A TIME TO GO and A TIME TO PASS

A new island created from the May floods. The pelicans like it.

Look closely to see a couple of faces. Taken 10-6-2015

Yes, there is another face here, too and it was taken 20 miles away about 10 days ago +/- a couple of days

A time to go and a time to pass and the time to pass was the past two days. Going  downtown during this period from all reports was totally  insane. Seeing a couple of movies filmed would have been fun. Seeing the vintage 1963 cars  used in the Franco film would have normally been even  more of a magnet, to wit:

There has been massive traffic jams and not all of it was the Horseshoe Project where I-30 and I-35E mix up the east-west and the north-south traffic. There was also  two movies filming at the same time. One staring James Franco in Dealey Plaza, the other for a television series, so I'm told. The other reason is the 128th run of the State Fair of Texas in  Historic Fair Park. You could not get me to be on either end of Main or Elm or Commerce Streets for nearly any amount of money. Notice that I did leave that option open. That's called covering your bases, I believe. The Rangers are in the playoffs, too, so riding the trains, either Dart or the TRE to Ft.Worth to catch the shuttle to Globe Life Park was out of the question. So, as much as I try to give equal time to the venues that I shoot in normally, this week was just better to let downtown pass at the moment.

There are changes that occur in each of the little venues  and  when you go to check them out you find changes that are constantly evolving. So it's worth the effort to make the circuit on a regular basis. Strange as it is, three years ago statistics found that most of my images that sold were within two miles of home. The last two years that pattern has changed. My biggest sellers are textures.  It ignites that pattern change in my shooting as well. Now,  every shoot does not end until some new textures have been included in the days shoot.

Over my morning coffee, after checking e-mails, the next thing  that I do is to check the list  from several photo stock agencies  as to what they are looking for to fill their customer's  top  searches.
My Project List, an on-going list, it's never completed, comes from those top searches from media moguls that are newspaper, magazine, journals, web  designers, blog writers and many other forms of graphic arts. Just this past week several  of my images turned up in print. It is always a joy to see someone using your work to illustrate their own work.

The Ground Where Big Tex Stands

Big Tex Float at the St. Patrick's Parade on Greenville Ave.

Friends of the State Fair

Surveyors at work to raise the stand by 6 foot for Big Tex.

Well, everyone has heard by now about the Big Tex fire a few days before the fair closed in the 2012 season. Since then, there has been a lot of talk and work and discussions about the future of Big Tex.  Happily ( it was decided and private money started pouring in to help ) Big Tex will be rebuilt bigger and better. He was a pretty big guy to begin with. The fact of the matter is: he's gonna be bigger if for nothing than the ground he will stand upon.


Opening day of the State Fair this year is September 27th. Big Tex will be there! He is sure to be a big crowd draw throughout the fair this year especially, but I would anticipate the 11 AM opening ceremony this year will have a bigger crowd than normal. I'm thinking it will be, at least.







The surveyors are out already working to raise the stand by 6 feet. This is a spot of respect! Big Tex has been here every year for 60 years and he's coming back for year 61 bigger and better than before.

You can call the Fair Board at Fair Park if you want to make a donation to help fund the reconstruction, I bet.




 

Howling Winds and 70* F Made for Some Potpourri Shots

A hot and F-a-s-t little remote. I like this car!!

A new attraction to Fair Park! Sweet! Now promote it and keep it open!

Top O' Texas Tower at Fair Park under construction

Days like this I'd buy like peaches: A bushel and a peck! And that's a whole bunch. The docket today called for going to Fair Park.It is one of my favorite places and a grand prize within itself. Having the Texas Star year round is a jewel within a jewel and  you have not even entered any of the museums. The Discovery Gardens are amazing, the Cotton Bowl is a landmark. The Hall of State building, music hall, African American Museum building each have their own history and so much more. Now, the new ride that will be the biggest in Texas will debut  by this years State Fair.

After leaving Fair Park and doing a run-through of Deep Ellum,  it was down Grand Avenue to the Lake. There, I found a guy with one of the most amazing remote control cars. It's just plain F-A-S-T!!
He gave me a demo at the ball diamond parking lot  at Winfrey Point.

Another Post from this trip to Fair Park will be scheduled for tomorrow, Monday,Feb.18
 

A Rough Day at the Fair Today......and Now This!

We've all seen the midway ride at carnivals and fairs that is a swing and as it spins around, you go higher and swing out at an angle. Now, engineers created the same ride but it takes you up to 200 feet and then swings. Well, at this writing, approximately 2300 hours, there are 24 people stuck at the 200 feet level at the State Fair. Dallas Fire Rescue is still working on a plan to get people down. They have been suspended up there for nearly two hours already. Twelve swings with two people per swing........the last one to be rescued could well be into the wee hours of the morning.

For those of you that are shaking your head and shivering just thinking about hanging 200 feet in the air, here is something that will shake and shiver you to your bones........Six Flags at Arlington just blew up the old ride that was a parachute that dropped you from 200 or 300 feet. The kicker,is that on that very site, they will replace it with one of these swings..........at 400 feet in the air.........I guess bigger,faster,higher is replacing common sense. Yes, I know, the rides are engineered to be totally safe. That helps me understand this bigger,faster,higher thing more than ever.

Now, the Texas State Fair has a great record of safety over the years. Eventually, somethings have to go a bit nuts and/or fail. This 126th running of the Fair ends it near-month- long run this Sunday. Two more days. I'm crossing my fingers and toes that the last two days go without incident.

