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| China Air Cargo 747 lifts off runway 37L/18R |
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| Looking toward DFW from Grapevine Historic Station on Left and New TEXrail station platform on right. |
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| Three plants here. Sunflower, morning glory and flytrap |
I have not been out to DFW this summer with the heat and oppressive heat index values, so when I saw the thermometer pegged on a 70 this morning, I didn't even make coffee. I popped a piece of bread into the toaster, poured a glass of OJ, took my meds and grabbed the camera bag and Sling of Water and headed out the door.
I needed gas so checking "gas buddy" I quickly found a station within two miles that had gas ten-cents a gallon cheaper that anyone else in the vicinity, included the rogue Kroger's that gets very little of my core business anymore, including gas. The station was right on my route to DFW, too, so everything looked good. That is until I got to the station. Problem number one. The station only had two pumps. Problem number two. The guy in front of me had a lawn mower sticking above his tailgate. I should have known. Then, Problem number three. The second pump had a lady sitting at the pump inside her car playing with her phone. No, she had yet to get out and start pumping any gas.
Back to problem number two. The guy pulled out a 5 gallon can and begin to fill it. Oh, good. He is going to fill up the 5 gallon can and be on his way. Not!! Then, the reaches over the tail gate and pulls out another can. This guy is cutting grass all day long or he has a landscape business that he is sending a worker out the a job---maybe. Then, out comes the 2.5 gallon can and then, he puts the gas hose into his truck!. I didn't even want to know how much time had already elapsed. He would glance at me ever so often. I though maybe he was working out a plan either to keep me from blowing my stack or planning his defense if I came after him in some way. I must admit he was fairly level headed in his approach and kept the gas flowing from one fill up to the next ,to the next ,to the next.
Meanwhile, back at problem three, lady is still sitting behind the wheel of her car playing with her phone and had not even thought about putting gas into her car.
Dude finally gets in his truck and pulls it to the edge of the parking area near the street. I can now pull up to the pump like any normal person that is going to fill up his tank. When I get out to begin the process, I catch lady shooting a glance at me just like the dude had done. Just as the pump pops off, the lady drives away. She sat at that pump from the time that I got there to after my car is full. I'm just shaking my head in amazement. I'm shell shocked---I'm at a Diamond Shamrock station that is really more of a "C" store with a two pump bay. One car on one side. One car on the other side. I push the button that I wanted a receipt. No paper. Now, I must unplug my phone, lock the camera in the trunk and go inside to get a receipt. After getting the receipt and returning to the car, I check my gas buddy again to close it out and it has me to write a review. I read the first three and looked at the rating. It was a 2.2---not that good. So, I simply said that I had to go inside to get a receipt, that they had run out of paper. Finally, I'm on my way.
When I got to Airfield Drive West, and went up over the roadway that was raised to allow the new TEXrail tracks to come into DFW under the roadway, it was clear to see that the rail line is now in and looking good. As I come around the curve to Founders Plaza, I notice landing lights at the far end of the 18 runways coming right at me. I pull over, get the camera out of the bag and get ready just as the China Air 747 cargo lifted off and was coming at me at about 50 feet and climbing slowly. He was loaded to eat up that much runway and labor a bit to get airborn. It was the prefect shot!! The day is done! The cloud deck was thick and low. He punched the clouds at about 600 feet. How to loose a 747 in the sky in less than 1000 feet.
When I got to the light to turn into Founders, it didn't take me long to realize that nothing was going on. The airport was on a north flow with the wind out of the north and that is against the normal grain of take offs and landings, which is normally a south flow. So I made the circle got out and sat at a picnic table and watched a dozen or so jets punch clouds like the 747. I then headed out for Main Street in Grapevine to see how the new station for the TEXrail was coming alone.
The rest of the time out was in the area where the old Texas Stadium once lived. The old parking lots on the south side are covered with beautiful wild sunflowers. The north side and across the street from the University of Dallas, a whole new subdivision has been construcdted. It looks like 60 or 70 homes. Amazing. 2500 square feet homes on 5 acres or a bit more in some cases. Texas does not waste land for yards!
