Fall Will Come Early--I Can Feel It In My Bones!

An old man years ago gave me a bit of advise about how to tell when fall was approaching regardless of the calendar or the Meteorological markers of December1st, to March 1st. as a marker for winter rather than the 20-22 as in a lunar cycle. Leaves flip. That's right. They somehow manage to turn in such a way that they display the bottom  of the leaf more toward the sun. Of course, there was some reservation about the statement, but over the years since, I have observed this display happen year after year after year. Well, it's happening right now, here where such things usually are the starting of the growing season in brilliant green rather than the harvest of colorization. As most probably already know, spring buds start in the south and move about 20 miles per day  until they reach the area of the shortest growing season of the year. Then, the fall colors start in the north and move south  about 20-miles per day reaching the southern most area of deciduous  shed near the winter solstice.

The second method that also works well is the shift in the northern jet stream which allows for the northern cold fronts to move south as the sun makes its way to the Tropic of Cancer for the shortest day of the year. My grandfather always followed the Farmer's Almanac and the old sayings that were accurate when I learned some of them as a kid and are still accurate today (e.g. "When clouds are high and thin, a weather system is moving in").

But, as for today, it was absolutely delightful! The first time all summer it has been like it once was before acres and miles and acres and miles of cement and asphalt began collecting heat and then radiating it like an oven to triple digits and then some. It was so great to be out of the house, but what was even better was that the AC  wasn't needed in the car and the windows were down with a mostly cool breeze blowing. The sunroof would have been open had I made it out earlier in the morning. However, before going out this morning, I checked the National Weather Service site and put the map loop into motion. The low pressure was setting where it has been all weekend and not moving a nano nano of any thing. That is why we got no rain and Louisiana is once again flooded.  The cold front didn't move, the low didn't move and the pump just kept pumping Gulf  water into land masses north of the coastal shoreline. And, according to the NWS, the next ten days will be below normal. For here, that is about 92 degrees F. In fact, I'm thinking that the triple digits might be done for season, now. But, should that not be the case, then by the law of averages, one or two more should foot the bill---hopefully!!

A beautiful hawk protecting his airspace. Be sure to click on the image so it opens up to the size where you can see the beautiful wing feathers.

I'm just overly anxious for fall to arrive--the meteorological rather than the  astronomical one which, then would be September 1 rather than the 20th or 21st or 22nd what ever it might be by the lunar cycle.    

That's real live color change in a softwood tree. This spot where the chalk cliffs are located generally are the precursor to fall in many ways, including berry productions.

Those Californ-I-A's Are At It Again. Hurrah!!!

We all know, even though some are reluctant to say so, that life goes in cycles and that those cycles are what we call history. And, we also know that if we don't learn from history, we are destined to repeat the mistakes of the past. Furthermore, some of the regular readers will recall that this blog takes a little bit of pride to say now and then that, "I told you so."  The blog has praised the good people of California for years in their political prowess of not letting their legislators rule them, but continue to point out to the legislators in Sacramento that they work for the people of California. They will not be ruled by the scare tactics offered up in excuses  by their legislators in  blatant deal cutting that is so arrogant that it is served up open face. That's when the good people of California take the bull by the horns and go to work to put the legislators back in their place.

Well, it has happen again with seven gun control bills signed by California Governor Jerry Brown. And, the people are not taking it lying down. Gun rights advocates started a petition drive to overturn the laws Brown signed into law.

Now, before you jump down my throat about gun control--right or wrong-- this is not an article about gun control. But--it is about the very thing that I have said over and over and over again-- we don't need term limits. We don't need to compile pictures of members of congress with the total number of years under their belts in congress. We don't even need to point fingers beyond pointing to ourselves for not voting or not getting out the vote or not doing our civic duty in the key element of this country's bedrock of democracy. And, to tie it in for some-- Californians have gone to work to change the course of legislation that control how they live and work and maintain their landmark Californian life-style. Yes, they are different than us Easterners. That, by the way, is anyone living east of the Continental Divide minus a few hundred miles and plus nothing. That would then place the boundary about Lake Tahoe!

I have long admired that ability of California DNA to stand up to their elected servants and remind them that they work for the people that put them in Sacramento. Oh, there are a few examples of  recall elections and propositions on the ballot back here in the east, but the people here think that they are more civilized than the rest of the population and to do that just isn't the proper thing to do in this modern time. That is why we have people in congress, state, county and city, that do not do their job that they were elected to do. The real reason that those exercises fail here is that people are more followers than leaders.

People let the fear factor rule their lives even when the fear is meant to control them at the polls and steal their votes. And that is exactly what the fear control does. It is a vote stealer.

Californians takes the Bull by the Horns again and again--Hurrah!!

So, my hats off to the people of California once again for standing up to their legislators for bad legislation--and regardless of  how you look at it-- if it doesn't suit the wishes of the people of California, then the legislation is bad. I continue to admire their chutzpah.

Get Up From The Computer!

