It All Started in the wee hours of May 28th when 80 MPH winds was tossing everything against the side of my house.

 Those winds were substained for well over 40 minutes. The results were trees everywhere down or large branches broken off. One of my bus routes to a train station passes a large cemetery. I noted piles of sawdust near 4-5 feet high where the crews were already removing the damage from the graves. That scene would be seen throughout the Metroplex, especially east of the I-35E corridor and southeast Dallas County.

Then, the dreaded thing happened: no power. Estimated repair time about 4 days. With no AC or lights, there was only one thing and that was to find a room in an extended  stay for the duration. With procedures booked at my hospital, It was just a short ride to the outpatient check in. Procedures cancelled by the anesthesiologist for a development  that he was not comfortable with, he did not want me to die on the table on his watch. It took me three weeks to get those appointments. Long story shorter----I ended up in the ER and being admitted for 4 days with all kinds of new appointments scheduled to August and still have not been rescheduled for the initial appointment and procedures. It is this type of thing that causes me to think that the entire medical system needs to be revamped quickly. Luckily, I am a very patient man. 

In a concluding thought here, I must say, I don't see much shutter

clicking for the rest of the summer. I am very weak and my photography mobility would not withstand were I am on that scale today.

What a Storm We Had as it continues with short waves slowly pushing the system out of here.

 Well, I remember being awakened by the roar of wind and things crashing all around and went back to sleep. Later I found out that the winds were 80 MPH for better part of three-quarters of an hour with pounding rain and hail the size of baseballs. 

Having said that, there is more. I spent two days in  an extended stay hotel because I had no air conditioning or lights, going from there to the hospital two blocks away where I had two outpatient surgeries scheduled. Going through all the prep, right down to the time the anesthesiologist man can in to see me before being taken to the surgery unit. Much to my surprise and my doctors, the anesthesiologist did not feel comfortable with putting me under and cancelled the surgeries. He wanted a sonogram first. It was a scramble to get one booked for the day after in the late afternoon. As usual, it would be a Friday and the results would not be available until Monday. Never-the-less that task was made complete and it is only the awaiting call from the Doctor before the surgeries will be rescheduled with urgency. 

Then, when I got home, the lights had been restored. The kicker there was that my internet was still down. I spent the next two days on the phone with ATT and got no answer when it would be back up, although ATT and sent out hourly text that they were working hard. Then came the text that they had fixed the problem but they found a connection problem that I could resolve. The problem with that is that I would need to have internet service. Saturday later afternoon, I got up from a long and well deserved nap. When I sat down at the desk and looked up at the modem/router the unit was showing all green lights again. With some baited breath, I turned on the computer and started the process of going on line as usual. Bingo!

Now---Even with rain every morning, or afternoon, or evening and overnight time frames, I would not be able to go out and shoot what I had on my schedule to shoot, although the weather in temps and dew points were perfect, the rain has been coming down in 4-6-inch totals each time. The conservation of the lakes levels  have risen by some 16 feet of new water. The ground is totally saturated like a sponge.  

No photos have been published for nearly a month, now. My brother and I were talking about change this past week. I said to him that, "Change shadows common place routines every where we go or what we do." It does seem, without fail, that change is going to happen whether we like it or not. I have always embraced change but as I get older than old, it is beginning to wear a bit thin lately. Especially in the area of electronics where I see so much over-kill taking place in the name of security. I just got my third letter that a breach had been made on another of my medical accounts. two of the three have been with sub-contractors of my health care provider. The third was go ole Ma Bell herself.

Heat Index over 100°F through the weekend.

Humidity	67%-      plus dewpoint = comfort index
Wind Speed	S 14 G 26 mph
Barometer	29.74 in (1006.2 mb)
Dewpoint	74°F (23°C)----------------------when this high combined with Humidity.
Visibility	7.00 mi
Heat Index	94°F (34°C)
Last update	24 May 12:53 pm CDT

when you add the two together and the total is above 107 you sweat standing still. The dewpoint is the culprit.

Every  one have a nice Memorial Day. Remember those that made our freedom possible.

Thursday, May 23, 2024 is National Turtle Day.

 Support a good cause. Support the rehab centers that take care of these magnificent creatures or even adopt one from one of the centers.

Just a Kid when the Northern Lights were seen by me. This week, I missed the first night and last night it was cloudy.

Thank goodness I can say that I have at least seen the most fab light show in nature. 

Today will be 100 % rain. It's another indoor day, I'm afraid. 

It's nice to know that we are in surplus standings thus far with the heat and evaporation yet to come as the summer months build and the rain systems taper off. Yet, I would rather be outdoors.

