DART Does It Again -- 4 Months Ahead of Schedule.

Texans should be proud of their state government projects. Especially, the transportation sectors. The Dallas High 5 Project was about a 7-year project and finished a year early. The LBJ-I35 remake was another multi-year project and it is nearly finished and still running ahead of schedule. But, the still amazing project of connecting DFW International Airport to the DART Rail System, already the largest light rail system in the country, finished 4-months early with Inaugural Service direct to Terminal A at DFW International that began on August 18th, just two weeks ago today.

I rode the Blue line from LBJ-Central on TI Boulevard to the west end station in downtown Dallas where I got off to catch the Orange Line to DFW. I could have ridden the Orange line from LBJ-Central and not had to change trains, but I am a people watcher and I like the hustle-bustle of downtown, the sounds, the smells, the muted train whistle. Generally, a crowd of people like to talk, but the train stations are different. People are in their own little worlds with their ear buds in their ears.  It seems every one has them. Except me. I use a pair at home when the cat sleeps and I want to listen to a pod cast or catch an episode of Comedy Central. But when I am out shooting, the last thing I want is to have wires hanging from my ear canals.Besides, waiting for the train to arrive at LBJ-Central or waiting for the same train downtown for DFW is elementary. In fact, it gives me 10-15 minutes of people watching and breaks up the train ride.

After catching the Orange Line it was just another train ride until after the stop at the Beltline station. I had ridden Orange line that far once before after the Beltline station opened. Although it is located on DFW International Airport property, the connection route on to Terminal A is about a 4-mile run through scrub brush until it comes out at the connector to 114 Carpenter Freeway and Royal Lane briefly before turning south and heading on the east side of the traffic cross-overs  and the bridge taxiway from Terminal A to runways 18L and 18R. Runways 17L,17C and 17R are located east of the Dart tracks. There is also two cross-wind runways; one on the far east and one on the far west edges of the airport.  The connection switch to the future Cotton Belt Line is already in place and ready to go. Let's all hope the money can be found and construction begins earlier than expected finishing earlier than the completion date in the future, once the future construction begins. I ask the question if there was any shuttle service to Founder's Plaza where watching the big heavys come in on 18R is done but there is not one currently. That is the one bad part of service to DFW. Riding the Dart to DFW to watch the planes from Founder's Plaza cannot be done via Dart.

Pulling into the new Terminal A station was exciting. Finally, getting to DFW without the parking and doing it with no-stress travel, it was easy to see why anyone would ever want to drive to DFW again unless you were picking up a rental car, but you can have those delivered to your hotel, so that problem is also eliminated. It just makes sense to ride the DART! It's a no-brainer.

I was talking to a TSA

Walkway from DART train platform to Terminal A-14 entry

Inspector that was on the platform talking with people as he was doing his check-list of how the service was going on Inaugural Day. He stated to  me that inside Terminal A, "you can get a drink and a candy bar at the newsstands, but if you want real food, you must go through security". It makes sense. So those of you that want to ride the DART to DFW just to test it out, it's a fun trip and you can get a candy bar and a cold drink before you catch your ride back to where ever you got on board. The TSA Inspector was nice but still doing his job. 

Terminal A Platform at DFW International Airport.

Spanish Plateresque

It goes without saying that I love architecture and big pipe organs.Seldom does one find both in one location here in the states. Oh, did I say, Spanish Plateresque? Well, I believe I did. So go get your coffee or a glass of wine and pull up a chair for your spouse or partner because, not only is this amazing, I'm going to ask you do some of the work yourself. Don't fret, it's nothing more than looking up a couple of links that I will tell you about so you can know what you are looking at. Ready, Alright. Here we go.

The Cathedral
Spanish Plateresque architecture was the dominant architecture in Spain during the middle ages (late 15th and the 16th centuries). While the rest of Europe was embracing the Italian Renaissance, Spain was bathing in the grand tradition of the great European architecture in it's cathedrals. The only difference was the fine details that were left out on the European cathedrals (and they have a lot as it is). The floor plan of this cathedral is a basilica floor plan. It was built in 16 years during the great depression of 1931 at a cost of $3.25 million dollars. Ground breaking was in 1925 and the cornerstone was placed in 1926. It was completed in 1940. The structure is of Massachusetts granite and Indiana Limestone.

