Eighteen Hands Tall (Six Feet at the Shoulder)

The Budweiser Clydesdales visited Wichita Falls to perform during the Ranch Round Up, which is one of the city's biggest fundraisers for the Texas Rehabilitation Center.

John, who has traveled with the Clydesdales for over a decade, brings hay to the horses.

Luke waits for his hay. He stands six feet tall at his shoulder.

His hooves look huge and "sure-footed."

"Oh, no. I have to wear this thing again tomorrow night," was what My Mr. Mallory said he thought Prince was thinking as both glimpsed the harness hanging on the outside of the stall.

"Yeh, they look pretty, don't get me wrong, but they can't rope a calf worth a damn, if ya ask me 'bout 'em big boys," is the response we got from the real working ranch horses in nearby stalls, "or bronc riding, team branding, and team penning"

Nice shade under a big tree. These folks knew where to park. Undoubtedly they have participated in the Ranch Round Up before, since organizers have held it since 1981.

Chihuly et al

Oklahoma University can boast about one of the greatest art museums in the world. The Fred Jones, Jr. museum exhibited works of art collected by Renard Strickland.

Strickland stated the Native Americans survived the European invasion by assimilating, appropriating, and accommodating. Below we see bowl showing the image of a Native American adept at multi-tasking with a cellphone, and iPod, and a laptop.

The Fred Jones, Jr. exhibit includes a collection of southwestern art.

The Weitzenheimer Collection includes paintings

by Toulouse Lautrec (below), Pisarro, Monet, Cezanne, and many more.

Eugene Jesse Brown.

Outside the Fred Jones, Jr. museum stands John Massee's "Huguenots," or a place to tie one's horses, My Mr. Mallory said in jest.

The view of Oklahoma City's Museum of Art and the Chihuly Tower. Glimpse through the glass to see the colored glass attached to the steel beam.

Chihuly's glass tower photographed from inside.

My fave piece in the collection: The hallway.

The bow of a boat from Finland containing and surrounded by glass spheres.

Shells.

John Henry's painted aluminum, "Jasper."

On our way home, glimpses of rolled hay and oil batteries along the way marked the countryside. The recent increase in rainfall has made the countryside look green.

In the Garden with a Super Model

"I Love Mexico" belt buckle.

Posing within the frame.

Looking up.

Security Alert in the background.

Red and pink in the background.

Angles everywhere.

A wide angle lens in the garden.

Up close with the wide angle lens.

On the steps in front of the historic Kemp Center for the Arts.

Up close. Wishing him the greatest luck on earth in his career.

I Found Myself Walking Around a Small Airport

There sits along Iowa Park Road a small aviation airport with both a paved landing strip and a grassy landing strip, both of which cross a wheat field. I spent a few minutes walking around with my camera while My Mr Mallory mowed the grass behind his hangar.

I spotted the lines made by acres of walls and roofs constructed with corrugated zinc.

Door of airport office, an office rarely manned but with a radio that remains on,
occasionally transmitting the voices of the pilots in the area.

At the entrance of the airport one comes upon an oil tank the use of which consists of . . . merely decoration. Actually, it displays that the airport has a population of 72 and that vehicles over 8000 pounds are not allowed on the property. It also serves as an exhibit of stickers, predominantly from ENJPT -- pilots from NATO who train at nearby Shepard Air Force Base. The sticker below says: "THOSE ABOUT TO HOOK WE SALUTE YOU."

More pilot training stickers:
"CAUTION PILOT CONSTRUCTION NEXT 55 WEEKS FINES DOUBLE AFTER SOLO,"

and "USAF ACADEMY PILOT PARACHUTE TEAM."

Population 72 at this location.

One pole may hold several needed measurement and receiving devices.

A neglected sock at one of the hangars.

I noticed no hawg parked here.

Expressing individuality in one's hangar is an important aspect of healthy hobbying.

I like the colors in the photo below.

These hangars, known by the locals as "skid row," give new meaning to the terms old and neglected -- and battered.

Someone spray painted the cardinal points on the road between the hangars.

Walking around the back of a group of hangars, I came upon this scene . . . of oxidized doors.

Like a bulldog, these doors seem ugly, but cute at the same time.

Nice looking hangar at the end of the curve.

Colorful Corner in Waurika

Wild Bird Rescue Raptors and Birdman Bob

Wild Bird Rescue receives many phone calls from the United States, Canada, and Mexico from people requesting advice on the care of wild birds. BirdManBob on the phone below.Several Mississippi kites grow up at the Wild Bird Rescue Center. I'll print the B/W below in the quarterly newsletter.
Two Mississippi kites, raised from fledglings at the WBR Center, sit patiently in Flight Room A, waiting for their day of release.

A Wall in Duncan and a Library in Waurika

We had the highways all to ourselves on our way to Duncan, Oklahoma. My Mr. Mallory poses before a wall near which we stopped to sip some of the good coffee he brought along for us.
The Rock Island train depot in Waurika now houses the public library. A train rushed by us, tooting horn, as we walked around the renovated building. Jefferson County courthouse in Waurika, Oklahoma.
Historic downtown Waurika and My Mr. Mallory's mug. I think he has an iron heiney, for he lead us for five hours, stopping once for coffee, and once for photographs. Iron Butt Rally, we have another potential rider for you!