A Sneak Preview of the March Celebration

Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge

There were people on the bridge today en mass. The excitement for the first weekend in March celebration  grows as people check out the newest landmark on the Dallas skyline. Here are a couple of images from  today.

The Santiago Calatrava portion of the bridge begins where the cable stays begin, 600 feet eitherside of the signature portion  that stands 400 feet. So, 1,200 feet in the center is cablle stayed, holding the bridge deck up.

Follow Up to Jan.13 Exxon Mobile Headquarters, As the Crow Flies.

Since I was in the neighborhood visiting my bank branch, it was not out of the way to get some images and provide some added strength to the previous article. And, with the Carpenter Freeway being the main route, to and fro, it was also a bonus to stop and get some images of the Abbey that sits on a hilltop. The abbey was constructed from thick blocks of Texas Limestone and the rough-cut appearance makes added beauty to the architecture in general. The Cistercian Abbey of Las Colinas is another treasure for Texas diversity, Dallas Metroplex specifically. Here are the images.




Cistercian Abbey in Las Colinas.The order has been around for years.

 Years ago, Exxon Mobile did something for my family that I can never forget. It is something that will always glow a warm spot in my heart. So when I mentioned them in the post of January 13th, it was not in a negative way. But, hidden behind hack berry and mesquite trees, the Exxon Mobile compound does position itself in a clandestine-kind of operation. Anyone with any corporate experience from inside looking out knows that a certain degree of clandestine operating is totally necessary.And.....the bigger you are......the more you need.

Looking North across the John Carpenter Freeway for which Las Colinas was named, lies the world headquarters for Exxon Mobile Corporation.



Surrounded by acres of hack berry and mesquite trees, the compound is fenced and monitored.



Two Words Cut in Stone

Going up the steps up to the plaza area in front of the Hall of State, two words are cut in stone. Adventure on the right. Fortune on the left.

Step Testing at Fair Park

 With the vast acreage at Fair Park, it becomes a venue for practice.  As I was walking over to the Cotton Bowl I passed a lady that most likely retired was putting on her roller blades. She said she comes to Fair Park to skate because the traffic is more controlled and between the streets and parking lots, she has miles of hard surface for skating.The young man also has vast areas in which to practice his sport. It occurred to me that the people in Santa Monica have been doing this for years at the pier!
I have often wondered why Dallas doesn't spend the money and focus on Fair Park improvements rather than what is being done. Fair Park would be more for the betterment of the entire city population than a few that benefit from some of the other projects. Besides, Fair Park is a jewel in the city's crown. Dart just finished the South end of the Green Line right at the front door to Fair Park.

 There is a massive Ferris wheel that sits idle after the state fair leaves until the following year. There is a cable car system that is there waiting for the next years fair. With the Texas Discovery Gardens, the African American Museum, the Museum of Antique Cars,the Hall of State, the dancing fountains, and the three or four museums that have not moved into their new own new places, let's not forget Music Hall and summer stock or the Cotton Bowl that is still physically  located at Fair Park but actually played in Arlington in the new Cowboy's Stadium.

It's an art



It's a learned skill
It's a sport.



Fair Park is also one of the largest assembled city of art deco with buildings showing corner stones of 1906,1908,1934 (the art deco era) . The midway portion of Fair Park could  run year long.

Denver's Elitch Gardens about as old as Fair Park, is 70 acres. Fair Park on the other hand has 277 acres. There is a bill board atop the Cotton Bowl's gate K that says that 2012  the tallest ride in Texas is coming to Fair Park. Is it going to be available year round once it's here?

 The marketing departments of the convention center, the convention center hotel,Dealey Plaza,Arts District,Deep Ellum,West End, City of Dallas,Parks and Recreation,private developers, Aquarium, Science and Nature at the Perot should be working hand-in-hand with Friends of Fair Park.

It's Not Bah Humbug New Year, but It's Close

As a child growing up in small town America, many things marked the beginning or ending of years. This year, I'm nine, but  n-e-x-t year, I'll be 10, was one of those count downs. Then, it quickly became tax years. Come to think about it......it's still tax years! But, yesterday, while at Fair Park, old memories came back that seemed to freeze time for the rest of the day. Well, maybe not frozen, but slowed way down as I saw things that I had not seen in 60 years. Soon, I'll be able to see it again in actual motion and not just sitting in a fenced in museum when the American Railroad Museum moves from Fair Park in Dallas to it's new home in the city of Frisco the old town but new bedroom community North and West of Plano. The engines will travel on live rail there as it was stated in the press when it was first announced that the museum was moving.



As a child, I can recall seeing these stop at our small town' s rail station to let off and pick up passengers.



Then, I recall seeing one of these for the very first time coming down the tracks! As a boy, it was the WOW factor!

So, as 2012 rolled over around the world and finally  struck  midnight here in Dallas, the relevance of time just does not have the meaning that it did when I was nine. That's  why I take each day as it arrives. Happy New Year to those of you that are still counting!

Penn State Arrives at the Cotton Bowl and Fair Park

Today was a perfect "indian summer" day  at Fair Park. There are three museums leaving Fair Park in the coming year, give or take a month or two for the most part. The Women's Museum is closed. The Science and Nature will be moving into their new home at Lamar and Woodall Rodgers in the Ross Peroit Science Center. The added space will be a plus.. And, the fantastic collection of  trains will move to their new home in Frisco,Texas, just up Central Expressway 20 miles or so. Still, there is much at Fair Park to enjoy with Texas Discovery Gardens, Music Hall,the home to Summer Stock; the African-American Museum;Cotton Bowl;Hall of State and a host of other lesser known such as the Antique Automobile Museum. I wanted to make sure that I had plenty of stock so when the time comes, there will be stock of what was once there at Fair Park as much as what is there currently
As I rounded the corner in front of the Music Hall, there was the Penn State Football Equipment semi-tractor-trailer being tailed by an envoy of white cars. So, I walked over to the Cotton Bowl. Here's what I found.

Arriving on the grounds of  the Cotton Bowl at  Fair Park

Good ole man power unloads this truck.

Row,Row,Rowing Out the End of 2011

A rowing club member returns from  a workout.

The number of Rowing Club participants in the Dallas area grows more each and every year. A fantastic sport in its own right, the physical workout is an added bonus.