The Search for the Big Live Tree in Downtown Dallas

The mission today was to make the downtown route and see if I could find a big, real Christmas tree. Ft Worth has a beautiful Michigan 45-60 foot downtown in Sun Dance Square and this year is not the first year that a Michigan tree graced Ft. Worth's downtown.

Starting at the center of the universe--that is to say, North Park Center, I made my way down Greenville Avenue through all three sections. Businesses had decorated pretty well. In fact, they looked nice. At Ross avenue in Lower Greenville, I made my way to Washington and cut across into Deep Ellum. While Deep Ellum businesses had decorated-- for the larger crowds that now come to Deep Ellum by day, it was not enough, I though.  It was on to  Commerce Street into downtown to see what I could find. In fact, I didn't even notice Nieman's  decoration if they had any this year.

Much to my surprise, there were a lot of artificial trees that looked the same. Klyde Warren Park, The Plaza in front of City Hall and the Plaza at the Ron Kirk Bridge Deck Park. It was pretty much ditto, ditto, ditto. Except when you got to  Main and one of the cross streets in from of Nieman Marcus where the odd, but comical, but half way interesting  faux tree made of old car tail lights brought traffic into a gawking mode. Imagine that.It was rather pretty in a Holiday Spirit kind of way don't you see.

Looks like a 59 Chevy to me.I remember those tail lights being covered in canvas on the dealer's show room floors. They did things like that back in the day.

Pretty much like city hall and Kylde Warren, this is in the Plaza at Ron Kirk Bridge Deck Park.

The top was nice at Ron Kirk. Didn't get a shot of the Statler's live one and/or where it came from.

After making the block several times I had to make a quick shot from traffic.  The valet services were packed with the holiday brunch crowd fresh out of church services. The image came out pretty well.

When I got to Main Street Park, the distraction was so intense that I actually forgot to look to see if Main Street had a tree. The distraction was across the street on the south side. Low and Behold! there was a good 40 foot live tree. Undecorated, but that didn't matter. The tree was beautiful and I don't even know where it came from.  And I should have guessed that such a tree would be at this particular business. It left Dallas for some 20 years or so then came back into their original building that had been upgraded and still holds tons of history for personalities from an "A" list of Hollywood's "A" listers. The business: The Statler Hotel, of course. I would not have expected anything less. And---once again---they are at the top of the list of class in the Hotel business. They remind me of the old Orrington Hotel in Evanston, Illinois or the Drake in downtown Chicago. The Statler remembered how the little things make all the difference in the world.

Only The Second Time On Antibiotics

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Well, I'm sicker than a old dog and that's two days in with the antibiotics which is only the second

Red Shoulder Hawk dead center

Same

Moved but still dead center

time that I have ever taken antibiotics. My thinking is that since I have not taken them on a regular or routine agenda they should attack this little bacteria like no one's business.

The weather here is totally miserable. Before I sat down to write this post, I heard this racket outside then a clap of thunder and then lightening and thunder again. I walked over to the window and at first sight all that I could see was clear sky, then I look out on the sidewalk and it is covered in hail (hence the racket). It's been a roller coaster of temperatures since Christmas. One day it's 40 then its 75 the next day. We have been getting these upper air disturbances every other day regularly. Oh, and then, there is the wind with 5-10 MPH today, 40 MPH gust the next. I cannot remember a winter like this in the past 15 years.

Looking at my shoot log, this crazy weather is beginning to show up there too, which shows up later in sales down the road not just a month but for as much as a quarter since buyers buy on a quarter cycle ahead of the season. The editorial  images are needed to augment those gaps but even that has been rather sporadic at best.  If it wasn't for the love of the photography in the first place it would be the time to be making some  decisions like: it's time to retire from retiring. Which I know I will not do until the lights go out.

I've been watching a couple of trees at White Rock where a pair of Red Shoulder Hawks claim as their hunting grounds. A couple of days ago when I was feeling pretty lousy, I spotted the male squirrel hunting. I stopped the car and shot from the car, which I seldom do, but I just didn't feel like getting out and chasing down a bird that can fly faster than I can walk and that's after I back-up and park. You will need to click on the image so that it opens up larger to get a better view, otherwise all you are going to see is trees and branches. But, it opens up pretty well when enlarged. I can't get better than 100 percent since I lost the use of my high power lens on the Nikon camera. Olympus keeps telling me that they are bringing to market a ring that will allow my Nikon lens to be used on the Olympus camera. That will give me an added 50mm of power to get that 150 to 200 coverage that I lost.

Warmest Christmas in Dallas...Ever!