The Organ
The organ part of this geographic location is about one of only six Skinner organs  built. It has a sister organ that sits  about two miles away. That is now, two of the six Skinners and the odds just got better. Much better. It is a 76-rank instrument. The console sits on the basilica floor near the alter. It has roughly 5,000 pipes from pencil size to nearly beer keg size and from roughly 7-inches tall to 32 feet. The opus number for the cathedral organ is number 820 on the Skinner Opus of builds and was personally finished by Ernest M. Skinner, himself. It remains since 1930 virtually unaltered. The cathedral that it sets in is 285 feet long by 215 feet wide with 96 feet from bottom to top.The Rose window above the front entrance measures 28 feet in diameter.  In 2009, the Organ Historical Society gave a historical citation of the instrument.

Back to the Cathedral 

The only Spanish Plateresque cathedral in North America is Our Lady,Queen, of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral. To the locals, it's just Rosary Cathedral. It sits on Collingwood Boulevard at Islington Avenue in Toledo's Old West End, a Victorian section of beautiful homes with  names attached  such as Stranahan, Owens, and  Libby. Stranahan was the Champion Spark Plug. Owens was Owens Corning Fiberglass and  Libby was the  Libby Glass. Great Industrialist in their own right.

Rosary Cathedral is the mother church to the 163 parishes of the Diocese of Toledo covering 19-counties of Northwest Ohio. It is the seat of the Bishop. The second bishop of the diocese that approved the plans for the cathedral was Samuel Stritch (1921-1930) Later, he would have a high school named after him, Cardinal Stritch. The dedication of the cathedral was under the 3rd bishop, Karl Alter. It was the end of the depression.

Toledo's sister city, Toledo, Spain, was held in the minds of its designers as Rosary Cathedral was built in the spirit of those great European Cathedrals of the Middle Ages. Today, it remains there in the 21st century.

The only time that I have seen the Cathedral draped in black crepe was for the mourning period after JFK's assassination. Even in his death, in that place, God was glorified. It was a sight that left such a lasting impression on the mind and stirred the emotional well deeply.

Back to the Organ

The sister organ sits on stage at the beautiful Greek-styled Toledo Museum of Art's Peristyle Concert Hall that is less than two miles due south of the cathedral. In my late teens, I attended a concert in the Peristyle to see and hear, the great E. Power Biggs perform. (Marilyn Mason, eat your heart out.) I also heard her perform in concert at an Episcopal Church in Memphis, Tennessee a few years prior to the E.Power Biggs concert. E.Power gave the better performance by far. I even think him better than Virgil Fox. Cameron Carpenter? We shall see when he settles down from his current showmanship stage.

Finale

Some of you will remember the piece with the link to St. Sulpice titular organist allowing a group of students to play Widor on that magnificent instrument. Well, there is something to be said about great organs in great cathedrals the world over, but not enough that Daniel Roth allows people to play his relished place and charge at St. Sulpice. What is often unsaid is that these instruments are such masterpieces. The places where they reside are masterpieces. But only a limited few ever get a chance to sit on the bench, much less play them.

There is something that runs through your soul much like a bolt of electricity to hear that sound being spoken from a pipe high in the vaults in response to  you having  pressed the key at the console. I have sat down on the benches of some well-respected instruments and have played some wonderful instruments from university auditoriums, and university chapels to churches, to concert halls, to private chapels and residences that had smaller versions. I have also had the honor of playing two identical Schantz three manual  organs in different installations; one in a Catholic church with Chef Boyardee tile on the walls and one in a Methodist church. The ravioli maker guy's tile made a big difference in sound. I'm not so sure his ravioli matches his tile making ability.

 It will always be difficult to play these instruments. Their key-keepers guard these more than a great Stradivarius violin is guarded by its owner. Most large cathedrals give tours and showing off their pipe organs. It is very much part of the tour from the National Cathedral in Washington to New York's St. John the Divine, to the only Spanish Plateresque Architectural  Cathedral in North America like  Rosary Cathedral or even the Lay Family Organ in the Meyerson Symphony Hall, here in Dallas.

