Serenity Amongst Thousands of Fair Visitors

At the State Fair of Texas, even amongst the ten of thousands of daily visitors - on average it's roughly 100'000 a day - you may find a bit of serenity and peace of mind. While the area around the rides and games at Midway may be too crowded for you, just take a leisurely stroll on the fringes of the park, on Kid's Boardwalk.

Not only is there a calm, no name "lagoon" with a Texas Loch Ness monster, but there are also a couple of benches and green space to sit down, stretch your legs and relax for a little while, while watching the Texas Star © Ferris Wheel in the back slowly turning its rounds.

Sources: bigtex.com

Big Tex Says Howdy Y'All

Big Tex, the greeter at the State Fair of Texas in all its glory. After its predecessor burnt down in 2012, a new, bigger and taller Big Tex was built at a cost of $ 500'000. 55 feet (16.7m) tall, a chest that spans 33 3/4 ft (10.3m), with hands the size of 5 1/2 ft (1.7m) and a boot-size of US 96 (Euro 129) - if my calculation is right, there isn't an official shoe size converter for that size of shoe, sorry cowboy boot with a height of 12 ft (3.6m). BTW, he wears top notch Lucchese boots, and his cloth are made by Dickies. The pants won't fit into a commercial washer, they weigh 100 lbs (45.4kg) and normally last three seasons, before they have to be exchanged. He is so famous, that even the website for the State Fair of Texas simply uses bigtex.com as their URL.

Can't wait till next year to go say "Howdy" to Big Tex again.

Sources: bigtex.com

Through These Doors

Mid-century modern style Municipal Annex building, finished in 1956 by architects Smith & Mills. Once home to Dallas City Hall for 22 years and the Dallas Police Department, the building these days houses the municipal courts.
Most notably, it was in this facility’s underground garage where Jack Ruby fatally shot Lee Harvey Oswald on November 24, 1963, and which still attracts curious tourists fifty years later.

Sources: Dallas City Newsroom
This shot and others are available for publication through photo agency, Dispatch Press Images, DPI. It is also featured in my ClickASnap and Flii.by portfolio and in my Niume photography sphere blog.

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

All the sailboats are still out. Everyone is still enjoying the breeze on this lazy Sunday afternoon on White Rock Lake in Dallas. Right before the storm moves in again.

Cruisin' In Oak Cliff

Beautifully restored Lincoln Cosmopolitan 1949, caught cruisin' in Oak Cliff, in the Bishop Arts district of Dallas. This car has 337 cubic inch flathead V-8 with 152 horses and either runs with 4 speed Hydra-Matic automatic transmission or three speed manual transmission.

Not sure, as I was not able to talk to the owner, driver if the car was lowered, channeled to make it more of ground hugger. The value range is from about $ 10'000 to $ 50'000 at the top end, with an average of roughly $ 16'000. The convertible version is rarer and therefore more expensive.

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.

MOB Ties? Jack Ruby Ate Here! - Campisi's In Dallas

Sinatra and the rat pack on the jukebox. Jack Ruby ate here the night before John F. Kennedy was shot. It's dark and it's rumored to be a MOB hangout of old. Great-great granddaughter Amber appeared as a Playboy centerfold.

Yes, you are at Campisi's Egyptian Restaurant in Dallas.

I tried to give this place a dark look, as in "film noir" to enhance the mystery of Campisi's Egyptian Restaurant on Mockingbird.

For a full article (including a food review) about Campisi's please visit my other more food & travel oriented blog "Where In The Hell Is Carlton, Texas?"
This and other shots of mine are available for publication through Dispatch Press Images.

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.

Gilley's In Dallas - No Honky Tonkin' Anymore

Even though the name Gilley's does imply Dance hall, Honky Tonk and country music in general, the original Gilley's in Pasadena, Texas, was none the less founded by country singer Mickey Gilley and was the backdrop for the movie "Urban Cowboy," the new Dallas incarnation seized to be a Honky Tonk in 2011 "due to the high demand for private events" as their website puts it. The 92'000 square foot place now hosts pop, rock and hip-hop concerts and offers it's eight different rooms for private events.

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