Shot Early Morning Before The Storms Hit

The storm blew over two of my four trees in pots that were on my porch. Two were undisturbed.

The English Have Arrived and the Architecture will be such a delight  when finished.

A Bloom That Simplicity Rewarded

Angel's Trumpet Blooms.Yesterday, it was a yellow tube.

Park Cities In The Spotlight This Week.

We published a couple of articles about the coyotes that were at White Rock Lake and Flag Pole Hill that were being aggressive. I spoke to a resident that neighbors the lot where one coyote was stalking a couple of horses that were grazing. She said to me that she sees them all the time and that one had even tried to attack her daughter but they thought it was because of the chickens that they were raising in their back yard.

Most of the experts have long noted that the coyotes and bob cats were on the move south after the work to expand both the Dallas North Tollway and the 121 additions to McKinney. It cut off a rather large pack of coyotes forcing them to come south. The bob cats were using the utility right-of-ways to bypass traffic and people as they moved along the greenbelts.

The Katy Trail Extension at White Rock had become a coyote highway at night because of the ducks and small pets that were allowed to be out unattended.  It was funneling them toward Fair Park and into South Dallas with the ultimate being the Great Trinity Forest, a 6,000 acre lowland hardwood forest. Movement on the Katy Trail  through Uptown and the Park Cities was basically cut of by US75 Central Expressway-- cut off that is until the city built  a multi-million dollar way for coyotes and bob cats to cross Central Expressway right into the Park Cities, Uptown and into South Dallas along the Trinity.

Two women in the Park Cities are excited. They seem to thing that the three coyotes that they have seen is something new and they are trying to head it off early. The problem is, they really have been asleep at the wheel. This is not something new. This is not some great  reveal. This is reality that has been going on for the past 20 years or more.  There has been a lot of discussion about this for most of those 20 years. The photographers have noted it. The news has run stories about it. The naturalist have blogged about it. It ain't new!! In fact, it is rather old news.

Having that pointed out, yesterday, I made a trip to University Park to see the Robert Indiana "LOVE" sculpture that was presented to the city of University Park by a couple in celebration of their 25th wedding anniversary.  To me, it was a touching gesture by the couple to present LOVE to the University Park across from one of the most amazing pieces of architecture in the area, Highland Park Presbyterian Church. (yeah, Scotland!). I have long admired the detail and the massive size of the structure. It's my kind of architecture that I not only admire, but LOVE, so to have that piece of sculpture in the adjacent park to that wonderful architecture made the afternoon seem like heaven.

LOVE to the Third Power

This piece has been shown in New York and around the country.It's home is now University Park, Texas.

The island setting is a great placement. The sod is dormant at the time having been put down not long ago.

Once Again On The Way to That, I Found This!

This is the sister to "The Things I Find On The Way To The Doctors". I'm listening to one of my favorite programs on Sunday Evening--Sounds Choral and editing pictures. It stated out trying to recount the number of new homes that have gone up at the lake in just the past three or four years. As I'm looking at the shore in a couple of shots, I notice a big wing band on one of the pelicans in flight.

The funny thing about that is that yesterday, the number of bands that I have seen this year on the pelicans has greatly increased over the past few years. I had just read an article by the USGS (United States Geological Survey) where they had increased the banding on waterfowl. Well, it is turning up with this years migration of pelicans. According to the article the increase in pelicans from last year is a whopping 3%. Doesn't sound like much but that is a significant amount of new birds. The protection under the Migratory Bird Act seems to be paying off with numbers like that.

Back to the house count---the number stands at 17. These are not small homes, either. They are in the estate section on the west side and the ridge overlooking the lake and downtown on the east side. There is one that will be added to the 17 count but for now, the architect's sign is up and the land is being cleared from the house that was demolished to make room for this new one that foundation work has yet to begin. There is a little grouping farther up the road that was built a few years ago and another one that had several houses  built on an old church property, but they are not in lake front and Fisher Road access groups. In any event... the lake is changing again with a variety of architectural designs from Asian long houses being uplifted into something that only Corrigan could design and one that their very own  architects designed from 14 shipping containers for his personal home! Now! that's a house!!! Well done and a standout place.