DART's new Train to DFW Terminal A

Enjoy the architecture and the music the next time you take a tour in person or via the internet and when in another city, a great place to burn extra time is touring the local cathedrals and organ lofts.

Links from YouTube

You tube has a 11-minute video about the building of Rosary Cathedral, Toledo, Ohio. There is also videos of short concerts on the Skinner organ.  The Toledo Dioceses produced the 11-minute clip. The acoustics in the cathedral is super. The sounds resonates from cut-off for about 5-6 seconds.

The pictures in the video show the Plateresque style  in the spirals very well. Inside, the vaulted arches are well viewed as is the famous Rose Window above the front door, with both inside and outside views.

The outside of the cathedral doors were beautiful draped in mourning black crepe. I hope I never have to see that again anywhere, but at the time, it was not only historic, but went deep into one's emotions.  I have searched the web for images from that time period and not a single image was found.

Just a note about one of the other Skinner Organs. The church on Wall Street had one of the original Skinners but it was damaged during the 911 attack. At last word, it still had not been replaced although there is a replacement organ currently installed, it is not the Skinner that was there. 

I did find a You Tube video of Ty Thompson playing the giant 5-manual at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. You navy guys will recognize the hymn. The video reminded me of the young student playing the Widor Toccata at St. Sulpice.


 

Super Moon? Malarky!

Alright, it's time to vent! I've been thinking about this all summer long. It occurred to me that when I was a kid, we called all the hype today about super moons, simply: "a harvest moon". Technically, it's not a harvest moon but our grandparents didn't have social media either.

This morning, I read a blog post by U.S. Naval Observatory astronomer, Geoff Chester. "For the most part it is a 'non-event' that is almost purely hype" he said in that post. What caught my eye and sparked this post was his earlier statement (which I fully agree with) when he said, "This is being touted as yet another 'Super-Moon' by popular and social media for reasons that I still can't fathom."

Well, Geoff, I can't fathom it either. In fact, I am so totally disappointed by what is coming out of  journalism schools today. The graduated level of understanding has flat-lined. Sure, there is all the hype about how smart kids are today and how tech savvy they are or have become. Really. What is happening is that the wheel is not trying to be reinvented with the new generations--just renamed. Not only is it confusing. It's total disrespect. But, that seems to be a whole different topic while still being in the same category.

The moon is not 14% bigger. It is just closer to earth. Every one wants to put numbers to everything. And the number game is just that, a game. Numbers in percentages can be twisted so many ways, it even makes a rope get knots. A typical moon orbit is 238,885 miles from earth. At its closest perigee, it's 221,765 miles from earth. Another thing: it's not a super moon or a harvest moon, it's just a plain ole perigee moon. Pure and simple. It may LOOK 14 percent bigger, but it's purely an eye's perception. It's NOT 14 percent bigger.

If one wants too speak of the moon in Folk Lure, then use the terms set down by Daniel Carter Beard. He published in 1918 The American Boy's Book of Signs, Signals, Symbols. Also to be included in the reading list should be The Maine Farmer's Almanac. It was first published in the 1930s. It should not be confused with other Farmer's Almanacs that appear today.

Adapted from the Algonquin languages  came the original list of moon names by months. Because the Algonquin languages include several tribes, the names will vary somewhat. The romantics of the languages can be seen in the list and should be cherished, not renamed by some disrespectful person who thinks the tech savvy world needs new names to get more hits on their social media page.

