You know that sinking feeling you get when a cop pops up in your rear view mirror? Read this post from the Blimpin’ Ain’t Easy blog to see what happened when pilot Keith Krause, Jr, was flying a blimp over Fort Worth and a FWPD Helicopter pulled up next to him! Awesome photos of downtown Fort Worth too! Krause pilots the Met-Life Snoopy 2 blimp for the Lightship Group and is in town for this weeks PGA Byron Nelson Championship in Las Colinas
Texas photographer Robb Kendrick, a regular contributor to National Geographic, was written up in the New York Times. Kendrick eschews modern photographic techniques when making his portraits of cowboys. Instead of digital, he uses an archaic, expensive, toxic and time consuming tin-plate process to make his beautiful portraits that explore the lives of modern cowboys.
“Many cultures threatened by so-called progress can lose much in a matter of one or two generations,” Kendrick wrote in his new book Still: Cowboys at the Start of the Twenty-First Century. “But cowboys — actual working cowboys, in all their manifestations — proudly and determinedly endure.”
Speaking of old-timey photographs, for which I am a total sucker, here’s a panorama from the Library of Congress of downtown Fort Worth April 11, 1918, when the Army’s 36th Division paraded through town. Click on the image to view HUGE.
West And Clear compadre Steve B shares a few more of his observations from last weekend’s Main St Arts Festival.
And while you are at it, check out inmemoryofradio’s (nee Michael Hollis) excellent photos on flickr of the music offerings at the Main Street Arts Festival.
“Long time Fort Worthians see major storms as mile-markers in life; they are points of inflection. The big April hailstorm back in 80 that caused 60 million bucks worth of damage and everyone got a new roof, and the Mayfest hailstorm in 95 where fathers were jumping on top of their children to protect them, along with the colossal downtown tornado in 2000 that turned a proper office tower into a plywood obelisk for the next three years or so.
We know the cost of storms in both blood and treasure, but we have persevered and thusly wear them as a badge of honor and with a sense of humor. It’s a lot like racing, we watch to see the big crash and hope everyone walks away safely.”
Want to see the “big crash” again? TornadoVideos.net has killer video of the tennis bail sized hail that slapped the area last week.
And speaking of “big crashes,” the Star-Telegram had to cut another 15 jobs, 8 from the newsroom. Ouch, all collegial jocularity aside, best of luck to those on the way out. And the rest of you…Go out a buy a paper, right now. I mean still read West And Clear, but a free (as in speech, not beer, bro), thriving press is as vital to American Democracy as voting and the slow death of newspapers isn’t a good direction for our society.
Dave Dondoneau, a reporter for the Honolulu Advertiser, made a recent homecoming of sorts to Fort Worth, and wrote up a kind review of his trip. He stopped by The Love Shack for a burger, recounts the time he challenged Tim Love to a hot sauce face-melt-off, and made an obligatory stop at Railhead. Dondoneau writes “Fort Worth also has one of the most underrated museum and art districts in the world.”
Now if only I can get the rest of the W&C to authorize a trip to Hawaii so I can write a reciprocal review. Please write us at Whisper in a Panther’s Ear demanding more Pacific Island-centric coverage by Pete G on West And Clear. Thank you. It can be so hard working with these guys. They just don’t understand my our reader’s needs.
Spring Cleaning! The crew over at the Amon Carter Musuemshow how they do the annual cleaning/touch-up of the Henry Moore statues in front of the world class museum.
Don Ferrier is the president of Fort Worth based Ferrier Custom Homes and has been called one of the godfathers of green builing. He gets a 10 question shakedown from the Home & Garden blog at consumerreports.org. Here’s how he builds ‘em round these parts:
“It starts with orientation. In our climate, that means controlling the sun to keep the house from getting too hot. A combination of trees, porches, and overhangs shields the glass portions of the house. They’re angled in such a way that during the the summer, when the sun is high in the sky, solar heat gain isn’t an issue. But come winter, when the sun is lower in the sky, it warms the house.”
See? It doesn’t take much. Here’s to smartly designed homes. And I know you are dying to know what he thinks about the Starter Castles that are endemic in the FW/D Metroplex:
“I think you had a lot of us baby boomers that grew up with very frugal beginnings, but then had a small to a large degree of success. We never had the big house earlier in our lives and so it became a status symbol. “I was raised without and I had to do without and I don’t have to do that anymore, and I’m going to build something to prove it.” Fortunately, the mindset has changed. There are still McMansions being built but not as many. You see a lot of people saying they want to do the right thing now.”
And Fort Worth Hole in the Wall is looking to make note of all the outdoor dining options in Fort Worth. Nothing beats a warm night out on the patio of your Fort Worth favorite restaurant.
West and Clear’s rock and roll pal Paul Bollwrites up a recap of a recent Rumblers gig in Austin. Sounds like the previously impromptu band, which features cool cat Johnny Reno and filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, is becoming a regular gig-player. Awesome!
The Fortworthianlaments the lack of a good independent record store in Fort Worth. I feel your pain brother. Although the Ernest Tubb Record Shop in the Stockyards is at least one of my favorite places ever. Shoot, it be too long before there ain’t no record stores anywhere period.
Great freaking job, PeteG. Funny thing is I actually know Dave Dondeneau — we worked together back at the S-T. He’s a great guy and I’m bummed that I didn’t get to tip a beer with him while he was in town.
I don't want to give away all our secrets, but the West and Clear team uses just about every Google product available, including a few not even on that list.
5 Comments, Comments or Pings
Pete Wann
The cat video kind of freaked me out.
Apr 21st, 2008
Darren White
You know, it’s been a few years since I’ve been to Ernest Tubb. What the place lacks in diversity, it certainly makes up for in atmosphere.
And I’ll be the last man shouting for record shops. iTunes just don’t know how to make a good rec’.
Apr 21st, 2008
Connie
I won’t buy the S-T because I absolutely hate the new layout. I would get home delivery every day if they would change it back. Hate, hate, hate.
Apr 21st, 2008
Steve-O
Great freaking job, PeteG. Funny thing is I actually know Dave Dondeneau — we worked together back at the S-T. He’s a great guy and I’m bummed that I didn’t get to tip a beer with him while he was in town.
Apr 21st, 2008
peteg
Thanks!
Apr 26th, 2008
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