The Patriot Guard

Stories come from the most unusual of places and have much more meaning than anyone could guess. Yesterday, I heard such a story. Not only was it interesting, it stirred a well of emotions in a big burly guy with a braided white to grey pony tail . Yes, he rode a Harley. He also was a volunteer for The Patriot Guard.

When the government's executive-style jet flies into the closest small town airport with the casketed remains of a young military serviceman or woman returning home for the last time, or, to a busy airport in a major city like DFW or O'Hara or Atlanta, LA and others, the local chapter of the patriot guard will meet the plane with the funeral director and escort the remains back to the funeral home. They will also escort those remains to their final resting place be it a military cemetery or a local cemetery. In other words, it is a tribute to the fallen comrade that basically says, you are not alone. They will also honor a veteran in the same way. To see them in action is a big emotional stirring within itself.

A couple of years ago at the 71st Annual Memorial Day Dallas, last years 72nd and this years 73rd, the opportunity to speak with several of the men and their wives and/or girlfriends who ride as a group is always an honor for me. I have meet lawyers, doctors, business executives, airplane mechanics,construction workers, retirees and even military men and women on leave who give of their time to honor the fallen servicemen and women. Yes, I've even meet a judge who rode for the Patriot Guard once.

Yesterday, I spotted the flags at a local cemetery and drove to the grave site. The active duty officers from the Joint Reserve Base were ready and so were the Patriot Guards. The funeral was not due to arrive at the grave site for nearly an hour. There would be time to get a few pictures and chat briefly with the Patriot Guard that was there.

The big burly guy with the pony tail was eager to relate the story behind his pony tail when ask. He said that he rode with his young wife sitting in the Queen seat of his Harley. When he came back from Viet Nam, he let his hair grow long. When he and his wife went riding, his hair would blow into her face. He started to braid his hair into a pony tail so that it would not blow into his wife's face. He still has the pony tail neatly braided today.

Here are  the flags on a 102 *F Texas afternoon.

The Patriot Guard, The American and the Veteran Administration seal flags

The American Flags

Two Active Duty Navy Personnel Await Their Charge

Cleaning Up the Summer List

The summer list of "wanna-shoots" gets created as the regular list of weekend shoots get scratched or goes unfinished. Then, when the weather that is supposed to be getting better, doesn't, the list seems to grow instead of getting shorter.

Yesterday was a day that a couple of those items could finally be scratched off the list. The irony of such a list is that the list is never completed. Never. But, on the flip side of that is that there is always something to fall back on to shoot when there is extra time. One of the best selling images happened from  that list and the second best selling image also came from that  list. Now, would anyone toss such a list, I ask?

I didn't even chase the finish-up move of "the Big Boy" from Irving to Frisco after last weeks trek ended in Irving. While the twitter tweets said that the biggest crowd was in Carrollton (duh), it is about the only good place of any viewing size to watch. But,letting things go is a strong suite. Last weekend with the Big Boy move from Fair Park to Irving ended the chase that had been on-going for over a year.

 Already, the conversion of Fair Park for this years State Fair is underway. The Chinese Lantern Festival will return and some 20-odd artist from China are busy at work creating this years pieces. And, of course, the return of Big Tex on his new base. Plus, the tracks from the old museum are already being erased where the railroad museum sat for 50 years.

Before you can tie-up all the loose ends created by this year's list, it will be time for the annual Christmas Parade the first part of December. Then, the shoot cycle starts all over again with the new and unusual always headed to the top of the list.

Yes, Dallas traffic takes to the air, again. A billion dollars plus for the High 5, a billion plus more for the LBJ Express, a billion for the 121 -114 connector at DFW, a billion plus for the Horseshoe,the old Mix-master at the I-35E and I-30 interchange. Funny thing. all the HOV lanes will be or already are--the new tollroads. So what do you now call the Dallas North Tollway? Oh, failed to mention that it was just announced that from this project, the LBJ Express, I-35E, will undergo the same re-do all the way to Denton. It's the price we all pay for the increased growth to the Metroplex and it was never (in a Texas way) a small thing.

The LBJ Express Project. The redo of the I-35E and the LBJ 635 Interchange that extends 11 miles to the east at the finished High 5.

The Bell Tower at the University of Dallas. For some odd fact, the University is in Irving. In fact, it sits atop the hill on Tom Braniff Drive overlooking the old site of Texas Stadium that was demolished. The bells chine very loud on the quarter,half and hour marks.

