The Leaning Tower Has A Will Of Its Own

 Painting inquiries can be made direct to the artist:

Live Local Artist

Jerrel Sustaita

livelocalartist@gmail.com

 Thanks to this artist for his permission to publish his work that was hanging on the fence as he continued to work and talk to interested clients.




While I was totally glued to the streaming feed from Fox 4's eggbeater from 10-4 yesterday,  the temperature was in the upper 60s. It didn't matter. It is a mesmerizing time. Leaving the house was the last thought in my mind. So, today, after breakfast and coffee, checking emails and my on-line listings with my agent, it was time to get some fresh and crisp air some ten degrees cooler than the high I missed out on yesterday.

It was off to the bank and then a stop at a church where I vote early.They have the new voting machines which I do not like. There is no privacy anymore. The person next to you can easily look over at your screen for one dislike. I don't mind the touch screen desktops but the privacy issue still bothers me. The second issue is that I do not like having my back to all the other voters. It's just one of my little annoy factors.

Then, it was off to go back down to Uptown to see another live afternoon of watching the wrecking ball bang against the  Leaning Tower.  It took a few laps around a block to finally get a parking spot. This was the first time that I had gotten close to the action. But the turnover of people with cameras, video recorders and iphone-type cells was even more than I had seen on Sunday.

I was talking to one guy that was telling me that his wife was mesmerized by the process. That seems to be the word of the day because several others were talking about how mesmerized they were about the tower.  I found that most interesting.

Earlier, while talking to the man who's wife was at a spot in the fence where she could get a good shot, we were talking about stress points. I remembered when Texas Stadium was imploded, the building fell but the buttresses on the outside of the stadium didn't all go down, leaving about 3 or 4 to be taken down like the leaning tower. He had ask me about the buttresses. They transfer stress from the weight above and distribute it down to the ground.The point is, if the crane operator swings the ball at one of the stress points, everything about is coming down. About the time that I was leaving, the crane operator hit one of those stress points and about three floors fell. If he hits one of those stress points (load bearing) I believe that the top two or three stories will topple. It's only a matter of time, but I don't know  what the other OSHA factors are about wrecking ball a 11-store core of a building.

 Here is your chance to have a lasting memory of this mesmerizing event.The local artist that painted these on site is provided at the top of this post. He has facebook, twitter and instagram accounts where you can follow him and his other works

Hand painted canvas by an Urban Artist,see contact info at top of article.

Here are some more with the artist talking to a client.

The wrecking ball at 5600 pounds is controlled by OSHA on a site like this.

Snakes are Crawling Already Around North Texas Lakes So Be Careful

Everything has been about a month early so far this year. After seeing the first red bud tree in full bloom during the middle part of January, it was obvious that nature had pushed up its spring schedule and speed for some reason. As in the past, it opens up a lot to observe and pay more attention to what stands out. It also points the way to watch where you step and what you lean up against. Snakes are in the trees as well as crawling out of their dens. Some will give birth almost immediately out of den while others will look for mates to breed with. The key factor to remember here is that for those who are new to the area, don't go walking through new green grass in your flip flops.Some baby snakes bites are as dangerous as their parents, so look down while you are walking or standing. So far, what I've seen crawling are mostly water snakes which give birth early. Every year the hospital ER's will be reporting the snake bites so yes, they do happen year after year. The rattlesnakes in West Texas are already producing larger numbers that in years past.

Out side of beginning with a few words of caution, the stand out tree this season so far, besides the traditional red buds, seem to be the tulip trees. The blooms are outstanding. The annual Mardi Gras Parade in  Oak Cliff kicks off this weekend and of course, the troops of little green men with bagpipes and drums will soon be parading down Greenville Avenue with that party mode gleam twinkling in their eyes.

The Dallas Blooms gets underway the last days of February, all of March and into the first week of April at the Dallas Arboretum.

Last couple of days to get those selfies in. The wrecking ball and crane begin to swing Monday at 0900 hours on Dallas' Leaning Tower. ( which is actually the core elevator and stairwell section of the old Affiliated Computer Services Building on Haskell Avenue at North Central Expressway aka US 75 aka President George Bush. To me, it's overkill.[ George Bush Turnpike, George Bush Expressway, on Bush Street. and George H W Bush turnpike.]

