Three Footers Are For The Pros

Big Wheels

36-inches of unicycle wheel

Nice and Clear and Happy has Returned to the camera.

Several weeks ago this blog pointed out that somehow (and it is still unknown how it happened) my focus just vaporized. Some days the focus was pretty good, some days it really did not exist at all. Re read of the manual did not seem to offer up any thing that worked. The bottom line was still like a clock ticking away toward a deadline and nothing seemed to work. With the spring shooting season growing more expansive with each 70-degree day, my sense of urgency was also growing.

Then, on Monday, while still shooting and uploading images before they were deleted my Nikon software would no longer take the Olympus images that had been shot. So, on to customer service at Olympus where the problem was explained and that my focus had been distorted for several weeks. The CSR suggested that my camera be upgraded with new software downloads. At that point it was worth trying anything. So the last two days, my shooting was done from the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. It seems that shooting the cable stays against a blue sky are a perfect focus target to adjust settings. Yesterday, there seemed to be some difference but there was still a problem. Last night, the evening was spent adjusting settings which could be fine tuned today. Lo and Behold!! The images were back to normal and it does now appear to be totally a software change made to the Nikon software that had been totally messing up the Olympus adjustments. After the new upgrade on  the Nikon and then the upgrade on the Olympus software, the problem was eliminated. Sometimes, it just takes a little adjustment from top to bottom, front to back, inside and out to tune-up equipment. My thoughts are just thankful that the problem has now been corrected and my old cameras that is always at my side can continue to travel with me.

Here are some  big wheels that were in focus today!

Columbus Day Parade

It seems that the Continental Bridge Pedestrian Park is getting quite the work out. The Columbus Day Parade was held Sunday, starting on the east end of the bridge park, winding its way to the west Plaza area, where a member of the Italian Parliament gave a brief address. It was a well done event!

The Color Guard

Strike Up The Band. You know that Purple is the color of Royalty, don't you?

Texas Horse Park  Riders and this was no laughing matter!

Not Everything Is Revealed At A Grand Opening.

This Father's Day the city of Dallas held another big party on a bridge. The first one was the opening of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, the Santiago Calatrava designed cable-stayed bridge over the Trinity River. With connecting of downtown to west Dallas, new development soon followed.

This time, the party was held on the adjacent Continental Bridge that carried traffic across the Trinity for 85 years. After the transformation of the Continental Bridge was complete, it was opened Father's Day as the Continental Bridge Pedestrian Park and below it, the city opened the new Skyline Trail along and between the Trinity levees on both sides of the river.

The party also celebrated by serving a gourmet lunch on a 100 yard long table by 50 top chefs in Dallas. A 5 k run had been taken off below earlier in the morning. The turnout was a success for visitors, riders and runners.

Two weeks later, the new park brought out the fun stuff. The water jets that shoot streams of water into the air were working as was the misting stations and not just for the kids. A lady in her wheel chair was being pushed by a member of her family and all were having fun and laughs at getting wet. The separate misting stations have contour chaise lounges under them.

 While the chess board was seen at the opening, there are also tables with chess boards and checker boards inlaid in the tables and I had suspected that the squares on the deck were just to denote where the chess and checkers would be available. Wrong! beautiful, heavy wooden chess pieces were out on the squares at this visit. They were stunning! Beautiful wood. Lacquered finishes that shined in the sun. Amazing. They are designed for a game of stand up chess.

The opponent: Black in color with the same high gloss look.

Father's Day Opening Luncheon on the bridge.

Dallas' Continental Bridge Pedestrian Park

c.1930 Continental Bridge Converted to Pedestrian Park

On Sunday, June 15,2014, the city of Dallas will open officially a new pedestrian park on what was for some 80-odd years, a vehicle passage into West Dallas. Now, with the Margaret Hunt Hill
Bridge open and successful re-development happening like a patch of Texas wildflowers, from the new bridge all along Singleton Blvd., the success of the park will follow quickly. The new Skyline Trail that is  below the bridges and the pedestrian and bike park running  the full length of the old Continental Bridge, the success of the pedestrian park will be much like the highly successful Klyde Warren Deck Park that was constructed over the Woodall Rodgers Expressway a mile or so east of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge.

The past few weeks the bike trail has been drawing a large flow of bikers and hikers. Add to that, the new parking area and the draw will be hikers, bikers and runners. Trinity Groves, one block west is a  highly successful transformation of a double-sided truck terminal into many fares of taste-bud favored restaurants with outdoor seating and patios. Three Sundays each month, vendors line up their Easy-Up tents to sell produce, crafts, honey, and other organic items and wares. A micro-brewery has set up across the side street from Trinity Groves.