 

Off the Shores of White Rock: A Memory of Nancy Drew's Creator

One day last week, I spent the afternoon at the Dallas Arboretum. Even though it was hot and somewhat sultry, there is always a nice breeze blowing off the lake. It has been a while since this photographer was at the Arboretum. It will be nice when the city gets their parking situation underway (pardon the pun since the walkway will be underneath Garland Avenue). Before going, I checked their web site for any specials,coupons etc. The web site stated that the admission was $15.00 but during August, adults could get in for just $1.00. Parking; $10.00. As I am pulling into the drive, I see both a bus and a sign saying that if you took the shuttle from Gaston Avenue, Parking was only $5.00. Last year it was "free". I went ahead and parked in the regular lot and paid my $10.00 at the gate. I did ask the lady in the booth behind the glass why there wasn't a senior citizen discount on parking. She perks up and said,"oh there is if you purchased it on line". Talk about being a little pissed even as I mentioned to her that I had checked the website beforehand and if it was there, the website had it well hidden. And hidden, it was.And no more conversation came from the ticket lady.

On the whole, I generally enjoy my time there, be it Spring,Summer or Fall. If we ever had a good snowfall in the winter, I'd be beating down the gate to get in. I only wish that there were more winter-like places in Dallas, though I am not complaining at all. 

At Wildwood Preserve in Toledo,Ohio,( the estate of R.A. Stranahan, founder of Champion Spark Plugs)  the manor house was always decorated for the holidays. The DeGolyer House, here in Dallas at the Arboretum, decorates  at Christmas but not to the  extent that the Stranahan Manor House  holiday decorations displayed. The riding stables and paddock were also great to see when at Wildwood. Along the Maumee River from Lake Erie inland along US 24 to Ft. Wayne, Indiana there are amazing winter ice flows, heavy snows and winter land-type views. It was, after all, a part of the old Erie Canal and some of the original locks do still exist.

It would have been nice if the Hunt's had given Mt. Vernon to the city  in connection with the Arboretum. It could have opened the house to the public during the holidays and decorated, charging admission, of course. The rest of the year could have been used for weddings, parties etc.,etc. Garden Clubs, Master Gardner's would have enjoyed meeting there, too.

It reminds me of Bob Stranahan Sr.,Jr. and III when they did the right thing by turning over the Manor House and stables to be shared with the people in the Toledo area and beyond. Just across the creek from the Ritter Mausoleum (previous post about Mary and George. Books of Note and People That I Miss,02/16/2013)  in the side of a hill is the Stranahan Mausoleum, in beautiful Woodlawn Cemetery. Somehow, a red rose and a white carnation always ended up in front of those two Mausoleums from time to time. Not all the time, but from time-to-time. Nancy Drew author, Mildred Benson, (original 23 volumns) would ask me from time to time, "I wonder if those blooms came from Ken's or Bartz-Viviano? I'd say to Millie, softly, "Bartz". She would then reply," I wonder how many people know that fact?" My reply was," one too many." She'd laugh with that soft coarseness that  her voice had in her later years.
The Dallas Morning News was holding their summer picnic at the Arboretum after it closed to the public when I was there. Seeing the banner reminded me of Millie. I haven't had one of those sly, "the cat just ate the canary" smiles in years. Hank Harvey and John Grigsby. The City Desk and  City Editor. Memories sometimes  come with that smell of old wooden pews;as rich in smell of quality aged wood as in that moment of reflection that carried it into thought.  I've always liked that smell.

Beautiful Spanish Architecture

The Library. I Love the Library and it's view.

A summer party for employees. Well done!

The Procession of Good-Bye For Big Boy (Part II)

A Railroader for real.

A second shift of a real railroader

Coming into Irving under cover of darkness.A more dangerous trek for this real railroader.

A continuance of The Procession of Good-Bye for Big Boy.

The Procession of Good-Bye for Big Boy

While there are/were a lot of women who are/were as much railroad people as any, men are drawn to railroads and trains and its history. Here are images to that fact. There are several sub-post to this post

The smile says it all

Every one had a camera

The Procession of Good-Bye for Big Boy

The Fates Align in Tribute to the Big Boy 4018

I am not superstitious to much. Nor do I rule it totally out either. It seems to me that the fates are responding to the move of the Big Boy as a final tribute.Maybe. In case anyone  wondered, there is a full moon on the 20th. It probably would not come into play had the Big Boy moved last month or all the times beforehand, but, as fate would have it, it has been delayed almost every single time that there was  talk about a move being locked in as a "sure thing". It makes a good case for another dimension that lies neck and neck with the world that we know so well,or at least think we know so well.

