It's beginning to seem that we are starting to get somewhat back to normal after two years of disappointments, sufferings and loss. Day before yesterday I got my booster shot and my flue shot at the same time with no post shot reactions what so ever. There was a very light soft soreness the morning after but that was it.
In the meanwhile, the weather has been a roller coaster of temps. One cold front after another from low 50's F to mid 70's F with a couple or three 80's F tossed in there. As the weather has allowed, traveling around the metroplex via trains and buses enjoyable since selling my car a year ago July. With gas prices at their highest level in quiet some time, my $1.50 bus and train rides have helped me cover the old 8-point wagon wheel of 18 miles up and back that once was done by car. That $1.50 in a single fee for train and bus jointly. That's a four county wide of travel currently. A couple of weeks ago, I rode the DART to DFW terminal A walked over to Terminal B and rode the TEXrail to Ft. Worth, transferred to the TRE (Trinity Rail Express) coming back to the AAC (American Airline Center) in downtown Dallas where I rode the DART back to my rail station and took the bus home. The point is: it's all in your head that you have to have a car to get around. To be fair with all my readers, I ride on a senior citizens reduced rate pass. but the rates are not that bad at the adult fare rates. It still beats buying gas, paying insurance, not having to pay out for tires, tuneups and even registrations.
Years ago, when traveling on vacation, it just made sense to not try to pack everything in a suite of suitcases. I'd find the closest UPS or FedEX and ship the extra stuff back home. So shipping was no big deal when it finally became "the thing" with shopping.
So, I have lightened my camera pack by about 20 pounds. Reduced my extra lens to just one plus the one on the camera and limit my daily total of shots from the 150 to 20-75 shots; less edit time and more enjoyable time being out side was the thought.
As the transition to Christmas is happening, here in Texas, it seems that a lot of people decorate early but really, it's using the good weather to get the decorations up if you do it yourself, or getting a lighting company's appointment booked. Then, there are the major projects like Ft. Worth's big tree that traveled from Michigan on a flatbed truck to Sun Dance Square. The Gaylord Texans' decorations and ice displays right on down to the tallest indoor tree in the nation at 95 feet in the center of the Galleria's ice rink. It was lighted today. Sorry 30 Rock but, the tree is fantastic regardless of the other things. Holly Quartaro,of the Galleria, said that the tree weighs about the same as five SUVs and the star weighs in at 100 pounds. They also have photo ops in a specially designed backdrops and lights that give off the near 3-D experience in the images. Personally, though, I'd rather have an outdoor scene with firs and Scotch Pines covered in snow. I sure hated shoveling snow in those winters but I sure loved those scenes, too! Yes, I do miss it, but not the shoveling.
So, as the year begins to wind down, we all had hoped that 2021 would be much better after 2019 and 2020. Now, finally, we might be in the beginning to see the time when we might be approaching "normal". Although "normal" has now been re-defined and will never be what it was beforehand. Still, there is hope that we will come out of this better over all.
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