 ALGONQUIN TRIBES NAMES OF MOONS

January      Wolf Moon, Old Moon, Difficult Moon, Black Smoke Moon
February    Snow Moon, Hunger Moon, Raccoon Moon, Bare Spot on the Ground Moon
March        Worm Moon, Crow Moon, Sap Moon, Lenten Moon, Wind Moon, Little Grass Moon,
                    Sore Eye Moon
April          Seed Moon, Pink Moon, Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg Moon, Fish Moon
May            Milk Moon, Flower Moon, Corn Planting Moon, Green Grass Moon, Root Food Moon
June            Mead Moon, Strawberry Moon, Rose Moon, Thunder Moon ,Corn Planting Moon
July             Hay Moon, Buck Moon, Thunder Moon, Buffalo (bull) Moon, Hot Sun Moon
August        Harvest Moon, Buffalo (cow) Moon,Corn Moon, Sturgeon Moon, Red Moon, Green
                    Corn Moon, Grain Moon
September   Harvest Moon, Field Corn Moon, Wild Rice Moon, Red Plum Moon
October       Leaf-Falling Moon, Nuts Moon, Hunter's Moon, Blood Moon, Sanguine Moon
November   Beaver Moon, Frosty Moon, Deer Mating Moon, Fur Pelts Moon
December   Oak Moon, Cold Moon, Long Night's Moon, Wolves Moon, Big Moon

There seems to be some effort to remove all American Indian Folk Lure from the printed page. This is another disturbing element of modern day social media and Journalism Schools, Political Correct Pundits or all combined.  

So, come September 9th, another almost perigee moon will occur. It's the last one of 2014. Already, the name changers are hyping that we won't have another one until 2034. WOW! Since the moon is on a 18-year cycle, if you add 18 to 2014 you get 2032. I guess this next cycle has been changed to 20 years by some social media because 20 years looks better than 18 in the numbers game. Or, they just like 20 better than 18 because it looks good albeit they can't tell you why 18 is the actual cycle based on calculations by the U.S. Naval Observatory. Bet they didn't even know that  the U.S. has a Naval Observatory or that the Vice-President's House is on the grounds of the Naval Observatory or that it's located in Maryland and not Virginia or D.C.


 

Harry James, Beatles, Greatful Dead

A sharpie discarded outside The Door. Signing autographs is common from the rock bands

Deep Ellum on the east end of Elm Street.

"Once I knew a preacher

Preached the Bible through and through,

But he went down in Deep Ellum

Now his preachin days are through.

Oh, Sweet Mama, Daddy's got them Deep Ellum Blues."

Recorded in 1935 by the Lone Star Cowboys and featuring Joe and Bob Shelton, the song has been recorded by trumpet player, Harry James, recorded by the Beatles and  recorded by that awesome band, The Grateful Dead.

People tend to forget that Dallas has a Blues culture that equals Memphis or New Orleans. Deep Ellum is the kettle were it still gets stirred, especially at The Door or Trees and others.

Sunday, I revisited Deep Ellum for its fantastic architecture, long history lines that included the days when Bonnie and Clyde hung out in Deep Ellum to the current rock bands that visit The Door and Trees with their tricked out  tour buses and loads of customer ticket purchases just to get inside to see the groups. The atmosphere is eclectic and electric all rolled up in one. It's the culture of Deep Ellum that I enjoy and how it has evolved over the years.

A decade ago I did a marketing survey of Deep Ellum for a Fortune 200. It lead to a grant for the Deep Ellum Association, the funding arm of the Deep Ellum Foundation.  It was a six month task that turned every rock, went down every alley, into every business, and noted trends from  old posters and signs and window displays including broken beer bottles in lots, alleys and streets. Broken glass in the alleys and parking lots on a Monday morning told the story of the past week end. Good or Bad. 

 Deep Ellum has always been like a magnet for me,culturally. I love Blues and Jazz and Heavy Metal. Deep Ellum is the elixir of all that. The tattoo parlors, their indelible inks and art are a current trend, although tattoos are tens of hundreds of years old. I've noticed more bikers than in the past twelve years. To me, the kettle is brewing again. Brewing like it did in the old days. It's not just the kids that want to get wild on a weekend like it was for a while. Older people are coming back to Deep Ellum with their families. The lines for tables on Sunday were out the door and down the block. That is with the heavy street construction going on down the Elm Street section were everything from new storm sewers to new pavement is beginning to look more complete. It is still a mess but Dallas let a few things go way to long.

