2018 Will Soon Be In The History Books.

As the sun sets  as the last sunset of 2018, the year has been somewhat a turmoil-type year. Those kind of years are bound to happen over the course of time. Living through a few myself, its just one of those thing where you deal with it as a 'give-me' or 'given'. That's part of life's equation. But, in the  grand scheme of things, frankly, I'm glad to see it go for several reasons. My hope for all here is that 2019 will be a better year all the way around for everyone.

Errands filled my late morning hours and my brother and his wife took me out to lunch at Desperados, the official caterers of the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Cowboys, the Texas Rangers and the 2011 Super Bowl. If you have eaten there more than once, you quickly understand how they got to be that well known, although the family has been cooking wonderful meals since 1976. I like the Chicken Chimichanga. This was my second time having them. While I don't eat big meals much any more, this is one that I can handle and not feel like I've over eaten when leaving.

Also, some think that they are a bit over priced. Not so. The service is exceptional and any time you have waiters and host and busboys standing at the ready in the main dining area, you know you have a quality place to eat. I should go back there more often than I do.

The errands took me to the gas station, the drugstore and the supermarket for a couple of items to help make New Years Day to feel welcomed. I sat in the driveway talking to a neighbor. He was on his way to the drugstore where I had just come from myself. In the middle part, I had made a pass of the lake seeing the little Kestrel Hawk (sparrow hawk) sitting in his favorite tree. He's a cute little devil, having remembered that the last time that I shot him just has I clicked the shutter, He evacuated. There are funny moments in photography.

The other stop was to photograph one of the Dallas Sears Stores that made the latest list of 80 Sears and K-Mart Stores closing. Actually, there were more than just a handful that I recognized in four states. This store was part of a mall that closed several hears ago and was torn down around  the Sears Store leaving it truly a stand alone store with Lowe's and several others building on the old mall site. I noticed a bit of maintenance that always seems to be the case when businesses are let go and fall in disrepair.

The fast moving cold front that is forecast to bring snow and sleet and freezing rain very near us on Wednesday has slowed down and will linger another day even closer. I'm so hoping to have snow to photograph. I'm not wishing for ice and the misery that comes with down power lines and tree limbs. Time will tell. It is time to start reading the National Weather Service Discussion topics more closely on the time cycles that they generate.

So, with this post, I'll close out this year. I have already changed the codes in my camera for 2019 copyrights. Which reminds me---I have to do that on the blog and the web page, too!.

American Kestrel Sparrow Hawk

This Sears Store and one other that are closing are the two closest to my house. The last time I was in here was about three years ago and the clerks were NOT helpful. I never went back again.

American Kestrel Hawk. Cute in a cute way.

Happy New Year. Hope to see you in 2019, again. Thanks for reading our little corner of the world.


12/31/18: to remove ghost words from text.

A Surprise I Had Not Expected.

My surprise was to discovered and read an article written by an NPR reporter about my great uncle and his son, which would be my dad's full uncle and his son being my dad's full cousin. In the line of family history, my paternal grandmother's sister was the wife of great uncle. Farther down the line there was a mention about another enterprise of my great uncle and his nephew had been the one to keep that going for many years. He would have been the son of my paternal grandmothers other sister and their dad had been the leading  one who provisioned  live stock for several counties of farmers. In addition to being one of the board members of the Board of Education for that community he was a well know businessman. 

Now, I have seen and read articles that  were on the web by other family members, but never by a journalist that wrote for NPR  ( I love NPR stories that they produce). So I took my time exploring the article from top to bottom and reading all the captions under the pictures only to find that there was one image that the reporter published but captioned, "I have no ideal who this is." Well, I do. It was my mother when she was in her teens. Several months before she passed away, she had retold the story to me because I had found an old picture and had ask her about it. After she had passed, I was going through some of her things and I was in particular, looking for that picture. It was no where to be found. Mom had a little habit to sending things to people  that were in the media that she knew without any explanation who had sent it. Then, she would wait to see if they picked up on the story or made mention. There was a an anchor that she was particularly found to banter back and forth with.