Tulip trees are outstanding this year, especially on the larger trees

The first crawl I have seen this season. But there are many many more out there already. Look down at your feet and watch where you step. Leaning up against the trunk of a tree isn't to be ignored either. You might find one crawling onto your shoulder. I was reminded of that last season watching a pair of hawks in their nest.  Luckily, someone saw the snake about a foot away from my head and called out.

 

Came Across Some Old Photography Equipment Being Used.

It's always interesting to see old equipment and relating to this equipment.It took me back to a photography of my maternal grandfather that was taken when he was 4 years old in 1888. My grandmother carried that original in the bottom of her suitcase when she would go visit my mom's sisters and brother. It was about 12-inches across the top and 18-24 inches long printed on a thick poster board type material.  The detail was black and while but I look at it several times a day. Mom had taken the  original to a road show type photography company that was at a local J.C. Penny's in a strip mall in Ohio where we had moved when my dad changed jobs. The original was taken by grand mother to one of the kids as she aged and her traveling days were near the end. Luckily, mom had that original duplicated nearing 60 years ago. But thanks to cameras like these back in the day, I have an amazing image of my grandfather at 4 years old in knickers with wide white velvet trim to the outfit he was wearing. He was standing next to a period chair with one arm  on the arm of the chair. The shadows are perfect and the facial features  are sharp and remarkable.

Two old cameras that still work I suppose. The guys were setting up for a shoot and I didn't stop to talk to them. I would have liked to have chatted a few minutes.

Being Woke is Such A Joke!

A lazy late winter's afternoon for this peafowl.

The High Meadows are just now greening, but the low meadows have been green for months. What I like about this shot is that it shows natures abstract work at 100%.

The pile of dirt is all that remains of the former Valley View Mall in Dallas. The dirt pile is also sitting on the actual site of the former anchor store,Sears. The construction on the redevelopment is now fully underway and the changes are going to be amazing. Just the past 18 months,the landscape in North Dallas has changed so much, its now a totally different place that even when you can remember how it was, it is still almost unrecognizable.

As I was about to land back in this country in Miami, having gone out of the US for the first time on a trip to Brazil, never had I been so excited to be back in the states. As I cleared customs, the thought settled into my mind that we, as Americans, take to much for granted about this country.

Growing up, being an American was just who I was. There were dreams about what it would be like to travel to other places and in the fourth grade, my teacher, had given our class a project to work on over a weekend. That project was a question from the teacher. Simply, "If you could go anyplace on earth, where would you go?" she had ask. I chosen Brazil. Rio de Janeiro. Why I picked Rio most likely was because at the time growing up, it was a place that people talked about whether it was good or bad, but it was filed away in the old brain  for several decades.

As I cleared customs  a flashback to  a few days earlier during climb out from Rio's airport hit me on the way to Sao Paulo. I had looked down on the Harbor surrounded by two of; the most famous beaches in the world, Ipanema and Copacabana Beaches.The old file in my brain suddenly opened up and I remember thinking that I had been to my favorite place as it fell from view with wakes from boats in the harbor trailing them were visible and then like the beaches disappeared. The question that I recall also was myself asking silently, "where would you go next?".

As reality struck me, I was walking  away from customs, From what I had seen in Brazil from the stand point of freedom (Brazil at the time was under Military Control but the first President had  just been elected) being back on American soil for me was the greatest feeling I had ever experienced emotionally, even having experienced my beloved maternal grandfather's death and funeral not quite five years ago at the time.  Seeing soldiers on every level of a large shopping complex with their rifles slung over their shoulders was a wake up call. In less than a year, I was outside my hotel in Mexico City as the military police walked the perimeter of a park outside the Presidential Palace. So over the course of a year, became aware of just how spoiled we Americans had become and how much we took for granted about this country and what it stood for. It was a wake up call for sure, but calling it 'Woke' is such a misnomer on all fronts.

Those who think that they are 'woke' need to wake up! As the TxDot worker that I quote often had said to me, "People are asleep at the wheel." Amen, brother! There are just somethings in the use of our English language that need to be stopped on social media. It's destroying our culture and our country and don't even think about saying anything negative toward Donald Trump being in office. There are a few things that he does that even I do not like, but I have the respect for the office regardless of who is in the oval office but not disrespecting them for the office that they hold.

Reading Quotes From W.C. Fields Was Excellent Therapy.

Laughing is medicine the brain needs daily. I try to make one or two people laugh every day. It is a double yoke egg. I get to laugh and I get to see the other person's face as they laugh. It's not a difficult task.

