep a sketchbook with you at all times so that you can practice whenever inspiration strikes.

Join Online Art Communities

Besides tutorials, online art communities are great for receiving feedback and encouragement. Platforms like DeviantArt, Reddit art communities, or Instagram are great places to connect with other artists and share your progress.

You can stay motivated by sharing your art and watching others’ improvement too.