One of our neighbors was a local news anchor. There were a few radio personalities that she was fond of as well. The link to all of these were the fact that they were broadcasters at either radio stations or television stations. And that link was something our family had always been proud to be a part.


In the article, the reporter noted his photography interest  and how that also included trains. Both of those things are long noted in this blog of my own profile. So, this coming week, I will send an email to the reporter and let him know about his picture that he had no ideal who it was. Hopefully, It will help in some way. He has authored a book on the subject.

My youngest brother and I are having our Christmas lunch on Monday, New Years Eve.  Ice, sleet, freezing rain and S*N*O*W are being forecast for Wednesday. While the models are all coming closer to agreement on the Pacific storm, Not any of the models can give an accurate track or how much unforeseen moisture  there is to work it above the fact that there will be some!

My Great Uncle Founded KBTM AM 1230 Radio

and his son began the first FM radio station in the state of Arkansas

.

Christmas Is Officially Over In My House

An old light standard in a parking lot near Love Field that was still working, but now, it has been cannibalized. It is sad to see cast iron ornateness in such beauty and no one is restoring  for a shop sidewalk or  even a yard in some of the Ronnie Houses.

When I sit down to have the first bowl of homemade Turkey noodle soup after rendering the turkey carcass down to the end stock, then Christmas is officially over. Well, I just had the first bowl for this year and not to brag, but UH! was it good!. Something about homemade soups I have always liked, I even do the same thing to the ham bone making ham and lentil soup. Although, I don't eat as much ham as I once did, I will have at least one during the course of the year. But this year, I had turkey breast on Thanksgiving and on Christmas. Even buying the turkey breast with the bone in, works just as well as a full turkey carcass.

Starting out, a little salt, poultry seasoning, parsley flakes, two bay leaves, cut carrots, onion, bell peppers, celery, mushrooms, water to cover the carcass and boil until the balance of the meat begins to fall off the bone. Reducing heat, I then let it simmer until the bone marrow  becomes liquid enough to cook out. The last 15 minutes I put in the noodles and cook until the noodles are tender but not soggy. Then, it's time for the chef to sample the goods!  It's really easy to do. Tomorrow, I'll have a bowl for lunch, With the weather being a cold rain tomorrow all day, most likely, I'll have another bowl for supper. Then, it's put into little one-serving freezer tubs and moved to the freezer.

In fact, I do that with home made chili and home made chicken and dumplings (yes, I make my own dumplings). By planning ahead a bit, you can combine thing and/or use them with other things. When I make chili mac, all I have to do is cook the macaroni, defrost the chili and combine and heat for three minutes. Voila! I used some of the sliced turkey for sandwiches and then I take my last chicken and dumplings and add some turkey meat that I had already sliced and have one heck of a good turkey and dumpling dinner one evening.  My time in the kitchen is cut to almost nothing and I still have good healthy meals. I steam frozen broccoli florets in 5 minutes. Pan fry carrots. French cut green beans can even come from the can if you buy one of the national brands such as Del Monte or Green Giant that they make for private label use for one of the family of  Kroger brands or Albertson's or Winco's.

Part Two Pictures

A song bird perched over the tall grasses looking for a meal, no doubt.

The Topography of the area rises a little more than a hundred feet. The tall prairie grasses are now showing the full color difference in the red tops vs the brown tops.

A young photographer with his subject.  Normally, I would not comment but I watched the process of a future competitor and found it interesting that the best shot was missed when the photographer was looking at his view finder.  Time is the best teacher overall in this art.

 I use this image in an editorial capacity and as an illustration. Therefore it will be blurred on any enlargement.   

Oh! What a Difference A Day Makes Times Two.

Within the last three days, the lake has gone from visible sand bars in places to flooding well into the parking lots along the Eastern side to receding waters. That does not mean much to some, I know, but the drastic change does have an effect on the wildlife and the visitors and the regulars; all in varied levels of stress and anxiety.