Yes, the 'experts' all say that when you are setting at the computer, you need to get up and move around. Generally, I'm up and down for the coffee pot when I'm working at the computer anyway. Come lunch time, I'm up making lunch and putting the dishes away from the dishwasher, too. So, I'm normally not to concerned about not getting up enough.

With the hot weather--it hit 100 again today-- being out when it is that hot does cause me some problems with my meds. One of the warnings on most of the meds all have warnings about being out in the sun, dehydration and a shopping list of other little annoyance  things. I don't need that so cutting back when it is hot is top priority. But, as the work gets caught up--I'm highly efficient in that department-- is when usually I am heading out to shoot the next item on the shoot agenda. Alright, the fact of the matter is: I got extremely bored today.

When that happens, it's usually kitchen creative time. That is when the pantry door is opened and I stand in front of the pantry focused on the shelves to see what I can whip up. There is a good history of good things coming out of  my kitchen when that happens. Dinnertime really becomes a banquet of sorts. All healthy of course. Sugary things are limited to an occasional  bakery buy now and then.Keeping  those things in the pantry is pretty much a no no for me.

As with any self-imposed rule, exceptions can be inserted from time-to-time. And, they are. Such an example was the opening and later shuttering of the Fresh Market in the remade shopping center at Gaston and Garland Road. It was a South Carolina market that was popular in the Carolinas and could have been here, but Dallas people don't need to go to South Carolina like the snow birds do. The laid back approach to 'Whole Food' class of shopping was the same except  for that overly laid back approach at Fresh Market. In short, while it was open here, of course I shopped there for certain things I could not get here in Dallas that had that South Carolina feel.  Keeping in mind that Whole Foods and HEB Central Market have that Gulf  of Mexico feel rather than the Carolina one and there is a difference for sure.

At that final week of Fresh, I picked up a box of frosting mix that I had found more close to what I enjoyed as a kid. It went top and back in the pantry until I would discover it serendipitously sometime in the future. A couple of weeks ago while in the grocery store shopping and looking for something that had been moved from the last time I shopped, I ran across a box of dutch chocolate Pillsbury cake mix. One, it was a name out of the past that jumped out at me. Two, it was dutch chocolate. Three, I could not stop it from jumping into my cart!

Today, at the pantry door, it all ganged up on me. As a result, I have a 13x9 sheet pan cake with a tin of 6 cupcakes baked to perfection and iced! Tonight, its french bread pizza with a salad. Somehow, there is a cupcake missing our of the tin already.  Dang Hot weather!

That South Carolina Feel Is Unmistakeable. I would have liked to have seen Fresh Market make it here in Dallas.

Why A Circuit?

With the sixth straight day of 100 to 100+ temperatures (the low at night never falls below 80-degrees F when we have these stretches)  staying inside in the AC is a given. One would think that you get a lot of work caught up, but it never works that way. Production of images and copy run at their lowest during these times. That is, until I get cabin fever and grab the water jug and camera bag and head out because I can't stand it any longer. Funny how when you are snowed in for days or heated it does the same thing. Those kind of trips are far between also because the heat is actually hard on your car. The motor heats up, the temps are high and batteries die, hoses pop and wires fry. Out side of that, Texas is a great place nine months out of the year!

The other day, I had a person walk up to me and start talking. They were curious about what kind of photos I like to shoot. My standard reply to that question ( I get it a lot) is: "The good ones"!  Sometimes it brings a smile. Sometimes a chuckle, sometimes, a look of bewilderment. Bewilderment here is the proverbial head-scratch. I love those the best.

After explaining what type of photos I shoot, it actually usually raises more questions than it answers because people generally have a perception of photographers  shooting people individually or as a family for money. I don't do that.

The other perception is that photographers shoot lots of birds and landscape scenes. I don't do that, either. What I do shoot is  editorial images as a hobby and textures that are used and seen in commercials, television or videos or theater sets and fabric and specialty items. So all you graphic artist driving the vector markets at the moment, have no fear. I'm not out to bump you off that little crazed gold-mind that you have discovered--until that fad runs it's course as it usually does.

But, this urban cowboy who shoots urban does drive a circuit of approximately 38 miles. Picture a wagon wheel. The hub is my base. Each spoke is approximately 18.5 miles (remember, you have to drive home, too!) Most of the time, when I reach the outer boundary of 18.0 miles, I will cross over a block or two and return down the neighboring street. Hence, 38 miles. Alright sometimes, its 39. Detours!

So, why do you do that, they ask? Well, you can drive a route over and over and over and see the same thing, It's part of the game. But, then, you see earth-moving equipment, construction trailers that have popped up in the center of a field and it sends out an alarm-type bell in your head. Hum! Something is happening here. So you put that spoke on your shoot list to come back later--usually earlier than your next planned trip. Things change. Growth happens. Development occurs. New  and interesting architecture, objects or textures appear. Old buildings disappear.  That's why you drive a circuit.

