A Melting Ice Cream Cone on the last day of November.

 Today was one of those days where if misinformation were a dog bit, I would have had broken skin. Now, it is not that much of a deal, but it travels down the line of thought that my brother and I have been concurring on for some time. When I set out this noon, my plans were to go to Firewheel. It's a stand alone shopping center of businesses more like a town square than a retail mall, if you will. The problem is that there are fairly new in the South, but in the Great Lakes, they have been around for nearly a quarter century. 

Firewheel I like. But since the days of no car, It just never occurred to me that I would be able to go there unless I rented a car. It's in far north Garland and Eastern Plano area. Then, last week, while at the Transit Center in North Garland,  a small shuttle bus type pulled in to the Transit Center with Firewheel in its lighted banner window. Remembering that last night as I was thinking about where I would go today it came to mind that with this perfect fall weather for the next five days, it would be a perfect place to travel. 

Long story shorter, I found myself on the bus joyfully riding to Firewheel. In the Town Center is a small park with fountains and the likes of such things and would make a perfect banner to use on the blog.  Then, I kept waiting for the bus to make a stop, but no one got off. We rode some more and I am watching the signs, knowing where I wanted to go but the there is a "horseshoe that goes around the big box stores, like Dillards and Dick's Sporting Goods and I'm waiting for the driver to go down one of those entry points. The distance from the horseshoe into the area where I wanted was a bit of a walk. Soon,it was plain to see that Firewheel was done and that we were heading back to toward the Transit Center. Pulling up to the slot at the point were I had boarded the bus outbound, I was the last one off the bus. I thanked the driver for the tour. Then, it hit him and he said that the route does not go  into the Town Center, we both laughed and bid each other a good day. 

So now, I'm thinking I'll ride the 486 the short distance from the transit center and Rail Station  to the square in downtown Garland. Then, I got to thinking, it is such a nice day, I'll go over the other side of the TC and check out the outdoor tree that is decorated. It's also a new ice cream shop and pushing mid-afternoon,it was perfect to get an ice cream cone and sit at one of the tables and plan the shots of the tree. As I'm getting the cone, I ask the clerk if I could take a picture or two of the tree outside since I had bought a cone. "Sure" came the reply.  So, outdoors I headed, choose my table, sat down my backpack and umbrella walking cane.  Then I noticed, the cone was lop sided. Next came the first drip of the melting ice cream onto my hand. I'm pretty good in keeping a  dripping cone  in  check in a warm climate, but then, like a swish of cold water, it hit me. This is the last day of November.I'm outside eating an ice cream cone that is melting on its own accord because its 78 °F. This isn't right! 

Finishing the cone, I got my images that I wanted and headed to the cross walk when the bus I wanted to take me to downtown was at the free-standing bus stop for all the buses not turning left. Great. Got to the square and first thing I noticed was a temporary fence installed all the way around the town square. My first though was that Christmas Decorations  were going up.  Then thinking, I've been down here after Thanksgiving and this was not part of the routine. Then, I recalled the media  short flash announcement about the redevelopment the town square. As, I walked around the full expanse of the fencing, setting down in the sunken level  were three information boards. Sadly,

 no one could see the details or read the info that the boards were designed to convey. The guy finishing up the fencing said someone  yesterday had ask if the boards were going to be brought up to sidewalk level? Like he said, "I'm just the guy putting up the fence."

The point of  this post is this: One can plan all they want but not every thing turns out as planned. So,when it happens as it did to me today not once, not twice but three times, just laugh, chuckle or both and head to the barn. Tomorrow is another day.

The Christmas Season Begins at 11A.M. (EST)

 Yes, it's Michigan v. Ohio State Time. This Michigan Fan wants Michigan to win. My son graduated from Ohio State and I have an official Stadium Chair from Ohio State's  Stadium Renovation of 1998-2001. The stadium chairs were also used for graduate seating on the field at Ohio Stadium. With the Andy Geiger certified chair, a section of the goal post mounted on a piece of hardwood base was also purchased.