The Big Boy did make it out of Fair Park. That is a fact. It didn't make it to Frisco. That, too, is a fact. Big Boy creaped  into Irving and firmly anchored on a siding under darkness. It was  a long day for the crew that didn't go far today. At approximately 10:50 this morning (Sunday,18th), the horn sounded and Big Boy with its braking units was slowly pulled out of Fair Park after a half century there. For the remainder of the day, it set in a freight yard off 175  and Scyene Road. Most of that time I sat in the Dallas,Garland and Northeast yard off Mockingbird. Three hours, in fact.Others came and went, mostly to check on the progress of a very much beloved piece of equipment once titled to the paper agent of the Union Pacific Railroad, created to hold such equipment as most transportation companies create. When certain types of equipment take on a life of their own, some see them as just a piece of equipment. Not so. The fates do control such life-like objects and things we humans don't fully understand. Those unexplained happenings are more real that we think. Once in a while, these objects play mind games with us humans. The Big Boy has an untold story to tell and it will tell that story in due time. Just wait and see.

Even the pictures of the departure from Fair Park had the Big Boy looking back on  Fair Park as it was pulled down the dead track to the main line of Union Pacific with a BNSF engine. True, it is the way that it had been put into the museum some 50-years ago, but it plays a part in the tale.

And to go neck and neck with another dimension,still, some will remember the young  motorcycle riders who shut down US 75 Central Expressway to honor one of their fallen cyclist a couple of years ago.

Big Boy looks back on Fair Park as it leaves it home of 50-odd-years.

They were seen on the road way above the Big Boy. Now tell me that there isn't fate at work here. I talked to my computer at work for years. I'd pat it on it's top and tell it how good it was. My computer always worked, while ever single computer in that office would need  a tech or geek or IT guy to get theirs working. Tell me equipment doesn't take on a life of its own.

As one of the breaking cars arrives in Irving with Big Boy, a near full moon looks down.

A group of young cyclist that shut down US 75 to pay respects to a fallan cyclist appears above the tracks where Big Boy weyes near Lamar Avenue.

 

More Traffic on the Lake

Over the past three years, there is a marked increase of traffic on White Rock Lake. During that time, SUP boards have increased. Kayak traffic has increased. Sailboat traffic has increased and now there is increasing use of Hobie Cats and Hobie Double Kayaks. Oh, did I mention the steam-powered converted sailboat? Then, there are the rowing clubs that have inreased and fishermen  that use boats.

 There is now a canoe,kayak and SUP board rental vendor in its third year at the lake. All-in-all, it's a good thing. The wildlife seems to be adjusting to the increase also. In some ways, they actually benefit. The question that presents itself next is: at what point will it become saturated? Of course, it may slow down as the economy  increases and people return to other forms of recreation that are developing in the Metroplex. Maybe, there is no need to sound the alarm yet, but observing the past three years has been an eye-opener of sorts.

Another subtle sign can be seen here in this mid-August summer afternoon shot. In the tree to the left of the sign the Monk Parots were being rowdy. A silhouette shot caught the rowdy little bird behaving.

Storms in the area last night and some this afternoon, as a result of a mid-August cold front passing, kept the temperatures not above 91 * F for a change. It also send a lot of dead wood flowing through the lake and over the spillway.

A Fine Art artist from Connecticut was visiting the lake today looking for inspiration. It's always amazing to me how White Rock Lake draws artist,photographers, writers, poets, musicians  and other creative minds. From this photographer's viewpoint, it is  a much-welcomed choir of angels that are as if they are on their day off. Least I fail to mention Roddy holding court every Sunday for years with his "FREE ADVISE" sign out. Dallas is so lucky to have such a jewel in the heart of the city.

Silhouette of one of many Monk Parots at White Rock.

With increasing Boat Traffic, new signs go up.

Last night's storms had 60 MPH winds and gave a much needed 0.75 inches of rain.

 

Run This Through My Herr-Voss

When you see "Run This Through My Herr-Voss" it's  a way to say that I've got something on my chest that I need to get off.

Yesterday afternoon,  with the temps going back into the triple digits again,  even the cat was trying to push me out the door for a little while. Since I had a low tire (a down side to front-end drives) I set out to see my friend,Jamal. He operates a stop and shop with gas and an air machine. Also, he had found a new Mediterranean restaurant from our visit of last week and I wanted to touch base with him as to when he wanted to go for dinner.

