xDallas-Fort Worth Metroplex

Something Sighted or Newtown

2009-06-17T05:10:00.003+02:00

As many of you know I moved to Newtown PA and opened a Newtown blog. So I've decided to stop posting in this blog, but I have plenty of Dallas area photos to post and I'm still going to post them, but on my Something Sighted blog instead plus pictures from Europe, and all over the USA. So I invite anyone who reads this to come and check out my other blogs. (Just click the links above)

Thanks for all of the nice comments over the past few months and I hope to see you around.

Ellis County Courthouse

2009-06-10T18:25:00.004+02:00

This is a side view of the renaissance revival style Ellis county courthouse in Wavahachie Texas built in 1895. It was constructed of red granite and sandstone. The exterior was carved by artisians that were brought over from Italy. This just might be my favorite out of all the Texas courthouses.

If you look closely you can see the hand carved lion heads and ornate designs.

Hill County Courthouse

2009-06-09T00:09:00.005+02:00

Hill county courthouse is near the geographical center of Hillsboro Texas and was built in 1890. I wonder how long it will take for the tree to grow bigger than the courthouse.

-if you would like to see the picture much better click it to enlarge.

Funny sign but good message

2009-06-08T06:15:00.004+02:00

This sign caught my eye in Dallas. The wall looks really old and the ghosts of signs past can be seen under this one.

Inside Neiman Marcus Dallas

2009-06-06T01:51:00.007+02:00

Some people might remember my Neiman Marcus post on Something Sighted. To see it click here. Now lets sneak upstairs to the champagne lounge.

After the Storm

2009-06-04T23:00:00.004+02:00

These are some shots of the skies above "Valley Ranch" Irving, Texas just moments after a severe storm.

To see all of the Skywatch Friday posts please click here.

Dallas Municipal Window View

2009-06-03T19:16:00.004+02:00

The women in the window was throwing her hands in the air and pacing around up there. She must have been having a very heated conversation.

To see the other Window View posts click here.

T is for Texas Tower

2009-06-02T23:05:00.003+02:00

This is the main building at the University of Texas, more commonly known as the Tower. It was made famous in 1966 when a sniper killed 14 people and wounded 32 others from the top.

I don't know what the giant balls in the foreground are, so please keep your minds out of the gutter. I guess some sort of artwork they remind me of naval mines.

To see all of the ABC Wednesday posts please click here.

Fort Worth Bride running late

2009-06-02T01:41:00.004+02:00

Mother helping bride get ready by the side of the road in Fort Worth's Stockyard district. Enlarge to see her well used cowboy boots on the sidewalk.

Lion in the City

2009-06-01T03:40:00.002+02:00

This is one of many views of downtown Dallas.

Grapevine Sculpture

2009-05-31T05:44:00.003+02:00

This set sculptures is in Grapevine Texas, which is very near Dallas.

Building Art

2009-05-29T23:54:00.004+02:00

I saw this old building in dallas that looked ready for the wrecking ball except for this pretty cool artwork in the front above the door. That's one thing I liked about Dallas, plenty of statues and murals, sort of like a big open air museum. This one looks like it's telling a story.

Skywatch at SMU

2009-05-29T00:47:00.004+02:00

This is a chapel with a strange sky behind it at Southern Methodist University in Dallas Texas.

To see the other Skywatch Friday posts from around the word please click here.

Scottish Rite Cathedral

2009-05-27T23:32:00.002+02:00

You can see the statue from yesterday on the lawn of the Scottish Rite Cathedral in Dallas built in the early 1900's.

It's right across the street from the Dallas Masonic temple.

S is for Statue

2009-05-27T02:18:00.003+02:00

This is the back of the statue of Sam P. Cochran "an honored citizen a true freemason and a Christian gentleman" according to the words etched into the base. It's at the the Scottish Rite Temple in Dallas. At first I thought the black birds looking up at him were part of the statue until they started moving.

To see all of the other ABC Wednesday posts please click here.

