Temperatures Are Still Summer But Signs Are Everywhere

It's been hot this summer. The heat has been relentless. It seems that the promise of changing weather patterns in the 10-day forecast just keep extending 10 days. Now, we are being told that the heat will be here until at least September 22. One thing for sure...it makes our fall shorter.

Fall, on that note, is showing up everywhere hot or not. This growing season, the wildflowers in the meadows have been exceptional and the project this year was to track the change from first bloom to the end of the season. Parks and Recreation's expansion of the natural grasses program in all aspects,it seems, has been an amazing success

August is always an early morning shooting schedule because of the sun's angle and how it hits the tall grasses and skeletons of the Queen Ann's Lace, or beautiful sunrises over the lake. This year they have been amazing and the florist that have the creative power in their design departments have been rushing to get the skeletons that can be painted or dyed for fall arrangements. Friday, I spotted a lone tractor in one of the high meadows. Instantly, Sunday morning's shoot would be the last as the tractor had begun its mowing of the 'restricted area for mowing'. The mowing is a must however for several reasons. One of those reasons seems to be the broadcasting of the seed pods that ensure the continued success of nature's beauty for the future coming years. The second reason is the migrating hummingbirds.

While the question  of  how many pelicans will arrive this October 12th at the lake after the death of 13,000 waterfowl at their primary nesting site for the Eastern Flyway in Molt, Montana at Big Lake. A freak hail storm with hail the size of baseballs caught the birds by surprise. The National Park Service said in it's release that there were many more that had been injured and would not make it following their injuries.

Berries have begun to turn in the scrubs and seem to be a bumper crow. The birds are already zeroing in on that fall change. More cardinals and blue jays have been noted than in other years.

Bumper Crop of Berries

Mowing of the High Meadows Is Under Way

The Skeletons of Queen Ann's Lace, Tall Prairie Grasses and Early Bloom Wildflowers.

Suicide by Default in the Name of Sports and Shopping

One would have been on a suicide mission to go anywhere near White Rock Lake today. Rethinking that---it's a two-day affair. The half marathon and full marathon are tomorrow. Today was a day for all the other stuff like the walks etc..It was never more than 40-44 degrees the entire day with a wind and a heavy drizzle that just did not let up. Of course, my blood has become thin again but it was down right cold and I dressed in Great Lakes layers! If  you want to stay warm in the cold, you learn quickly what the secret to that is and its dressing in layers. So, you may still look like the Michelin man, but you don't feel as bad as you look!  And, you are warm. Imagine that!

I did see one guy out with no jacket...just a long sleeve shirt. Rugged or less smart than most who will not go out like that. And---it's a two-way street. I found out many years later that my neighbors were  talking bids on how early they would see me out in shorts or how late in the year before I stopped wearing them.

 I've been on the beach in South Carolina in shorts and a wind breaker during almost every month of winter. I  don't have a picture to prove it but one year when I was down there, I was on the beach that was snow covered in my shorts and a wind breaker. So, here in Texas, its almost the same location on the horizontal plane as South Carolina. They get a trade current that comes close in to shore with warm water and snow can be gone by noon and the tennis courts are full in the afternoon.

So, it's not a big deal until you get to be a fossil like me taking blood thinners and the like. Then, even here, the cold begins to feel cold. I get a lot of looks when I go out sometimes. I just say I'm from the Great Lakes and all is well!  It would be a different story if they knew that I was from the South originally. Sometimes, it is just better to make the declaration and keep moving.

The second suicide mission would be to go anywhere near North Park Center, the creation years ago by Stanley Marcus. Traditionally, one could sit through the changes of a traffic light for at least three full cycles. Today, it was most noticeable that there were entire lanes that only had one or two cars in them at the lights and I got through the intersections on no more than two cycles at the worse. It hit me while I'm sitting there in traffic that e-commerce has this year finally made some dent in the number of people shopping brick and mortar. However, like me, there are those die-hearts that like going to Stanley Marcus's flagship store and mall build for that store--- Neiman Marcus, or Nordstrom's or Macy's.  The Galleria  was the next stop and it garages were filled to the max. Premier shopping at either place. But, as stated, I do believe that the foot traffic will be down this year being replaced by e-commerce.

All the while the heavy drizzle continued to fall. So, on the way home, I cut through a couple of neighborhoods looking for a street plastered with wet leaves-- the making of a great car sled.
What I found was rather pretty.

wet and slick

spared by the car tires so far

Some yards were completely free of leaves as the landscape companies had already departed. Other, looked like this and actually--- this is what I set out to find. I love leaves on a lawn in the fall. I don't get the smell of burning leaves here---just the smell every where of BBQ cooking city wide!!!! I'd rather have the leaves burning in the fall.

More Imagery

A little Yellow

A little Red

Equals a splash of orange for a blue sail boat!

Shortest Day Approaches

It is a true statement:" Time waits for no man." Where it goes is an enigma for sure. Winter begins in less than a week. Christmas Day comes in ten days. New Years arrives in just over two weeks. It makes no matter whether I'm ready or not, so the past few days found me at the lake and sitting at a picnic table with my health snack. I got my cardio walk in and just enjoyed the nearly perfect weather. That part changes tomorrow as the first of several cold fronts arrives and kicks the temps back down to a more normal winter level right on time.

