An Incredible Set Of "Before" And "After" Photos Of The Bakken -- Vern Whitten -- February 8, 2018

Wow, what a treat! "Before" and "after" photos of "the Bakken" taken by Vern Whitten. A collection of 35 photographs. If you like these (and you will) please send a "thank you" to Vern Whitten:

Vern Whitten Photography
www.vernwhittenphotography.com
(701) 261-7658

Click on this link: http://www.vernwhittenphotography.net/bakpro.

At the link, click on the first photo and then move through the photos. Vern has great photos of Dickinson, Watford City, Williston, New Town, and Minot.

I love them all. But perhaps my favorite are those of New Town. That's really incredible how much was done in that under-populated -- but very, very busy -- area. And the high schools in several cities.

And this probably represents only a percent of what has transpired in the decade from 2012 to 2018. Vern says these photographs span a 6-year period.

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Texas High School Football Stadiums

Just for the fun of it, I was curious what aerial photos of Texas high school football stadiums look like. Here is a link to the "best" stadiums in the Dallas-Ft Worth (DFW) area.

The first one shown is the "new" $60-million stadium.

The second one is just a couple of miles down the road or so from where we live. From the link, regarding this stadium:

Southlake has seen a pretty good return on its investment. After the stadium's opening, the Dragons rattled off six state championship appearances, and came away with the trophy five times (they lost to Katy by one point in 2003). According to D Magazine, the stadium now holds more than 11,000 seats, and FC Dallas (professional soccer) used to play on its artificial turf.

Our oldest granddaughter's water polo team practices in the Southlake natatorium, a couple of miles to the west.

Our own Grapevine High School football stadium is undergoing a major $18-million renovation this year.

The district said work will be completed over the next two years using funds the district received through a $26 million Tax Increment Financing payout resulting from the 1996 TIF agreement with the City of Grapevine to bring Grapevine Mills Mall to the area, according to a Grapevine-Colleyville ISD news release.

That mall shows its age; I don't particularly care for it but its a huge destination for Texans across the state. It is located near two other destinations: the Gaylord Texan and Great Wolf Lodge, and more to come, including a new water park.