Yesterday was the second anniversary of me almost getting blown away in a tornado (again!)

 Second year anniversary and some of the businesses and homes, churches and schools have not all been rebuilt. The shopping centers are making great strides, of course. St. Mark's School made way quickly to rebuild. Thank goodness, it is a premier school. Yesterday, Dallas County School Supertendent Dr.Michael Hinojosa,said it best: you look at the school and they are doing fine, leave them along. If you look at another school and they are having trouble, you give them lots of L-O-V-E! 

North Haven Garden Center was destroyed, re built and was hit again by another tornado the following year. It's always been a special kind of place for me in that Mom loved that place. It was only a few blocks from her neighborhood and I had drive back in the old neighborhood just a week before the tornado struck. It was in the patch of the tornado that was on the ground through north Dallas for 36 minutes. There were 9 tornadoes that day in north Texas. 

 

                                               Home Depot Destroyed and since been rebuilt

                                                   Shopping Center Preston and Royal

Just prior to this house being hit,   my front door blew open. As I got up to close it, I could see the funnel cloud. It crossed the street at my corner.  This house had about 4 minutes before being hit.

Seeing the pictures from the space station showed the path like a scar on the earth---which it was. 

Here in Texas we have two major tornado seasons. One in the spring and again in the fall. Although, tornados can strike any time of the year. Several years ago the Christmas tornados hit Rockwall. That year there were a total of 40 tornadoes. The average hovers some where around 20-25 I believe hearing.

Velvet Taco for Dinner, Out all afternoon at Presidential Center's Nature Trails

 Well, the perfect fall weather day finally was at hand. It was a delight to be out in that type of weather. 

It never crossed my mind that today was the final weekend of the Texas State Fair at Fair Park and the buses and most of all, the trails were loaded with bodies going to the fair. So, some of the schedules were a bit off as it takes the non-regular riders more time to figure out what to do at the station. Well, you start by getting your gear ready and ready to move when the train stops and the doors open.  Anyhow, there was a bit more time lost because of that than anything else and I made it to Mocking bird station by riding a bus and a train to get to Mockingbird. Saw some SMU video crews outside the Angelica. Stopped to chat with one of the girls about what was going on. The SMU students had made a movie and it was being premiered at the Angelica. On to SMU via Bush Avenue to enter the Nature Trails of the George Bush Presidential Center. The nature trails cover the entire south end of the property from SMU St. and Bush Ave. to the southbound service road of the North Central Expressway (US75) which had that section named for George Bush as well. Then, its across the shopping center on Mockingbird to Bush to complete a few acres of property.

Last year was the first year to check out the plantings and this year have been looked forward to,to see how much the annuals had grown and what was new for this season. It was somewhat a surprise to see 6-7 foot tall golden rods. Wow, the allergies of students, faculty and nearby residents will love that as well as the  docs  who make their living by treating patients with allergies. While they are very pretty for color, Going there was a total surprise with that straight out the gate. 

After walking two of the trails (they all come back together from south to east and west sides of the center) the landscape was pretty but I was a bit disappointed to find so much of those golden rods. If it hadn't been for the large Monarch Butterflies surrounding the tennis courts and the La Cross field, it might had been a bust. At Mockingbird station retail sections pumpkins had been on sale. But when I was there the remaining pumpkins and hay bales were being given away to those that wanted them. 

Instead of walking back to Mockingbird or catching one of the free shuttles from the Center back to the trail station, I walked up SMU toward Greenville Avenue, then decided to stop at the Velvet Taco to have dinner. Then, I watched for the buses but missed all of them and ended up back at the Lovers Lane Rail Station on foot. So with that, I have now walked the distance from Lovers Lane to Mockingbird in both directions; then caught the train to my regular stop and then my bus home. It was so nice I might 

 

do something like that tomorrow. As far as the weather goes, it doesn't get much better than this. Low tonight will be 48°F and 73°F during the afternoon tomorrow. Clear and blue sky.

 

                                  Fruit tree produced fruit this year.                              

Monarch Butterfly stops to refuel on its migration to the mountains of North Mexico for the winter.

A Real Cold Front Moves inTomorrow Morning with Beautiful and chilly fall days afterwards.