Cultural districts have a way of working around that. Especially the ones that Main Stream feels is a bit uncouth, when it was the uncouthness that made Main Stream what it became.  You have to learn to mix with it all. Nothing is more fun than seeing an old neighbor in jeans and a tee on a Friday night then at the Meyerson or Wyle all gussied up the next night. It's meant to be that way. Cross overs in culture thrives. Grows. It becomes a great experience. People who can not do that miss out on the experience of life.Mom missed out on more than she should have, but at least, she was aware that the "country club" boy and the "farm boy" could be both, like my old neighbor. Even needed to be both at times. She loved the old song that sang of the soldier," how you gonna keep them down on the farm after they've seen Pariee?"

Historical irony. The box is located across the street from the old Union Bankers Bank. Romantic thought of the 30's, Bonnie and Clyde might have noticed at one time.

Now, DART Rail has two stations in Deep Ellum on the Green Line. Some of the old charm is fading unfortunately. Still, one can find the unusual and see past history just by walking down the streets of Deep Ellum. The old newspapers covered the windows of one business on  Elm Street.

edited to remove Long and add Lone from Long Star to Lone Star 09/09/14

Eerie seeing this 100-year old history on display.

Albert: My Hero

Credit: Albert Einstein/Arthur Sasse/AFP/Getty Images
















This picture of Albert Einstein was taken on his 72nd birthday. Sticking his tongue out at the photographer was his ideal. Frankly, that was his privilege.

Currently, I am in the midst of re-reading Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson. I'm at the point of Summer Vacation,1900. Chapter Four. Fifty pages down. Five Hundred and one to go. A second time, mind you. My summer reading has slowed down some only because I don't pack a book with me when I carry my camera case. I'm up to 40-pounds already and that is quiet enough walking, riding or lugging in and out of the car. Plus, I just took a stack of books back to Half-Price Book's Headquarters at North Park and haven't been to the bookstore for my winter's list of reading.

 I know, there are those techs that load up their Kindle. Frankly, I don't own one and I don't plan to buy one. When I read, I like the comfort and romance of a hard-cover book! Remember those? We have allowed Amazon dot com to cause our cherished book stores to fall like trees in the forest. I know, it saves trees. Well, trees were made to produce pulp and convert it into papers were inks could be married to the paper for hundreds of years. We even built buildings called libraries to house those beautiful hard-bounds. Just the other day, I went into one and they gave me a new fancy digital id card. The method of checking out is modern as most every one knows. Even self check outs. But, the basic reason people go to libraries is for books, Even though the libraries have digital editions, too.

Albert, I hope that  more of your letters and papers are discovered and some one writes about you again.

Peaceful Turtle Creek: It's National Hot Dog Day

While I make fun of myself for visiting White Rock Lake as much as I do, I go there as a photographer because there is always something going on. I've seen a fire department pumper run into the lake. I've seen divers pull a stolen car out of the lake. I've seen a sail boater flip in the middle of the lake and watched a water rescue that ended in success. I've also seen paddle board accidents and just plain stupidity end with tragic consequences.

I've seen a steam-powered boat on the lake; dogs on sail boats having as much fun as their owners, wildlife, snakes, monk parrots, American bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, pelicans, seagulls, ducks, swans, geese, coyote, horses, etc.,etc.

There is no question that White Rock is also a very pretty place and a crown jewel of the city park system. Bikers, runners meet regularly to bike and run alike. Visitors come and take pictures from the docks. Several rowing clubs hold meets on the lake and sailing clubs give lessons as well as hold regattas. The city put several million dollars into the dam and spillway a couple of years back so people can safely watch the waters cascade after a heavy rain. People fish. People picnic; even eat Hot Dogs the year round and not just on National Hot Dog Day, which is today, in fact. The culture center offers many events during the course of the year. All-in-all, White Rock is worth the trip to exercise with a cardio-walk and a place where one can meet professional photographers and hobbyist. It's a direct path to the Gulf of Mexico via its confluence with the Trinity River down stream past the dam. That's always an awesome feeling when you see water flow past your position in stream or on shore.

Having said that, when I want to think and reflect (especially during this time of year remembering my son and mom ) it's done along this stretch of paths on Turtle Creek in Uptown. Everyone has that special place for such personal reflection and thought. Mine is here.

