Why A Circuit?

With the sixth straight day of 100 to 100+ temperatures (the low at night never falls below 80-degrees F when we have these stretches)  staying inside in the AC is a given. One would think that you get a lot of work caught up, but it never works that way. Production of images and copy run at their lowest during these times. That is, until I get cabin fever and grab the water jug and camera bag and head out because I can't stand it any longer. Funny how when you are snowed in for days or heated it does the same thing. Those kind of trips are far between also because the heat is actually hard on your car. The motor heats up, the temps are high and batteries die, hoses pop and wires fry. Out side of that, Texas is a great place nine months out of the year!

The other day, I had a person walk up to me and start talking. They were curious about what kind of photos I like to shoot. My standard reply to that question ( I get it a lot) is: "The good ones"!  Sometimes it brings a smile. Sometimes a chuckle, sometimes, a look of bewilderment. Bewilderment here is the proverbial head-scratch. I love those the best.

After explaining what type of photos I shoot, it actually usually raises more questions than it answers because people generally have a perception of photographers  shooting people individually or as a family for money. I don't do that.

The other perception is that photographers shoot lots of birds and landscape scenes. I don't do that, either. What I do shoot is  editorial images as a hobby and textures that are used and seen in commercials, television or videos or theater sets and fabric and specialty items. So all you graphic artist driving the vector markets at the moment, have no fear. I'm not out to bump you off that little crazed gold-mind that you have discovered--until that fad runs it's course as it usually does.

But, this urban cowboy who shoots urban does drive a circuit of approximately 38 miles. Picture a wagon wheel. The hub is my base. Each spoke is approximately 18.5 miles (remember, you have to drive home, too!) Most of the time, when I reach the outer boundary of 18.0 miles, I will cross over a block or two and return down the neighboring street. Hence, 38 miles. Alright sometimes, its 39. Detours!

So, why do you do that, they ask? Well, you can drive a route over and over and over and see the same thing, It's part of the game. But, then, you see earth-moving equipment, construction trailers that have popped up in the center of a field and it sends out an alarm-type bell in your head. Hum! Something is happening here. So you put that spoke on your shoot list to come back later--usually earlier than your next planned trip. Things change. Growth happens. Development occurs. New  and interesting architecture, objects or textures appear. Old buildings disappear.  That's why you drive a circuit.

My wagon wheel goes out north, south, east and west. Then, it's cut into eights like a pie or cake, or pizza  (didn't want to leave a bakery chef out of the mix here, after all, dough is dough!). Oh, I love a good corny pun. If you do any calculations at all, you have figured out already that if  I go out every day, then that is a  whole wheel in eight days. Right, you are. Providing I don't have a doctor's appointment, or the weather is stormy, or I just don't feel like dragging this old carcass out. I plan grocery shopping and med pick-ups to co inside with re-shoots which are few but they do happen now and then for reasons of heavy traffic, or lighting or unplanned events like a funeral etc.etc. But, on the whole, it's about a two-month cycle with a six turn event calendar that editors use when they purchase images for editorial or use a texture as a banner on a web page. In short, I like it like that, to be frank. This past week it validated exactly what I have been saying for several years.Every one has their nose in their phone and don't look up for anything. Watch some one on their phone get into their car. They don't even look up from their laps for several minutes to start their car and back out of a parking space. It's pathetic. The new phase of the old Pokèmon points this out. One report even said: "People are actually talking to people again and finding common ground for new friendships". Well, I'll be!! Imagine that. Something out of the past!! Or my most hated phrase: Back in the day! History isn't being taught anymore.  I guess because  no one uses dates any longer or generic names. Imagine some young history teacher standing up before his class talking about," Back in the day when George Wash tossed a coin across a river."  Don't get me started again!

Here is one example of something that popped up on one of those spokes. Rather, creative, new and interesting at a normally stressful, sad and emotional place. I don't mention where the site is anymore as people go out and add work for the kind people who allowed me to shoot the thing in the first place. At my age, I have come to understand that common sense is not so common any more. Blame that on technology!

New on the circuit.

Second Post To A City of Bridges

High 5 with all 710 columns and 43 bridges

The I-35 and LBJ 635 upgrade

The Horseshoe Project I-30 and I-35E

A City of Many Bridges

Dallas has another moniker,the City of Bridges and I don't mean Maggie 1 and Maggie 2 only. There are some 5,000 bridges in the Dallas area according to one Tex Dot estimate. The High 5 added 43 alone. So that got me to thinking. With the work on the High 5 complete, the LBJ Express pretty much done and the I-35 length of 28 miles of re-work plus the Horseshoe Project of the Mix master. The cost totals estimated are from Tex Dots project pages.

