Tip Toeing (Thru) The Tulips

A Dutchman came to Texas and missed his tulips so much, that he decided to grow his own and start the Texas Tulip Farm. Situated in North Texas near Pilot Point (about an hour north of the DFW area) if offers an amazing sight of a huge variety of the flowers not native to the Lonestar State.

During blooming season, late February to end of March, try to make it out on a weekday if you can. Saturday and Sundays can be quite populated and you may have to wait in line to park and get in. They charge $ 2.50 a head to get and then you can stroll for hours between the different beds.

It's also a great opportunity to take family pictures, put please don't put your children in the middle of the tulip beds and therefore crushing the flowers. Actually this is not an amusement park and children should be kept on a "leash." Also don't show up in your stilettos, it's a farm, so the ground is uneven, wear rugged pants so you can actually kneel down in the dirt if you want to take close up shots.

You can take (cut, or hand pick) tulips home, but at a rather steep price. To make your tulips last, pick them while they are still closed, they will last much longer at home and  will give you enjoyment for a couple of weeks.

This was the first year we went there and I know I want to go back next spring, tip toeing not thru but next to the tulips.

Sources: texas-tulips.com
This shot and others are available for publication through photo agency, Dispatch Press Images, DPI. It is also featured in my ClickASnap portfolio and in my Niume photo sphere blog.

The Big Illusion .

"To me, beauty is the wonder of wonders. It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances." (Oscar Wilde - The Picture of Dorian Gray -1891)

A great provoking (and in the summary of the book sarcastic) paradox of Wilde, but spoken at a point where Dorian needs be sold in to believing in the never ending beauty and youth by Lord Henry.

So have we as a society arrived at the point (roughly 125 years after that quote) where commerce plays the role of Lord Henry on a daily basis and tries to seduce us, into the false world of artificial appearances while denying the community, the reality of the true life cycle.

Well if we can stay "Forever 21." Unfortunately working long term on three times 21, I have not met anybody, that got stuck at that age. I don't want to be 21 anymore. I would miss all my highs and lows, all my successes and failures - that so lovely frame our lives. And I hope there will be more highs and lows to come for a long time - even so it's not indefinite.









Sources: "The Picture of Dorian Gray" (Oscar Wilde).
These two shots and others of mine are available for publication  through a photo agency, Dispatch Press Images, DPI. The pictures are also featured in my ClickASnap portfolio and in my Niume blog.

Squirrel Study I

During a smoke break this tree squirrel showed up, I guess to give me some company.

I got my camera, sat down or even laid flat on my stomach and let the little feller do what he does best. Digging up roots, looking for a nut and checking out the neighbourhood. All these pictures (a study II) will follow were shot during the same break.

Made It Clean

"I told you, I made the shot, clean. No I did not touch the four ball on the way to the hole." The statement is imagined but it goes well with image. That said I feel comfortable and love to shoot in bars, there is something special about it.

And the only way to improve your aim and your shooting in pool, is HAMB - Hit a Million Balls. That said, I'm up to play next.

This and other shots of mine are available for publication through Dispatch Press Images.

Around White Rock Lake - Dallas

With cooler temperatures in the 80's (around 30C), after the sweltering summer heat, people are starting to come out again and to enjoy a leisurely Sunday. Biking around "White Rock Lake" in Dallas. The trail around the lake is 9.33 miles (15km) long and also serves for the White Rock Marathon, a qualifier for the more famous Boston race.

If not biking, you can stroll along the lake and find a variety of flora and fauna to explore. Basically a water reservoir in the middle of the metroplex this place also offers casual fun, not just on Sundays.

This and other shots of mine are available for publication through Dispatch Press Images.

72 - Gettin' Ready

This cowgirl is getting ready outside of the Fort Worth Coliseum (the first indoor rodeo arena) to Barrel Race, while an earlier contest is leaving head down.

Goal is to ride in the fastest time around three barrels in a cloverleaf pattern. When they enter the arena, they are at full speed, "attacking" the first barrel, circle it, hitting the other barrels (2 & 3) and then gallop as fast as possible back to the starting line.

The riders pay an entry-fee and according to the number of contestants riding, the winning money is either won alone or split up to place four, if there are a huge number of riders. The rodeo, which also features cowboy events as bull and bare bronc riding and roping takes place every Friday and Saturday in the Stockyards of Fort Worth. Not all events take place on the same day, for more information check out their official Website, Stockyardsrodeo.com.

Sources: barrelhorseworld.com, stockyardsrodeo.com
This shot and other photography of mine are available through Dispatch Press Images for publication.

Donald Lee - Fort Worth Drover

While strolling through the stockyards in Fort Worth, I ran into drover Donald Lee. Dressed in vintage looking western outfits, he helps twice daily (11:30am and 4pm) to drive a herd of longhorn cattle through East Exchange Avenue. Easy job, somebody may perceive quite quickly, well not that fast.

Besides riding out there in everything from ice and snow to 110 (43C) degree weather, there is also the upkeep (like shoveling manure) of the horse, the stable, the cattle herd and the pens. And if this is not enough, like all the other drovers, they are also ambassadors, spreading goodwill about the old traditions, the history of the cattle drives and why they disappeared as well as educating kids about the daily life and chores, like branding.

The big cattle drives are long gone, their heyday being between 1860 - 1890. The only cattle being auctioned off these days is by satellite video conference. So go out, visit the Stockyards in Fort Worth and learn something from the past. For more information visit the Visitor Center online or in person.

He also rides in his spare time, below you can see him and Molly, a paint.

Sources: Branding Picture & Video courtesy of Donald Lee, http://www.fortworthstockyards.org/, Fortworth.com
This shot and other photography of mine are available through Dispatch Press Images for publication.

Study In Rust II

I like rust and it's decaying beauty. Often The oxidizing makes for some really beautiful discoloration and delivers an almost abstract sense of morbidity and attractiveness.

This is a detail part of an oil rig. Left and abandoned, weathering away in North Texas.

Technology Training

The gossip factory is working overtime. Will the new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus see the light of day on 9/7, will CEO Tim Cook lift the veil, what about the design and all the features. Leaks are already talking about a dual-camera, a new operating system IOS 10 with 75 new features and changes. And if you're lost you will have to go back to training to use tomorrow's technology today.

These shots and other photography of mine are available through Dispatch Press Images for publication.

Downtown Dallas

Dallas has been in the news lately. I hope that the message of unity - even after the senseless killing of five police officers - shone through. Come to Dallas and enjoy this bustling megaplex in North Texas. Take a stroll downtown, visit Thanksgiving Square (above) and be prepared to change your view. Dallas has nothing to do with the TV show of the same name, which probably hurt this town more than actually reflecting the inclusiveness and diversity this city projects. Just wandering around you will find tons of great opportunities to shoot. Dallas is "a steel and concrete soul with a warm hearted love disguise" as it says in Jimmie Dale Gilmore's song "Have You Ever Seen Dallas From A DC-9 At Night?"

This shot and other photography of mine are available through Dispatch Press Images for publication.
Originally published at Downtown Dallas - Niume Photography Blog -  on July 29th, 2016.