Two weeks ago, I watched the cormorants begin flocking and flying their 'V' formations over the lake. They have been happy campers but know with their keen circadian rhythm that the coldest weather this season is about to arrive. Currently, when the cormorants or pelicans or sea gulls or egrets can't been seen, I can usually find them in their second or even third place were they hang out because of the change in fish whereabouts. In a way, they are just like us. They are creatures of habit. But the call of the wild beckons to fly south. They will be back in the spring after they disappear and can not be found in any of their favorite trees or log branches in the water.

A feather floats with the leaves on the water's surface.

A man walks his dog near Winfrey Point

White Rock Rowing Club sorts gear on one of the club's docks.

Click on any picture to enlarge. It's okay. You won't break anything.

Parking Lot Delights!

1] Now look at the third shot.

2] The white balance was changed to bring out the gold color.

3.]Now, the gold turns golden brown and the grass becomes greener/lighter

This time of year is always enjoyable. Cooler temperatures. Fall colors in the trees. Smells you haven't enjoyed for months. But, for a photographer, it's also the light. Beautiful, low angle, light from our sun makes this time of year a true bonus. This afternoon while waiting for one of my doctors, the ole camera came out of the bag and took focus on some parking lot delights!

This is the same as No.1

Which one do you like?

Just A Few Old-Man Philosophies

My cardiologist is fine tuning my meds again for a number of reasons but the biggest reason comes as a result of my weight loss from the cardio walks and  regaining the strength  again to ride my bike. Also,cutting out all sugars and eating much more garden style without being a vegan or total vegetarian has really helped..Do you know how many ways you can cook chicken? It's amazing. The cows would be happy in the Chick-fil-A commercial.

My appointment today was way to early for me. At one point in life, I was a big morning person, but throughout the years--especially in retirement-- I have been know to wake up, take my scheduled meds and go back to bed until the sun is much higher in the sky. But, early voting started on Monday and I wanted to vote after the visit to the doctor.

At the polls, I voted for 2 Republicans, 2 Democrats. The rest of the voting went to Libertarians and Green Party. I voted for one amendment and against all the rest. Not, specifically because I liked the candidate or the ideal but more because I have been unhappy with the  leadership, the work being done in congress and the basic attitudes inside the Beltway. So, like my old history teacher hammered into my brain years and years ago (the talk of term limits was being discussed even then for you 20-30 something readers) you do not like how things are going in the political arena, you vote the bums out. Yes, I know.....your voting isn't going to change a thing. Well, what you have to understand is that this is a joint adventure. And, there are plenty of others that are thinking that way, too. That's why the political pundits have their  half-moon table discussions following up-set elections as a moderator ask the question: what happened, do you think? Democracy is still the best system in the world. Yes, I still did my pumping-arm action and yell, as I left the polls. "Oh, that felt so good!" This year, there were something like 8 or 9 pages of people voting and 7 or 8 pages of amendments. So this year, it really did feel good!

Here is another little thing that changes my vote at the polls. If your candidate called me on my house phone during the year, your candidate lost my vote with that call. Ain't technology, great? It's a two-way street folks. I signed up years ago for the "do not call" list. I know, there are loop-holes for organizations and others. Here's the thing. It is a DO NOT CALL list. The government advertised it as a DO NOT CALL list and that is what it means. You call me, you get no money, you get no vote! You get the dial tone as a bonus. Of course, 90% are robo calls but they understand that dial tone!

Early Voting Is Officially Underway

Those are holes from a pellet gun or worse!

A key lock on a railing at one of the scenic overlooks at the dam.

The two out-of-pocket pictures come from things I noticed on a cardio walk after the voting and waiting on the pharmacy to call that my scripts are ready. It was a perfect fall day, warmer than normal.

Dos Equis, I need a Stay Thirsty Grant because.......

There are gadgets invented, created (not all equally) and sold every single day of the year. We hear about some of the most promising if not the most exciting. The information overload would be just out of the universe if all of it was paid attention to when it came out.

Once upon a time, I was invited to attend a motivational speaker's presentation because at that time, he ran the hottest direct mail advertising company in the US. For nearly a week I got to pick his brain about how he had made his company one of the most recognizable organizations in the country. I never forgot the pointers that he left with me.  Not that I have been interested of late. I have been running a test experiment for nearly five years now putting into play the new technology that wasn't there when Whitt  did his thing so successfully in the early 70s.

Yesterday, I got to see, talk and observe a demonstration that kept my brain going well into the wee hours of this morning thinking about the possibilities of what this device can and could do from here on out. The problem now is more bifurcated as to what end one would want to be involved. One, do you want to use the technology and device as it is currently and develop it to its fullest, or two, do you want to be on the horizon of where this thing is going?

So, Dos Equis , with a Stay Thirsty Grant,  I'll photograph the Dallas outdoor sidewalk patio's with  the Dos Equis interesting people and blog about them  on my blog, your blog and twitter!!

