Texas odds and ends

wild turkeys quenching their thirst at a pond

agave or century plant blooms

Texas spiny lizard

Inca doves

gray fox, a mama, that raised 3 kits on the place
I never was fast enough to get their photo
was amazed that they climbed a tree while playing!


Since I haven't done any traveling and little photography due to the heat and some health problems, I thought I would stick a few Texas photos up to keep in practice.


I took these earlier this summer while in central Texas.

a walk in the pasture/a hint of fall

hay drying in the field

leaves thinning out on the native pecan

meadow beauties blooming in the wet places

hay bales casting shadow

 mirror reflections on the pond


It's finally cooled enough for me to dare a walk in the pasture. Temperatures and humidity have been daunting for weeks, and I just couldn't handle wading through the tall grass.
The insects--mosquitoes, biting gnats and chiggers have been horrible this summer, and every time I ventured forth I returned with another set of bites, no matter how much spray and clothing I had worn.

The season is shifting now. the hay is mowed, and there is a subtle change of color to the vegetation. The leaves are thinning and the bird population is beginning to move. A few early migrants are showing up, and the hummingbird numbers are building as they begin their journey south.

a gecko in the sink

Not a native to the US, and rather new to my place, he seems to have replaced the tree frogs that used to cling to the kitchen windows and eat the moths drawn by the lights.

They sometimes make a tiny chirping noise, and I searched all over for the small "mouse" that I thought was in the door sill. It was a gecko.

It is a Mediterranean house gecko and is nocturnal.

I captured him with a soft towel and returned him to the outdoors.

summer stuff

Warm days mean ripe figs, peaches, tomatoes, etc. from the garden.

Making fig preserves, peach cobblers and summer meals from garden veggies.

My right arm and shoulder are still painful and stiff so I avoid typing and photography......not spending much time at the computer either.

Hubbell Trading Post, Arizona

 

 

 

 

 

Walking through the doors is like stepping into a timemachine and being transported to the past. Hubbell is the oldest operating trading post on the Navajo Nation. It has been in business since 1878,  and is now a national historic site.

Merchandise hangs from the rafters and is stacked around the rooms. The smell of leather, woolen blankets, kerosene and old wood fills the nostrils, and the ancient wooden floors creak with every step taken.

The light and sounds are subdued, voices are muted--one feels a reverence for the age and unchanged spirit of the place.

Zion National Park

the Virgin River

exquisite sentinels

a river flows through

future arch

tunnels through mountains

 

a large palette of colors

canyons, rivers, tunnels, arches, breathtaking beauty

you know you're a redneck if.........

 

you're charging around a small farm pond in your sea doo and having a heck of a good time!

seen on a rural Louisiana road --shot with my iphone from moving car

going to extremes

 

not sure what spoils these are..borax was mined here

many miles of long empty roads--nice

zoomed in on the side of the mtn.--sign showing sea level

the walk down to the lowest point

 

salt flats as far as the eye can see........

coyote trotting beside the highway in Badwater Basin


Leaving California I was tempted to visit the lowest point in the United States and the hottest place on the planet--Death Valley. Since it was April I wasn't worried about the heat too much, but the thermometer on the car was over 100 when we stopped at Badwater Basin.

I didn't realize it, but Death Valley National Park is the largest in the lower 48 states. It became apparent when we tried visiting all the points that I had read about. I soon discovered it would take more than one trip and maybe an off road vehicle to see them all.

Nevertheless, I am glad we detoured to make the visit--and I hope we can return some day. However, there are still parks that I haven't seen, and lots of spaces to cover yet on the map.

Everybody's somebody in Luckenbach!

 

 

 

 

 

Luckenbach is a favorite destination for country music fans, or folks who just like to sit in the shade, listen to music and drink a beer.

It consists of a dance hall, general store, decommissioned post office, saloon and music venue.

It has become a mecca for bikers in the hill country of Texas.