 Got the book out tonight to see when I had to turn on my heat last year. It was October 27th when it hit 39°F. It is going to be close with 41°F forecast for Saturday morning. I've got my camera all charged up and ready to go beginning Saturday. I am ready for fall weather, for sure.

The State Fair ends this weekend. Does not seem like the three-week-run is nearing the end already. Didn't get a chance to try the fried jello or any of the other specialties this year, even the Fletcher's corny dogs. Didn't make it to the Arboretum for the 90,000 pumpkin displays, either. Covid has been a monster of sorts. It has touched almost everything. 

 

 

                                                                         Pine Nuts

                                                                              A-Train      

 

 

TS Pamela in the Eastern Pacific due to hit N.Texas late Wednesday and Thursday with heavy rainfalls.

 It has long amazed me how living here in N Texas, we get more weather from Eastern Pacific hurricanes than we do from the Gulf and the Caribbean Sea hurricanes. Tropical Storm Pamela is at 70 MPH winds as this is being written. It becomes a hurricane at 74MPH and the storm is strengthening to near 115MPH at landfall as it crosses the Baja California Peninsula into  Mexico.Then it picks up speed and moves Northeast into Texas with heavy rains due Late Wednesday and Thursday here. Flash flood warnings will be issues if needed with Urban and Flash flooding possible. 

The good news is, Saturday and Sunday this coming weekend will be pure fall with highs in the 70s and lows in the upper 40s.

 

 

 

 This is the last time we got a Pacific Hurricane and it was 2018.

The Best Football Game That I Have Seen In Years

 Texas scores 2 touchdowns in the first 3 minutes of the game. They led every quarter until the fourth. Oklahoma tied the score at 48-48 by going for the 2-point conversion. Then, at the very last minutes of the game, Oklahoma was going to go for a field goal, but Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma's coach, had another plan. They went for the goal line and made the winning touchdown. It was an energy, fun and nail-biting packed game with some amazing plays on both side. 55-48 Oklahoma at this years Red River Shoot Out.

The Cotton Bowl at Fail Park was packed to capacity with fans from both sides of the state line. The State Fair is also running.The Cotton Bowl sits in the middle of the Midways and booths. The economic impact is figured to be $32Million for the Red River Shoot Out's 92,000 fans attending the game today.

                               File Photo 2016: inside the seating area below the upper decks

                                                   File Photo from 2016: The outside decks

                                                 

                                                  File photo from 2016 : concession area

                                                File Photo 2016: the new digital screen

                                           File Photo from 2016: outside look at the field.

The best action -filled game I've ever seen from start to finish was played right here on this field today,October 09,2021, save none. Cotton Bowl, Fair Park, Dallas, Texas.

A-Train to Denton. Lunch at Cartwrights. Changes Are Astonishing Downtown.

 Well, I backed out of hitting Senior's Day at the State Fair in Fair Park. If it had not been for the Coronavirus, I might had gone. Exploring options, the trip up to Denton to Cartwright's for lunch out on the sidewalk across from Courthouse Square, won out. It had been a couple of years since making my last trip up to have Cartwright's Ranch House cook my meal. They are noted for their Chicken Fried Steak Lunch Specials. Last time, it was a burger with all the trimmings. But, breakfast was only a sausage on an  English Muffin toasted with orange juice before leaving the house. Chores were light, too. Took the garbage out, got the mail in, stopped to talk to a couple of neighbors before walking down to the bus stop. 

Yesterday, the research showed that a bus from the train station went directly to the train station at the transfer point to the A-train. So in two bus trips the time leaving the bus, catching the elevator up to the A-train's platform, the A-train was there.The first time riding the A-train up to Denton, the Denton Country Transit Authority had only one of the new engines from Europe and they pulled the old Budd Companies passenger cars.  Of course that's all changed now and the new passenger cars are running as envisioned. It's quiet,smooth, but not a rocket, so to speak. It took 45 minutes to get up there from the hour and 45 bus rides Still,two and a half hours isn't bad for the distance. But, on the other hand, 5 hours of travel for lunch and 60 shots isn't a game changer either. Never-the-less- I made  it home by 5:30 Central Time.  Actually, I feel pretty good. Not tired one bit. The weather was 85/15 perfect. Humidity and dew points were low.  The bummer was the three weather systems did pull the heat up to 95°. Our average daily high this time of year is 82°F.