Big Tex Burns

At approximately 10:25 CDT Big Tex broke out in smoke around his collar and motorized mouth,then broke out into flames. The only thing remained was his big steel frame and his two arms (still sleeved in material from his shirt). At 13:00 CDT his steel frame was traveling through the streets of Fair Park to an undisclosed location to be inspected by local fire officials.

State Fair Officials have already announced that Big Tex, who began in 1952 in Kern, Texas and was sold to the State Fair Board,  has stood stead over the fair for 60 years  and will be rebuilt. Beginning anew by next years State Fair a new Big Tex will reappear,bigger and better than before.

http://www.featurepics.com/online/Big-Tex-2358092.aspx

Big Tex Hits 60!

Big Tex

A 60-year old man in size 72 boots wearing a 75 gallon hat and standing 52 feet tall with a few more wrinkles and slighly more grey hair, took his place at Fair Park today at the annual ceremony at 11 am when on the Monday before the fair opens, he is hoisted into place and immediately proclaims,"Howdy". Friday,at 10am, the 126th Texas State Fair begins its annual run. I had wanted to be there for todays "howdy"  but had a doctor's appointment at 11.It was a little after 12:30 when I got there. For about two hours, I walked around the lagoon looking at the Chinese Lanterns Display. There is a fence around the entire Lagoon area and the guy putting up the last section of the fence said that there was going to be a $10.00 fee to enter, which is above the regular ticket price.
The display is breath-taking and the Dino's on display look so real. It will be a popular exhibit, I'm sure. The workers were building the main stage in between The African-American Museum and the Music Hall complex. I know, I said last weekend that it was my last trip until after the fair and  here I am back at Fair Park again! Well, it's the bee hive of activity, construction, vendors testing equipment,rides being tested. The smell of taffy in the air! People visiting Fair Park's active museums in the complex. It's just the most festive atmosphere. Kind of like a behind the scene type of atmosphere, but also the get-out-of-the-way atmosphere that goes on as workers lay tiles,build sets and stages with just days before completion. I've missed that hustle-bustle atmosphere. My camera just shoots image after image. I'm not shooting my stock images that sell but I'm having tons of fun! The last two days I've shot more fun images from horse-drawn carriages,antique rail cars moving to a museum to Big Tex's head and hands on a skid waiting to be assembled for this years state fair. I've even managed to have a dish of Rocky Road ice cream a couple of times!

Ladies--you think you have beautiful nails. Check out my nails!!

Beautiful Nails

 

Timing Is Everything and ..........

On Sunday's last trip to Fair Park before the State Fair, the Chinese Lantern Festival had created some very tall Lotus Blooms. The thought did cross my mind as to how they would be used. Today, a sky crane helicopter lifted them from the staging lot near Gate 5 to the Lagoon where they were placed. Now only did I miss the lift, I missed seeing them in the large lagoon where the big swan paddle boats can be rented. It's just one of those things......you cover what you can and sometimes it works out and some times it does not.
The train move has occupied some time. The Chihuly glass exhibit has been at the Arboretum for nearly five months and it leaves the first week of November and the pumpkin display opens this Saturday for it's annual run. On top of that---the Perot Museum of Science and Nature opens in it's new building in downtown much earlier than first announced. The new 5-acre deck park opens too! There is a lot of stuff happening! The old adage that it never rains but what it pours seems to be holding true.

Waiting to move to Frisco

Most likely, the big boy will be the last to leave Fair Park
 

With just the things mentioned here would  add another $100 just for parking and admissions. Gas and food would be extra, of course. The cost of an enjoyable hobby today is an expensive undertaking, though not complaining. So for now, since timing is everything and I came up short today.....here are a couple more shots from this past Sundays shoot.

 

Looking Like The State Fair at Fair Park

State Fair Dates: September 28 -  October 21

Work is well underway at Fair Park putting up all those favorite fried food and refreshment stands. The old landmark Midway arches have been repaired from this past Springs expensive hail storm. And there is less rolling stock at the former Railroad Museum.  One of two security guards told me that the rolling stock was going out on the third shift because it wasn't happening on first or second shift, which confirms what one of the employees in Frisco has said to me more than a month ago. She had call me,infact. From that conversation it was easy to see that the exit from Fair Park was going to be a "under cover of darkness" move. It's turned out that way so far as the first cars rolled into the  Frisco's property from off-site storage with limited public information. The tweets,facebook post and website updates seem to be all "after - the- fact" which is not surprising.

This morning, one of the television stations had a sound bite about the move and the newspaper ran a story that basically said nothing. The route map published matched the hand-drawn one  that has been on top of my computer for over a month  Anyone with any train interest as an enthusiast already knows where the line junctions are located or can figure it out like doing math in you head.

 I hate to say it but I can remember when steam engines were running regular passenger service in the town were I grew up. It was second or third grade when I saw the first diesel that appeared on those tracks where the steam engines had been running regular service. Still, trains and planes hold my interest to this day. The physics of both are more interesting now than they were in my 8th grade geometry and 10th grade  physics. It was that knowledge gained, however, that cemented my interest in later life.

Colorful Tent Booths Go Up

The West Side of Admiral Nimitz Drive

Here is a little splash of color from Fair Park this afternoon. One thing for sure is that corny dogs and fried foods will be around longer  than some organizations. My dad expressed to me that everyone wants their jewel to be front and center on the crown and some just never ever will understand that it is all the jewels combined that make up the crown, not just a single jewel. Fair Park is a crown and all the little jewels make it what it is and will become. Loosing one or two here and there will be replaced with others that will shine just as bright and not worry about their placement on the crown. Next time you visit Fair Park look up at the two gate markers.The left one in engraved 1836 and the right one bears 1936. The art deco period for Fair Park blossomed in the 1930s.