Blooms on the Trails at the 43 Bush Presidential Center and Monarch Sighting in Migration

                                                    This early bird really did catch the worm.

                                                        Blue Bonnets are beginning to pop

Black Prairie Buttercups

 

Only One Monarch Sited since last post. Weather has not been favorable for the Central Flyway Migration Paths.

 With heavy rains, cold temperatures and a shift of the Southern Jet Stream, Monarchs have had to change their paths. Making such a trip north requires strong and favorable currents of air which we just have not had since our last post. Furthermore, we have been in the 40s for days and the possibility of a late frost this weekend looms heavy. 

It has allowed only one day of shooting in the past 10 days. We are pleased to announce that we have added another camera to our wagon wheel shoots and in doing so it has increased both the range and the clarity with an additional 20.5 mega pixels and a focal power up to 375 MM. Since the obituary of Olympus shook a lot of us to the core, we will continue to use our old Olympus for certain details as long as we can get parts or find a really good reconditioned body.. After looking at a lot of cameras and lens, packages and individual features, we settled on the Canon OES Rebel T7. Then, it was a full week of tracking down some connecting equipment too, so we could maintain our system as close as we used with the Nikon and the Olympus equipment. Finally, we found what we needed locally and it worked. 

And wouldn't you know it-- the Dallas Arboretum's half million tulips are in full bloom. Now, it's going to be a race to get even a few shots this year before the show ends by time element or by weather. The National Weather Service has confirmed today that there were two tornadoes and three super cells were skipping around the neighborhoods. Spring time in Texas!! There was a lot of damage for strong EF1 spin ups.

So, from the one day that I was able to shoot with the new equipment. That will be the long and the short of it from this post for now.

        I love this shot. For the love of the water screams out to have your board close at home.

Monarch Butterfly Watch Heading North Sighting (and Updates)

 Just a few minutes ago, I saw my first big Monarch Butterfly of the year heading north. From the mountains of Mexico to Dallas seems to be pretty much on time. This was a big one too.

16:50 Hours just saw my second one on the same route as the first reporting.  Migration is a go.
03-18-23 14:00 hours sighting of a large single Monarch on the trails of the Bush Presidential Center on the campus of SMU. 

03-23-23 13:00 hours sighting on a single Monarch flying N to NE at about 20 feet above ground where the winds were at that altitude 15-25 MPH. 

On Saturday (3-18-23) while at the George Bush Presidential (43) Center, a lady from San Antonio was telling me that they get  hords of butterflies when migration starts and then as they move north they fan all throughout the Central Flyway. Which makes a lot of sense because of the winds moving from the North Mexico Mountains seem to shift about San Antonio to a more north by northeast direction. At any rate, the migration is underway this year. Although, I have yet to see the multi-numbers at one time, having seen  only single Monarchs thus far to date. 

03-27-23. Saw yet, another single Monarch. Heading on an East wind. As I have stated before, what concerns me this year is that normally by this time, there should be hand fulls sighted in the same area and at the same time. I just have not seen that at this location thus far. Hopefully, every thing is well with the Spring Migration.

04-01-23. Saw just one single today. I just have not seen the clusters that usually are showing up by this time.

The Third and Final State of the IH635 Upgrades

 The ungrades to IH-635 is well underway. First came the High 5 at the center of the work. Next, came the western run from IH-35E to the High 5 and finally, now, the eastern upgrades are digging and plowing and a whole lots more from the end of the High 5 eastward to IH-20 . Needless-to-say, if you drive Dallas, this section has been a nightmare of delays and accidents and frustration for years. Since I don't drive anymore, I watch from the buses and trains and the pedestrian bridge that crosses at the Blue Line Station at Skillman and LBJ. As the kinks of Skillman are finally undone and a new bridge will lay straight across IH-635, I remember years ago driving that section and getting lost and wondering how I ended up where I did on unfamiliar territory. Of course, now, I kind of hate to see that rope knot laid out straight. Change happens!

25077 Steps in Thee Days

The little app that I have on my phone is far more accurate than I thought that it would be. However, there is no question that with that amount of walking and watching what I eat has dropped the pounds on a steady basis. The most surprising thing about that little app is that I am not tired afterwards and I sleep like a baby.  

Saturday was a day of 9,940 steps.Sunday was the peak at 10,168 steps (that is the recommended number of steps per day) and today was a late start; an accident with my camera that is going to require a visit to the camera shop, although, I did switch to a lesser focal length (which I needed to do anyway with spring popping out all over). Those three days of walking covered 10.67 miles with a month-to-date calorie burn of 1,145.8 calories gone bye-bye. 