This year, as in years pryor, I will be sitting in my Ohio State Stadium folding chair with a piece of bubble gum (aged and loosing it original color) stuck to the underside, watching Michigan take on the Buckeyes.  

SO, after the game of the year, it's officially the Christmas Season. Some say, unofficially. But we all know that Santa is a big Michigan Fan!!

 

                                        It's snowing in Ann Arbor. Santa is watching the game!

Fine Art Prints 

The Holidays Are Well Underway Again

 It's beginning to seem that we are starting to get somewhat back to normal after two years of disappointments, sufferings and loss. Day before yesterday I got my booster shot and my flue shot at the same time with no post shot reactions what so ever. There was a very light soft soreness the morning after but that was it.

In the meanwhile, the weather has been a roller coaster of temps. One cold front after another from low 50's F to mid 70's F with a couple or three 80's F tossed in there. As the weather has allowed, traveling around the metroplex via trains and buses enjoyable since selling my car a year ago July. With gas prices at their highest level in quiet some time, my $1.50 bus and train rides have helped me cover the old 8-point wagon wheel of 18 miles up and back that once was done by car. That $1.50 in a single fee for train and bus jointly. That's a four county wide of travel currently. A couple of weeks ago, I rode the DART to DFW terminal A walked over to Terminal B and rode the TEXrail to Ft. Worth, transferred to the TRE (Trinity Rail Express) coming back to the AAC (American Airline Center) in downtown Dallas where I rode the DART back to my rail station and took the bus home. The point is: it's all in your head that you have to have a car to get around. To be fair with all my readers, I ride on a senior citizens reduced rate pass. but the rates are not that bad at the adult fare rates. It still beats buying gas, paying insurance, not having to pay out for tires, tuneups and even registrations. 

Years ago, when traveling on vacation, it just made sense to not try to pack everything in a suite of suitcases. I'd find the closest UPS or FedEX and ship the extra stuff back home. So shipping was no big deal when it finally became "the thing" with shopping. 

So, I have lightened my camera pack by about 20 pounds. Reduced my extra lens to just one plus the one on the camera and limit my daily total of shots from the 150 to 20-75 shots; less edit time and more enjoyable time being out side was the thought. 

As the transition to Christmas is happening, here in Texas, it seems that a lot of people decorate early but really, it's using the good weather to get the decorations up if you do it yourself, or getting a lighting company's appointment booked. Then, there are the major projects like Ft. Worth's big tree that traveled from Michigan on a flatbed truck to Sun Dance Square. The Gaylord Texans' decorations and ice displays right on down to the tallest indoor tree in the nation at 95 feet in the center of the Galleria's ice rink. It was lighted today. Sorry 30 Rock but, the tree is fantastic regardless of the other things. Holly Quartaro,of the Galleria, said that the tree weighs about the same as five SUVs and the star weighs in at 100 pounds. They also have photo ops in a specially designed backdrops and lights that give off the near 3-D experience in the images. Personally, though, I'd rather have an outdoor scene with firs and Scotch Pines covered in snow. I sure hated shoveling snow in those winters but I sure loved those scenes, too! Yes, I do miss it, but not the shoveling. 

So, as the year begins to wind down, we all had hoped that 2021 would be much better after 2019 and 2020. Now, finally, we might be in the  beginning to see the time when we might be approaching "normal". Although "normal" has now been re-defined and will never be what it was beforehand. Still, there is hope that we will come out of this better over all. 

                                             Don't forget to recycle those old coats and shoes

                                               Decorations and lights up pre Thanksgiving

                              The glow of gas lights with jackets, scarves and mittens are still cool.

Long Ago Saw Signs that Garland Square was going to be Redeveloped

 Well, yesterday, I made my annual trip to the downtown square of Garland. Over the years, signs have pointed to a major development in the square that extended beyond the little things that have taken place over they years. Today, the local media were showing what the development was going to be. All I can say is NICE!!!! Can't wait to see it completed. 

First, the old houses from pre incorporation were moved. Next came the old rail station move, then, the old library on town square was leveled and green space developed with tables, chairs, corn hole game boards. All were signs of future development of the square.

While there, I got a few shots of a decoration scheme that has been reappearing annually.  Will keep the blog updated as to when the project starts. 

