A New Town Square Reopens and a Couple of Royal Visitors As Well.

 Last weekend, the Downtown Garland Town Square reopened after a two-year make over, several millions of dollars, American singer and songwriter, LeAnn Rimes performing. After the crowds were all gone (I thought) I made my way to see the finished product on a beautiful fall day. From the Dart train station, I walked the long block to the Northeast corner of the old square and rounding the corner, I meet  group of  people on the sidewalk. Almost instantly, the Royal Mounted Police Uniform stood out with that famous Stetson hat design that they wear. WOW! it's been a number of years since I last saw one of those. I crossed the street and almost instantly crossed back again, excused myself and ask the woman the uniform adorned if, indeed that was a Mounted Police uniform. "Yes", she smiled and replied. I then ask her and the gentleman that she was with if I could have a picture of them. "Yes",she replied again. After taking the shot, I ask if they were visiting on business or something formal. She replied that the gentlemen was also part of the Mounted Police and  that they were here for a conference and to visit their hat maker..I had forgotten that the hat maker was only about a mile or so away and that I had been there myself and checked out their shop that is open to the public with a large selection of hats, some even Stetsons. I learned from her that their hats were  that famous look that I had seen before and didn't realize that the had was made right here in Garland. 

Yesterday, I saw the local news show them in the hat shop. Yes, I even scooped the local tv station and had even sent an image to my brother the night before. But in the moment of this writing, I then walked back across the street and toured the new square from corner to corner before visiting my favorite deli on the Main street side of square. 

One thing that I noticed right away was all the traffic lightss had been removed and the corner crosswalks had been rounded with crosswalks  in colored tiles. New stop signs on new standards were also present. It was at Main and 6th that I had taken a picture of the street sign "Main 600" several years ago that became one of my top sellers. Well, that image is now a historic shot because the sign is long gone now. But I did get a shot of the new standard across and diagonal to the original  in front of the theater.

 

                                                  There are Canadian Flags in Texas, too!