It was 81°F Yesterday. Running Errands Before the Big Chill Hit today.

 In someways, we are lucky in North Texas. While in other ways its just pure old fashioned  luck. Still, I really can't think of anyplace else I'd want to spend my retirement years. While I got enough flying in during my normal job, I'm content in riding the trains here in the Metroplex's 4 counties. If I see something worth photography I can get off at the next stop and hop a bus back to within walking distance. When I was still driving, I'd drive past something and turn around and go back to photograph a bird or some unusual object or just something unique as all-get-out. So basically, the routine is still the same without the car insurance, the gas, the registration fees, maintenance, tires, batteries etc.,etc. 

Today, however, its ordering in groceries, doing the little things that I keep putting off and cooking. I love the smell of bread and rolls when the yeast fills the air throughout the house.It's just one of those smells from my childhood that I got from both grandmothers early on. Each one with their unique spin.

One was banana pudding with that thick layer of beat egg whites that had browned just right in the oven. The other was the super big and I mean super big cookies and those fried pies of chocolate and sugar in a half-moon folded over crust browned as well. Oh, my. For years it was always a  mystery how my maternal grandmother made those super big cookies. She never let you see her cut them out of the rolled dough. Then, the last time I visited with her (she passed in her mid 90s)  I was in the air pretty much over where she lived on my way from Dallas to Detroit. It was mom's oldest sister that let the cat out of the bag by accident. 

In those days, the little diners got super big jars of mayo, big enough for a hand to go into the jar. That meant there had to be a big metal lid to screw onto the jars. I found one at a garage sale one day and it actually matched what my grandmother had used to cut out those whopper sized cookies. Some were sugar. Some were chocolate chips. It made no difference to me. Grandma just gave me the biggest cookie that I had ever seen and I loved her and her cookies.

Yes, I still like banana pudding that my paternal grandmother made and had a big hutch cupboard in her kitchen where she let pies and puddings cool and on big holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving, there were always those big fluffy biscuits left over from breakfast that you could sneak one in between meals. That's where I got the love of yeast rising in the oven and floating out from the oven and throughout the house.  

This time of year,I don't mind being in the house when the days are cold or threat of rain. I don't mind those things, but I am at the point now where you can call me a 'fair-weather' type of guy. Hey, it helps me stay off the computer, too. There have been some days when I have been on the computer way to much. Of course, indexing images will do that when you have heavy shoot days. Those are days when when you shoot at least 250 or more shots. 

Right now, with colors peaking, its hard to not run up that many shots in an outing. With the drought conditions previously I was afraid that the colors would be rather bleak. But,no. They are outstanding. The 70's are in the forecast a couple more times in the next week so I'm trying to get the chores done so that I can hit the road and the rails just right. 

The Christmas Tree Farm is the biggest one and the best one that I have seen in the area this year. I had an outdoor lunch at Dickey's BBQ yesterday and got the Christmas tree display from the sidewalk table as I ate lunch. You can see the trees color change  that is next to the tree farm display.

 

Not Rushing It. In fact, I'm behind already.

The last of the super full moons for this year

           

         <Saw one of these on a car top yesterday.    

 

 

decorations are popping up all over the place and I just finished the last of the turkey up.`

Plano has their tree up in Haggard Park Already. This is one of several spots in Dallas that have full size trees.

Christmas Around the Metroplex in Christmas Past.

I first noticed how I was falling behind on posting with the tides when I was at the Zoo on the 19th of October. Christmas was already happening there and the workers were like busy little bees getting things set for the light shows and the rest of the holiday happenings there.

Last week I was at Addison Circle Park and it was just a nice Autumn Day. Then, last night on one of the TV stations, they ran a story showing the massive decorations of lights that is billed as the largest 'free' light show in the Metroplex, I didn't even see any signs of the decorations going up, but it's a massive light show walking in the test run and it is absolutely awesome. How and when all that got done had to be holiday magic 'cause I sure didn't seen anything happening there when I was last there.

