A Strange Light In The Sky

This is the White Rock Creek Trail that passes under Skillman Road at Park Lane on it's way to White Rock Lake a couple of miles below this point. That would be to your right as the end of the bridge goes.

Trail Mile Markers (GPS) are great. If you need help on the trail or you are lost, they will locate you for rescue. If you are stranded by high water, yep, the high water rescue crew can still find you! Just hold onto that marker!

My love of Walgreens goes back 66 years. My grandmother would take me to the lunch counter at our Walgreens and we would have a tuna fish sandwich and a coke. Now, Starbucks and Panera Bread and a host of others have taken the fun out of lunch counters and the swirling on the red top stools.

Even the duck was perplexed as to what to do. It tried walking down the side to a stump and all the while giving the indication that, "I don't want to swim in this mess" so he stayed on the top perch. Funny, actually, while watching him negotiate his mind.

Yesterday, following my post, Walgreen's called to tell me that there most terrible inventory system actually had worked and I could pick up my meds that they could not fill because of their inventory system a few days back.  When I opened the door, I was meet with this strange light that had suddenly appeared. It was---sunshine! It had been twelve solid days without seeing that old friend and our natural source of vitamin D. The total rainfall at Love Field reported yesterday, had grown by 0.93 inches bringing the total to 8.36 inches with the 17:53 hour (5:53p.m.) reporting cycle of 6 hours, There is now a 60% chance of rain on both Tuesday and Wednesday this coming week. AARGH!! Also, I did forget to mention that just outside of Dallas, we have already had our first tornado of the season. It was on the grown for less than 2 miles but did serious damage.

After leaving the drugstore, it was on to complete two new errands since the list has grown again. While out, I crisscross the White Rock Creek Trail  several times and the visible flooding was well pointed out with such out-of-place things like water! I pulled into a shopping center, parked and walked down the sidewalk to a bridge that crossed the creek. Dallas has plenty of bridges; some 5,000 at last count by TexDOT. There, I could see the where the tail was by the bridge on the trail and the mile markers.

It was rather hard to get the shots that I wanted. One, I didn't bring my canoe with me. Two, my glass is only a 150mm and trees blocked the view from the service road behind the shopping center. But, you will be able to get the view of what I mean from one ones that I did get. 

Spring Is Inching Its Way North Already

About a week ago, when coming back from the pharmacy, I saw the first flowering tree in full bloom. It took me by surprise with all the cold weather that we have had, but this tree traditionally is one of the first each year in my galaxy to show its colors.

Yesterday, while getting some of the most gloomy images the weather could serve up I was drawn to a hanging danger, then, I found a tree covered in little shining crystal balls of rain drops. It was then, upon closer inspection that I discovered that the buds had already opened and new leaves were already out.

Usually, around the first of March each year, if you live in the Metroplex, you can find real signs that Spring is beginning to happen with tree buds and leaves and flowering trees of white and red and pink blooms along the streets and golf courses. It happened  a bit more earlier than I had anticipated and can't wait until things dry out and good sunshine returns. I need to start walking again (I don't do Mall walks--sorry.) I like being out around nature where birds are building nest and changes are happening in flora.

Rain drops

Leaves!

A Widow Maker

The only thing holding it up in the tree is the one branch (rotten) that can break off with any wind movement in the trees. The butt end of the branch hanging about 12 feet down is about 12-18-inches in diameter. The weight (water logged included) is estimated at about 125 pounds.

Water,Water,Every Where

One might be hard pressed to find a canoe for sale. Just kidding, of course, but the 11th straight day of some measurable rain has fallen and the sun is almost just a faint memory. Tomorrow, the sun was to be out all day. That has now changed and we might see the sun  briefly Sunday and Monday, but come Tuesday, new ten day forecast advertises rain again.

The National Weather Service publishes for the landmark airports in the Metroplex, rain totals for the official gauge at DFW International. It also list Love Field, which is up stream from me. The total rain gauge amounts reported each 6-hour period since February 20th thru 11:53 A.M. today (24th) is officially 8.36 inches. Needless-to-say, we are OUT of the drought conditions that had returned from a year ago.

Yesterday, was my first day out in nearly a week. Cabin fever was pretty bad. With errands building up, it was time to get out for a bit. Knowing that I could get down Garland Road to the dam at the lake without hitting any areas that traditionally flood; looking at my list of errands was enough to set out for gas and the grocery store and stay dry. The bank and the pharmacy can wait until Monday and that is not carved in stone for need purpose.

Here are some of the images of the spillway flow.

From the upper spillway below the dam looking downstream to the tidal pool and the second spillway that turns left. There are two flows on either side of the island that forms the tidal pool. The flow that you see here is of the left flow right at the second spillways beginning.

The USGS official water level that is automated and located here as part of the reporting of the flow rate in the Trinity River Watershed on their website. There is another gauge that picks up where this one tops out. It is mounted on the side of the spillway. Both are satellite transmittable.

This is below the spillway that flows below the dam looking back up toward the dam and  into the tidal pool. It then is turning a sharp left into the lower spillway before discharging directly back into White Rock Creek, that flows into the Trinity, a few miles farther south of here.

This is the second spillway (the lower one) that steps down into White Rock Creek again. You can see the water forming downward and upward patterns that are a result of the steps under the water. This is about 20 feet deep where the white caps are forming. Also, keeping in mind that any water that is running off between the Red River and here is flowing into the Trinity through these creeks into the lake. So, the levels today are certainly higher than what you see here from yesterday. In fact, until today, I have never seen on my Yahoo home page a solid block in red that said, FLOOD WARNING. TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION until today. 

In spite of all this, there are trees that have open buds and I have seen one white flowering tree in full bloom already. I'll do an additional post with an image of rain drops on a tree with open buds that I shot on the walk up to the observation deck above the dam. I also found a dangerous "Widow Maker" and reported it to the Park Maintenance Office.Any wind could snap the rotten wood from the top of the "Y" that caught the branch and cause it to fall onto the trail. The size and the weight of the branch would be enough to cause a death if it fell directly on someone. The park guys are great about removing things like that. Last fall, I reported on in the parking lot above where the Kayak Rental is located and they removed it with an hour. The city doesn't want any law suits but these guys also know that most people walk around and never look above their heads at what might be a future Widow Maker. 

The Back the Blue Flag -- Police Only Version

The Back the Blue Flag  with the American Flag

There are two versions of the Back the Blue. The solid blue line under the field of stars is for police. The second version is  that same line half red and half blue.This version is for both fire and police. If you are going to purchase one of these flags on line or in a flag store, make sure you get the version that you want to represent either the police or the police and fire.

Historic Gateway Lost to a Hydrolic Chisel.

On Saturday,last, the old Texas Pacific/KSC/ATSF bridge that had been the gateway into White Rock Lake Park at Williams Road and West Lawther for eons is now half gone with the Northern column removed. The Southern column is slated for today and Tuesday. It will be replace with a new pre-fabricated steel bridge sometime in May or June. The irony is what it took to break up the concrete and the super irony is that I didn't see one stick of rebar holding the concrete together. The column that I watched being removed was like something made of krypton!!

A

SAD

Good-Bye

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