My wagon wheel goes out north, south, east and west. Then, it's cut into eights like a pie or cake, or pizza  (didn't want to leave a bakery chef out of the mix here, after all, dough is dough!). Oh, I love a good corny pun. If you do any calculations at all, you have figured out already that if  I go out every day, then that is a  whole wheel in eight days. Right, you are. Providing I don't have a doctor's appointment, or the weather is stormy, or I just don't feel like dragging this old carcass out. I plan grocery shopping and med pick-ups to co inside with re-shoots which are few but they do happen now and then for reasons of heavy traffic, or lighting or unplanned events like a funeral etc.etc. But, on the whole, it's about a two-month cycle with a six turn event calendar that editors use when they purchase images for editorial or use a texture as a banner on a web page. In short, I like it like that, to be frank. This past week it validated exactly what I have been saying for several years.Every one has their nose in their phone and don't look up for anything. Watch some one on their phone get into their car. They don't even look up from their laps for several minutes to start their car and back out of a parking space. It's pathetic. The new phase of the old Pokèmon points this out. One report even said: "People are actually talking to people again and finding common ground for new friendships". Well, I'll be!! Imagine that. Something out of the past!! Or my most hated phrase: Back in the day! History isn't being taught anymore.  I guess because  no one uses dates any longer or generic names. Imagine some young history teacher standing up before his class talking about," Back in the day when George Wash tossed a coin across a river."  Don't get me started again!

Here is one example of something that popped up on one of those spokes. Rather, creative, new and interesting at a normally stressful, sad and emotional place. I don't mention where the site is anymore as people go out and add work for the kind people who allowed me to shoot the thing in the first place. At my age, I have come to understand that common sense is not so common any more. Blame that on technology!

New on the circuit.

Second Post To A City of Bridges

High 5 with all 710 columns and 43 bridges

The I-35 and LBJ 635 upgrade

The Horseshoe Project I-30 and I-35E

A City of Many Bridges

Dallas has another moniker,the City of Bridges and I don't mean Maggie 1 and Maggie 2 only. There are some 5,000 bridges in the Dallas area according to one Tex Dot estimate. The High 5 added 43 alone. So that got me to thinking. With the work on the High 5 complete, the LBJ Express pretty much done and the I-35 length of 28 miles of re-work plus the Horseshoe Project of the Mix master. The cost totals estimated are from Tex Dots project pages.

Dallas High 5 at $288 Million

I-35E  length  $4.8 Billion

Horseshoe Project $798 Million

That is a combined total of $5.886 Billion of new updated Highways  and I could not find the published cost on the first wave of the LBJ Express Project. It was possible to find how the tolls would be priced, however and some very neat graphics of the total number of lanes and sub-lanes for the project.

Realizing that money comes from all kinds of avenues from Federal to State etc.,etc., the totals do come out about what the news media reported initially when announcing the projects. This isn't about cost anyway. That is an interesting sidebar to the fact that Texans should be proud that they are riding on some of the best and most up-to-day highways in the nation while other states are talking about the vast need to do what Texans have been busy doing the past 15 years.

Recalling that morning that I made the last exit on the old LBJ at U.S. 75 ramp. The big drilling machines were on the clover leaf  to drill the footings for the big green columns. They now make up the 710 columns of the Dallas High 5. Even today, I recall that old clover leaf going north on Central Expressway to westbound LBJ 635. That evening, the exit was closed and detours were rerouted and I can still locate where eventually the one big green column ended up being in that cloverleaf. I will post those in addition to this post since I can only post three images at a time.

Sunday, I drove the new I-30 bridge that now is the Margaret McDermott bridge with the north arch now in place for the very first time. The pictures that follow are from the High 5, the LBJ Express and the I-35E at LBJ 635 and the Horseshoe and the Maggie 2 bridge.

LBJ635 at I-35E

LBJ 635 between Dallas High 5 and I-35E. Officially known as the LBJ Express Project 

The Horseshoe Project which is a remake of the Mix master and new bridges and lanes over the Trinity with the Santiago Calatrava Signature Bridge 2 to be know as the Margaret McDermott Bridge. Also, for ease of ID of the two Margaret Bridges, the McDermott bridge is dubbed Maggie 2 while the Margaret Hunt Hill is known as the Maggie 1. Dubbed for two reasons. First, by chronology in construction and second by the number of arches,  which both co-inside perfectly.

Hillary Is Such Old Potatoes

Check out these. The top of the arch is nearly 300 feet above grade.  Shorter than the Maggie 1's 400 feet.  It should be noted that the hike and bike paths are being attached to the north side just  below the roadway level. That will allow for the south crossover of the Trinity to the East Skyline Trails.

The second arch of the Margaret McDermott Bridge  aka Maggie 2 is in place. 

Quiet a view!

The VOR Antenna. Reminds me of the chair swings that go round and round. Except this little jewel is pretty high. 

Thank goodness, July is over. It was a terrible month here in Dallas.  Now, I just have to get past three months of old Potatoes, like Hillary Clinton. Come on Donald bring this heard of cows home.

So after all that, I had to go hang out near a few high places for a while yesterday. Been designing skateboards and it was perfect to get out of the house for a little bit.