Dallas High 5 at $288 Million

I-35E  length  $4.8 Billion

Horseshoe Project $798 Million

That is a combined total of $5.886 Billion of new updated Highways  and I could not find the published cost on the first wave of the LBJ Express Project. It was possible to find how the tolls would be priced, however and some very neat graphics of the total number of lanes and sub-lanes for the project.

Realizing that money comes from all kinds of avenues from Federal to State etc.,etc., the totals do come out about what the news media reported initially when announcing the projects. This isn't about cost anyway. That is an interesting sidebar to the fact that Texans should be proud that they are riding on some of the best and most up-to-day highways in the nation while other states are talking about the vast need to do what Texans have been busy doing the past 15 years.

Recalling that morning that I made the last exit on the old LBJ at U.S. 75 ramp. The big drilling machines were on the clover leaf  to drill the footings for the big green columns. They now make up the 710 columns of the Dallas High 5. Even today, I recall that old clover leaf going north on Central Expressway to westbound LBJ 635. That evening, the exit was closed and detours were rerouted and I can still locate where eventually the one big green column ended up being in that cloverleaf. I will post those in addition to this post since I can only post three images at a time.

Sunday, I drove the new I-30 bridge that now is the Margaret McDermott bridge with the north arch now in place for the very first time. The pictures that follow are from the High 5, the LBJ Express and the I-35E at LBJ 635 and the Horseshoe and the Maggie 2 bridge.

LBJ635 at I-35E

LBJ 635 between Dallas High 5 and I-35E. Officially known as the LBJ Express Project 

The Horseshoe Project which is a remake of the Mix master and new bridges and lanes over the Trinity with the Santiago Calatrava Signature Bridge 2 to be know as the Margaret McDermott Bridge. Also, for ease of ID of the two Margaret Bridges, the McDermott bridge is dubbed Maggie 2 while the Margaret Hunt Hill is known as the Maggie 1. Dubbed for two reasons. First, by chronology in construction and second by the number of arches,  which both co-inside perfectly.

Hillary Is Such Old Potatoes

Check out these. The top of the arch is nearly 300 feet above grade.  Shorter than the Maggie 1's 400 feet.  It should be noted that the hike and bike paths are being attached to the north side just  below the roadway level. That will allow for the south crossover of the Trinity to the East Skyline Trails.

The second arch of the Margaret McDermott Bridge  aka Maggie 2 is in place. 

Quiet a view!

The VOR Antenna. Reminds me of the chair swings that go round and round. Except this little jewel is pretty high. 

Thank goodness, July is over. It was a terrible month here in Dallas.  Now, I just have to get past three months of old Potatoes, like Hillary Clinton. Come on Donald bring this heard of cows home.

So after all that, I had to go hang out near a few high places for a while yesterday. Been designing skateboards and it was perfect to get out of the house for a little bit.

Unexpected Emotion from Motorcycles

As most are aware, this past week has been an awful week in Dallas. As expected, when the funerals began, the reporting on the news begin to wear down a lot of people emotionally. Usually, one can hold up and make it through the ordeal. It's hard. It hurts. It lingers. But as you make it through one, then the second one begins and the third and fourth. Today the fifth funeral takes place in Ft. Worth with a mass for Officer Patrick Zamarripa, followed by his burial at the Dallas/Fort Worth National Cemetery on Mountain Creek Parkway. It's a beautiful cemetery placed on top of an escarpment overlooking Mountain Creek Lake where, Dallas and Grand Prairie meet on the southern belt of the LBJ Freeway.

Still, after Officer Zamarripa's burial today, Officer Kroll's funeral that was held yesterday at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, will not be buried until Tuesday when his Detroit family will hold a service with burial in his native Detroit (Southfield), Michigan. Being familiar with Southfield area and it's infamous Southfield Freeway that splits Ford Motor Company's Headquarters with Fairlane Town Center, a large mall on the former Ford Property that sits east of the estate on Fair Lane Drive. The estate for the Ford Family, named Fairlane, near Evergreen and Hubbard area is  old Southfield, and the center of the universe known as  Michigan 12 and Southfield Freeway.  Ironically, Henry Ford Community College is in that same radii. The mile roads begin just north. Streets with names like Park Lane and Mercury Drive and Auto Club Drive, Lincoln Lane somehow just yell out FORD! The cemeteries up there are completely beautiful. They are like gardens very well cared for.  So, to me, it is fitting that the very last internment from last week will be Officer Kroll's. Then, the burials will be over. The healing is yet another thing. Most certainly, it will take a life-time for many and healing will never come for more than we will ever know. I've been there. The pain does lessen over time, but it never goes away completely. Yes, it's hard. it does hurt and it will linger on for a lifetime.

Waited for an hour to see the procession come over the bridge ramp.The procession is that of Sergeant  Michael Smith.

The sight brought an emotionally filled moment.

Then the sight of red, white and blue lights streaming in an endless line transferred to my arms as I held the camera, and with the shock mode still on, the blur is my emotional shaking from the sight. Over the years, I've seen a lot but never like this before this moment.

