Came Across Some Old Photography Equipment Being Used.

It's always interesting to see old equipment and relating to this equipment.It took me back to a photography of my maternal grandfather that was taken when he was 4 years old in 1888. My grandmother carried that original in the bottom of her suitcase when she would go visit my mom's sisters and brother. It was about 12-inches across the top and 18-24 inches long printed on a thick poster board type material.  The detail was black and while but I look at it several times a day. Mom had taken the  original to a road show type photography company that was at a local J.C. Penny's in a strip mall in Ohio where we had moved when my dad changed jobs. The original was taken by grand mother to one of the kids as she aged and her traveling days were near the end. Luckily, mom had that original duplicated nearing 60 years ago. But thanks to cameras like these back in the day, I have an amazing image of my grandfather at 4 years old in knickers with wide white velvet trim to the outfit he was wearing. He was standing next to a period chair with one arm  on the arm of the chair. The shadows are perfect and the facial features  are sharp and remarkable.

Two old cameras that still work I suppose. The guys were setting up for a shoot and I didn't stop to talk to them. I would have liked to have chatted a few minutes.

Being Woke is Such A Joke!

A lazy late winter's afternoon for this peafowl.

The High Meadows are just now greening, but the low meadows have been green for months. What I like about this shot is that it shows natures abstract work at 100%.

The pile of dirt is all that remains of the former Valley View Mall in Dallas. The dirt pile is also sitting on the actual site of the former anchor store,Sears. The construction on the redevelopment is now fully underway and the changes are going to be amazing. Just the past 18 months,the landscape in North Dallas has changed so much, its now a totally different place that even when you can remember how it was, it is still almost unrecognizable.

As I was about to land back in this country in Miami, having gone out of the US for the first time on a trip to Brazil, never had I been so excited to be back in the states. As I cleared customs, the thought settled into my mind that we, as Americans, take to much for granted about this country.

Growing up, being an American was just who I was. There were dreams about what it would be like to travel to other places and in the fourth grade, my teacher, had given our class a project to work on over a weekend. That project was a question from the teacher. Simply, "If you could go anyplace on earth, where would you go?" she had ask. I chosen Brazil. Rio de Janeiro. Why I picked Rio most likely was because at the time growing up, it was a place that people talked about whether it was good or bad, but it was filed away in the old brain  for several decades.

As I cleared customs  a flashback to  a few days earlier during climb out from Rio's airport hit me on the way to Sao Paulo. I had looked down on the Harbor surrounded by two of; the most famous beaches in the world, Ipanema and Copacabana Beaches.The old file in my brain suddenly opened up and I remember thinking that I had been to my favorite place as it fell from view with wakes from boats in the harbor trailing them were visible and then like the beaches disappeared. The question that I recall also was myself asking silently, "where would you go next?".

As reality struck me, I was walking  away from customs, From what I had seen in Brazil from the stand point of freedom (Brazil at the time was under Military Control but the first President had  just been elected) being back on American soil for me was the greatest feeling I had ever experienced emotionally, even having experienced my beloved maternal grandfather's death and funeral not quite five years ago at the time.  Seeing soldiers on every level of a large shopping complex with their rifles slung over their shoulders was a wake up call. In less than a year, I was outside my hotel in Mexico City as the military police walked the perimeter of a park outside the Presidential Palace. So over the course of a year, became aware of just how spoiled we Americans had become and how much we took for granted about this country and what it stood for. It was a wake up call for sure, but calling it 'Woke' is such a misnomer on all fronts.

Those who think that they are 'woke' need to wake up! As the TxDot worker that I quote often had said to me, "People are asleep at the wheel." Amen, brother! There are just somethings in the use of our English language that need to be stopped on social media. It's destroying our culture and our country and don't even think about saying anything negative toward Donald Trump being in office. There are a few things that he does that even I do not like, but I have the respect for the office regardless of who is in the oval office but not disrespecting them for the office that they hold.

Reading Quotes From W.C. Fields Was Excellent Therapy.

Laughing is medicine the brain needs daily. I try to make one or two people laugh every day. It is a double yoke egg. I get to laugh and I get to see the other person's face as they laugh. It's not a difficult task.

W.C. Fields could be a little raw at times, but it was never meant to be dirty or vulgar. Although, some of his quotes are like booby traps. They can be read as one punch line or as two punch lines. So, you do have to be somewhat selective on which ones you use and where you use them.

His quote about why he doesn't drink water, if used in social media as a marketing tool, would knock the heck out of bottle water sales if done right. I laughed for thirty minutes after reading his water quotes! It also supports my theory that people don't really listen to what they say when they say it. The water line had many twist and turns. He even found a way to work rusty pipes into the mix. In short, W. C. Fields was a master of comedy that lives on today.

Girl Scout Cookies Make Easy

Don't know if the team was ladies or men. They have a meet tomorrow.

It's The Second Time That It Has Happened in the past 6 months.

In the forward motion line of the EF-3 Tornado and less than a mile away, two things stood out. This hedge apple tree in the path of the storm still has fruit hanging on the tree. The other was a church steeple left unscathed. All around on both side, total destruction.

Human beings do things at a whim. They also do things with great planning. One just doesn't know what to expect other than to always exercise caution. Well, the best kind of caution for the situation at hand. Here's the back story.

