River Legacy Park and Calloway Cemetery

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I got a job, and it hasn't left me much time for shooting. Yesterday, I took my camera out to River Legacy Park in hopes of getting some excercise and some good shots. I've lived in Arlington most of my life, and I've been to the park a few times (most recently to cover a Tea Party Protest for The Shorthorn), but I've never taken the time to explore the hiking trails along the Trinity River.


Yes, there are squirrels at the park.


There were also plenty of spiderwebs. I managed to get through without getting a face full of web, this little guy wasn't so lucky.




Several trees had been blown over over from storms we had a while back.



After I left the park, I planned to stop by the Bird's Fort site nearby. Few people know that the first pioneer settlement in Tarrant County, and one of the first in the Metroplex, was next to a small lake in north Arlington. The site is on private land and was fenced off, so I didn't get any shots of it. I'm not going to let this one drop, I'll keep you posted.

Right next to the site was Calloway Cemetery. With graves dating back to the 1870's, it is one of the oldest reminders of Arlington's pioneer past.




This sounds reasonable.



Some of the graves were in poor condition.




There were also many infant graves. A somber reminder of how hard times were back then, and how far we've come.




Some of the graves tell sad stories.






Some of the graves were elaborate, but most were simple.



The area around the cemetery was mostly industrial. Railroad tracks run past, and big metal buildings surround the property.


This was a fun day. I'm going to be looking for more projects and stories to cover on my days off work. Thanks for looking!

Fort Worth Stock Show

Last Friday I went to the 114th annual Fort Worth Stock show and rodeo. It was opening day, and crowds of people dressed in cowboy hats and boots were filing in for the festivities.


Banners above the rodeo arena displayed flags that had flown over the state of Texas, to honor the state's past and present.


Meg the cow's owners were happy to feed it some hay so I could get this shot.


This longhorn lived up to his name, and tried to take a poke at me when I got close to it.







This is my favorite shot of the day.


This adorable calf was on display in the Bordens exhibit in the showroom.


The stock show included a carnival, which lit up after the sun set.








The rodeo began with a bang, as horses burst through the stall carrying the six flags of Texas.



















As I was editing these pictures, I realized that it was my first shoot of 2010. A lot has changed in the last year, and I'm looking forward to what the new year will bring.

Thanks for looking!

Ft. Worth Avengers vs North Texas Stampede

Last Saturday I shot an exhibition game between the Ft Worth Avengers and the North Texas Stampede at the Fossil Ridge High School in Keller. It was a rowdy game, with both teams doing an impressive job. All the proceeds went to the Ronald McDonald House Charity in Fort Worth.



The Stampede and the Avengers are both semi-pro teams. The Avengers won their conference championship last year. I met the head coach of the Stampede last week when I shot their cheerleader tryouts, and when I spoke to him again he seemed confident that his team was going to win.



The Stampede didn't disappoint, scoring two touchdowns in the first half.
















My favorite shot of the night, the Stampede intercept a pass, leading to their second touchdown.







It was a rowdy game. It seemed like penalty flags were getting thrown after nearly every play, usually against both teams.





It wouldnt be a football game without cheerleaders. The Stampede dancers did not perform because they were the away team, though a few of the girls showed up to watch.



One of the players wore Spongebob PJ pants throughout the night, only taking them off when he went on the field.





The Stampede scored a third touchdown in the forth quarter, putting them ahead 20-14. However, they missed the field goal.



Minutes later, The Avengers scored again, tying up the game with a minute left.





The Avengers attempted a field goal to put them in the lead. They missed it, but because the Stampede earned another penalty (too many men on the field), the Avengers were given another chance.



This time, they went for the conversion. Somewhere underneath the dogpile that followed, someone made it to the end zone.



I had a great time shooting the game. Thanks to Todd at DFWfootball.net for inviting me to cover it. I look forward to seeing both teams on the field in the future.