Wise County Courthouse

2009-05-26T01:33:00.004+02:00

During the last few months I was in Texas I tried to visit near by towns that had historic buildings. This is the 1895 Wise county courthouse located about 50 miles south west of Dallas in Decatur Texas. It's about the same age as the Denton courthouse in yesterday's post. Decatur is also the home of the mansion from the classic move Giant as featured in another post , and the petrified wood gas staion and motor court where Bonnie and Clyde reportedly stayed. (to be seen in a future post)

Denton Texas

2009-05-25T03:54:00.007+02:00

Being from California the only things that I saw or heard about the confederacy was negative. So it was pretty interesting when I moved to Texas and saw the civil war confederate memorials.

This one is in front of the Denton county courthouse not far from Dallas.

Dallas Fair Park

2009-05-23T23:18:00.004+02:00

These are some of the murals that at the Dallas Fair Park. I'm told that they were painted for the 1936 World's Fair. These along with the art deco style buildings and statues makes it a very interesting and historic place to visit. I've only walked around this part of the Fair Park twice but both times I was the only one around. It was sort of like a my private outdoor museum.

Dallas Cowboy

2009-05-23T03:44:00.002+02:00

This is another view of the cowboy in my header photo.

Waco High School

2009-05-19T23:44:00.004+02:00

This is an old high school building across the street from the masonic lodge in Waco.

I don't know how old it is or anything about it, but when I took the picture there was a team of construction workers and lots of heavy equipment around. I hope they didn't tear it down.

The high school that I went to looked modern and boring compared to this.

Masonic Waco

2009-05-16T22:51:00.003+02:00

This unusual looking building is the masonic lodge in Waco Texas. I wonder what goes on in these places?

No BBQ for me.

2009-05-13T05:41:00.003+02:00

I'm still on the road. Last night I planned to eat at this famous Memphis BBQ place, but wouldn't you know it they are closed on Mondays. After waiting way too long to eat I had the best fried chicken ever delivered to my room. I can't remember the restaurant's name though. Oh well fried chicken, biscuits and pecan pie delivered including tip for $10. What a deal!

Downtown Dallas

2009-05-11T00:08:00.006+02:00

This is a typical street scene in Dallas, taken on Commerce street looking toward Harwood. Notice the Doug's Gym sign on the left. Some of you might recall the post with the back of the building and Doug standing in the shadowey doorway above the fire escape.

Happy Mother's Day!

Courthouse Squirrels

2009-05-09T17:01:00.005+02:00

Do you see both squirrels?

I was was walking around the Denton county courthouse and noticed a couple pairs of cute eyes watching me. So I asked if I they had any objections to me taking their picture and voila.

Check out all the camera critters here.

New Blogger Encouragement Tag

2009-05-08T17:45:00.009+02:00

This wonderful piece from the Nasher Sculpture Garden is called "Bronze Crowd", made in 1990/1 by Polish born Magdalena Abakanowicz.
New Bloggers Unite! :-)

The other day I was tagged by Bogey . (who is also a relatively new blogger) It's a way for new bloggers to encourage each other and get some more exposure. My first thought was huh? I'm not a new blogger, then I realized that I've been blogging for less than two months. I have made so many new friends and feel so comfortable that it seems like I've been doing this a lot longer.

These are the rules that Bogey passed on to me.

Tag and link back to the person who tagged you. List six (un)important things that make you happy. Tag six new bloggers and let them know they're "it". We all feel this blogging community to be one of inclusion and friendship. What better way than to invite new or relatively new bloggers into it?

Here are my six things:

1)Traveling

2)Thunder storms

3)Going out to Saturday breakfast with my wife

4)Taking pictures of new things

5)When the Lakers win

6)A really good cup of coffee

So six (relatively) new bloggers, I would like to invite you into our strangest community in the blogosphere, as explained Bogey and in no particular order:

1) B Squared Fort Luaderdale Daily Photo

2) Jo Memorable Meanders

3) Kaye The Road Goes Ever Ever On

4) Frank de Jol Camera in the Pocket

5) Sarah Gresham Photo Blog

6) Mimi All About ME

Welcome, and have fun with this. There is no pressure to participate, only if you care to. Just think of the adventure spreading this across the globe. Since being tagged I've already found a few more interesting new blogs to follow and got a few more followers on my blog. Cheers!