While the traffic sounds are around you, they fade into the background as you walk. The heavily traveled  Katy Trail carries most of the bikers and runners along  and upon the ridge to the left. At White Rock, you would be getting "ON YOUR LEFT" over your shoulder as bikers zipped past. The solitude here is priceless. Across the street at Lee Park, provides areas where you can bring back the tempo of the day with statues, benches and rose walks that Jerry Jones and wife made possible. It's not that far from Jerry's house either as Highland Park, Uptown and Turtle Creek all overlap like a lotus bloom on  a lily pad.

Turtle Creek, Uptown Dallas

Today Is National Ice Cream Day In A Month Of Refletions.

Every July, for a whole lot of years, I reflect back on the past year. What I reflect upon bears the weight of past mistakes as well as decisions from everything from finances and services that I purchase to answering questions like," am I driving enough miles to even keep and maintain an automobile"; especially, being in a city with a rail service as nice as Dallas'.

Overall, each year, my goal is to be a better person than the year before. Seldom, do victories get celebrated. It's just not in my makeup. Mom would tell me over the years that ,"there are those who will vigorously try to claim as their doings the things you do that others like, but they will also be the first to cast stones on you when you celebrate a victory or accomplishment." She was right.

There was a story today about Anderson Cooper selling not one, but both properties on St. George in Quioque, L.I., New York; one with an island, the other without. It glimmers with the words of my mother that I just described. Here's the comparison.

First, there is a "-ish" question of whether he actually lives in the Hampton's. So here you go. If you come in by the front door route he's on Moriches Bay. If you come in by the back door route, he's on Shinnecock Bay. Who actually cares. It's the tip of Long Island and it really doesn't matter one bit. People are so jealous they split hairs. The people with the money don't really care one way or the other and don't split hairs. Frankly, I like their way better. And, Anderson has three plums in his hat straight out the gate! He's a Vanderbilt by blood. His mother is a world renown fashion Queen, He's a Yale grad. Even if the rumors are true that he is a CIA operative in training as a news reporter, He looks like a CIA operative so what?

Many years ago I had a group of friends that lived on Long Island from the easterly borders of Queens to Southampton. The Syosset connection was a steel importer that I purchased from and sold to over the years. The Westbury connection was a warehouse operation, The Levittown connection was a 30 Rock Gems Dealer that taught me how to play cribbage and the Southampton connection was a Contractor Supply guy that shored up all the big-money houses in the Hampton's with steel beams into bedrock! The houses will still blow away in a Nor'easter or Hurricane but at least the foundation will still be there! The Riverhead connection trains dogs. All make up a composit of good as steel New York People over all.

Second, giving up the properties for  nearly 7 million would be hard especially if you loved the water and the trade currents that bring cool summer breezes. On the other hand, moving into the mountains into a Manse that while stately, isn't any thing close to what his grand father's father, railroad magnet Mr. Vanderbilt, built in the mountains in North Carolina. It still remains the largest house ever built in this country. The fact that his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, has a fashion empire in addition to being an heiress, really does not factor into the debate. Anderson has a degree from one of the Ivy League schools. Yale, in fact. I've flow into New Haven, via Bridgeport via Boston Logan . In fact, I still buy my hats from a hat shop in New Haven that has been selling hats from the same store front for over 100 years. Then, I wake up and find myself down in the hold of a ship inspecting my shipment of steel from a European mill. It's all relative. But being in a house c.1906 in the mountains of Connecticut just east of the Appalachian Trail, appeal more to me than being at sea level or slightly above. It's still 100-miles from the city plus a few. You just trade one for the other. The point is, some would trade the other way. As it happens in Anderson's choice, I would have to go along with the mountain property over the sea shore. The crashing of waves gets old after a while. Wind blowing through the trees is music of the Austrian Philharmonic wind section.


Finally, I don't begrudge Anderson Cooper one thing. I see him as another human being that will now be voting in Connecticut or maybe still New York. After all, he lives in a fire house in the City, too! He simply has a few more options than most people and options are a good thing. So in between  here and the last paragraph, I scooped up a big bowl of  Death by Chocolate ice cream. It is National Ice Cream Day, don't forget, and I reflect on that every year as well. It makes no different if it's a Friendly's Ice Cream in New Haven or a Braum's Ice cream in Dallas. I like to reflect back on why I like ice cream every year, too.