The most drastic change was in the world of the pelicans. They have a little island and logs that that they like to sun upon. The island, is actual land. It is also away from predators like coyotes and bob cats. Normal life when those factors are in place. Not so normal when they are not.

Along comes a 2.5 inch rainfall with some areas north getting upwards of 3 to 4 inches as a Pacific Cold Front moved in day before yesterday. Yesterday, the lake levels were up several feet as a result of the watershed that is collected in White Rock Creek  and the Dixon Branch, among others. That water passes into White Rock Lake and over the dam, down the two spillways and back into the White Rock Creek south of Garland Road, aka State Route 78. From there it flows back into the Trinity River on Loop 12 south of the Trinity River Audubon Center and the new Trinity Forest Golf Course on the renamed Great Trinity Forest Parkway. And from there, of course, then into the Gulf of Mexico.

The day after words, that is to say, yesterday, the pelicans were not happy campers. Even the geese were in flogging arguments in the water because the logs were all gone. Floated toward the dam, if not over it. Staying away from the dam when everyone wants to see the water rushing down the spillways is always a smart move. So, with that said, no, I have been to the dam to walk eitherside.

The island was under water. The pelicans were hanging out on the shoreline between the lake and East Lawther in front of Sunset Bay. With the holiday bowl games in town, visitors were out in force with their phone cameras. The pelicans just kept moving until they could sit still for a while. Being displaced is as bad for them as it is for humans displaced from storm damage, fire or what ever else.

Today, the island was back and the pelicans were happy to be upon it once again. However, since Christmas Day, I have not seen a single hawk of red, either shoulder or tail, an owl, an eagle or the osprey again since the awesome citing on Christmas Day of him in flight riding the thermals over the marina nearest the Culture Bathhouse. I've looked at all the known spots and a couple of spots where I have found one pair hanging out in a "new" area. Nothing. And, unusual, also.

The weather is not going to be good the next two days. It is going to be down right cold and strong winds will make the misery index even higher for North Texas. Cold rain will also return on Sunday with the thick low hanging clouds arriving over night tonight and tomorrow.
Here are some shots that will require a second post because I can only post three images at a time. Some crazy thing like band width.
Click on any of the images to open the enlarger. Then use the enlarger thumbnails to select the image you want to enlarge.  There will be another post to follow this one with just images from the day. 

For the water line to be this far into the parking lot you can see the two docks that are about 4-5 feet to be level with the ground. That's how much water rose from the run off in the flash flooding the night before.

Another view of the trash and wood from the high winds that fell and were picked up by the water being carried into the lot.

Ecology is not a cut and dried thing. There are many, many variables that all interchange like a big puzzle, with many picture to replace the puzzle just put together, so to speak.

Oops! I Did The Unthinkable

Yesterday was a good day,  but the stress of some pretty nasty storms overloaded the synapse cycles and with the promise of  today being a great day of sunshine and 64 degrees after the storms, I went to bed with the notions that I would spend the day out in the sunshine shooting. And--- I almost did!

When I got up this morning and was making coffee, the sky was covered in stratus clouds, but as stratus clouds do generally, they burn off quickly as the sun comes up. After breakfast and a quick check on the systems to make sure that they were all running and secure, I filled my coffee cup, packed a little snack and made a quick run to the bank. I walked in and the regular teller was on the right and the strangest thing---a woman was behind one of the teller stations plus the loan officer that had greeted me. Remembering that month before last, when I made my regular stop, there was no teller. Period. This branch just can't seem to get their act together. What 's even worse is that it's not even my bank. I pay a bill that is my only check that I  still write each month for a service. Anyway, the woman ask if she could help me and said, " you are a teller, too?" She replied that she was and I stepped up to the window. She then ask, " How's your day going?'' I explained to her that ,"it started out a bit slow but that was okay. Other than that, I'm stunned. Two tellers working," I said; She said that she hoped to continue the practice going forward. She knew what I meant.