Skywatch Friday Texas style.

2009-05-08T00:07:00.004+02:00

-Click them if you want a better look.

Hello everybody. I always look forward to Skywatch Friday. Every week I'm amazed by all the beautiful skies from all over the world. Plus it's a good opportunity to find new and interesting blogs.
Last week I posted the sky on the opposite side of the the sunset. This week's post is the sunset that went with it, taken just a few miles away at one of my favorite BBQ places. The other is a cloud formation. I think darker clouds look like a side view of an angry face. (my wife thinks I'm nuts) but I still see it.

Do you see the face?

To see all the amazing skies from around the world please click here and enjoy.

Window Views of Doug's Gym

2009-05-07T00:12:00.007+02:00

Sometimes when you take a picture you get more than you expect. Which is the case with this one. The other day after I walked around the Dallas Farmer's market I went into the city taking pictures of whatever caught my eye. I really liked this old brick building with an open door above the fire escape. I noticed movement up there but could really see anyone. When I got home and inspected my photos I noticed an older man with a Doug's Gym T-shirt standing inside the doorway, after a little detective work I discovered that the man was actually Doug himself, the owner of the gym for almost 50 yrs. (Dont forget to click the picture for a better view.) -To see all of the other Window views please click here.

"Doug Eidd was born Nov 4, 1930. After graduating from high school he served in the Air force in the Korean War between 1950 and 1953 as a Physiotherapist. After getting back to Dallas he worked in several Gymnasiums in town and became a well known figure in the sports community. In the summer of 1962 he was offered to buy a gym located on Commerce Street downtown Dallas. The gym had just been opened for six months but the current owners couldn't make a profit and decided to sell it. Doug renamed the gym to Doug’s Gym and opened it on September 1, 1962. "

ABC Wednesday "P" is for Parked Plymouth

2009-05-06T00:49:00.007+02:00

Today I'm posting a closer look at the car that was in front of the Waxahachie building in Monday's post. It's a 1949 Plymouth. This reminds me of the car my mother drove until I was nine years old(1976). It was a green 1955 Pontiac. When I was about two or three years old, I remember a couple of hard stops when my mother's right arm(old fashioned car seat) didn't make it across my chest in time and I would spend the rest of the day with little hole imprints on my forehead from the dashboard. I'm sure glad car seats and seatbelts became popular, even if too late for my little noggin. Mom, if you're reading this, I also remember your arm shooting across me like a bolt of lighting almost everytime you had to hit the brakes. :-)

To see all the ABC Wednesday posts please click here.

Ruby Tuesday at Dallas Farmer's Market.

2009-05-05T02:16:00.008+02:00

I spent this Afternoon walking around the Dallas Farmer's Market and the area around it. Rubials has a huge supply of flowers and plants nicely displayed. I also discovered some old buildings that I've never seen before.
I really like the mix of flowers with the city in the background. How about that Ruibals red sign?

To see other Ruby Tuesday posts click here.

Monochrome Monday in Waxahachie

2009-05-04T00:16:00.005+02:00

When I was in Downtown Waxahachie the other day I kept expecting to see Barney Fife or Opie walk by. This building just seems right for black and white to me. To see other black and white scenes at Monochrome Maniacs just click here.

Scenic Sunday Dallas Style

2009-05-03T00:20:00.005+02:00

This is the scenic view of Dallas on a beautiful day. Today it's been stormy but that's okay too.

For more scenic sunday photos click here.

I'm waiting for my man

2009-05-02T03:02:00.006+02:00

This is a guy hanging out behind the old Majestic theater in downtown Dallas. When saw him a song started playing in my head.

The song is called "I'm waiting for my man" by one of my old favorites the Velvet Underground cira 1967.

It starts out like this:

"I'm waiting for my man

Twenty-six dollars in my hand

Up to Lexington, 125

Feel sick and dirty, more dead than alive

I'm waiting for my man"

For all I know the guy has a perfectly innocent reason for hanging out back there that has nothing to do with illegal substances. Maybe he is on his lunch break or something.

Now back to my song.

