The Day Before The Storm

90 MPH winds hit the Metroplex early this morn.  A southside airport had several planes that were damaged. Several homes south of Oak Cliff were damaged.  Behind the first front comes front #2. It is in the mid 70s this morning. Later, a wind advisory kicks in with up to 40 MPH winds and then the second front. It will drop temps by about 10-15 degrees for tomorrow and the next several days. The redeeming factor is S*U*N*S*H*I*N*E folks!! That Sun with a big Thank You!!!  It is Springtime in Texas!! Weather changes by the hour  It also looks like the weather will be cool with plenty of sunshine for the largest St. Patrick's Day Parade in the Southwest. It kicks off Saturday morning down Greenville Avenue in the North Park and Park Lane area and runs two miles down to SMU Blvd. From then on, it's let the party begin on Lower Greenville.

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Raindrops on a Red Bud Bloom

Nature's Canvas

Foggy afternoon on the lake

 While the weather has been so crappy lately, I have been playing with the settings on the camera again. I'm using an Olympus that I have used the past 9 years after putting the Nikon in the bag still waiting for the service repair ticket to come from Nikon's customer service.

Record Setting February

We have had five 80-degree days in February this year (11 for the entire winter). That's an all-time high--pardon the pun! Did I say that tomorrow and Thursday are in the mid 80s? Actually, that is to warm for me. My preference is for that 65-72 range and through the most of spring. Or, at least until June. It is already stacking up to be one of those hot summers, I'm afraid. We normally get 18-100-degree days in a summer but I remember not that many years ago we had some 40 odd days of 100 plus.

It seems to me that not that long ago I posted something about not having a blog that turns out being a weather report! I'll have to check on that, for sure. But, I must admit, that out side of the gloom and doom days of rain and low hanging clouds, I have enjoyed the sunshine. In fact, staying in the house when it is sunny just isn't something I can do anymore. The instant the sun hits the window just right, it's time to head out the door.

Yesterday, was just one of those days that I had sunshine, good subject matter and a good day with the editors submitting  images for publication. I'm rather looking forward to the St. Patrick's Day parade down Greenville Avenue. Up coming will also be the Dragon Boat Races on Lake Carolyn in Las Colinas. Finally, the Las Colinas Entertainment District  is rising out of dirt across from Cottonwood Four Seasons and the anchor, the Irving  (Las Colinas) Convention Center.

There is construction going on under the bell tower at University of Dallas. While there looking at the construction information boards, the news earlier in the week that Irving's mayor will not seek re-election this year; it also came to mind that the talk about what to do with the land where the old Texas Stadium once stood was brought up again. As, I'm driving over some of the new roadway the thought came to mind that with all the flyways criss-crossing, there isn't going to be any land left to develop it seems. The point is--all this construction--all the different political jurisdictions--it's just amazed that things are getting done finally. Then--there was one project that I cannot recall what it was, but what I do remember is that the completion date was 2030 or 2040. Breaking out in a laugh the thought was--2030-2040, most likely, I won't be here!! So, I put the camera in the bag and headed for home.

New Entertainment Center at Las Colinas

From Carpenter Freeway up to O'Connor and Williams Square

This has long been promised to Irving Residents.

Good Bye, St. Patrick's Parade, Until Next Year !

The Buzz Bike

The Best Bike in the World!

A year-after-year crowd pleaser!

The end of the train of parade pictures. This is it until next year's parade. It is to be hoped that all y'all enjoyed the images from Greenville Avenue from behind the barricades like most folks!  Even my barricade neighbor could not hold back his love for the Budweiser Trucks!

Next year, I want to ride the Buzz Bike and take pictures of the crowds!




 

Friends and Neighbors at the Barricades

My barricade neighbors had a wireless speaker and it provided some pretty cool music  while waiting for the parade.

A bunch of good kids.

Just as you have seat friends when you go to a Mavs game or a Cowboy's game, at a parade, you have neighbors and friends along a barricade. It was lucky for me to have some good neighbors at the St. Patrick's Parade this past Saturday. The sad part is that at the end, they all posed for a group picture. It was one picture too many as I had shot a SD chip and didn't realize until I was on the train that I had missed the best shot! Luckily, I had some candid shots while the crowds pinned us between the sidewalk and the barricade on the street. One of the group does have a group picture----they got on their cell phone. If you e-mail it to me, I'll  post it addendum to this post. Meanwhile, after tonight, I have one last day of images to post.

Yup! It looks just like the image above but it's not!

 

Fast Forward from Saturday's Parade

This is what scouts look for in a DO-DA Parade, but St. Patrick's on Greenville is just as much fun!

A participant in the Character Unit with Batman and Superman

Now this really is : For the Love of the Lake!

On this last day of winter, preparing for the little cold snap due this weekend has taken up a little bit of edit time. Prior to today, I had been a bit concerned about my red bud tree that I have pampered from seed. It currently stands about two and a half feet  with one bifurcation about half a foot in length. All the red buds are out and in full bloom. Then, as if by some magic, there are several new shoots of green on the trunk, tip and the bifurcation branch. In line with the showing of the green, my red bud tree has come through right in the nick of time. Hopefully, next year, I should have red bud blooms. The parent plant budded in the third year. Now, I just have to protect it from the possible freeze. The heat island effect should keep temperatures here in the city warm enough. But, you never know what the weather will do and it will be insulated just in case.

Now, I can get back to editing the last group of pictures from Saturday's parade.
 

More Highlights From A Parade

Dart Police at the Blackwell Crossing. The annual fleet of Budweiser Trucks are staged behind the Motorcycles

Addison Fire Department Pipes & Drums Unit

Irving Firefighters Pipes & Drums Unit. The Colony had a Unit also. These Units march as one Pipes & Drums. This year, Ft. Worth had their own unit present and marched separately. Thanks, guys! All of you !

These images are part of a week long posting from the Dallas St. Patrick's Parade. This year, there were nearly 100 units in the parade. These images were taken below Southwestern looking toward Northwest Highway.
 

Highlights of a Parade

The Ladder Company from Oak Lawn

The perfect place for that Cigar

Bag Pipes from two of Dallas' Best

The St. Patrick's Parade kicked off down it's usual Greenville Avenue today with the distinction of  a new name and a new logo. The parade is now-The Dallas St.Patrick's Parade. Outside of that the crowds were wearing the green and lined up along the barricades between Blackwell (just North of Northwest Highway and SMU Blvd.( the old Yale Street) just North of Mockingbird Lane.
It was a fun time and I boarded the DART rail with a burning suntan! It was 82 degrees and a little wind. What wasn't sunburn was wind burn.

All this week I will be posting images from the parade and they get more fun as the week expands.