W.C. Fields could be a little raw at times, but it was never meant to be dirty or vulgar. Although, some of his quotes are like booby traps. They can be read as one punch line or as two punch lines. So, you do have to be somewhat selective on which ones you use and where you use them.

His quote about why he doesn't drink water, if used in social media as a marketing tool, would knock the heck out of bottle water sales if done right. I laughed for thirty minutes after reading his water quotes! It also supports my theory that people don't really listen to what they say when they say it. The water line had many twist and turns. He even found a way to work rusty pipes into the mix. In short, W. C. Fields was a master of comedy that lives on today.

Girl Scout Cookies Make Easy

Don't know if the team was ladies or men. They have a meet tomorrow.

It's The Second Time That It Has Happened in the past 6 months.

In the forward motion line of the EF-3 Tornado and less than a mile away, two things stood out. This hedge apple tree in the path of the storm still has fruit hanging on the tree. The other was a church steeple left unscathed. All around on both side, total destruction.

Human beings do things at a whim. They also do things with great planning. One just doesn't know what to expect other than to always exercise caution. Well, the best kind of caution for the situation at hand. Here's the back story.

Earlier in the summer months last year, I was in an isle at Kroger's looking for a new product that I was thinking about trying out. Across the isle from me was a mom with three children in or very near their teens. They had found a cracker that they liked and had ask mom if they could get a box. It was pretty obvious that mom wanted to say yes but the financials just could not support it at the time.

I waited until they were out of the isle as they were heading toward the check out line I ask the mom what was the name of the crackers that the kids had been talking about? She told me. I mentioned to here that I wasn't ready to check out yet but if she would allow me to purchase the crackers and have the cashier give here the receipt and crackers I would buy the crackers for the girls. The mom was near tears, and thanked me. It had been a while since I had done something like that and  I must admit, it even gave me a warm feeling inside knowing that hope and prayer and observation makes so much possible when we allow God to step in spreading his Grace far beyond what we can see or even be aware.

As I pulled out of Kroger's lot for the mile trip hope, I saw a car in the lane next to me a few cars ahead with windows down and kids arms waving like they had won the lottery. As I got closer, it was the kids and mom of cracker fame. The smiles were from one side of the car to the other and it was clear that the kids and mom, were overjoyed from the experience. The crackers were like $2.89.

Part Two Came Back To Me  At A Walmart after having a battery changed out on my pacemaker.  I was trying to use my debit card and I could not get the chip to sit. The machine kept giving me a Read Error. The clerk that works the self-check-outs that I know, motioned to me to come over to her master station and run my card there. It gave me the green light, finally and the clerk handing me the receipt. I had not scanned anything there but the clerk had suspended the transaction. A lady had kind of cut in line and the clerk processed the transaction and handing me the receipt. She told me as I was about to leave that the lady that had been ahead of me had paid for my groceries. It was about $26.00 total. I was stunned and it took a while for me to realize what this young woman dad done. It felt good that someone was making a difference in the world.

Red Buds are Even Blooming Already

This Hawk waits for his mate to arrive. Nesting season is getting underway.

Part Three Cane Back to me this week.

I had pulled into a McDonald's in Garland to get a coke. I was the only one at the #1 drive through. Out of the corner of my eye came this white car pulling up in #2  and jumping ahead of me in line. It didn't bother me, but I do watch things like that when I am out and about. Always trying to be aware with the way things are today.

The young man at the drive through window was smiles from ear to ear and he said, "Today is your lucky day. The car ahead of you just paid for your coke."  Again, I was a bit stunned.

So I paid out out $2.89 for some crackers for a young  single-family and it came back at $27.08.

God is great. God is Good. God's Grace is powerful and far reaching. Thanks Be to God.

One The Way To The Doctors I Saw a Red Bud Tree in Full Bloom in Plano.

Blooming a 6 weeks early.

At first I thought that it was just some left over Christmas decorations and lights that had not been taken down. But on closer observation, this was the real McCoy. A mature Red Bud about 14-20 feet fall with a coverage of about 8 to10 feet on all sides. In fact, on the way home from the doctors, I came back the same way to make sure that I had really seen what I knew to be the real thing.

So,based on that-- and even with the cold weather coming next week, Spring in North Texas is gonna be the early bird delivery this year. So with that said---and even with a bit of cold snaps, Spring is in the air for sure and it is my hope that we get to enjoy spring in an elastic version this year.