This is not a toy, it's a work horse for Photographers

Legally, it can fly at an altitude of 400 feet in open terrain.

 

Dos Equis, I need a Stay Thirsty Grant because.......

http://heinekenusa.com/tag/stay-thirsty-grant/

Edited to remove copy and add the copy below.
I just learned, there really is a Stay Thirsty Grant Contest by Heinekenusa and that doesn't change a thing.  I don't need 25k, I just need a video camera and a drone !  The creative juices are already generating a list of uses for photography.
 

Fall Afternoon of Potpourri Images

Old No. 7 to sick to travel on it's own,hence the hospital move.

Good grief, how long has that been there?

When days are free of appointments  from my medical friends who poke and jab and twist and probe their areas of expertise, I celebrate byspending the entire afternoon just looking at fall colors and light patterns. Surprisingly enough, I find some interesting things to photograph. I call those afternoons Potpourri Images. Here are a few.

A soccer ball on a rebuilt dock in late afternoon sunlight.

 

A Contrast Between Earth and Sky

Yesterday was  the most perfect day to be outdoors. It was 63 F, the sky was deep blue and the humidity was almost now existent. I drove to the lake, parked, got my backpack on and I went for a long and slow walk, stopping to look at wildlife,birds, trees loaded with fruit and  a lake that could have been a mirror. It's about 8 miles from the lake to downtown and the reflection of the high rises made a perfect copy on the water.

The fall prairie grass on a rolling hill

The return of hundreds of pelicans on their annual migration

The interesting part of this post for me is that standing in one spot, I see a field of wild prairie grass  on a rolling hillside and looking from that spot directly overhead is a sky of migrating pelicans with eyes set on the lake. Earlier in the month there was a post that announced that the pelicans were back. Well, the mass directly overhead will swell the population by a several time factors. It was without doubt a contrast between earth and sky in North Texas.

An Urban Pumpkin Patch

You would never know that it was ten days from Halloween with the North Texas temps riding into the 90s today. Of course, we already know that that is going to change come this coming weekend as a very strong cold front arrives and knocks the temps back down in the lower 50s during the day and a good chance to see a freeze with urban temps in the low to mid 30s!

It turns out to be a perfect day to find that jack-o-lantern and get it carved for when the cold weather hits and the witches in their pointed hats sail the night sky's on their broomsticks under the light of a full moon.

So, the good people of  Arapaho UMC have made it easy for you to purchase your pumpkins from them. They have a crew of little red waggons where you can load your pumpkin up and pull it to your car. They were moving pumpkins today when I was there. Their selection was great and the displays helped to get you in the season.

Great Selection

Great Customer Service!

In Great Admiration and Respect

Today, in the warmth of a delightful fall afternoon, I started out in search of that one fall splash of color that say, "here, it's not New England but it can be from time to time almost as perfect." Last year, I found it in a patch of woods beneath the dam at White Rock  in the old fish hatchery stands. It was every bit as pretty as I've seen in New England, which is hard to wrap my mind around while remembering that while there are stands of maple trees in Texas, they are many,many miles away from the Dallas area. But every fall, I begin the annual search.

My mother, as a little girl, had grown up with some pretty famous names in baseball coming around. She was nearly 80 before I was able to find out that she had been a Dodgers fan and even rooted for the Yankees a few times. On the other hand, I had grown up on the St. Louis Cardinals and later the Detroit Tigers, but I did know the big names of the day even if they played for the opposing teams. Thinking back now, I had shoe boxes of baseball cards. and mom was hard to beat in answering questions about facts printed on the cards. This really was a side of my mom that I wish that I had understood more then than I do today, but thankful I heard her tell some of the stories when she was growing up.

Yet, when I start out on a shooting trip, the trips are pretty much routed out in a circuit and it follows the events and on-going construction, openings, discoveries of new projects starting or seasonal event. The shoot schedule isn't that large of a schedule but it does have to consider car or train, walks or doctor's appointments , shopping or living in general. The price of gas has cut down on a lot of travel by car and the trains have been a good back-up, but  sometimes, there is that magnetic-like pull that causes you to follow your instincts. Today, although it didn't start out that way, ended up that way and I'm happy that it did.  Mom was a rather self-contained person that would be like an earthquake that she knew or even had a friendship with some people. But, the proof was in the pudding as they say and she usually came out on top in that department. Yet, even today, I pay respect  to the dearly departed  when I can. After paying tribute to one of mom's -never-would-have-guessed friends, I decided that I would go in search of one of my boyhood idols that was in the same cemetery and not very far from where I stood while visiting one of mom's friends.



The plaques on the crypts of Mickey Mantle and his wife.
The two boys are in crypts below their dad.

Note the rows of copper (pennies) stacked up from visitors to the crypt. The two that I found most interesting were the stone and the bent nail. Stones are usually a Jewish tradition left after a visit. The bend nail, I am not sure, but it has it's significances most certainly.

The American Flag stands in the corner of the private crypt area where Mickey is entombed.

It is with much respect and admiration that I post these images in the love for the sport, the players, the institution that baseball is to so many. Mickey, you were my hero in baseball.