Then, there is the ICE SHOW Carvings at the Gaylord Texan in a chilly 9-degrees where the carving are displayed. No worry, I have big jackets. Not to mention the outdoor lights at Fair Park, or Frisco. Talk about feeling unplugged, looking back over the past month and what has taken shape, from what I have seen, being unplugged is an understatement. I can't even find the extension cord to plug into where ever all this stuff got the 'show time' signal from some fictional text or something. 

However, not all is lost. I have started my annual review of the archives and uncovered a lot of missed images. This review isn't all about top shelf techniques in every image. It's based on subject matter and some of the not so clear shots can be explained away in full honor, but it is the ones that I missed that are top shelf that got overlooked because of the ones that didn't turn out so well initially. And---bow your heads and put your palms together for a photography confession about to be unmask. I even checked the last date that I got new glasses and I am still within the time frame of regular check-ups but I have noticed that I have to take off my glasses sometimes to see the computer screen. I get frustrated when I have to fight with my trifocals lens and take my line of site up or down two floors on my shoulder of lens view adjustment to read at times. (After 40 years of successfully wearing hard contacts, I don't hate glasses but I do hate trifocals.) But, like most things worthy of eating a bit of pride, came the discovery that I couldn't see something I was trying to focus on in the view finder of the camera. So I pulled the glasses off and looked into the camera's view finder to a perfectly clear image. Then, it hit me like a brick. I was trying to focus through my natural lens through my trifocals and the camera's lens. Something had to give and I continued to try this technique again with just my normal lens looking through the  camera's lens with 100% clarity. What a Bozo I was to not even think about that in the first place. In short, I have better lenses in my cameras than I have on my face. Imagine that!

I used to listen to my car when it was trying to tell me something. I listen to my body to help manage my health, so I guess my camera just got tired to trying to tell me to take off my glasses when I wanted to really get a super sharp focus. I've always had good technique. I was taught by my mom and one of the best wire service photographers in the industry and have had a life time of practice. I just could not see the problem and the camera must have gotten tired of hearing me say, "OH, GEES!" So, I have seen the technical light---don't try to focus through two sets of powerful lens. You just need one!

So, I will continue to practice taking off my grasses when I shoot. It's a hard pill to swallow but sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do. You know what I mean Vern? You know what I mean,Vern.-------Vern, knows what I mean! Good Night!

 

Echo's of Carl Sagen

 "If the dinosaurs had a space programme, they'd still be around." ~~Carl Sagan

Carl, was a pioneer in the field of exobiology, the study of the possibility of extraterrestrial life. 

 Carl, never said "billions and billions". That came about from his appearance on the Johnny Carson television show when Carson--not Carl-- said "billions and billions"in a quip but as we say today, 'it went viral'.

All this came about from our present space capsule that is circling the moon that took a picture and sent back to earth of that amazing little "blue dot" we call home like the one earlier astronauts took. Carl had some interesting thoughts about that "The Blue Dot" that came about. Now, after all those years, the image is raising some very interesting questions that Sagan had written about. The man was religious and believed that God did exist but maybe had been under or over estimated in early writings thousands of years ago--- not disbelieving that God created the Earth, but a question pro and con on maybe not the 400 billion starts in the galaxy beyond our own. Something to that nature. The point is---There is so much we do not know about the universe and through exploration some of those questions can still be answered. Most recently, Harvard Physicist Lisa Randall's new book "Knocking on Heavens Door" says she thinks an extra dimension may exist close to our familiar reality, hidden except for a bizarre sapping of the strength of gravity as we see it. That article in greater detail is from the Smithsonian Magazine, December 2011 by Robert Irion. 

So, as we work on how to change the course of a space rock big enough to house the Empire State Building from not hitting us, those space programs that Carl referred to was 'right on critical thinking' and maybe, we won't be wiped out like the dinosaurs demise because they didn't have one of those space programmes where as, we do today.

Sometimes the grimlins sneak back into the camera.

 It was a bit chilly when I headed out today, but given the 5-day weather forecast, the better of the days before Thanksgiving was going to be today.Soooo, grabbed the bag and headed out the door to the bus stop and then on to the train station. Once at City Line, the options were available for many different directions and/or events to update and shoot. So, there again, I choose the shuttle bus to check on the University of Texas--Dallas since it has been a wee bit since last there. 

