The Correct Way To Display A Half-Staff Flag.

In my travels around the Metroplex the past few years, I have notice (and said nothing until now) about the way the American flag is being and has been displayed. One of the first things that I recall about a grade school civics class (they don't teach Civics any more, I understand) was the "rules" to display, handle and light the American flag either by itself, or in companionship with a state flag and a vocational or business flag.

With in the past two years, one situation caught my eye with direct contradiction. There is a shopping center with a United States Post Office Branch sharing the same lot of the shopping center. Just so happens, the shopping centers flag was in line with and only twenty to thirty yards away from the Post Office's standard.  One flag was at full staff (the shopping center) and the Post Office had their flag at half staff (which was correct) The post office gets official notices when to raise or lower a flag to proper staff.

I inquired to a Bank of America branch directly across the street as I had noticed that their flag was at an improper staff height,too. The branch manager told me that they have no control over the flag outside their building as the  property realtor takes care of the flag. Which is about the same thing that the shopping center next to the post office had claimed as their excuse why their  flag was at the improper staffing. Even though I already knew the procedures that the Post Office follows, in being fair, I did inquire at the post office and the supervisor did show me the paper that I had expected to see as I have seen them from the Post Office before.

In light of the many deaths from police, fire and local government officials that have passed away, the flags have been running up and down the flag pole like the ' hickory dickory dock, the  mouse ran up the clock' when flags every where in this country should be the same coast to coast. But, as witnessed, that just is not the case anymore. Now, I ask myself every time I see a flag at half staff," Who died?" Never had to ask before, It was treated as a real news item!!

Local government and businesses hear something on the news and they drop the flag without any official directive today. It's pure disrespect in trying to show respect. And no one wants to take the time to inquire. The Government Printing Office has free booklets that explain the procedure. Yet, everyone that I have seen displayed wrong pretty much does their own thing.

Today, I even found the flags on the town square in downtown Garland not only displayed improperly, but in this case it was in violation of USC Section 18 statues.

Then, on the way to follow up on the destruction of the Walmart Hypermart USA building that the city of Garland purchased for their Gateway Project, and I do recall a little rift going on in city council about tearing down an armory that had the Mayor in some hot water...I found for the first time in many years, a set of flags properly being displayed and it was a facility of the Garland Independent School District. Kudos to them. They seem to be the only ones who did their homework!

Improper : On the square in down town Garland

This is the same as the above image, but to use as an illustration, note that the Texas State Flag is higher than the American flag. That should never be and this is an improper display.

This is a PROPER display using the three flag system. The same as Garland was using down town. Note the difference. The American Flag remains a flag length higher than the state flag or the vocational business flag. Also note that the American Flag is in the center with the other two flags on either side.  Someone at Garland ISD learned the procedure well and they should be commended by an American Leigon or VFW post if not a recognition from the city council or some civic group like Rotary or Optimist or Exchange Club for their responsible respect to our flag.

This is the PROPER display and  it clearly even looks more respectful than the Improper handling of the downtown Garland flags. 

Original Hypermart USA Disappearing By The Truck Loads

Most have not noticed that the car agency that sat at the corner of  Shiloh and Garland Road at McCree was replaced by a big flower planter  with the City of Garland Logo on the side. Nor, if they did notice, most did not know that Garland has been planning to make it the Gateway to the City at LBJ 635 although there are no service roads on that stretch of 635 at the moment.

But, that is about to change with the project to widen LBJ from Interstate 20 to where the High 5 had ended, a billion dollar plus re-due for LBJ's third section, as the I-35 stretch to the west side of the High 5 has just completed. It's been a big debate over toll lanes and the final plan promises no toll lanes on that stretch of 635. That puts Garlands Gateway Project front and center.