In the mean while, enjoy the images and every one have a Nice and safe Thanksgiving. 

Every street corner downtown has display

New Designs on Golf Head Covers

 

Have a few gremlins in the system thru third party techs that are preventing the link for releasing only the link to the new golf head covers. As it was, it exposed a live connect to all my images from the data backups that I was using. Currently "WE " are working to correct the glitch. This is when technology gets ahead of itself before checking out the full overview of what is happening  on live connections. 

That's one reason, I also stop and smell the roses from time-to-time. It gives these things time to reveal themselves in my network as well as the networks that are connected. It also helps to identify were the gremlins entered the system so that hole can be covered.

As of 03/03/22, the gremlins are back and the link was taken down again.  From my notes with the IT guy, there have  been more hacking going on in the Dallas area again. I find it somewhat frustrating that we have come to a point where even the host companies do not know what is going on. Over time, I have watched some pretty weird stuff happen on this website. That is why I check the operational functions on a daily basis and go back in time like this one, to alert to the problems.

The First Parts of the Silver Line Have Been Shipped from Overseas

 See Sept  23 & 24 post for images of what the silver line will look like and all see the same spot it will share with TEXrail in Terminal B.

 The past few weeks the construction of the new Silver Line Rail System that will run on the the old Cotton Belt Corridor, have been shipped to Stadler, in Salt Lake, Utah, where they will be assembled.The Silver line engines and cars are very much similar to the TEXrail train currently running between Ft. Worth's TP (Texas Pacific) station to Terminal B at DFW International. There, they will share the adjoining tracks  in Terminal B. So Terminal B will have two very much alike separate trains that are both quiet and environmentally friendly except for their color markings and Trinity Metro and Dart operators. 

A couple of weeks ago, I rode the TEXrail from terminal B to Grapevine and was greatly impressed at how the cars were laid out, the quiet running and the exceptionally smooth ride noted. People are going to like these trains. No doubt about it. Stadler is part of the Buy American program. So, the car piece will come from Europe, ship to Salt Lake, be assembled and then trucked to Dallas as finished cars. There are some minor adjustments that will be made here once on rail. 

Dart has announced in a published 12-page info booklet describing the Art and Design Program  for each station along the route. 

From DFW Terminal B (going east) the Silver line will stop at the DFW North Station (about half way between Terminal B and downtown Grapevine) then on to Cypress Waters Station  where DART buses will be able to be accessed also. The hike and bike trails can be accessed thru a pedestrian access.

Next will be the Carrollton Station. Here, from the read of the information brochure there are somethings that sound like they are to come to the A-Train on the Green Line which is active now. The ride to Denton earlier in October was accessed this way already. However, the future Irving-Frisco Regional Rail Line seems to be future additions. Will need to do some more research on this phase.

Addison Station is well underway on the North Side of the Addison Transit Center adjoining Addison Circle. When completed, Addison's Kaboom Town Celebration in July will certainly grow even more as access via the Silver Line will be the same as riding DART to Fair Park or the AAC to large scale events. No more parking problems as the walk from the station to the park area where the fireworks are shot off is a quick walk. 

Knoll Trail Station has no parking and is tagged by DART as a Kiss and Ride station. 

Next is UT Dallas Station; City Line Station, 12th Street Station and the end of the line state at Shiloh Road Station. 

You can a see the current DART light rail in Terminal A and TEXrail in Terminal B. You can walk between the two terminals outside on a short leg  turning right on a longer leg and left again on a short leg to Terminal B. Where the Silver Line will join the TEXrail which will in effect give you service from Plano to Ft. Worth. 

Now, lets get the bullet train Houston to Dallas to ARLINGTON to Ft. Worth. It's a shame we can't go to see the Cowboys or the Rangers game yet via rail. To me, that sounds like top priority!! I hope to see at lease one trip to Arlington via rail before  pushing up daisies.

This blog has images of all the trains except the Silver Line, TEXrail and the A-Train and DART light rail. The construction of the Silver  Line at Addison Transit Center is also posted here in this blog most recently.