Community Entrances

When someone is rich, he/ she wants to do something special even if it is not utilitarian. Likewise rich neighborhoods in the US build edifices to show off their communities to others. As I meander around the DFW metro area living my life I have captured images of some of these communities. In my opinion this money could have been better spent on education of children in poorer neighborhoods, providing underprivileged kids with sporting facilities, etc. But ultimately the person who has the money has to decide on what he wishes to spend it....

Vistas of Waterside Weekend Getaways - V

The more I dig into my travel pictures the more waterside pictures I come up with. It is simply amazing to see how many water systems have been constructed, maintained, or preserved even as the cities in US become larger and the villages make way for residential communities and towns. For a year and a half we lived in Carrollton, Tx in an apartment which was set on the banks of a dried up creek. Water flowed probably once a year in the creek when it rained really hard. Nevertheless the creek was maintained as a wooded green belt area by the city and served as a buffer zone for urban wildlife to sustain. On good days I saw rabbits, racoons, and the elusive opossum darting about in the creek. Of course there were a number of birds, rodents, and other creatures which are not of a big consequence. Here are some water front pictures of Carrollton, Tx.

The boat pier at the Keller Springs Lake

Keller Springs Lake

Goose proudly posing on the banks of Keller Springs lake, Carrollton

The fish stocking pond in the Arbor hills nature preserve

Anther view of the fish stocking pond in the Arbor hills nature preserve

Watch Tower in Grand Canyon, Az and Carrollton, Tx

Grand Canyon 069, originally uploaded by srinidhilv.

Yesterday I blogged about this unique recent structure built in Historic site of Grand Canyon. Well when I came to Dallas area first I saw a similar structure outside a ranch at the border of Carrollton and Plano cities. But the tower in Texas is not as large or as tall and has a water fall in its center. I wonder why the owner of the property built the tower, but this provides a hint of beauty to the site.

Spring Greenery

Spring is here and there is greenery all round. Here are some Texas spring views.

Iced up plants and everything else

The past couple of days were pretty iced up and things were not so comfortable. Cold winds lashed out at us making it difficult to walk out of the coze heated home. But since we had to venture out for work I thought I'd as well make use of the opportunity to capture a few pictures of the ice which had accumulated pretty much everywhere.

Views of Carrollton

I compiled some of the pictures I captured of Carrollton, Tx the place where I currently live and tried to present it in the form of a video. Do let me know how well I fare in presenting the city to you.

Cold and Icy in Carrollton

Yesterday was perhaps the coldest day of the season the morning saw me getting into a car caked with ice. There was about a centimeter of hard ice on the windshield and the body of the car. Visibility from inside the car was hazy and blur. I had to wait for nearly 15-20 minutes with the heater on before I could actually move the car. Even then I had to get out of the car and remove the ice with bare hands before I could start off. Later in the evening I walked around the apartment complex capturing the frozen icicles on trees, traffic signs etc...

Frozen Windshield & trees without leaves

One of the biggest pains during winter in the US is frozen windshields. When you get out of the house in the morning and into the car you will see an opaque windshield. Over the night mist would have settled on the glass and frozen over to create a sheet of ice on the glass. The next process is quite painful... fire up the engine and start the heater and wait for the next 4-5 minutes for the ice to melt and then start driving. The wait is often times frustrating because in winter first of all I tend to oversleep and will be already late for work... Anyway Here are some pictures of trees shorn off all leaves and some trees getting ready to shed leaves and of course the car with a ice-coated windscreen.

Fall Colors in Carrollton, Tx

I have been busy going through my college, radio shows, volunteering and other stuff that I almost missed capturing the beauty of fall in my camera. Last weekend I finally got around to do it and here are the amazing hues of nature. Of course most of the pictures have been shot inside the apartment complex I live in and couple have been captured outside in places like Irving and Plano, places that I frequently visit.

It has been years since I rode a bicycle and this was definitely a welcome change. For I have always loved bicycling and but since I didn't have any recent pictures of riding bicycles I decided to get some shot and here they are. Do let me know what you think... do I look like Lord Ganesha on little rat or normal?

Cycling along the side walk (foot path) in the neighborhood

Another view of cycling, closer this time

Getting closer to the camera

Goofing around on the bicycle

More fun and games

Neighborhood where we cycled

Introducing Carrollton

Last week I picked up this map at the city library and decided to do a systematic look up of Carrollton city. The map has parks and attractions, shopping areas, public utilities, schools and historical locations marked out clearly. Thinking I would take in the locations which are closest to home I set out yesterday and visited two relatively new churches but, they are considered historic locations because the congregations of these shrines are old. Then I visited the Harvest Run Park which is a quaint park sited in the middle of a neighborhood. Here are some pictures of the locations. Read more about the churches on my blog about religious spaces in America.

One of the oldest churches in Carrollton

One of the oldest churches in Carrollton

Colorful sign in front of the church

Harvest Run Park
What is interesting about the Harvest Run Park is that though it is a very small park it has all the facilities. There are picnic and barbecue areas, a children's play area with synthetic flooring to minimise impact of falls, a large sheltered meeting area, rest rooms, a fountain (defunct), trash cans, well defined walking trails, etc. Though surrounded by homes on all sides the park looks like a piece of greenery and quiet.

The Harvest Run Park entrance

Children's play area with synthetic soft floors in the Harvest Run Park

Picnic area in the Harvest Run park

More Wild Flowers

The onset of spring has ensured that even the smallest weeds and plants give forth most colourful blossoms. Today as we walked around our neighborhood I chanced upon these colourful flowers which add beauty to the otherwise manicured and quite boring green lawns, which are mowed even on pavements/ sidewalks. It is good that these people have maintained their creeks and streams and not let them disappear in the face of urbanisation. The creeks present a beautiful sight during spring, when water trickles down in the center flanked by lush green grass and flowering plants. Here are pictures of some of the flowers which I tried to capture in my lens.

Beautiful wild flowers blossoming along the pavements

Bright yellow flowers are a joy to behold

Isn't blue a soothing colour?

Bluer than the sky and beautiful too

Pink flowers in such large clusters never fail to attract attention

Pink flowers swaying in the wind are tricky to capture in the lens

Finally some closer views are possible... but not perfect. I will keep trying throughout the spring