Bridges

Bridges link two places and make it easy for people to move from one end to another. This bridge built across a river/ creek close to downtown Dallas makes a statement that it is possible to have a little green space between an urban metropolis also.

Bob Woodruff Park, Plano

Fall in Plano is quite brown and grey but nature is beautiful nevertheless. The trails are covered with leaves. Even in the cold it is quite invigorating to take a stroll through the park.

Lake Ray Roberts Views along the Johnson Branch

Dead Wood on banks of Lake Ray Roberts



Lake Ray Roberts shoreline - great walking locale

Old Red Museum in Downtown Dallas

I had the opportunity to revisit Downtown Dallas and take in some of the sights it has to offer. Of course the Old Red Museum which used to be prison is one stately building that everyone should take a look at. Here are some pictures of the museum as it stands. I like the way it has been maintained with public funding. It is interesting to note that national and state pride makes these people spend enormous amounts of money to showcase their history and heritage to their own people and visitors alike.

The main signage for the Old Red Museum

Interior of the Museum - iron stairs leading to the main galleries

One of the exhibit halls of the museum

Dallas Love Field airport Showcased in the Museum

The representation of the General Store that existed in Dallas a century ago

cycle - strange looks and hard to ride

Native American Figurine

Downtown Dallas Revisited

I recently visited Downtown Dallas, this time as a guide to show someone around town... five years ago someone was driving me around doing the same. Now the roles are reversed, I am quite well versed with this area and armed with a GPS which will enable me to go anywhere I wish to. Anyway here are some pictures of Downtown area.

Lavon Lake from highway 380

Last week I was driving on 380 and chanced to cross the Lavon lake which supplies water to most of the cities around. The lake's water levels have drastically gone down as a result of the drought this region has experienced during the past couple of years. Here are few pictures...

Winter Sky Views of Rural Texas

Mineral Wells Fossil Park

Last week when I went to Mineral Wells, TX for work I took some time off to visit the Fossil Park. This is an open piece of slightly undulating terrain where fossils of prehistoric creatures can be found. Entry to the park is free and apart from a fence, gate, board and a portable restroom, there is nothing else on the site. Sited amidst ranches and farms this park is one of the most under developed locations I have been to in the state of Texas.


It is so remote that the road leading to the park is not surfaced. I had to drive bumping on the gravelly surface for about 7 miles to reach the park. Nevertheless it is a worthy place to visit.

Here are some pictures:

Rural Roads in Texas

When I was in India and new in America I was under the impression that all roads in this country are fantastically paved super highways built so vehicles can whizz past hundreds of miles in a matter of hours. While this is largely true there are some roads that are not too different from Indian roads.


Case in point is the rural roads in Texas that I just drove past today in a bid to reach the Mineral Wells Fossil Park. This road known as "Indian Creek Road" is quite a mess, there is no trace/ sign of asphalt, it is mud and rock all the way the minute one turns off the highway and passes the Indian Creek Cemetery. It seems as if after the cemetery the road construction is also dead.


Here are some pictures :-

The Great American Mistake - continues to be celebrated

Lake Mineral Wells State Park

Texas State Parks system comprises of several vast natural spaces, each with a lake, forest and recreational areas. Among the parks I like the Lake Mineral Wells State Park for its beautiful environment including the lake, rock formations and nice forested hiking trails.

Vietnam War Memorial near Mineral Wells, TX - II

Continuing my post about the Vietnam Museum near Mineral Wells, TX I would like to present some more pictures of the place. This place is located on a fairly large parcel of land on the highway. The impressive feature is that this land was donated by four individuals towards building this museum/ memorial. Then there are others who have donated in various capacities to create the verdant and peaceful place that it is. There is a nice flower garden with a Gazebo in the center, military vehicles of the Vietnam war era are on display on one side of the property. This museum is still under construction and as such it is not fully operational. Even for a project under creation it is totally visitable.


Here are more pictures of the project.

The wall in which names of martyrs are etched.

Soldiers Cross - sculpture

The Gazebo amidst flower garden

Powerful message - if only Indians were to understand this message

Battle Ship Texas

The Battleship Texas is one of the older warships that belonged to the US Navy. Today it is a floating museum in the channel waters off the coast of Houston. This is part of the Texas State Parks network and being a member of the state parks I got free entry. The battle ship is meant to give a sneak preview of how warships operated and housed their officers and sailors. Who ate in silver cutlery and who ate on steel plates, etc, how the guns operated, where ammunition was stored, who did the laundry, etc. It is an educative exhibit for those who are not aware of the workings of the Navy. For us it was another state park visit and learning history of this country, one site at a time.


Here are few pictures of the battle ship.

San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site

The San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site is a 1,200 acre is a sprawling green space for everyone to visit and enjoy. Sited on the site of the historic San Jacinto Battle which brought Texas its independence from Spanish/ Mexican occupation is a nice weekend getaway from the oil metropolis of Houston. It is thronged by millions of visitors annually, given its close proximity to the golden beaches of Galveston, the oil-business-hub of Houston and other important towns.


A visit to this monument provides an important lesson about the history of the state of Texas. Another important landmark here is the Battleship TEXAS State Historic Sites which is an old fully fitted battle ship which people can visit and learn about the living and working conditions of sailors and officers of the Navy. Here are few pictures of the monument and the battle ship

The Observation Tower at Sheldon Lake State Park

Sheldon Lake State Park is quickly developing into a fully fledged tourist attraction and in this direction they have built this tall observation tower which provides a birds eye view of all the surrounding area. The tower is accessible via multiple flights of stairs or an elevator and has wheel chair enabled ramps.

The tower was inaugurated quite recently and here is a picture of the dedication stone.

A view of the Sheldon Lake from atop the tower.

Proud and Independent

Proud to be Alone and in my habitat.
So What if I was introduced by you;
I am the master of my destiny.

When kids try to catch me
I play hide and seek
enjoying the game as much as they do...

I hope you will let me live
A full life till I die naturally
I sure don't want to be your dinner

World Press Photo of the year!

This picture by Samuel Aranda was awarded the World Press Photo of the year. It indeed displays lot of depth of human suffering. The sorrow and misery is not due to some natural calamity but because of the human greed that makes one kill another. The greed for power, money, and just to show one is superior than the other is simply destroying the world.

The Beautiful Ocean

The Ocean is Beautiful
It is full of water
that can't be put to use
to drink, grow crops or clean homes

The ocean provides life support
for millions of creatures
from microscopic to mammoth size
but for human beings it remains a mystery

Generation Gap

I captured this picture during my travels in rural Karnataka. I visited a small tomb shrine of Siddis and came across this mendicant with a young visitor. The lifestyle and age of these two men are widely different and they clearly belong to different worlds, but the shrine brings them together and makes them stand shoulder to shoulder. I believe this kind of phenomenon where tradition meets modernity can happen only in India.

Vistas of Sherman, Texas

Sherman is a small town far north of Dallas. Strictly not a part of the DFW Metro area but it is not surprising to see people from Sherman working in Dallas and commuting everyday. I was driving past Sherman and since I was passing through downtown area of this nondescript city I just captured some of the imposing positive images to present on my blog.

When foreigners come to India they don't want to capture images of opulence, such as the swank malls in Bengaluru, or Mumbai but they want to go to the slums, find poor people and take these images. I guess this will give them an ego boost that they are better than us. But we Indians in America don't do that, we would take pictures of things that praise our adopted residence.