The Aspen Trees In The Sierra Nevada

Some how, trains and planes have found away into my soul. The joy that I get out of watching them work is not from some mechanical ability that I have, but from the dynamics of how they operate. My mom had told me that when I was a baby, I had been on a train and had let the sounds of the thumps in the rail joints put me to sleep. While mom was able to confirm before she passed that my earliest memories that I had described to here were when I was 18 months old. So the train ride was not remembered having been made before my 18 months of life. But I can tell you, in my roomette aboard the Zephyr, that ride of shifting from side to side also put me to sleep as most of the tracks today are seamless and therefore, no clicking and bumpidy bump bump sounds.

Several decades ago, I had taken the San Francisco Zephyr, now known as just the California Zephyr. Boarding first, the Lake Shore Limited along the lower Great Lakes, it carried me to Chicago where I transferred to the Zephyr after a four hour lay over. One of the things that makes riding the train that romantic concept was that trains don't rush. While they work hard to maintain their schedules, the mechanics of railroading just some times allow for delays. But, ever since then, I have wanted to complete that trip from Denver, to Salt Lake, to Reno, to Truckee, California and on the last couple hundred miles to Emeryville, California. Had I completed the trip on my initial ride with Amtrak, I would have been routed up to Cheyenne, Wyoming out of Denver. I've been to Cheyenne by car so the change would be a welcome one for me in as much as the upper Colorado River provides some of the greatest scenery through Nevada's Carson range of the Sierra and of course, the western Sierra from California's Central Valley into the front range of the Rocky Mountains.

In search of web cams along the Zephyr's route, I found one in Truckee, California. The camera catches both the # 5 and the #6 as they stop at the downtown rail station which the camera pans. Looking at the station and both ends of the tracks from East bounds to West bounds as well as the main part of town at Donner Pass Road and Bridge Street. There is also a lot of freight trains, but the Zephyr has priority (Amtrak). The lines in Truckee are run by the Union Pacific Railroad. Any how, when the camera hits the mid section view, the Aspens are along the ridge on the far side. But, there are a couple right under the camera where the tops show. The colors are getting better day by day at 7,000 feet elevation.  Which is another item of the Zephyr and the freight trains. Railroading presents those problems and if you like to see long trains with many many engines it is because the mountain inclines are steep in the area. One of the two tunnels is inoperable at the moment so the east bound and west bound must share the one open tunnel. Still, it is the pulling and pushing of long freights trains up and down the mountains that require such make ups of 4 lead engines, 2 in the middle and 1 on the end. In the winter, you get to see some pretty spectacular snows. The Truckee station is also the regions Track Management and they have a couple of snow trains that go out and clear the tracks in the passes where the heavy snows have slid down onto the tracks. One heck of a snow blower and plow I might add. All of which can be viewed from the web cam.

The Truckee Airport is for general aviation and some pretty big jets land there.It is in the heart of ski country as well as Lake Tahoe. During the summer and ski season, the tarmac is full of private jets. I even saw a single engine jet land there a few weeks ago. It was the first one that I have seen with a single engine. Cute little thing. You can really tell the men from the boys by the price of their toys. 

So, as we are officially in Meteorological fall already (Sept 1 to Dec 1) not to be confused with Astrological fall which hits around the 20-22 of September that some still follow. While going to the DPS to get my drivers license renewed, I rode the bus. That was my first outing since my last discharge from the hospital. over 4 months ago. Being able to ride and just look out the window at all the changes that have been made since my days of working my shoot wagon wheel. I took buses that took me down some of my old wagon wheel route. There were a lot of trees with flipped leaves. Past post have talked about the meaning of flipped leaves. In short, a sure sign that fall is not getting ready to start, it already has. 

Where planes are concerned, American has started parking planes again on the SE quad of the 18's line up and wait area. No sign, this thing is anywhere near over with the layoffs and a second parking of planes. Old Doug has his hands full, as does his new counter part at United's, Scott Kirby, on the job as CEO just over 100 days! Ouch! That reminds me. I should go rest a bit.

Update---In just the wee hour or two since posting, American has removed the 11 planes that they had parked in the SE quad of 18's line-up-and-wait area.  All the construction vehicles that are working on the 18's upgrades are now parked there. They could have been moved to other areas of the airport but I don't think so. I'll have to check the flight logs at Victorville and see if they have put any into storage that matches the static number of yesterday.

I will try to keep you updated to those that want updates. It is news in the Airline Industry and that means jobs for a lot of people and a potential adjustment for share holders at-large.

Spanish Plateresque

It goes without saying that I love architecture and big pipe organs.Seldom does one find both in one location here in the states. Oh, did I say, Spanish Plateresque? Well, I believe I did. So go get your coffee or a glass of wine and pull up a chair for your spouse or partner because, not only is this amazing, I'm going to ask you do some of the work yourself. Don't fret, it's nothing more than looking up a couple of links that I will tell you about so you can know what you are looking at. Ready, Alright. Here we go.

The Cathedral
Spanish Plateresque architecture was the dominant architecture in Spain during the middle ages (late 15th and the 16th centuries). While the rest of Europe was embracing the Italian Renaissance, Spain was bathing in the grand tradition of the great European architecture in it's cathedrals. The only difference was the fine details that were left out on the European cathedrals (and they have a lot as it is). The floor plan of this cathedral is a basilica floor plan. It was built in 16 years during the great depression of 1931 at a cost of $3.25 million dollars. Ground breaking was in 1925 and the cornerstone was placed in 1926. It was completed in 1940. The structure is of Massachusetts granite and Indiana Limestone.