The usually neat sidewalks were covered in construction mud and even a drilling truck. I started out on the opposite end of where I finished up beforehand and worked my way down to the water tower and then back toward the shuttle bus stop. There, I meet an amazing young man out for a walk, it seemed, and I ask him if he would like a picture or two for his social media page. Long story short, he agreed and while we were discussing how he would like to have the images taken, I forgot to switch my settings from landscape to portrait setting. Of the three or so shots, they were okay for using in social media but I prefer to have them as clean and clear as possible. Still, they came out rather well for that use and I have explained to the young man what happened---even giving him two examples of what difference there is between the two settings so he can see the difference. 

All-in-all, it was a very good day just to be out in the elements, even when the clouds started to move in. Scattered showers tomorrow and then better weather and warmer temps come our way during Thanksgiving and the weekend. 

Going To The World Cup?

 

Dallas might be worth checking with for connecting flights if not direct.

 Dallas/Ft.Worth International Airport had two Middle Eastern Airlines direct. It might be worth some time and connections to check with before booking anything. It has been a little bit since I've been to DFW International Flights so,if you didn't know, it's worth a shot to check before you book.

British Airways, American,Qantas,Qatar, had flight connecting if not direct now from DFW. Just a thought. Better to have checked than have regrets later.

Thanksgiving Is Very Near And The Bird Airdrops from the Freezer To The Refrige Tomorrow

 It sure does not seen like it's Thanksgiving time again.  Where the time goes is a thing that even a Physicist doesn't really know. I've seen my watch one minute seem not to move and at other times, I look at my watch and it has moved more than even I can explain of my time. 

Another example is I know that Thanksgiving for a very long time has been fixed as the fourth Thursday of November.While I know this, the dates change and I always have to look to see what date is Thanksgiving  at any given time during the year. When I was a kid, summers were endless before the Tuesday after Labor Day week. Now, even that seems to be skimming days, even weeks off summers. 

Yet, another example that still baffles me:  when I go back into the archives and look at pictures, without fail I can recall the moment that I shot that image in accurate detail. Then, when I look at the data of when and time, this is where my mind just evaporates into ' I can't believe that it has been 10 years already' kind of thought, or in some cases, even longer. It just blows my mind that I can recall the moment in detail that the picture was taken, impervious to time and yet, the time between when it was actually shot and the date that I reviewed it in the archives is like a time warp that seems almost to unreal to be true except for the camera's data as the shutter closed on that image. 

 

 

J

Some times, the  original message needs to be more demanding.

Not just another day. It was a typical fall day at White Rock Lake.

Thanksgiving is a time to remember the past and  also a time to give thanks for our many blessings. It is to be hoped that Thanksgiving and Christmas, the weather will be nice enough to get out and find something unusually unique for the 2022 Holiday Season. 

Previous Fall Colors in Dallas' November-December Peaks

 

A couple of ice storms

A normal seasonal change

A season of being neutral, except for the vulture flyover.

 In North Texas, you really do not know what you are getting until it arrives. Such as our beautiful weeks of mid 80's and then wham-o, we now have had our first freeze of the season and are expecting temps to be below our yearly normal of 60s this time of year. This year, we have two weeks of below normal with highs only being in the 50s. Just north of us along the Red River today, Oklahoma picked up 5-6 inches of snow. It's 60 miles to the border basically so there you have it. We live in a weather mixing bowl here in North Texas.

Arthur Gordon Calls it: A Truly Memorable Encounter: A Luminous Encounter

 In his book, A Touch of Wonder, The chapter called, The Gift of Bright Encounters---Unlikely Friendships has long been memorable to me. Over the past two weeks, I have had two of those encounters. Normally, I might have one or two a year, let alone one a week back to back. Over the course of time since, a lot of thought has been given to those two encounters. One was sparked by the laid back, easy going young man who encountered me with a question: "What are you taking pictures of?" My reply was "chimneys". He went into the store where I was sitting on a bench outside. Quickly, he came back out and in a super-laid back way said, "I forgot my wallet" as he strolled down the sidewalk and  disappeared around the corner of the building. Shortly, he returned, "You got me thinking about chimneys. I've seen three around the corner." That was the day that I got up from the bench and was about to go around the opposite corner of the building to New York Sub, where the bench had given me a break to just think about architecture and the chimneys that I had been focusing on, when I looked up and saw the 6 contrails of high altitude commercial jets on vectors going east as the sun gleamed off the planes showing that they were traveling at about 5-mile separations, a standard for the FFA Traffic Centers. Also, unusual to see them at all in that formation. Generally, you see one here or one there or two crossing in an 'X' but never 6 side by side.

