Granny Geek

Because of an accident, American glass sculptor Dale Chihuly hasn’t been able to hold a glass-blowing pipe since 1979. His associates, though, have carried on his tradition of playful, imaginative and colorful pieces. 

We expected the 15 or so pieces of Chilhuly’s work that are on exhibit at the Dallas Arboretum to be gorgeous. And they are.

Just as stunning, though, are the 50,000 pumpkins spread around the 66 acres of the Arboretum. 

White pumpkins.

Traditional, orange pumpkins. 

Pumpkin houses. 

And a whole classroom of really cute punkins! 

Enjoy the season at the Arboretum! 

It was rush hour at the grocery store. The Express checkout line was long, but it was moving quickly. The young woman ahead of us—she appeared to be in her late teens—was impatient. She was pacing, in place, and groaning quietly. She turned around, looked at me, and said frantically, “I forgot my phone in the car. What time is it?”

She wasn’t wearing a watch. I’ve noticed that many young people no longer wear a watch. They rely on their cell phones to find out what time it is. Not a bad idea, actually.

I held out my left wrist so that she could see my watch. It’s not a fancy watch. It’s a simple, easy-to-read, everyday watch that doesn’t require batteries. It operates on light. You read that right. No batteries. Nothing complicated. Just a plain, ordinary watch. Easy to read at a quick glance.

Her eyes widened. “I can’t read that,” she said in dismay. “I have to see the numbers.”

Nope. She didn’t mean that she needed to see the Arabic numerals on the face of the watch. Yep. She had to have a digital readout to know the time.

I’m still gobsmacked.  If you don’t know how to read an analog face on a clock, how did you learn fractions? How did you learn to add fractions? (“How much is a half hour plus a quarter of an hour?”)  Never mind. I told her the time, without comment.

I wish we would have had time for conversation. Maybe a few questions about fractions. Then again…maybe I really don’t want to know.

Every once in a while,  we get the urge for Fish and Chips. Fish that’s fried until it’s crisp on the outside but still moist on the inside.  Served with fries and malt vinegar. The kind of treat we loved when we lived in England. Something that looks like this:

Saddle up, Cliffies, and take the half-hour drive down Interstate 35 from South Dallas to Waxahachie and the College Street Pub.  The Fish and Chips hits the spot. So does the Shepherd’s Pie: seasoned ground meat (lamb or, in this case, beef) that’s topped with a crust of mashed potatoes. Gentle Ben pronounced the Shepherd’s Pie at the College Street Pub as “spot on.” It’s the best he’s tasted in Texas!

Service at the Pub is quick, efficient and friendly. The waitress actually smiled. As an added bonus, she did NOT tell us her name or recite a list of  her favorite items on the menu. I TOLD  you the service is excellent.

If you’re stuck in a burger rut, there are plenty of those on the menu. And several beers on tap.

Worth the drive!

For the past several years, driving through the intersection of Jefferson and Westmoreland here in Oak Cliff has resembled a bad carnival ride. Potholes, cracked pavement and uneven surfaces resulted in lots of bumping, thumping, bouncing  and shaking. Dogs and small cars were known to disappear into the holes and ruts.

All that changed yesterday when, after myriad repairs, the City put a coat of blacktop on the street. WOWZA!  What a difference. It’s a smooth cruise through the area now. 

BTW, if you’re in the market for a used fire station, that yellow building with two garage doors is going on the auction block.  It’s the old Fire Station 26, which was built in 1945 and abandoned in 2002 when a new station was built. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The original station #26 was located at 3303 West Jefferson Blvd., and built in 1945 at a cost of $40,000 to serve the West Oak Cliff area. Built on a slope with a rock foundation, #26 has 7,315 square feet. Because of the numerous times the station has been remodeled and its “unusual” foundation, the station has seven different floor levels. Designed and constructed as a two story building, Station #26 is one of the few remaining stations with poles. 

 

Here’s the bad news.

Thieves have made off with the air conditioning units at the Martin Weiss Community Center here in Oak Cliff.  These no-good-niks cut through cyclone fencing to steal BOTH units: one from each side of the building.

The Martin Weiss Center is a favorite place for folks in our hood: there’s a busy schedule of activities for Seniors, exercise class, after-school activities for kids, and the Center is a voting place. Plus, there’s a swimming pool. You get the idea. The place is always crowded, so the loss of AC affects many of us in the community.

 

Early voting has started here in Dallas. So far, the signs outnumber the voters at our local polling place: Voters, 121;  Signs, 172.

We live in Dallas County District 4. Our Commissioner is not up for re-election this year.

John Wiley Price, “Our Man Downtown,” IS up for re-election this year. His signs are scattered throughout our District.

Price certainly has his share of problems.  We’ve lived in Dallas for only six years, so I don’t know a lot about his past. IMO, though, he’s been off his game for a long time.  And he’s off base again.  Mr Price, please instruct your peeps on the boundary lines of your district and tell them to get your signs out of our hood! Lord knows, we have enough of our own.