Those three days of shooting on foot generated 147 images on Saturday; 163 images on Sunday and 21 images today. 

A couple of years back, I had ask myself the question: "What area of the wagon wheel does the majority of my image sales come from?" The answer was surprising. Within 5-miles of home. Of course, the key word here is majority.  That does not say that no sales have come from the full scope of the area covered in the whole of the wagon wheel target area. Never-the-less, it has given me even a better health condition overall,both as a photographer and as images are concerned.

That does not say that the past three days are all finished work. I still have 331 images to edit and the clock is ticking to get some of them to market. Others, will fall into the cogwheel as it goes around its circle.The last of the sunshine  will be short tomorrow as a series of fronts ride the Southern Jet Stream from California to the Northeastern part of the US. So, the timing to edit will fall just at the right time when the workflow will mostly get done. 

Here are a few shots. I just went outside to shoot a full moon rising in a haze in the Eastern night sky. Then, Murphy's Law struck. Battery Empty flashes on the screen. It is now on the charge waiting to give the "blue light" that I have a full battery pack again. I should have put it on charge last night but I didn't. Before I went out today, I checked it and I had about a quarter of a battery left. 

 

 Daffies in bloom

Trees leafing out

The AT&SF historic rail tracks as it cuts through the geological formation of chalk in North Texas.

A buddy in the basket gets a ride from it's care giver on the Cottonwood Trail near the new bridge where it will see a bifurcation and connects to the North Haven Trail head.

 

 

Amtrack Running Late yesterday. Very Very Late

 Weather, Track Repairs, Storm Reroutes and One young man visiting his sister here was just trying to get back to school. It seems even the trains are not reliable anymore. I stopped flying 35 years ago and have not looked back. I like the trains very much, especially Amtraks Zephyer from Chicago West. My brother and his wife were inbound having been in Palm Springs all last week. I was down at Union Station yesterday to see them return. Due in at 3:10 in the afternoon. Then, 4PM or later. I left the station and headed home on track 1 at 4:30PM. Had a text  from my brother at 7:11. They were idle on a track half way between Ft. Worth and Dallas' Union Station. This morning, I had an update text that they got off at Irving and were finally home shortly after 10PM. Long day to end a fun week out West. 

However, I did get some shots of the busy 7-tracks at Union Station with Reunion Tower on the far side of the track roads. Two Union Pacific manifest freights running dual side by side on 6 and 7. Containers, and Car Racks with some covered gondolas, tanks, a few hoppers and a lot of Intermodal frames from empty container flat beds. The graffiti on the cars is most interesting. You see lots of interesting stuff from people who really are rather talented with paint. 

I had an interesting and brief conversation with a young man returning to college after visiting his sister here in

Dallas. he had a couple of canvas images that he was taking with him. Never got a chance to see the image but he obviously loved art. Nice man. Hope he got those canvas' home with out any travel damage.

Clean Green Commuting Machine--DART'S words--not mine.

Since I have been riding the busses, light rails and commuter rails for the past two years, and shooting the construction of the New Silver Line from North Garland to Terminal B at DFW, where it will join the already running TEXrail from Ft. Worth and Dart's light rail in Terminal A, as the first train to provide service direct to DFW. It was time to point out the fact that I have not looked back since riding public transportation. In fact, it has been a delight to sit back and watch the world pass by on the way around the Metroplex.

Several days ago, I was able to ride the new electric bus. What a bus! Everything you have heard good about no engine noise, fast, peppy takeoffs, no smells of gas fumes either from gasoline or propane-type fuels is true. I'd like for DART to get busy with charging stations so they can add more of these to their fleet. WOW! that would be so nice. 

And  speaking of trains---I surprised my brother and sister-in-law at Union Station to see them off on the Texas Star from Chicago to LA from Dallas. They were on their way to Palm Springs, there second trip to California area this year. Several years ago I rode (then) the San Francisco Zephry. Now, it's just the California Zephyr # 5 outbound  and # 6 inbound. It was everything that I had heard it would be and even better. The Roomette was comfortable. The dinning car was  excellent and then some. So, I know my brother and his wife, having been through the desert prior, will love it again this time. Actually, I just might give it a try again. The destination is not that important since I have traveled a great deal of the US, especially the midwest and eastern seaboard. I just love the Atlantic more than the Pacific. Sorry Pacifico. No hard feelings.

 

 

 

Off to Palm Springs for a fun time

Union Station Dallas, Amtrak Texas Star to California (LA)

From Unioin Station, a closeup view of Reunion Tower 570 feet observation. Wolfgand Puck operated a restaurant prior to Covid there.

                                            New Electric Buses Running as 106 and 28 routes.