Yesterday, my youngest brother and I had lunch at Twisted Root. If you never have been there, it's a fun place to get a burger for sure. Our order-taker made mention that they actually had buffalo meat in house yesterday. I replied that I really preferred by buffalo in National Parks. For that, our order card was the "Charlie Brown" card. It's kind of like the old Jerry Seinfeld soup Nazi episode in real life. And yes, I mentioned the word potato at Spring Creek BBQ a time or two, also. You never want to do that. Luckily, for me, that kind of  humor is just as much fun as the themed restaurants can be and I like that atmosphere. 

Speaking of atmosphere, the low temperature in Dallas Christmas Eve broke the old low temperature reading by 14 degrees. That low temperature was 69 degrees. But, the surprise came today when the old high temperature for Christmas Day was 78 and at 2:53 P.M at DFW International (the official reporting station and hourly reporting) the temperature hit 80 degrees. That is the highest temperature ever, in Dallas, for a Christmas Day.

It was obvious too!. People were out in numbers riding new bikes, playing with new remote controlled cars. BBQ grills in the parks were all smoking as families spread picnics out on picnic tables. There was a strong and gusty south wind blowing, too! Cormorants were flapping their wings and flying sideways rather than moving forward. Pelicans were making double approaches landing and suburban main streets Christmas decorations were swinging in the wind.

Places in the Sierra Nevada mountains were covered in snow and looked a lot like a Norman Rockwell painting. Watching the snow plows move the mountain- elevation snows while I cooked the turkey this morning was that romantic-type Christmas for sure. Seeing  the White Rock Airforce coming in for a landing in strong gusty winds was also amazing. In fact, just as smooth as a A-380 landing in cross-winds at DFW Nature is so amazing.

White Rock Air Force

Last Minute Shopping!

Holiday Greetings Vertical Greeting Card by sam6372
Look at other Greeting Cards at zazzle.com

Our wish to you this holiday season would be this card that we made especially for you!

What a Warm Holiday Surprise

The Stop sign and the Handicap parking signs were also decorated.

All the signs and poles that are part of the Post Office Building were decorated.

The outside drop boxes were also decorated.

If there are unusual things that I am not fond of, jurisdictional boundaries just might be one of them. I can recall a time when a friend of mine lived in Michigan, yet, had an Ohio address on his drivers license, which was Michigan. Apparently, at that time, the U.S. Post Office did not respect state lines when it came to the delivery of the mail.

 At one time, (it happened to be the weekend of the Ohio State vs. Michigan game), Greg got stopped by the Ohio State Patrol ("targeted because I had Michigan plates", he said. The cop detained him for a fairly long time because his address on his Michigan license was not 1234 Any street, Ottawa Lake, Michigan, but 1234 Any Street, Toledo, Ohio.

Greg finally got someone to listen who knew that the Post Office did that along the lower counties along the Michigan state line between US 75 and US 23. Eventually, it was changed and the serving post office was designated Monroe, Michigan rather than Toledo, Ohio and the addresses were changed on drivers licenses. The Michigan State Police seemed to be happy afterwards, but I'm not so sure about the Ohio State Patrol, especially on game day.

My post office is a large facility with multi-offices for postal inspectors etc., on the second floor. It is the designated post office for my zip code. I don't like it. So going a Google search one day, I discovered that the Lake Highland Post office, while not my official post office for picking up packages etc.,etc., is in mileage, closer to me. It's a small complex in an industrial office and warehouse area and is much easier to get into and out of while running errands.

It was the official day of errands and mailing Christmas Cards. Out side of mailing one bill that requires postage, I only get postage this time of year. So, off I headed to my little post office that is unofficially not mine, but I like the employees there, especially the one counter lady that I kid all the time about  finding my senior citizen discount. She says she is still looking for it. When I got up to the counter, I ask her for a half-book of stamps. She looked at the one envelope blotched with stains from the melting slush. Before she could say anything, I said to her," I dropped this getting into the car. I was going to go back inside and re-address the envelope but decided that the person it was addressed to (my youngest brother) was in the 76% that would blame it on the Post Office any way." She broke out into a laugh and said," we already get enough of those!"

After dropping the envelopes into the inside drop box, I headed to the car. As I was about to pull out onto the side street, I could not believe my eyes. Making a circle and pulling back into the lot, I parked and got out with the camera. It was a simple gift to the customers, but somehow, it just struck me as being one of the nicest gifts that I have received from a place where I do business. So to the employees of the post office at the Lake Highland Branch, Thank You!! Thank You So Very Much!!.