The second encounter happened this past Wednesday on my way to my ill fated doctors appointment that was scheduled by me a day before my doctor's office called me from last years notes the doctor had put into the system to schedule. My appointment was not until 3:15 had it gone as planned. I had planned to do some fall shooting before taking the bus from the train station that would take me to in front of the doctors office. The park was busy and filled with people being served a holiday meal near the train car of historic times. Others were looking at the City of Plano's Christmas Tree which was already up for the holidays below the gazebo and in front of the lake and fountains. I walked over the bridge to the other side of the lake and from the walk that winds it way through the park saw a young man in a black cowboy hat at a picnic table playing his guitar, singing. When I had entered the park from the train platform's access, I had heard music coming through the breezes, carried by a moderate, but pleasant autumn wind more like summer than fall with temps in the low 80s.

I walked over to him and ask if he would mind if I took a couple of pictures of him and his guitar and case on the picnic table as he kept doing what he had been doing. He said to me that he didn't mind and I walked around the edge of the lake and then walked up by the side from a distance and got a couple of angle shots that I felt fit the mood of the music that I was hearing. It was one of those encounters where I had explained to him that I have long ago started shooting images of musical instruments and artist out in the open rather than a concert. The exception was stage shots of artist at the Deep Ellum Arts Festival.

Both of these encounters I have written about in past daily post from those days but as a background to the story, Gordon, wrote that, "afterwards you know that you have learned something valuable---something that can't always be described exactly, or measured of explained,but something. When on of those luminous encounters take place, most people feel an impulse to preserve it, somehow". 

In these two encounters, something valuable was this: Encounter #1, the young man was very much like me in that he didn't get excited not having his wallet. He simply carried on to solve the problem and with the return letting me know that he had also learned something---chimneys were on the mind. He was even counting them. Encounter #2, the young man had written original music and published on You Tube. Its what I once called Space Music. It is soothing. Great to fall asleep to and relax. We later, through e-mail, talked about his music and how I have long considered music and photography to be the 'twins of creativity'. We now follow each other on social media. His being my blog and me being his You Tube channel: etherealfrequency. 

The October, 2019 Tornado Across No.Dallas and NE Dallas An apartment chimney is being rebuilt after the storm.

 

July one Day and Cold December the next but Still Tropic at Pirata Fish

 Glad that I went out on Wednesday when Summer was still here. The day started out rather good, then turned forgetful from the Doctors when the schedule showed no appointment that was made twice but somehow, their system deleted the appointment. Then, the day got better again. 

While waiting to catch the bus to the doctors from the train station, I had allowed time to have a good sit-down lunch in Plano.What I had in mind was redirected by the walkways to cross the tracks at the train station to save a few hundred steps. Much to my surprise, as the bus that I came in on was going on north, I had time to wait for the southbound bus that would carry me to the doctors appointment. As the bus came in on its driveway to be continued by heading north, I had spotted a quaint little restaurant that I would normally consider well hidden from my new travel routes and named Pirata Fish Marisqueria Del Mar A Su Paladar. So after getting some already posted pictures of Haggard Park, once again, I took that track crossing walkway and headed toward Avenue K (which I know to be a continuing Greenville Ave. in Dallas). Walking up the sidewalk, I rounded the parking lot and had plans to use one of the outside picnic tables. Once, through the door, those plans quickly changed. 

Earlier, as noted above, the quaint little restaurant was inviting from the outside and was welcoming from the front door to a themed tables that I have seen in Mexico and in Brazil. Come to think about it I have seen them in South Carolina and in Ogunquit in Southern Maine also.