The other side of the Sunset Skywatch

2009-04-30T21:59:00.010+02:00

I took this picture from my apartment balcony a couple weeks ago because I liked the subtle clouds and color shades, also because the actual sunset was completly obstructed. :-) If you look close enough you can see a jet liner.

Please click the link to and enjoy beautiful Skywatch Friday posts from all over the world. Click.

Welcome and Happy Skywatch Friday!

Republic Towers

2009-04-30T01:07:00.006+02:00

This is the rest of the building in yesterdays post. Republic Towers one and two. Republic Tower one (in the foreground) was built in 1954 I think it's very unusual looking and I was surprised to find out it was that old. Republic tower two was completed in 1964.

Unexpected Watery Wednesday Bird landing

2009-04-29T00:04:00.007+02:00

I took this picture above of a man made waterfall at Thanksgiving Square in downtown Dallas. I snapped the camera just milliseconds before the bird landed. I think he was trying to startle me.

To see the rest of the Watery Wednesday posts from around the globe please click the link.

The Wilson Building

2009-04-28T00:33:00.006+02:00

This E shapped historical landmark is the Wilson Building in downtown Dallas. It was built in 1904 and was modeled after the Paris opera house. It was the home of the Titche-Goettinger Department Store until the late 1920's, when they moved to a newer larger building up the street -seen here. These are two of my favorite buildings in Dallas.

Texas State Capitol

2009-04-27T01:05:00.006+02:00

The Texas capitol building is huge and it sits in a park like setting with lots of green grass and large old trees.

I just got home from the trip so I'll do more detailed posts later this week here and on Something Sighted. .........Hint bats don't smell very nice.

Waco Warehouse

2009-04-26T01:31:00.005+02:00

This is a cool old warehouse in Waco Texas. If you look closely at the bottom left you will see to old guys loading something into their pickup truck. Along with Dr. Pepper Texans love pickup trucks. Tonight the wife and I plan to watch millions of bats in flight over Austin. This should be fun. I'll post the details when I return from this trip.

Hello from Austin Texas

2009-04-25T04:43:00.006+02:00

My wife and I decided to take a 3 1/2 hour drive to Austin for the weekend but we stopped in Waco to have lunch, and of course I ended up taking way too many pictures. I walked miles around that place. It's alot more interesting than I thought it w0uld be. Then I did the same thing here in Austin lots of walking and lots of pictures. Boy am I tired. Waco is where Dr.Pepper was invented. This is the front of the original factory.

Skywatch over Dallas

2009-04-24T01:31:00.006+02:00

Interesting clouds over downtown Dallas.

Click the link to enjoy all of the Skywatch Friday posts.

Giant House

2009-04-23T03:22:00.006+02:00

A couple of days ago I took a drive to Decatur Texas. It's pretty small less than 10,000 people, but ironically or not it's where the house from the 1956 movie Giant is located. I haven't seen the movie but I hope to someday. Decatur is about 50 miles NW of Dallas. It has nice little 19th century downtown area with a historic courthouse and it's surrouded by beautiful ranch land. The "Giant" house was on a gravel road and up a slight hill. It was fenced and had beware of dog, private property and no trespassing signs.

Thats why I could only get pictures of one side. The gate has a fancy sign that says EL CASTILL I think a bush was covering the last letter probably O.

Dallas Fair Park Pond

2009-04-22T05:31:00.006+02:00

Watery Wednesday.

This is the pond at Dallas fair park it's full of turtles and fish. Children like to walk out over the pond on those brown snakey things, I actually saw one poor kid fall in lol. He was fine except for a bruised ego. To see other photos of Dallas fair Park click here. To see all the other Watery Wednesday posts click here.

Drive-in Movie?

2009-04-21T16:54:00.005+02:00

Nope this is the view of mural on a downtown Dallas parking structure from the parking lot in front of it. If you want a closer view just click the link to Something Sighted.

Unlike other cities I've never had any problem finding a place to park in Dallas.

On the outside looking in on Dallas

2009-04-20T18:04:00.002+02:00

I was on my way to Waxahachie when I looked through the rear view mirror and knew that I had to stop and take some pictures.