Leaving the bank I headed to the lake. When I parked, I saw a dear friend and she was shooting away. I had noticed the low areas were filled with water but once parked, it was clear to see that the water had risen several feet from when I was there yesterday. I pulled my camera out of the bag and headed over to say hello to my friend and shot a half dozen images, checked my settings and was ready to find some good material  to shoot for the end of the year. Then, the impossible happened...I got the message that my battery pack was empty! I had forgot to put the battery on charge after yesterdays outing.  Might as well stick a fork in me cause this turkey was done for the day!.

Here is a couple of shots that show the high water marks from last nights 2.5 inches of rain. Some areas got 4-inches, while others got 3" totals and it all watersheds into White Rock Creek and then into the lake.

The water covered all the sandbars and even the pelican's island. They were up on the mainland and all the visitors that were in town for the Boston College game that got called  because of lightening and the Notre Dame people are hear for the New Years Day game  were stressing the pelicans out a bit as the visitors were all amazed to find pelican in Texas. 

Yesterday, the water level was a few feet below the underside of the dock. Obviously, it had gone over the dock by more than a few inches during the night.

The water on the side was not there yesterday. The marsh area as bone dry.

Generally, the pelicans don't stress out like they were today.

edited 20:37 hours for typos.

Got Out Before The Big Storms Brewed

Although it was bleak again, today, The big storms  are headed this way, three years to the day after the tragic 12- tornadoes on 26th  December 2015 in Garland, Rockwall and Rowlett, took many lives and destroyed property that is still recovering from 2015. It is an awful reminder of nature's power.

By late afternoon, some very bad timming  thunderstorms and lightening were messing up the flight paths into and out of DFW. The Boise State and Boston College Football game at the Cotton Bowl at Fair Park was called at the end of the first quarter because of lightening. There has never been a college bowl game called for lightening until today. Heavy rain moved in across the Metroplex  by suppertime. The main squall line was still a couple of hours to the west and has produced a few funnel clouds, but the storms have also robbed the atmosphere of some of that energy and the storms winds and flash flooding for heavy rains remain the problem at the moment. The bow-echo line of the squall line is between Ft. Worth and Dallas  now and it's moving at 50 MPH.Once it passes, the weather will be clearing and tomorrow will be a super day of sunshine and 64-degree (F) 19-degree (C) weather.

The bow-echo line looks fairly impressive on radar. Bow-echos are best described to look like a bow and arrow without the arrow. They produce strong winds and if there is still some energy in the unstable state, tornadoes could spin up out of that, I believe. Encore, the repair arm and delivery network for our electricity has numerous power outages reported. I'm hoping that we don't have that to contend with.

So, like I stated a couple of days ago, this year gets a 1.2 rating for all the off-the-wall stuff that has happened. I'm hopeful that the rest of the year will stabilize as 2018 draws to an end and 2019 starts out the gate running without any problems.

Today while out shooting, I saw two things that I have never seen before. One, a squirrel was hanging
from his rear legs and grabbing berries that were prime and not that average run of the mill stock. It' was actually kind of odd I've seen them stand on a limb and reach up into other branches, but never hang from one reach below. Then, without warning, some geese got into a dispute and I saw a relay flogging of a goose that must have been way out of line in some way. Never want to be in a situation for a goose or two to go after you. And, yesterday, under the eyes of the Garland Police, I was looking for birds along the chalk cliffs and two pit bulls came barking out of the under brush. Luckily, I had my walking stick with me and they returned into the underbrush. But it's a reminder that the Park Ranger was telling me about when I saw the one coyote that seemed a bit aggressive. I had ask him about what would you do? He mentioned to carry a walking stick and if possible go with friend The coyote that was attacking runners in Frisco was caught and is being tested. Sadly, I think I remember that the only way to test for rabies is to put down the animal.  So, yes, it has been a strange year right up to the very end, it seems. 

Hanging from his hind legs

Dispute Among Geese

A relay flogging.