2184 replies to this topic

[Brian Luenser]

My wife Debbie, the enchanting and delightful, took her two best friends, Nuns from St. Patrick's Downtown, to Ennis to see the Blue Bonnets yesterday. These two Nuns are on loan from the Philippines for 2 years. I am only hoping my wife does not go back the Philippines with them.

She said they were completely amazed by the flowers. They sang the entire day and said they would remember it forever. (I know my wife will) I know there are Blue Bonnets everywhere in Texas but sure enough Ennis has a wrap on the best I think. Here are a few i-phone shots Debbie took. These dang i-phones do take pretty good shots. Very wide dynamic range to me.


Wife and Nuns



Sister Josi taking a break from dancing in the flowers.



These Nuns are so crazy about riding in my pickup truck that my wife always makes me take her 4 door car to work. They are like 5' tall and it takes a while to get them in. But for some reason it is like a roller coaster ride to them. One Nun has never driven and the other got her first drivers license this year. (don't get behind her)

[Cowtown Mike]

Brian,
Looks like they had fun. The Bluebonnets are always great to see each spring. I am glad to know you are also married to a Debbie. My Debbie refers to herself as Debbie #1 as two of my brothers are also married to Debbie's. Gets a little confusing sometime.

[Brian Luenser]

They had an amazing time. A pretty strange scene having millions of flowers in nature. (Also see, Wizard of Oz)

Ya, my wife's Mother admits to naming her after the big deal in the 50's, Debbie Reynolds. My wife always says she can get in an elevator full of women her age and call Debbie and half the people will respond. We have a neighbor in the Tower that is also Debbie Ann, like my wife. My wife grew up as Debbie Fink so she appreciated a very acceptable first name. I never thought I would marry somebody that wanted to take my name, Luenser. But sure enough I did! I would rather have taken her name. Fink is easy to spell and pronounce. (My family name started out as Von Lünser) That is why I am the only Brian Luenser in the world.

[Brian Luenser]

After walking my wife to St. Patrick's this morning, I walked around a bit in the fog. (Many would tell you I always walk around in a fog) Great, we got so much rain yesterday. Except for those that have a tarp where their roof used to be, of course. Reading in the Star Telegram this morning about the very warm Spring. We are going to need this rain in short order. Come on down...

[John T Roberts]

Downtown looks interesting in the fog.

[Cowtown Mike]

Downtown looks interesting in the fog.

Nice fog pics............ready to make me go back to sleep.

[Brian Luenser]

This morning at 6:50am. 2 handheld shots while on my walk.

[bburton]

"777 Main"

[Doohickie]

Downtown looks interesting in the fog.

I think sunshine is overrated. Give me a misty morning any day.

[Brian Luenser]

Here is a little video I shot with my camera last night off my balcony just as it was getting dark. It is about 12 minutes compressed to 30 seconds. I think it is pretty fun. (17mm)

[Brian Luenser]

Some miscellaneous shots from my rare day off.

Here is a shot of what looks like the US Navy landing a big plane on the Lake Worth Bridge. (They did touch and goes with this bird) Hazy day but took the shot anyway.


While I was on my balcony with my massive lens, I heard the police chirp of a motorcycle cop below me. (like 360' below me.) Took that bad boy off my tripod and pointed it straight down at this lady getting pulled over. Pretty stinking strange angle for this shot. So I like it.






This XTO parking lot between Throckmorton and Houston is really beautiful.



While out with my wife, she thought she needed a yogurt from Yumilicious Yogurt shop. I did not figure there was anything in there I could eat on my 100% healthy bizarre diet. But... I had a cup of fresh fruit. (Kiwi, Blueberries and Strawberries.) Was outstanding.



World's best wife finishing her yogurt outside. (in case she ever reads this)

[Cowtown Mike]

What a wonderful day to be outdoors.

[John T Roberts]

I agree that yesterday was a perfect day to be outside. I spent my evening with Mayor Betsy Price on her weekly bicycle ride with the public.

[Russ Graham]

Here are some Main St Arts fest pics. (Camera geekery: I just got a new wide-angle lens (Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8) & wanted to get some cool wide-angle type shots...)

Anybody else take some festival pictures downtown this weekend?



"the obligatory colorful windmill shot"


Another one...


All different kindsa folks...


Trying to get as many heads in the shot as possible, with the newly refurbished courthouse in the background

[Ron Payne]

Great shots! We went to the festival at some point each of the 4 days, but amazingly enough, I left the camera at home!

[Brian Luenser]

A humid, breezy Spring morning. I go in late on Friday's so I am strapping on my heart monitor/ GPS and running to Target for Tea and strawberries. (Dangit. We need bleach?)

