Fort Sill: Tombstones of Remarkable People

       Beginning with the least famous, Na-Sha-Na-Ni is buried at the Fort Sill Cemetery in Lawton, Oklahoma. Perhaps passing away before the end of the century, I wonder what life was like for him, or her.
       I was humbled by the people buried there; their lives, the times in which they lived, changed so quickly for them, culturally and technologically, they had so much to accept and to assimilate.

~~~~

      One can find on the online listings of graves the names of other folks, such as Anna Brown's, married to Sgt. Thomas Brown who died in Fort Reno, Indian Territory, and who lost her children, in addition to her husband. Her tombstone reads: Sacred to the Memory of Anna Brown, nee Reilly, the beloved wife of Thomas Brown, 1st Sgt. Co. L 44th U.S. Cavalry, who departed this life at Fort Reno, I. T., Sept. 13, 1877, aged 37 years. Also three of their children who died young. Requiescat in pace.

~~~~   ~~~~   ~~~~

       I-See-O became famous for serving as the last scout on duty. The Oklahoma Historical Society  has a nice story about him online, written by Morris Swet. Included in the story is an account by I-See-O about his experience during the discussions for the Medicine Lodge Treaty. Find a quick synopsis about I-See-O at the FindAGrave Web site.

Photograph of I-See-O, the quiet peacemaker, birthdate unknown, passed away in 1927.

~~~~   ~~~~   ~~~~

        Kicking Bird, Tene-angop'te, (1835 - 1875), is buried, too, at Fort Sill, and is known more as another peacemaker, rather than a warrior.

Kicking Bird attended the gatherings at Medicine Lodge and signed the treaty.

~~~~   ~~~~   ~~~~

White Bear, Satanta, led a remarkable life, too. See Wikipedia's amazing biography about him.

Satanta, born around 1820, died in 1878.

~~~~  ~~~~  ~~~~

Quanah Parker, born circa 1845, or 1852, died in 1911, is famous in Texas, too. 

A town is named after Quanah in Texas. His gravestone reads: Resting here until day breaks, and shadows fall, and darkness disappears, is Quanah Parker, Last Chief of the Comanches, born 1852, died Feb '23, 1911. This monument erected under Act of Congress, Approved June 28, 1926.

Quanah Parker dressed in the clothing worn by both cultures. 

      

Getting Closer to Nicer Approaches

     I practiced an ILS into Sheppard Air Force base during a morning when the fighters were resting and their tower was closed. After a couple of nice approaches, MyMrMallory took control of the aircraft to practice an approach himself. I snapped a few pics with my iPhone, ever present in my cockpit now for its handiness in having the app Foreflight and a camera.

My approach was into 33L to 1200 feet for a missed approach, then straight ahead to 2200 feet. I turned the airplane right, then headed south. This heading put us over the runways at Sheppard Air Force base, a prohibited air space when the wing is flying. 

We climbed to 2,500 feet, with clouds at 12,000 feet, and to the right, Lake Arrowhead. In this drought, the lake contains still enough water to drink and to flush our toilets!

MyMrMallory intersects the 333-degree radial inbound to Atrll, the initial approach fix, so I had better stop messing around with my iPhone camera to pay attention.

Marker at Peete Mesquite

Peete Mesquite

Great place for lunch in Marble Falls, Peete Mesquite.

Highland Arts Gallery in Marble Falls

   We stopped by the Highland Arts Gallery on Main Street, a frequent stop for us, and a cool one in the harsh 104-degree temperatures. The gallery is managed by a board and volunteers who contribute three hours per month of their time.

Sister Amelia's New Purse, by K. Gregory, oil, 9 x 12.

Burnet Airfield

     If you ever find yourself near Marble Falls, zoom your aircraft into Burnet's Kate Craddock Field.
Make time to visit the museum hosted by the Highland Lakes Squadron of the Commemorative Air Force. The Historical Commission dedicated a marker to the Magill Family cemetery on the grounds of the airfield.

Framed image of Craddock runway one nine.

Welcome sign and lit lamp outside the FBO.

The FBO is run by Faulkner's Air Shop and some very nice people and their Labrador Retriever. 

Poster in the FBO.

After fueling up, we departed impressed by the good service and nice people who work there.

Condensation Trails and Vector Airways

   

Several condensation trails left by jet airliners show the various vector airways in the sky.

They are still visible after we landed. 

Old Decatur Today

Spotted this wall across the street from the courthouse, which is an amazing building in itself. 

Reunion Tower

The haze around Dallas and the post-processing in Niks software gave this image

the look of an old postcard. I used a 45mm lens from Mamiya and a Nikon D800.

Soda Dispenser and Trash Receptacle

Barn Owl Up Close

      I experienced an extraordinary encounter with four grown barn owls at MissusParkey's house. I thought they had grown up and left to live happy barn owl lives elsewhere; instead, they remain cozily living where they hatched. Above, I show one of the owls posturing as I stood close by, lens up, frantically adjusting the settings on my camera for a proper exposure. 

Curves

Father and Son

Stopping in for a bite to eat.

Crosses by the Road

A Dog Named Mojo

The Wondrous Occasion of Releasing Six Screech Owls

      Wild Bird Rescue released six screech owls yesterday. I was delighted to be there.

June and Angeli opened the crate.

A crate full of owls.

Angeli released the owls.

A free owl.

Katherine passed around her hat and collected 

from a generous public funding for the organization.

Old, Contented Hound

My twenty-two year old returning from his daily morning stroll.

MoNTH's History in Art

   The Museum of North Texas History opened a marvelous exhibit. The artists submitted paintings inspired by the history of the area. Below I show pictures I took during opening night of the paintings that they will display in front of the building. Other paintings in the exhibit were just as exquisite and fascinating. Both MyMrMallory and I bought paintings from local artists.

Oil Pump at Sunset, by Karyl Barbosa, 10 x 8, oil. 

Texas Legend, Linda Rust, 28 x 22, oil.

Doan's Crossing, by Carolyn Kressenberg, 24 x 36, oil.

The poster for the event, designed by Debby, was artistic, too.

Clint Finley played during the evening. 

The museum's mission statement was on display, too. They certainly do inspire!

Astute Horse

     Bird, an astute horse, is known to open gates to let himself in, or out, and lets cattle out on the roads, frustrating his owner, foreman Clay. So it did not surprise me to see Bird kicking an old silo to release the stored grain, clever as he is.

Bird kicks the wall of the old grain storage.

Grain seeps through the holes in the oxidized metal. I hope they do not get sick.

Bird.

Most horses are astute. Above, Bird's buddy 

sniffs inside MyMrMallory's ol' jalopy in search for munchies.