 

Three Planes for the President and Other Light Armor

C-17 globemaster iii based out of Charleston AFB carries the limos and other light armor.

While Air Force One pulled a sneak and slid over on 13R after the dog-leg turn onto his final (cross winds were bad) rather than his usual 13L landing, the Vice-President arrived separately on another government plane for executive branch use. The C-17 globe master iii sat parked at the far end, what looked to be on the threshold of runway 18. I have not seen that runway used since May of 2005. Highland Park, University Park and  Preston Hollow does not  like the noise! 

There were also two weather systems in the area in the early morning hours. A low level stream of moisture from the Gulf (visible between the buildings downtown) and an upper level system. By the time the Vice-President landed, the skies had already cleared leaving only strong southern pressure gradient with gusting 18-32 MPH cross winds. There was one Southwest that came in sideways from the cross winds. Always fun to see the bigger planes twist in the wind.☺ Still believe that is why Air Force One came in on 13R with the longest runway at Love. ATC ♥ calling  the shots by the book yesterday, most likely.  Usually, in past trips, he handles the shorter runway with ease. Not totally sure, but the new parking garage is being built on that side of the field. That could also have played a part in crossing over to Dal-Forth Fueling for parking. It's always a poetry-in-motion and just fun to watch. This will also end President Obama's trips to Dallas, most likely unless something else jumps off.

Hope to see the new 747-800 when our next president makes his first trip to Dallas. My one shot of  Air Force One in 2009 landing is still a super seller. I was hoping for arrival to be on 13L as always, but now we know, it didn't happen!

The Vice President's arrival on 13-L tail number 80001

Air Force One on 13-R tail number 28000

♥ ATC-Air Traffic Control

A Journey Down Harry Hines Boulevard

Many of you will not know, or care, about Harry Hines Boulevard in Dallas. It is totally unique for a number of reasons. It's wholesale stores. It's also Trading Companies, fashion stores, jewelry stores, fragrance stores, convenience store wholesalers, bazaars, handbag shops, rugs, smoke shops,  army stores, Sam Moon complex, cell phones, electronics, tires, and if that isn't enough, it runs right across its own cousin, The Asia Trading District.

If you did a mileage check, from start to finish, Eight miles might be a good round number, but it changes from week to week; never shortening and generally growing. It's one of those things where I don't need to  go inside any of the stores. I'm trying to get rid of things rather than buying more. The main reason, however, is that the signs, displays and physical decor of the building is where the camera gets a work out. Sometimes, it gets a bit of a challenge because of how the stores are arranged to the centerline of the street. In other words, zoning. I shoot from public right-a-ways and stay off private property. That's something you learn early on about not having your images in an editorial class. Still, the trip is like a carnival atmosphere, especially on the week ends. The ethnic bazaars, Hispanic, in particular, is like a mall within a mall.The outer mall being Harry Hines Boulevard.

 When I am out and about shooting, I make a note of things I see that I try to come back to later and check it out in more detail. Today, one item got checked off the list before I got sidetracked. The funeral coaches have begun to move up and down the expressways concerning the Friday night shootings in downtown of  five policemen. Four from Dallas Police. One from Dallas Area Rapid Transit.

As I drove past a local funeral home today, there were signs out in front that said, "Police Parking".  Just another reminder that this past weeks event took place just a couple of blocks from another day when shots rang out in downtown. It was 1963. There were two caskets and two funeral coaches then..Yes, we can't forget that Office Tippit, badge 848, was also gunned down when President Kennedy was shot. This time, it will take 5 funeral coaches to move and bury the remains of Dallas' Protectors. That is enough.

Today, as I started to mention, I was sidetracked for a bit watching the two helicopters  hovering over the Trinity River waiting for a funeral coach to carry the remains of one of those five officers to his home town, outside Dallas. When I first saw the choppers, I knew that they were waiting for a body to be moved. It's just one of those feelings you get inside after such events. Seeing the parking signs for police outside one funeral home probably was a mental precurser to knowing instinctively that most likely that was what they were looking for.

I'm glad I had the mental refresh. That's why I like Harry Hines Boulevard. Sometimes, I'll go downtown via Harry Hines because for me, it's a brain De-Stress type thing. Yesterday, shooting out side the Dallas Police Headquarters at the memorial for the officers lost, getting the images edited and up to the live news editors,  I was one of  six that had images running on the live news feed this morning. Still, the mental state required something refreshing today. I turned to Harry Hines for that refresh mode. And, as expected it even brought a chuckle later in the day, which I really needed.

I actually find humor in this sign. Kind of like a Rodney Dangerfield type humor. I can hear his dryness, What's he selling? Nickles?

One of two air beaters  waiting to pick up an escorted funeral coach transporting one of the five deceased  Dallas Policemen.