The ambiance was delightful. The quaintness always suits me fine and it also brought back memories of a business associate in Toluca, Mexico that I visited at his factory. The service of chips and two kinds of dip was a delight because I had a quick breakfast and was out the door. It was after midday and I was a bit hungry. On ordering, Enchiladas De Machaco with rice, cheese sauce and french fries was going to take care of the hunger I was beginning to feel. The food was excellent. The personnel were excellent and the overall experience was well worth the $$. Upon leaving, I heard, "See you soon."  I will be back was my reply.

 

A Beautiful Fall Day in Downtown Plano aka The Things I Find on the way to my Doctors appointment

 Over the years, music being played solo or in a rehearsal outside has been something I photograph in the street photography department. It could also be in the sound department if I shot video. I've thought about adding sound at times. 

The young man was playing in Haggard Park in downtown Plano.The sound carried on the wind across the park. As I was telling him when I ask if I could shoot a couple pictures as editorial images, he told me, " Sure. That is find." He was very kind and I related to him how my interest in shooting instruments and people playing outdoors  started in my mind. I was down town along the Trinity River when I heard this fantastic sound of a trumpet echoing off the cement pilings of the railroad bridge. To this day I still hear that sound in my head. The same was echoing today brought with the wind and that triggered my memory of the bag piper, the drummers, a cello, flute and a piano. But stings and brass are like the Cadillac of sounds outdoors. Oh, yeah, I forgot the tubas at the Michigan football games with Ohio State as a tradition of dotting the"I"in Script Ohio.However, that would fall into the drama department. Michigan's tubas were the sound.

Plano had their Christmas Tree Up at the base of the Gazebo overlooking the lake and fountains. Holiday Meals were being served to a group near the historic rail car in the park. All-in-all, it was a great fall day to be outside, even if the doctor's office deleted my appointment from the data base and I had to get back outside before sunset. That's the "fall back" down side of  Daylight Savings TIme.However, I've never remembered it being so late as it was this year.

More Architecture, Chimney and A Surprise

 It was a perfect day in the weather department and with rain moving in  before the next cold front that will put us in a chill for a longer period of time than our one day of 48° and then not warming up any warmer than 53°today had to be the day to venture out if I was going to get out with impending weather. 

As it turned out, it was a lucky day for some interesting images. And, sometimes---not always--- I kind of let the Lord be guide were I go. When I was driving, I did that from time to time and it turned out quiet well better than I would have done picking places. So, just because the mode of transportation changed, does not mean that I cannot do that in this situation. As it turned out, it turned out better than I would have done. Didn't I just say that? Well, that is okay too. 

The FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour plane was parked at Addison airport and refueling. Earlier, as I learned later, it had been a red carpet hanger presentation, which I missed somehow. But, I did get the shot of the plane doing the things all planes must do if that stay in the air. They drink fuel JET A class . That was the shot. Being refueled. That is the kind of shot I like more than the one with all the pomp and circumstance. When I shot the Christmas Parades before they ended that tradition in Dallas, I walked the work areas where the floats were being made ready prior to step-off time. The better shots were there most of the time. 

So, I got a lot of walking in at Addison and even more checking out the status of the old Valley View Mall. That project seems to be on hold a bit. Thinking that the Feds triple rise of interest rates might have halted some of the original timetable. It's sad to see the old mall gone. I liked that mall more than the Galleria Mall, which to me is more on the line of North Park Mall Farther North than anything else. Anyway, I grabbed a sandwich at BK and would walk around the mile up, mile across and half a mile down to the bus stop for the same bus that I had gotten off  at Montfort and Alpha picking it back up on Preston just beyond the old Jared Jewelry Store. From there, the connections were like clockwork and I was home about a half hour earlier than planned. Officially at DFW, it hit 81° at two one-hour reporting times and when I got home, I had shed my jacket earlier and packed it in my backpack. My shirt was wet at the collar. So, with rain tomorrow, laundry day will be at hand as I have sorted out my summer shirts to be cleaned before I put them away. 

Click on one image and the enlarger is enabled for all as you click them on the thumnails.