Earlier in the summer months last year, I was in an isle at Kroger's looking for a new product that I was thinking about trying out. Across the isle from me was a mom with three children in or very near their teens. They had found a cracker that they liked and had ask mom if they could get a box. It was pretty obvious that mom wanted to say yes but the financials just could not support it at the time.

I waited until they were out of the isle as they were heading toward the check out line I ask the mom what was the name of the crackers that the kids had been talking about? She told me. I mentioned to here that I wasn't ready to check out yet but if she would allow me to purchase the crackers and have the cashier give here the receipt and crackers I would buy the crackers for the girls. The mom was near tears, and thanked me. It had been a while since I had done something like that and  I must admit, it even gave me a warm feeling inside knowing that hope and prayer and observation makes so much possible when we allow God to step in spreading his Grace far beyond what we can see or even be aware.

As I pulled out of Kroger's lot for the mile trip hope, I saw a car in the lane next to me a few cars ahead with windows down and kids arms waving like they had won the lottery. As I got closer, it was the kids and mom of cracker fame. The smiles were from one side of the car to the other and it was clear that the kids and mom, were overjoyed from the experience. The crackers were like $2.89.

Part Two Came Back To Me  At A Walmart after having a battery changed out on my pacemaker.  I was trying to use my debit card and I could not get the chip to sit. The machine kept giving me a Read Error. The clerk that works the self-check-outs that I know, motioned to me to come over to her master station and run my card there. It gave me the green light, finally and the clerk handing me the receipt. I had not scanned anything there but the clerk had suspended the transaction. A lady had kind of cut in line and the clerk processed the transaction and handing me the receipt. She told me as I was about to leave that the lady that had been ahead of me had paid for my groceries. It was about $26.00 total. I was stunned and it took a while for me to realize what this young woman dad done. It felt good that someone was making a difference in the world.

Red Buds are Even Blooming Already

This Hawk waits for his mate to arrive. Nesting season is getting underway.

Part Three Cane Back to me this week.

I had pulled into a McDonald's in Garland to get a coke. I was the only one at the #1 drive through. Out of the corner of my eye came this white car pulling up in #2  and jumping ahead of me in line. It didn't bother me, but I do watch things like that when I am out and about. Always trying to be aware with the way things are today.

The young man at the drive through window was smiles from ear to ear and he said, "Today is your lucky day. The car ahead of you just paid for your coke."  Again, I was a bit stunned.

So I paid out out $2.89 for some crackers for a young  single-family and it came back at $27.08.

God is great. God is Good. God's Grace is powerful and far reaching. Thanks Be to God.

One The Way To The Doctors I Saw a Red Bud Tree in Full Bloom in Plano.

Blooming a 6 weeks early.

At first I thought that it was just some left over Christmas decorations and lights that had not been taken down. But on closer observation, this was the real McCoy. A mature Red Bud about 14-20 feet fall with a coverage of about 8 to10 feet on all sides. In fact, on the way home from the doctors, I came back the same way to make sure that I had really seen what I knew to be the real thing.

So,based on that-- and even with the cold weather coming next week, Spring in North Texas is gonna be the early bird delivery this year. So with that said---and even with a bit of cold snaps, Spring is in the air for sure and it is my hope that we get to enjoy spring in an elastic version this year.

Meet My Goal To Return To The Lake By the 15th of January.

Today was my longest trip out since getting out of ICU and returning home. It was also my second grocery shopping trip and all went well. It is good to have goals, especially ones that you know that you can meet, but the questionable ones make for a challenge that drives the human spirit.

As I made the trip around the lake, it didn't take much time to spot an old friend sitting in his favorite tree where he waits for a mate each January. The bird is not camera shy at all and will put himself out in the open, when he soon did across from the marina.

While I am no where near making my regular route of shooting again, I am thankful just to see the lake again. It will not be a daily trip again for several more weeks,but I have patience and will set the bar a little lower now, because I do see some areas where I won't be able to return to full steam again. I guess that is what happens when you get old. Even my doctor said he saw another 10 years for me. It's nice to know that someone is watching the clock.

Red shouldered Hawk Hanging out in search of a mate. It is nesting season already from Raptures.

True, I Almost Died and Was Near Death--Happy New Year to All My Readers

....and I have long said that," if you create the beast,you have to feed it." And, yet, I have many to thank for their continued support with purchases of my images for the past several weeks of down time.. I also have a lot of professionals at Medical City Hospital Dallas from the Emergency Room to the Operating Room to the hospital stay over the holidays. The Doctors tell me that 15 units of blood is a lot of blood to have pumped into you in a relatively short time.

 I cannot thank the Dallas Fire and Rescue enough for their quick response time and professionalism. There has never been any doubt about DFD ability to serve the community where they are based. Regardless of the station assigned, they need support the year round and I will work in ways that I am just now beginning to formulate on how to help the fine men and women of the Dallas Fire and Rescue.

The staff of nurses, food service, environmental cleaning, admitting, and the support staff at Medical City Dallas, I offer you my gratitude and thank you for your help and support during my emergency.

Recovery time is estimated at 8 weeks. And, last but by no means last, I have my two brothers, my daughter and my youngest son to thank more than anyone will ever know. Family is everything.

Long Horn Bull with a beautiful view of Lake RayHubbard.

 

A true Texas Longhorn

Lake Ray Hubbard toward the southern end and my last shooting day before my life-threatening trip to the hospital

01-09-2020:Update and corrections for more clarity.