Headed out to Deep Ellum today after talking with the Muralist yesterday on a bus route.

 This was my third weekend in the Art's District Train Station and it was more wild that the past two. It didn't take long to figure out why. The past two weeks the girls Volleyball playoffs were being held at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center and today was the final weekend. While waiting for the Green line to Deep Ellum, suddenly, I was surrounded by three full teams of the competition when I heard a guy say, do these trains all go the same direction? He later said that he was from out of town and needed some help. I explained to him the difference of the four lines and where they went and teams were trying to get to the Convention Center via train. When the teams got on the right side of the platform, I could see the Green Line inching it's way toward me. Reaching into my camera cart, I pulled out a bus route schedule that had a map of the train system. As I gave it to him, he was full of joy. 

When I got to Deep Ellum, the Baylor station was my target.  I would not have to walk as far to Rudolph's to see the mural that was painted on the back of their building as the muralist had explained to me yesterday. Walking past Paula's business, there was a note taped to the door that her mozzarella was being sold at Rudolph's in the next block. Paula started that business in early 1980's. Most of the afternoon was spent walking down Elm, crossing over to Main and coming back up Main before rounding the corner where Tree's (the music venue) once stood, with my full intentions of boarding the train at the Deep Ellum station. That station  had been built over the two tunnels that I will always remember being there and the paint parties that were held. I had to get my notes out as to the early date of 1911 beginnings of the Boyd Hotel, one of the few remaining cast iron front buildings. My notes come from the time that I was working a project to secure a grant to be given to the Deep Ellum Foundation from the Walmart Foundation. It was a joy to go to that Board Meeting with the grant to Deep Ellum. I have so many memories of Deep Ellum in a whole different light than most people do and I consider myself to be very fortunate to have that knowledge. Yes, even where all the broken beer bottles were on a Monday morning when I started my trek gathering the info needed for the grant and talking with the shop owners. 

So, I noticed so many changes today, new places, old buildings that were getting face lifts and somewhat loosing the old character of Deep Ellum, though that will never totally happen. The new characters just add more layers of history to the tale.

Since the Elm Street Upgrades, now, along the side walks are flower beds with native Texas wildflowers and prairie grasses. There are many metal backed benches in place now, as well. 

Of course, to me the big changes is that it took Deep Ellum over 100 years to get it's first high rise and now they sprout up as urban development. The pollinators were busy doing what they do best on these beautiful flowers.