Dallas Is Well Ready to Host Anything the World Cup has to offer this One of Five Selected Host Cities

With Three major venues in Arlington; Three in Frisco and Fair Park's Cotton Bowl, the city also has a major soccer field complex with19 fields with two lighted fields in the shadows of Las Colinas at Money Gram Park.

I've seen the soccer fields in both Rio and Sào Paulo, Brazil and Toluca, Mexico. Dallas is certainly ready for that crowd.Texas Style! 

Yesterday Broke a 11- day run of 100 Plus Temperatures, but.....

 they are coming right back and building to 105°F through next Tuesday.  And, it's not just the heat, rather, it's what the heat does to roads, train rails, and a host of other things, like causing the ground to shift and rupture pipes. We have already had water mains rupture in the Metroplex this year. 

That brings to mind the fact that for a freelance photographer, one must always be on the lookout for events such as this. Here, is just an examples of such an event. I was in agreement with one of the gentleman who said that, "this is what maintenance really looks like." Hats off to these men for what they do.

 

Thanks to NASA and the People of NASA who took the greatest picture in the world.

 Absolute! Absolutely! NASA stars bring us a look at new stars never before seen. THANK YOU! NASA

We call US75, Central Expressway, but really it has a more historic name.

This story begins there in some ways. There is much more to the story that can be detailed on a little blog like this. 

About a month ago, I read an article that Bill Gates, of Microsoft fame, had purchased some 200K acre-plus, in a little town in far Northeast North Dakota. Let alone that, the number cruncher who had already made the calculations, would place him owning just shy of 1% of the United States. He apparently has been buying a lot of land elsewhere over time. Quietly.

Putting that fact aside for the moment, the main question is why did he choose this corner of North Dakota? It sits 2 miles from the Canadian border, the busiest border crossing between Blaine, Washington and Detroit, Michigan. It is one of three ports of Entry that is a 24-hour crossing in either direction. It is also the fifth POE's in all of Canada, That, "ain't all" when the story gets more interesting. However, before leaping onto that flax rope bridge, the American side land purchase residents were in an uproar over Bill's deal. They made a pretty darn good showing that they were unhappy, too.  Those residents are from the small town of Pembina, North Dakota. A town of 512 souls according to the 2020 U.S. Census.

In the 16th century, the French exploration came across native Americans called Lakota, (Soux as the French called them). They also came across the Chippewa (ojibue) and the Assiniboine. There in Pembina, the Hudson Bay Company established a fur trading post. It is, today, a Historic Site on the border. were US75 ends and crosses the border into Canada. There, as a Canadian highway, it bears the same designated number, now known as  International Historic Highway 75, the King of Trails that goes to Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Here, it should be noted that US75 begins in Galveston, Texas and comes north into Dallas paired in tandem with I-45,US75 as it leaves Houston outbound to Dallas. There, it becomes North Central Expressway (aka, NCX or George Bush, for a short distance near Southern Methodist University). The Bush Presidential Center sits yards from the fabled road through Dallas on the SMU campus. Traveling even further north, it winds it's way across several states until at Fargo, ND it become the back bone of Minnesota's border with North Dakota. From there, all the way just short of the border with Canada, it makes a sharp left turn into Pembina, where it joins US interstate I-29 on to the border with Canada, as the modern I-29 on the west side of the city. Whereas US75 came north on the east side of the city. I-29 ends at the border, and so does US75. But that same road, 75, continues on to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, as the International Highway 75, King of Trails.

One key point about Pembina besides being the historic city of Hudson Bay Fur Traders, is that it is  also the home of Greyhound Bus' beginning of new buses built there. Nevertheless it seems to be an interesting place besides being Pembina's new land holder Bill Gates. Currently, there is a movement to designate 75 in Canada the old title of King of Trails. Let us hope that the US  Department of Transportation joins that movement, Mr. Secretary Buttigieg. The Daughters of the American Revolution are a bit ahead of you since 1923 with the Central National Highway of the Republic of Texas c.1884 landmark stone that stands on Texas State Route 78 at White Rock Lake, Dallas. All the more reason to join the Canadians in making highway 75 in Canada and US75 in the states, the International Historic Highway,  King of Trails as a joint venture.

 

 

Central National Highway
 

 

 

I-45 from Houston to Dallas runs side by side. In Dallas is where US75 gets its name back all the way to the Canadian border.

Seated Across From Me on the Train Today. Thank You Ladies.

I think it was the back side of this sign that initially got my attention. I may not get it right but I'm thinking it was addressed to Abbott (governor) Patrick (his AG) and one other. It said below their names, call me when you get pregnant.Oh! my hats off to your ladies. Right on spot!

My motion sensor was going nuts on the train ride about the time that this was taken. The message is still there---none-the-less.

                                     This is what our American Freedom is all about. 

I try to see both sides of the debate. Like theirs, my decision is personal but every one needs to have that choice regardless of where you stand. I am happy to be able to share their views like I did on the opposing groups.

Some Great Hard-Working Texans Pause for a Mid-Day Laugh.

 There  are many reasons to live in Texas. No state income tax would probably rank right up there at the top of the list. Beyond that, Texans are just plain fun-loving and hard-working people. Here are those that made the afternoon just plain fun for a few moments during the day.

A Duel on the Sidewalks of St.Paul

 Well, this is the old West, don't you see. This one didn't start with the two men standing back to back and taking 20 paces where they turned around and shot at each other. This was a modern era duel. A duel of cameras between a Canon owner and mine---An Olympus!!

After de-training at the St. Paul Station, I walked back to Thanksgiving Square. My initial image of the spiral of stained glass needed to be updated. The reason: the lighting of the center focal point of the spiral is a ring of lights. They have now been updated to LED and the difference from the old is amazing. Maybe a bit to bright, but the electrician said to me that they are on rheostats and can be turned down. 

After leaving Thanksgiving Square Chapel, I walked up the street from the train station and got some images of the old US Post Office and Court House building. The old images that I had from years ago needed to be updated too. The building is an amazing building of architecture and detail. On Federal, going toward Federal plaza, the row of postal delivery trucks are lined up for nearly the entire length of Federal. Rather impressive display, too. 

If, at the light I turned left, I would pass right by the massive fountain at the beautiful plaza at the New First Baptist Church addition beside and behind the old downtown church. One of the larger Main Stream Churches in the US. The senior pastor at First Baptist is  Dr. Robert Jeffress. He is an authors and also a Fox News Contributor. 

Since I had photographed the fountain before, I was going to cross the street and  turn back toward the train station so that I could get a clear shot of the that side of the US Post Office and Court House. The far side had the power lines for the trains and it would have messed up the image. When the light turned and I started crossing the street, I see a family of  several people walking toward me. I noticed as they walked past me that one had a Canon camera. I said to him, "when you gonna trade in the thing and get a real camera?" He stopped, his father seeing what was going on with a smile from ear to ear, someone ask me." what kind of camera do you have?". "Olympus, I replied." The next thing I knew, his camera came up to his eye as he focused. I had to do the same. The duel occurred, we laughed, the family continued on and I went into the Trolley Stop Cafe and had fantastic late morning breakfast.

 

                                                                                                                                       After the duel it was breakfast

                                                                    The Duel

                                                     Mail Trucks at the old PO

                                                The new light ring of LED lights