The Organ
The organ part of this geographic location is about one of only six Skinner organs  built. It has a sister organ that sits  about two miles away. That is now, two of the six Skinners and the odds just got better. Much better. It is a 76-rank instrument. The console sits on the basilica floor near the alter. It has roughly 5,000 pipes from pencil size to nearly beer keg size and from roughly 7-inches tall to 32 feet. The opus number for the cathedral organ is number 820 on the Skinner Opus of builds and was personally finished by Ernest M. Skinner, himself. It remains since 1930 virtually unaltered. The cathedral that it sets in is 285 feet long by 215 feet wide with 96 feet from bottom to top.The Rose window above the front entrance measures 28 feet in diameter.  In 2009, the Organ Historical Society gave a historical citation of the instrument.

Back to the Cathedral 

The only Spanish Plateresque cathedral in North America is Our Lady,Queen, of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral. To the locals, it's just Rosary Cathedral. It sits on Collingwood Boulevard at Islington Avenue in Toledo's Old West End, a Victorian section of beautiful homes with  names attached  such as Stranahan, Owens, and  Libby. Stranahan was the Champion Spark Plug. Owens was Owens Corning Fiberglass and  Libby was the  Libby Glass. Great Industrialist in their own right.

Rosary Cathedral is the mother church to the 163 parishes of the Diocese of Toledo covering 19-counties of Northwest Ohio. It is the seat of the Bishop. The second bishop of the diocese that approved the plans for the cathedral was Samuel Stritch (1921-1930) Later, he would have a high school named after him, Cardinal Stritch. The dedication of the cathedral was under the 3rd bishop, Karl Alter. It was the end of the depression.

Toledo's sister city, Toledo, Spain, was held in the minds of its designers as Rosary Cathedral was built in the spirit of those great European Cathedrals of the Middle Ages. Today, it remains there in the 21st century.

The only time that I have seen the Cathedral draped in black crepe was for the mourning period after JFK's assassination. Even in his death, in that place, God was glorified. It was a sight that left such a lasting impression on the mind and stirred the emotional well deeply.

Back to the Organ

The sister organ sits on stage at the beautiful Greek-styled Toledo Museum of Art's Peristyle Concert Hall that is less than two miles due south of the cathedral. In my late teens, I attended a concert in the Peristyle to see and hear, the great E. Power Biggs perform. (Marilyn Mason, eat your heart out.) I also heard her perform in concert at an Episcopal Church in Memphis, Tennessee a few years prior to the E.Power Biggs concert. E.Power gave the better performance by far. I even think him better than Virgil Fox. Cameron Carpenter? We shall see when he settles down from his current showmanship stage.

Finale

Some of you will remember the piece with the link to St. Sulpice titular organist allowing a group of students to play Widor on that magnificent instrument. Well, there is something to be said about great organs in great cathedrals the world over, but not enough that Daniel Roth allows people to play his relished place and charge at St. Sulpice. What is often unsaid is that these instruments are such masterpieces. The places where they reside are masterpieces. But only a limited few ever get a chance to sit on the bench, much less play them.

There is something that runs through your soul much like a bolt of electricity to hear that sound being spoken from a pipe high in the vaults in response to  you having  pressed the key at the console. I have sat down on the benches of some well-respected instruments and have played some wonderful instruments from university auditoriums, and university chapels to churches, to concert halls, to private chapels and residences that had smaller versions. I have also had the honor of playing two identical Schantz three manual  organs in different installations; one in a Catholic church with Chef Boyardee tile on the walls and one in a Methodist church. The ravioli maker guy's tile made a big difference in sound. I'm not so sure his ravioli matches his tile making ability.

 It will always be difficult to play these instruments. Their key-keepers guard these more than a great Stradivarius violin is guarded by its owner. Most large cathedrals give tours and showing off their pipe organs. It is very much part of the tour from the National Cathedral in Washington to New York's St. John the Divine, to the only Spanish Plateresque Architectural  Cathedral in North America like  Rosary Cathedral or even the Lay Family Organ in the Meyerson Symphony Hall, here in Dallas.

DART's new Train to DFW Terminal A

Enjoy the architecture and the music the next time you take a tour in person or via the internet and when in another city, a great place to burn extra time is touring the local cathedrals and organ lofts.

Links from YouTube

You tube has a 11-minute video about the building of Rosary Cathedral, Toledo, Ohio. There is also videos of short concerts on the Skinner organ.  The Toledo Dioceses produced the 11-minute clip. The acoustics in the cathedral is super. The sounds resonates from cut-off for about 5-6 seconds.

The pictures in the video show the Plateresque style  in the spirals very well. Inside, the vaulted arches are well viewed as is the famous Rose Window above the front door, with both inside and outside views.

The outside of the cathedral doors were beautiful draped in mourning black crepe. I hope I never have to see that again anywhere, but at the time, it was not only historic, but went deep into one's emotions.  I have searched the web for images from that time period and not a single image was found.

Just a note about one of the other Skinner Organs. The church on Wall Street had one of the original Skinners but it was damaged during the 911 attack. At last word, it still had not been replaced although there is a replacement organ currently installed, it is not the Skinner that was there. 

I did find a You Tube video of Ty Thompson playing the giant 5-manual at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. You navy guys will recognize the hymn. The video reminded me of the young student playing the Widor Toccata at St. Sulpice.