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.