 On the way home, my eye caught a large ground movement in an area that is mowed regularly by the city and I slowed down enough to see a very large Red Tail hawk on its prey. I drove to the parking area, got out the camera and walked back along the road several hundred yards. This was the second big Red Tail that I have seen in as many months. Last month, I posted one on a squirrel dinner. This one had the same taste buds. One thing for sure, Red Tails keep the squirrel populations in check.

While watching this amazing bird feast on its kill, keeping movement down is always essential if you want to observe the food chain at work and learn about urban life of such amazing birds. The traffic is in a residential area but its on the edge of a popular park. Looking out for traffic on my side of the road and maintaining an eye on the bird, this one car was coming back and forth and pulled into  a near driveway. Thinking it was the property owner, I didn't pay much attention to the car beyond that. A bit later, along came a girl and two guys walking two dogs on the other side of the creek. There wasn't much concern with that in as much as they presented little disturbance with the creek between them and the Red Tail. In a split second, the people follow the dogs down into the creek and the lady in the car comes forward in a fast walk with camera in hand. Both converged on the hawk from both directions. Fear had already registered in my brain what was about to happen. Sure enough, the Red Tail stirs anxiously, stands at full tallness and the wings come out in lift-off position. Sure enough, it took flight with the squirrel that wasn't finished. It flew across another street into a wooded area that is part of a flood plane and wet land. No use looking for the hawk, I didn't feel like running from cottonmouth snakes!!

Here is the "RUN THIS THROUGH MY HERR-VOSS".
Some people are so self-centered, they have no respect for others in public areas. The lady had no clue what was about to happen. She actually thought that she was going to get as close as I had gotten to the Red Tail. And, she might have had a 60/40 chance had she been aware of the dogs on the other side of the creek.

As far as the people with the dogs, they were young 20-somethings and didn't care what a old man with a camera in his hand might be observing on the fringe of a park known for its wildlife-in-Urban splendor. The young couple and friend and the lady with her point-and-shoot in hand immediately backtracked in the other direction when the hawk took flight. It was like watching to cue ball on a billiard table hit to balls at once and one goes to the left pocket and one goes to the right pocket. They knew what they had done. People don't know how to share common space with others who might be enjoying nature  while they occupy or consume their afternoon with no purpose in mind.

Earlier, a business owner had come by, pulled off the road quietly, sat in his Jeep and watched the hawk, got out his camera and snapped a couple of shots. I walked across the road to talk to him. He lives in the area and had experienced the  same two American Bald Eagles seen in the area earlier in the year like me. The point being, you got three people stopping. One can share the common public land with another while the other two groups have no clue how to share nature and respect the observers as well as the feeding animal or fouls. That's what "ruffled my feathers" or as and old steel man would saw: "Run This Through My Herr-Voss".

Here are a couple of pictures from of the beautiful tail feathers of a Red Tail hawk.

 

B__G Upside Down or Right Side Up on Maple Avenue

The heat advisory has not been a good thing, especially with  a 40-pound camera bag hanging off a shoulder. Having said that, some of you have noticed that the post have developed a more spacial distance between the postings. Most of you also know--especially the Canadians--that some of my extraordinary shots have come after extended spells of drought and I don't mean weather! So, while making a trip to the drugstore and the grocery store at the tail end of a dry spell, I had been waiting until the new,but old,sign at Love Field went back up following the renovation at the terminal buildings and the like. Surveying for parking places, angles etc.,etc., I turned down Maple Avenue to come back around into a left turn lane to get the Love Field shot when I spotted one of the city's new marketing campaign's big blue letters B and G in the driveway of a business. I've seen them in some unusual places but this one was a bit more odd. Parking in a lot across the street,walking across the street I encountered a guy from the new gym, who's driveway the letters were sitting. He explained that he had called the city and requested a set of the letters for the Grand Opening of the CrossFit Big D. The rest is history.Here are a couple of shots from the gym and the new, but old, sign at Love Field where Denton Drive and Mockingbird Lane cross. The sign is at the end of runway 13R for normal flight operations. It's about 26 or 27 degrees on the reverse when landing but is designated Left rather than right.

CrossFit Big D Grand Opening

Turning your world upside down in a BIG way.

Several sets of these letters can be found around the Metroplex. There is even one done in Rainbow colors for the Gay community in Uptown.

When the weather turns better, like November, I'll come back and get some good closeups.