A Big Boy sits;Two poodles get a boat ride and a Mixed Lab poses.

Got up early yesterday morning. Headed out to Fair Park. The "confirmed" move on the museum's face book linked page on Twitter said today was the day. The Union Pacific Big Boy 4018 steam locomotive was scheduled to move to its new home in Frisco,Texas. After two hours of waiting with several dozen people, railroad workers and a few wannabe hotshots , the Union Pacific main line would not permit the move over their tracks. The dead rail siding out of Fair Park must interchange with the UP before being transferred to the Burlington Northern Tracks. After 14-months of observations, one would tend to piece together a little undercover political maneuvering being displayed between a couple of factions involved between the railroads and jurisdictions. That is my observation based on prior knowledge of the situation. It goes without saying that burning bridges is never a good thing.Having said that, the bottom line is many people with interest in railroading  had that precious Sunday off wasted;some being very hurt, not once but several times, during the course of this move to Frisco. Another thing struck me as being odd. An old Wichita Falls REA rusted truck was missing from Fair Park's fenced in area for the former museum. Not a word was said about that. HUM? File that one under, "Keep an eye on that",Casey Jones.

While switching was about to begin to jockey things around, the railroad was going to exercise their muscle under the color of "safety". It was time to get out of that mess and find a source for my special project this summer: "Seniors and Retirees and their Pets at the lake". It didn't take me long, either. I stopped at McDonald's and got lunch to go, drove over to Dryfuss Club and sat on the hilltop watching the TOP O' TEXAS ride at Fair Park cycle up and cycle down  while I ate my lunch. Afterwards, it was time to get some great animal shots. Over by the marina area, it was quick to book up the afternoon with three great dogs. Two were poodles belonging to a couple and a Lab mix that loved his tennis balls and the water.

People have fun with their animals at the lake and spend a lot of time and money to keep those pets safe and happy. Enjoy a few choice shots.

The F-7A

Captain Greg his wife and their two poodles go Hobie Kayaking

Ace, a mixed Lab loves the water and the two tennis balls in his mouth!

 

A White Rock Sail

The lazy afternoons of summer have already set in for the season with the needle on the temperature gauge headed to just shy of the 100 * F mark. Actually, I was hoping that this would be the relief year since we have had three hard summers of drought and high heat.

A trip to the White Rock to eat lunch under a shade tree and enjoy the wild life also found a couple of mariners putting up the sail for an afternoon on the lake.

Texas Sailing

Dropping the Sail

Open Water Headed Inbound

High Up on Winfrey Point Looking Down on the Marinas

Minutes beyond first bell, a loud clap of thunder hit this morning as a squall line moved passed. The sun was out by noon and it was time to get at least some walking in before ending the outing at the grocery.

The temps were in the mid 60s with a breezy southwest wind 10-12 knots. That meant the sailing clubs would be on the lake at White Rock. Beautiful day for a sail.


The shot at Winfrey Point was shot about ten days ago but gives a view looking down over the Marinas  going toward the bike bridge. That day the fog had hung over downtown for most of the day. You can still see the haze in the air.

Winterized

One of the Rescue boats used when the rowing teams are on the lake practicing.

Across the lake from the last shot is the marina for one of the sailing clubs. I love sailboats.

The day before this shot, high winds blew through the area disrupting cell phone towers, breaking branches and limbs off trees. Later, the temps shattered records from a few to several degrees. There was a guy walking the docks at the marina for a sailing club to make sure the tie-downs were still secure. That's a nice volunteer service at any marina.