[Russ Graham]

Wow! Amazing Shot! It's rare to get skies and lighting like that, glad you took advantage. I bet you could sell prints of this one.

[ron4Life]

Wow that is a nice shot. Keep up the good work Brian..

[Brian Luenser]

^ Thanks guys. This started out as a construction progress shot, and then the Sun peaked out.

[Ron Payne]

Ho. Lee. Crap!!! Stunning! This gets my vote for the cover shot on the "Big Book of Forth Worth", should it ever be written and published! I hate that your pictures are so much better than mine, but I love that your pictures are so much better than mine!

[Brian Luenser]

^Thank you Ron!

Could not figure out what the crowds were this morning. Like traffic coming into town, tons of people around the Trinity and the old Tandy parking lot. Got the big lens after it (Telescope is in back room as my wife thinks having it in the living room uses up too much real estate) to see more "Fun in the mud" action. After searching "Fort Worth Mud April 28" I found it. The 2nd annual Dirty Scurry Adventure Run. For kids 5-14. I could hardly believe the crowds, and then I noticed this noticeon their web site... (Registration closed as we have reached our capacity) Wow. (X $20.00) Looked pretty fun if I could pull off being 14. (pretty sure my running shoes are 20)

200mm


800mm

[Cowtown Mike]

Great shots. That is a lot of little peeps downtown.

[John T Roberts]

I did not go to Main Street this year, even though the Fort Worth Bicycling Association and Bicycles, Inc. were manning the bike corral. My family drug me to the festival in Ennis and I will admit that the blue bonnets were as good as they were in the Hill Country.

Brian, we stopped for quite a while at the location where you took the pictures of your wife and the nuns. I also see that you caught a photo of Channel 5's Weather Radar in your shots, as well.

[Russ Graham]

Met some friends at the Prairie fest yesterday at Tandy Hills - nice day for bees & butterflies:

[Brian Luenser]

Spectacular Russ. Absolutely beautiful.

300mm? Is that a prime or zoom? Macro I guess?

[Russ Graham]

Spectacular Russ. Absolutely beautiful.

300mm? Is that a prime or zoom? Macro I guess?

Thanks Brian. It's a 70-300mm zoom, made by Promaster. It has a Macro setting on it that converts it from a tele to a macro - it locks it into something like 200-300mm, and then you can focus "closer" - the closest you can get is 4 feet. Another thing is the autofocus will not work at that range, it just hunts back and forth and makes a lot of noise, so these are all manual focus.

[Brian Luenser]

Russ, I have gone back to look many times at your first recent photo. (Bee) What a jewel of a shot.


They started installing real fencing for the Sundance Construction project today.




Fort Worth's finest inspecting Starbucks tonight. (Those are really cups of Latte' in their hands, those are hazardous material samples...)

[AndyN]

An unusual sight gliding past my office window a few hours ago. Union Pacific Steam Engine No. 844 with assistance from rare E-9 Diesels in A-B-A configuration. 844 just recently came back from repair at Georgetown Texas. It suffered an extreme braking issue which flattened the driving wheels. The drivers were removed at the Georgetown Railroad and shipped to Tennessee and Pennsylvania for rapid repair and return to service.

[Brian Luenser]

Had lunch today with WFAA Channel 8 reporter, Marcus Moore. We went to the Spiral Diner on Magnolia. (the first time I have eaten out since August) Spiral Diner fits the bill for healthy with no dead animal on top.

Marcus Moore is a delight. I have enjoyed having him on Channel 8 (I watch 8 at 10) covering mostly Fort Worth issues. He does a great job. He is originally from College Station. I predict he will go very far in whatever he does. (Super smart/ super nice combination) He has had an interesting life for his young age. He is a car nut. Races them, in fact. Even raced in Russia and several other Countries. (Legally, like on circuits) I hope he stays in Fort Worth but bet he will get snatched by ABC or somebody.

BTW he found me on this Forum. I talked to him first a few months ago after he was following some posts. He is also an architecture fan. I took a few shots of him. (Please, do not be shocked.)

[JBB]

That's cool. He's a great reporter.

[John T Roberts]

I have visited with him on the phone one time. The story he was doing was relating to bicycling, not architecture.

[Ron Payne]

An unusual sight gliding past my office window a few hours ago. Union Pacific Steam Engine No. 844 with assistance from rare E-9 Diesels in A-B-A configuration. 844 just recently came back from repair at Georgetown Texas. It suffered an extreme braking issue which flattened the driving wheels. The drivers were removed at the Georgetown Railroad and shipped to Tennessee and Pennsylvania for rapid repair and return to service.

