Storm Update

This evening, there is still some thousands of the estimated 80,000 without power. The winds at DFW officially hit 78 MPH as the line of storms pushed through this morning. The Amazon Fulfillment Center just north of DFW airport had the roof blown off. An FAA tower wast toppled. A Jetway at DFW was blown off. Planes at Grand Prairie Airport south of DFW had major damage to many aircraft. Homes were toppled, Construction Condos were toppled. Damage in Mesquite where the first tornado of the year hit this past week, was reported. One of the TV stations reported that a wind Gage at 80 feet above ground reported winds over 90 MPH. The reading is way out of range for what is going on down near the ground. At 80 feet it would be a different world. But if Hurricane force winds being at 74 MPH, even though these were straight line, 78 would put it at Hurricane force winds.

At the lake, big branches on some old trees were down and between Dreyfuss club point to Sunset Bay, twigs and branches covered the road.The water levels were up all over the lake and several areas had water up to the parking lots.

Five Canadian Geese had dropped in to visit on their northern migration. They seemed to be just resting and taking care of the feathers and didn't seem worried about much else. I  spotted 15 pelicans at high altitude riding the thermals and could only find about 5 more on the lake. I had counted a total on the island before it flooded today at 21 total as a larger number has already taken to the return migration. With the big snow storms still going all over the Rockies and north, no doubt, they are hold up somewhere.

Layover because of bad weather-- most likely.

At this rate, there will not be a tree left in this section. The last storm took out 8 old and big trees.

The big Sycamore across from Sunset Bay has been loosing limbs by the dozens. This is a widow maker with three more still up in the tree hung up on branches.

Columbus Day Sales. Remember the $5 Washers?

The biggest sales blunder that I can remember of late is the JCPenny  sales that really were not sales. That did a lot of damage to the brand in whole. Growing up, JCPenny was known for their quality, especially in the unmentionables and socks! That got lost in some marketing campaign, I suppose.

Some of the late night talk shows have a skit where they send a "reporter" out on the streets to interview the public about a lot of things, mostly things that you know by 5th or 6th grade. One example would be: Who is the vice-president of the United States? Another would be: Who's buried in Grant's Tomb? Of course, the answers are off the wall, which is why it has been so successful but, it also shows how little we know today compared to past generations. Sure, we know technology. Here's the thing with that. Toss the techno-device and its a "Duh-generation". To me, that's sad.  I bet I could ask 100 people what the "C" stands for in the JCPenny (that's how the company displays its name today) name and I would get only a hand full--if that-- of correct answers. Now don't go Google the question because the founder of JCPenny was a real person named James Cash Penny.

This all comes back to the President's Day sales that were so famous in the 1950s. Except, they were called Lincoln Birthday Sales or Washington Birthday Sales. People stood in line for hours. Orderly, I might add. The newspapers ran full page ads. It's an old marketing standby that the younger generation thinks is new when you go stand in line outside a Walmart (that's how they signage their name now) or a Best Buy to buy electronics today, then trample over people to get in the door  of the store. Actually, I find that sad and  funny within itself.

 Neither of those two stores excite me with their advertising, I can poke holes in them all day long.  But, washing machines, dryers and refrigerators sold in the $5.00 to $20.00 range on the original two President's Day. One of those two were on the 22nd of October. Who knows (don't look it up) which one?  In college, I had a marketing professor who always reminded his class that "the more things change, the more they stay the same."  Ain't that the truth!  It's okay to say ain't today, or so I'm told. And, we won't even talk about the new model year cars that shipped with canvas coverings until the official day to show them to the public. The excitement was like an active volcano. Now that was an effective marketing campaign for the auto industry. Then they got swept away in "the future of advertising" and lost sight of what works. Retro today is a vain attempt to reconnect to that old way of advertising. Gee, some find that it really works! Imagine that.

So, the bottom line here is this: James Cash needs to go back to selling quality unmentionables and socks but we have changed so much as a society that unmentionables are now viewed on TV if they have any on at all. That being the case, I would think then, that JCPenny needs to go back to selling washers and dryers and ice boxes (the same old thing as a refrigerator in today's vernacular) on Lincoln's or Washington's birthdays.

Sunday, I drove out to DFW Airport to watch the big 747s come in on a beautiful fall afternoon with deep blue skies. It was the absolute worse day to do that in terms of photography. The airport was flipped because of the north winds, but even worse, departures were on the cross-wind runway on the west side of the airport. From Founders Plaza  there was nothing but "real" birds flying. Overhead, I observed a jet dumping fuel.  The contrails are wider. I didn't want Jet A fuel all over my car so later I took Airfield west around to the south entry/exit to Amman Carter wanting to see the new NBC Universal TV station at Centre Port. As I continued, a EVA Cargo 747 was landing and the shot would have been even better than at Founders had my camera been handy and ready. I was not expecting that. I had already missed the christening of the new NBC5 TV station with Korean Airlines dumping Jet A fuel from above. That flight had a Channel 8 reported on board, too. Nah! No way if you are thinking what I'm thinking. It was an engine that failed after takeoff. Of course, the news reported that.

When I got to 183, I was thinking about getting on the BMW Mercedes Lexus Turnpike back to LBJ 635 but then I decided to just take the old way, 183 to 35E to LBJ 635.The road is a bit more bumpy than the smooth thick asphalt on the turnpike. Of course, I didn't have to stand in the line at the NTTA and make arrangements to pay  $50,000 in unpaid tolls, either. I wonder if a NTTA booth inside a JCPenny store might bring in some customers? Maybe not.

The old standby still stands

The BMW Mercedes Lexus Turnpike