I'm sure that I have overlooked one or two more from the count but the point of the all this is to mention the fact that the Crown Jewel of the Dallas Park System---White Rock Lake---is within itself a changing ecology from wildlife, plants, people, activities and architecture. The tree loss of big mighty oaks from storm damage has been rather hard-hitting too. The storms last year hit the lake hard with a loss of 24. Since then with all the rain and water logged soil, three big ones have come down from their own weight in loose soil, snapping the root system. Plus, wind damage also got three more total from both sides of the lake.

While the plantings have matched what fell, it will take another 80-90 years to equal the massive oaks that were lost. Those can only be replace in time lines that only the grandkids might note in their later years. Time waits for no man. That is a fact of life. The only thing that I hope for is that someone will take an interest to recall what comes afterwards so that there is at least a sound oral history if not a written one or one in photos. I'm sure that something will be there in time. It is to be hoped that ecology of the whole is included and not just someones personal interest. It's got to include the wholeness of the ecology for the appreciation and love of the lake to continue.

The green siding shows the new addition on the east side. The two story white portion is another house that actually faces the lake while the new construction faces a side street but does have some openings to see the lake view. Several years ago a third floor additon on the far left was added to one of the homes and the statement was heard that in Texas, someone blocks your view, you just build up and over what blocked your view. Comical---and yet---so true.

The pelican on the left ha the wide wing band on his left wing--anatomical position--of course.There is also a smaller band on the right wing--AP still applies.

I have long favored New England Architecture, especially the Cape Cod and Maine homes that have widow walks and widow towers. This fourth floor widow tower is iconic even for North Texas.

Logo Celebrates Birthday: M Line, New Track

The M Line Trolley alongside the new Richards Group Building in Uptown. Wow! That was a perfect location for the architecture!

Our Logo is already celebrating its 8th Birthday.

If you haven't ridden the M Line Trolley in a while or you haven't been paying attention to the construction of new rails in the pavement on the south side of Woodall Rodgers Expressway, be sure to check it out. You can now ride from City Place Uptown Station downtown and go to either side of Klyde Warren Park. The new track goes within a block of DART's stations on Pacific.

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.


 

It Has Become A Cliche.....

From the lower walk looking upward

Free Wheelin by LaPaso

The lawn amphitheater.

The City of Dallas has three sculptures in the park. These signs from the Office of Cultural Affairs identifies the work and the artist. 

From the bridge at the Lake Highland Dart Station looking south. The walk connects both sections. The visible bridge is Walnut Hill Lane

A Dart Rail Train can be seen in the background. Next stop: White Rock Lake Station. 

But it's true in this case. "if you build it, they will come."












About three years ago,maybe four, the bulldozers arrived and started tearing down a large apartment complex that had been built sometime in the late 60's or early 70's. Then the heavy equipment arrived and started digging down and down and down along a creek that  ran through the property. Slowly,the site was transformed into an amazing walkway along the creek with high stone walls, beautifully crafted steel ornamental fence work, lights,water fountains, drinking fountains, benches,overlooks,a split-level lake with individual fountains and a rock-boulder dam separating the two.

There are two stairways that take you upward to a  more grade level-street level that is also landscaped with fountains, and  a lawn amphitheater.

Least anyone forget, this is a residential and retail development. What has made this so different is that the park setting was created first, then allowed to sit and settle before the first builders showed up.  But, as was said in a movie filmed in an Iowa corn field: "If you build it, they will come." These are a few shots of the new Lake Highland Center.

Architecture Comes in Varied Forms

Yesterday, while looking for something interesting to blog about, this little wren's nest could not be passed up for its architecture elements and stringing. It seems that every winter, I run across something like this that is unique and interesting. What is so amazing to me is the size of the wren overall. It's not a very big bird.
I have seen some hummingbird nest that are smaller and more detailed, but this one caught my interest because of its location right over a busy bike trail.