Drilling for Oil

    The Dallas Stars played host to the hated Edmonton Oilers on Saturday afternoon. A scrapper of a game which the Stars took an early lead in but they weren't able to hang on. Edmonton tied it up in the third and eventually won in a shoot out. 

  The team definitely had their chances but just could not come up with the win.

New Snowfall

Chill a drop of water a little too much and it turns into a beautiful crystal, fluttering down from the clouds like little parachutes of fun or horror depending on what is attached to your feet. A pair of skis or a snowboard and you are in for an outrageously good time. Trying to drive on a road or walk on a covered sidewalk and it gets a little dangerous indeed.

The first snow of the season is always a little bit of a surprise. Leaves are still green and hanging on plants, the ones that change color are still hanging on spindly twigs with light dustings of white on top. It brings out the excitement of the season for everyone and creates a finality to the fall just past.

Quick Strike

    Just another hockey game on a really busy sports weekend leaves the NHL game between the Dallas Stars and The Tampa Bay Lightning as the long lost step child in the weekend adventures. The Stars took e a 3 to 1 lead in the 3rd period but almost loose the goose by giving up 2 late period goals.

   Seemed like the team even felt the lack of enthusiasm for the areas most recent sports import. They ended up saving grace with a Wandell goal 2 minutes into the overtime period for the win. Hope they keep that up since they have played way too many overtime games already this season.

The Dallas Cowboys played the Washington Redskins for an NFC East divisional game on Sunday. Turned out the only thing pretty about this one was the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders along the sidelines.

With a final score of 7 to 6 and the Cowboys not getting the winning touchdown till the last 2 minutes there were not a whole lot of things to brag about for either team. Guess all the fans just talked about how impressive the new stadium was and the fact that the sun didn't shine on them during the game.

NASCAR Weekend

   Ahhh, the smell of race fuel and the stench of smoking tires in the morning. Smells like victory, at least for someone at Texas Motor Speedway as the NASCAR boys roll into town. Add some barbeque and a whole lot of beer and you got a real Texas party.

    Couple of big surprises with Kurt Busch winning in a fuel mileage duel and Jimmie Johnson making an early exit, and a whole lot of over promotion to go around. Seemed that most everyone had fun under some gorgeous weather.

New Museum

   After a couple of years of construction and a whole new look, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History is in the final stages of preparation before opening the new building designed by the famed Legoretta & Legoretta architects.

   The coolest part is still the exhibits like the Planetarium and the Dinosaurs displays though. Got a preview of some of them and the capabilities of the new equipment. Pretty darn impressive for kids of all ages.

Breezy days

  Kiteboarding is really a visual sport so Im gonna keep this rather brief. Just a bunch of buddies at the lake on a windy day before the water really gets cold. Shaking out the cob webs from a rather windless summer and just getting a little wild at Benbrook lake in western Tarrant county. 

Wet Web

   Moisture hangs in the air, it drapes like a cloak weighing heavy on shoulders that are already drooped from the deprivation of sunshine. It sets the mood for a depressing movie. Damp, wet, moldy walls and ivy grows everywhere. 

  This is Texas. Land of cactus and horses and dry, dusty trails. It sure would be difficult to argue for global warming's lasting effects at the moment. Stock tanks are full, the rivers are exceeding their banks and the kayaking is like a western river in spring floods. Big water, big waves and lots of wood to duck. 

  I think I am going thru vitamin "D" withdrawal. I need the sun, and it would let me get some work done as well.

A Little Early

  I thought the stores breaking out halloween candy before the kids were even off to school was getting a little ahead of the curve, but shooting Turkey and dressing today makes me realize that I contribute to the process too. 

  The bird was a golden brown and the cornbread stuffing would have gone great with the rest of the fixins' but since it has not even been cold outside yet, I could not even get myself to try it. Call me scrooge but there is a time for everything, and this ain't it!

Day at the Deathstar

   I walked into Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones new stadium known around here as the Death Star on Monday to work for the first time. Shooting pictures of the Monday Night game against the Carolina Panthers. The place is huge, and after running around to shoot some pictures of fans before hand it becomes crystal clear how huge it really is. I was getting leg cramps from walking to the parking lot to shoot features. 

  The team however is something completely different. They pulled out a win, but I sure would not call it decisive. Lots of mistakes and the defense is what kept the offense in the game. Makes you wonder if the Cowboys are really just a sideshow now. At least Tony Romo was not the goat this week, with Tashard Choice having a big game and Felix Jones suffering an injury after a long carry. Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme was biting his tongue, hoping things would change, but they just didn't.  

  The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders carry on the tradition of showing off the house that Jerry built in their blue and silver gogo getups. 

  

The Desperate Riders practice

  Finally, a little wind blew from the south and the Desperate Riders Association got a practice session in. The crew showed up in full force, a little rusty from lack of time on the water. Created some spectacular crashes and a even a few new moves thrown in. Really was great to get out and ride a bit before the water starts to cool off. I think we all remembered why we started doing this stuff, then the crazy clouds came in and ruined all the fun. 

  Rain for the 5th day in a row and even the snails are up to their eyeballs looking for a dry place to hang. Funny to watch them squirm and not even leave tracks. It has been years since I sat and watched one slither over rough terrain.

   Even though they travel really slowly when you watch that closely it becomes apparent that they move pretty quickly for their size and mode of transport. Astounding when you think that they are carrying a one bedroom on their back even while climbing the equivalent of Pikes Peak.

  You go little guy, just dont eat my plants!

   So Montana is called big sky country, but there are definitely days when Texas gets short changed in that category. Most of the state is pretty flat so you have a great vantage point and a true 180 degree fishbowl. 

  Looking around you really take notice of the variations that you see. I've seen skies so blue in West Texas that it makes your eyes hurt and the clouds that form with an approaching storm can be everything from cotton balls to great balls of fire. I still get caught off guard once in a while with some crazy new color or pattern that I just haven't noticed.

  Other day, the ozone was kind of heavy and the sun was starting to go down with a pattern of little cotton balls. Shot this one as it appears, no color shifting or any funny computer stuff, just a little underexposure so that the sun wasn't completely blown out.

  Looks like a tobacco filter or something but just straight up mother nature. Still amazing after all these years. Wonder what Im gonna see today.