Dallas voters approved the $1.25 Billion bond propositions this month. Streets, Parks, a new Police Training Academy were the big winners. 

Representative Colin Allread, of the 32nd District of Texas meet with  Minister Ishigaki of Japan to discuss moving forward on the Texas Central High-Speed Rail Project between Dallas and Houston.

The non partisan and non profit media organization, Texas Tribute, previously reported along with the Dallas Morning News, that Texas currently has 30.3 million residents. Of that total, 68% live within the triangle of the four largest metro areas, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and Austin. It also informed by noting in a January issue of the Dallas Morning News North Texas kept Dallas-Fort Worth king of the heap at 8 million souls and counting. 

One-Hundred and Ten Years ago today in the small town of Grafton, West Virginia, a memorial service was held for Anna Reeves Jarvis. It became Mother's Day as we know it today. 

Yesterday was a delightful day that found me not even reaching my regular train station.

Although, I was less than a couple of football fields away. The weather was delightful with clear skies beginning, temps in the upper 70°F range, a gentle breeze, low humidity and low dew points. I stopped one stop before reaching the train station and had lunch on an outdoor patio.

Then, I simply moved hour by hour to three separate benches  along a tree lines sidewalk, people watching, sizing up various things that would bring out the camera and basically, did absolutely nothing except soak up some vitamin D, get a lot of great fresh air and just enjoy the afternoon.

After I got home, and brought out the camera to download, I realized that I only had a couple or thee images but most importantly, I remembered just how much fun I had being outside and doing nothing. It allowed me to re-calibrate why I go out with the camera every chance I get. Rain or weather being the only reasons that keeps me inside, in general.

One of the things that came to mind yesterday was that I have been downtown almost every weekend of May but I have not been back to the Ron Kirk Pedestrian Park on the old Continental Bridge. The Trinity River Park is finally going to happen as envisioned originally.  So, I have added it to my follow-up list of places to revisit. It is a great place to get a shot of the Amtrak crossing the Trinity river on the great architectural train bridge built some 90-plus years ago.

 It is also a place were you can find serendipity happenings. One that I continue to remember and hope to hear again is a trumpet player standing under the bridge playing with the echo's and reverberation out of this world. Maybe some music majors from SMU or UNT might want to bring their instruments down there and spend an afternoon of practice time and/or experimenting with acoustics in the great outdoors. Or some one who played an instrument years ago. Brass would be the top ones, but guitar and violins, cellos, even bagpipes would be great additions, too. After all, it is about musical sounds and acoustics. Those great stone trusses are still there waiting to  bounce that sound off their structures.

 

 

 

The Mixing Pot of North Texas is Getting Active with 19 severe weather watches going on at present.

 Yesterday was so hot and muggy again, even the weather man kept the chain saw out to cut the humidity. Currently, the humidity has dropped to 69 % and the augmenter, Mr. Dew Point is also at 69°F. The temp is holding at 80°F with a heat index at 83°F. Compared to the past two days, it ain't that bad out there if you only want to get a few breaths of fresh air before the sweat starts to run. Most of the storm threats will be out of here by 7PM tonight. Rain is going to add to the conservation levels of the area lakes (that's always a good thing). The plus side is that the cold front is generating most of the hail threats this afternoon and the daily highs for the next few days will drop into the upper 70s. Tuesday will be the next day the sun is out with clear skies, if only for a day or two before another system races through. Having said all that, I can move on from the weather report.

On the sports side of things, both the Mavs and the Stars are in the second round playoffs. Today, Dallas got a pro women's soccer team that will call the Cotton Bowl at Fair Park it's new home as the Cotton Bowl is in the middle of a $140M renovation again. The old gal is a landmark. In my younger days I watched the Cotton Bowl Parades on TV and the football  games. It's always been a bit sentimental to me. AH, the days of our past youth.

My pictures have been hot and to those that use them, I Thank You very much. It is because of you that I do what I do. Always looking for something new and different from my days when I had the priviledge to know Whit Northmore Schults, the founder of Northmore's, a massive mail order house in Chicago. Not only did I consider him a friend but he, as a motivational speaker, also motivated me to begin Seaway Specilaties that got me started with not only a unique group of businesses that served the Wedding Industry, but taught me how to plan and follow the graphic arts calendar, which  I do even today. I shoot on that calendar specifically for the graphic arts (i.e., ga's are already ending their summer needs and moving toward fall already). 

So, while I have been  cabin bound without the fever, the normal routine of getting things done that pop up at the same time every year is upon me again. Actually, I might even be caught  up more than I had first though. A couple of doctor's appointments are scheduled but that should  be the end of those till December. With hope, I can be out shooting some interesting things again. 

   

GO MAVS

GO STARS