So, in the past thirty days, train rides on three of the four rail lines have been ridden; DART to Terminal A at DFW; TEXrail from DFW to Grapevine returning later  on DFW Terminal B and walking over to Terminal A to ride DART back into the system home. That's 3 of the current 4 rail systems for passengers in the Metroplex. A few years ago riding the TRE to downtown Ft. Worth was made. Riding the TRE  in the same year as the other ones is being planned. However, this time it will include riding DART to the American Airlines Center, transfer to the TRE to Ft. Worth, walk over to the TEXrail platform and ride the TEXrail  to Terminal B, walk over to Terminal A and board the DART home. completing the south route to Ft.Worth by transfer to the north route and complete the circle of all three trains. Plus going north up to Denton on DART's Green Line enabled me to take the A-train. BTY, checked on new station construction at Addison Transit Center for the new Silver Line across the north on the old Cotten Belt Line and it is looking  good today.

Massive KBH Convention Center may soon be under the demolition ball.

 Well, I've seen a lot of convention centers in my time. Dallas has always had one leg up on most other cities. Now, the Hotel Associations thinks they are loosing business. The center has had to cancel bookings because of COVID, (let's not forget that the 23 story, 1001 room convention hotel built in 2009-2011 has a connecting enclosed walkway from the hotel, which is now a landmark).  With its full range light show message board on the West Side, Reunion Tower and the city owned Hotel (managed by Omni Hotels) the multi pads roof top Heliport at the Convention Center also has a car access from street level to the top, makes it easy for celebs and the like to fly in from Love or DFW International. 

BNSF(Burlington Northern Santa Fe)  has rail lines that go under,through and behind the center. Union Pacific also has tracks on the West side,

as well as DART's light rail stop near where Lamar runs through the center. So there seems to be more to the Paul Harvey, "Other Side of the Story" they don't want to tell us. Like, maybe they want to scrap the center so the future Dallas station of the Bullet Train from Houston to Dallas, ( in 1and a half  hours instead of the 5 hours by car) or the Hassle of the airports with today's  security lines, might be more of that hidden agenda than we are being told. After all, the new plans suggested to City Council would put the new Convention Center, right smack dab in the same area where the bullet train stop would be most-likely. 

The big word mentioned  several times at Council today was it will not cost the taxpayers one cent. The money will come from a new Hotel Tax. I had to laugh.  After all, it was the hotels crying  they don't have any revenue from the convention center with it closed because of COVID.  It is laughable that even in business, it seems that history is certain to keep repeating  itself  time and time again. Personal agendas with a vote seems to be like Hollywood has been running crime drams for years. I think they call those votes ratings for money sources.

The cost is estimated at $4Billion. Somewhere, it ain't all coming from the hotel tax. You can believe that. Never  mind Pioneer Cemetery ( a beautiful cemetery sits in front of KBH and the bronze  cattle  statues coming down the hill with cowboys riding watch on the  drive is right there as well. No wonder Europe has such treasures landmarks. They don't tear them down.

Oh well, let's not discuss right now, for the convention centers sake, why the Dallas Stars Hockey Team and the Dallas Mavericks are the only 2 of the 5 pro sports teams in the area. The Cowboys left Dallas for Irving, then to Arlington. The FC Dallas Soccer Team is in Frisco and the Rangers Baseball team is also in Arlington. Irving has a new convention center. Garland has one, and Richardson has one, too. I guess those conventions didn't know that Dallas has one of the best.facilities around. I guess Council had not noticed it begins next door to City Hall and stretches to the I30-I35E horse shoe interchange. That's where the two Maggie bridges, Maggie 1 and Maggie 2, cross the Trinity River. Another possibility is that they want the new DART subway to replace the Dart light light rail station now in the drive through area of Lamar Avenue passes through the center. The point is....there is a lot we are not being told about this project or who wants the maybe vacated land should Council pass the plan's go ahead.