I was quite amazed to see this two-block long train behind our building last night (T&P). I grabbed the camera and headed for the T&P warehouse, behind which the engine was resting, and was given permission by the UP cops to take some photos. If I remember to bring my camera cable to work tomorrow, I'll post some of them. They told me the steamer is a 1944, and the trailing engines are from about 1955. They said it was the first time this group had been run together, and it was pulling out at 7 this morning. No, I didn't get up early to run down the street again for more pictures, although we did hear them give a couple good blasts of the horn...

[Joshw]

I was quite amazed to see this two-block long train behind our building last night (T&P). I grabbed the camera and headed for the T&P warehouse, behind which the engine was resting, and was given permission by the UP cops to take some photos. If I remember to bring my camera cable to work tomorrow, I'll post some of them. They told me the steamer is a 1944, and the trailing engines are from about 1955. They said it was the first time this group had been run together, and it was pulling out at 7 this morning. No, I didn't get up early to run down the street again for more pictures, although we did hear them give a couple good blasts of the horn...

Man, I'd love to have seen this. Looking forward to the pictures.

[Brian Luenser]

Eating breakfast with my wife this morning with the balcony door open, we heard what sounded like an antique train. I did not see anything at that point because, unfortunately there was another train between it and me. But after it got a mile or two North of downtown I spotted it with my 800. Could have been decent pics if this had been in the afternoon with the Sun on my side of the train.

[Keller Pirate]

They are headed up to Oklahoma today via Bridgeport-Bowie and Ringgold. Got a date with a hamburger festival.

[Ron Payne]

As promised, pictures I took of the UP train that visited the city a couple days ago:

The back end, which extended a little ways past the east end of the T&P station "mid-rise" building (the new building)


The front end, which was about even with the west end of the T&P warehouse - this thing was about '3 blocks of classic train' long


Detail of the 1944 steamer


72" wheels (from what I was told - look more like 48" or 60" to me) - try putting THOSE on an 80's Chevy Caprice!


Large and expensive-to-fill gas tank, I assume


1955 vintage engine

[David Love]

...maybe we should have a trainspotting thread?

[Brian Luenser]

Great shots Ron!

Did you catch how many miles they had on them? I am joking, but do wonder. The really old one as well as the 1955.

[AndyN]

Sorry, I just had the one pic and thought daily digital was a good place to drop it. Didn't mean to hijack the thread. A trainspotting picture thread would be fine by me.

But, since it has been brought up, the Union Pacific website says the driver wheels on 844 are 80 inches!

[bburton]

The strangely colored sky last night before the storms came through. From my backyard.

[Brian Luenser]

Took this shot last night on the fringes of the storm. Not much rain on me but plenty of lightning and wind.

[David Love]

Last night right before the storm...

[Ron Payne]

And to throw in my 2 cents for the strange orange skies the other night:

[Ron Payne]

OK, slow at work, so here are a couple more from recent times:

From the storm March 19, I had the camera set on 'continuous' and took 240 pictures, trying unsuccessfully to catch the lightning. I finally gave up and set it on video, then captured this image - a little grainy, but I was happy that I even got this!


Cloudy evening skies April 25


And last, this morning's sunrise over the newly renamed Japanese hotel - the "Sherato" (c'mon guys - bankruptcy or not, fix your sign!)

[Brian Luenser]

Sure looks like you lightning shot got the crown of The Tower...

Maybe that's why I can't keep my hair combed.

[Ron Payne]

LOL maybe so! Actually, in the very next frame (0.06 seconds later), the bolt on the right lets go of the Tower, and only the bolt on the left remains. It holds on for one more frame, then disappears. It was the longest duration that I caught anything that night, and it still all happened in only 0.18 seconds - no wonder I couldn't catch anything by 'pushing the button'! Here are the two subsequent frames:

[Brian Luenser]

^ Good stuff Ron.

I am taking a vacation day tomorrow to attend the Groundbreaking of the Sundance construction. Here is my last night "Before Shot"

[John T Roberts]

I'm not going to be able to make it tomorrow, due to a meeting. I really wanted to attend, but work must come first.

[Cowtown Mike]

Brian,
I was just watching the 5:00 a.m. news and they were talking about Sundance Square and some of it was being blocked off. So what are they doing? Hope to see some pictures as they work, unless they put you under some gag order. LOL

Keep us posted.........

[Brian Luenser]

Took this after the big rain last night. About blew off of my balcony. (Remember to tell me wife to recover the chip from my camera as I will try to take shots all the way down.)