In the mean while by the by, in May,2008, Walmart Stores closed the forerunner to the Super Center that had been built as an experimental store and called Hypermart USA. That store today is considered to be the store that fostered the rise of the Super Centers for the retail giant. It was a 26-acre plot of land with a store that covered inside, five and one third acres of sales floor space. Sitting vacant for 12 years, the building began to fall into disrepair like all buildings that die on the vine...they wilt away and are  reclaimed by nature if someone doesn't step in and change their demise. Already, weeds and grass were filling cracks in the parking lot by nearly two feet in some places.

The City of Garland purchased the building from Walmart for a little less than $7 million last year and Walmart had to demolish the structure. That officially began this week with a Garland City Council member slinging the first strike with a 12-pound sledge hammer followed by a track back hole typically used to level structures one would not think that they could The process is scheduled to take about 5 weeks to complete.

Garland will develop the property in relationship to their planned Gateway Project. It was a "do it now or miss the opportunity" kind of thing. Ironically, that city council member that got in the first strike with his sledge, had run for the city council post specifically because of the elephant eye sore that covered the 26 acre track of land.

There are two arches across the front and two even larger at each end of the building.

The destroyer following the escort.

The job begins here as the red tin roof tumbles in 20 foot sections

Mowing the Big Lawn

To five guys that work at DFW International Airport, it's just another day on the job. Maybe! The one thing that is so different about this job is that like at home, the grass grows daily. And this lawn is the size of the island of Manhattan in New York.

With seven (7) active runways, miles of taxiways and more miles of access roads to things like fuel storage tank farms, or ILS farm for landing etc.,etc., the mower gang has 747s and A-380 coming in over their heads as they work. Some as close as 50-75 feet above their heads.

Airplane geeks, like me an thousands of others, love to get as close to the action as possible. Especially if you are a photographer. Just look at the people that hold on to the fence but still get jet blasted away on a little island beach community known at St. Maho Beach on the Dutch side of Saint Martin where the big planes land packed with vacationers coming to the Caribbean island.

I would take DFW any day of the year.

Cutting the grass

A new marker at Founder's Plaza

Yes, just cutting the ole lawn!

Slow Day at DFW

Say what you will, but Boeing 747s are still my most favorite plane and I hate to see airlines retiring them by fleet numbers. Thank goodness for air cargo carriers.

China Air Cargo

One of the regular cargo carriers at DFW

Beautiful Plane

Interesting Flower Pot

This Chic-fil-A is only a couple of blocks from the Dallas Arboretum. I wonder if that had any cowing  to have this handsome flower pot looking at customers that use the drive-thru to place their orders?

The Man In The Center of Air

Do you see the man working on the tower? He has a safety harness but that's it and below is open air all the way down to the ground.

Interesting Finale

Went exploring this afternoon. After getting gas, leaving the station and heading toward the main drag when an electric wheel chair appeared on the sidewalk catching my attention. It's driver was laying on the sidewalk. Almost immediately,  two women pulled up ahead of me and got to the old man. Others began to stop and with help there, I was satisfied that the old man was alive and had help that apparently knew who he was.

Had they not been there, my phone  was in my hand at the time to call the rescue squad. From there, it was on to the main drag and then down to the next light to turn right. It had occurred to me that  where the street ended--or in high Dallas tradition---what it became on the other side of a light and  intersection was unknown to me. Sometimes  one street can have three, sometimes four, names. It's the craziest thing. Why they don't just let a main drag keep its name from one end to the other has no answer.

Seeing new things and being taken back by the development, still, my curious nature kept me going and gawking at the new sights. Then, things began to look familiar but the road just kept going. And so did my car. Then, the realization hit me that the street name had made the switch and where the change occurred had been missed. At that point it was time to turn the car around and head back to see where the change had occurred. All-in-all, there were two turn arounds, one north and one west.

It was so nice weather-wise today, heading for the barn was delayed as long as possible. Finally, it was time to head inbound. Sure was nice, though.

This is across from University of Texas-Dallas. This was not here a year ago.

A good clean shot of a Vulture. The next picture is what he was really after.Also, you might have to enlarge this one manually. Thanks to Google, I might add.

All the ewe's have had they kids and were out for the first time that I have seen then. Long Horn Sheep.