Nature, Thy Drought Art

         MyMrMallory and I flew around in the helicopter today. From above one can see the effect of the drought.

The crops did not grow in the drought.

An abandoned veggie garden.

Dead Trees.

A dry creek lined by dead trees.

Dry grasses.

Dry reeds in a pond.

Bone dry.

A bush manages to survive in the bottom of a dry pond.

Colorful plants grow on a pond bottom.

Hoof prints along the bottom of a dry pond.

A stone ridge emerges along the dry grasslands.

Dead or alive.

After the fire.

Plowed earth.

Ryan's Explanation on the QR Code

Click here to visit Ryan's blog. 

Below I show one of his creations.

Quanah in Cache

   After Quanah Parker's death in the 1911, his daughter Mrs. Birdsong, bought his home and moved it away from the grounds of Fort Sill to Eagle Park in Cache, Oklahoma, thus saving it from demolition by the US Army. 

     Note the stars (fourteen in total) that Quanah painted on his roof, all with one tip pointed downward, his own version of showing a leader lived there, fashioned after a general's stars at his quarters in Fort Sill.

Back porch of the Star House. My foot almost went through the rotten floor boards. 

Quanah's (supposedly) table. George sits in (purportedly) Quanah's chair.

      Upon the dust-covered stove a sign lists some of the people who sat with Quanah at his table: Lord Brice, Geronimo, cattle ranchers of note, such as his friends Burk Burnett and Tom Waggoner, and several chiefs from the Comanche, Kiowa, Sioux, and Cheyenne nations, and generals from the US Army.

     Eventually, Herbert Woesner, Jr., the man who assisted Mrs. Birdsong, relocated several other buildings to Eagle Park. The park became a sight for tourists to visit, and surrounding its main attraction, the Star House, the could skate in a rink or ride a roller-coster. 

Eagle Park closed in the 1950s. 

     A railway, bifurcated now by trees, shows some of the path of a little train running through Eagle Park during its day. 

Farm machinery sits abandoned and strewn about Eagle Park. 

Trailer full of scrap metal, or an antique shop's inventory?

      A bust of Quanah Parker at the National Hall of Fame for Famous American Indians in Anadarko, Oklahoma. Would someone renovate his Star House, please? 

When Coco Naps

       My cat, born ten years ago in an old barn underneath an antique tractor that belonged in a museum, has the charming habit of covering her face during her naps.

But Wait! A Great Horned Owl!

      Just when I think I won't blog anymore Lila shows me a Great Horned Owl. Of course I have to document and share. This fellow is recovering from a broken wing. He sees Dr. Sultemeier every week. In a few weeks they will release him back to the wild. Lila held him while I assisted her in wrapping more tape around his cast (in green). Assisting the rehabbers is often quite thrilling to me because I would never come so close to a wild bird. Please support Wild Bird Rescue.

The End

Tired of blogging . . .

Monarchs Hanging Around

In my garden at dusk, Monarch butterflies alight on the branch of a Pear tree.

Snapseed

The app called Snapseed provided me with the opportunity to exercise my creative genius.

Titan, Golden Eagle.

Great Horned Owls.

Gail and Great Horned Owl.

Please support the South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.

Growing, Grass and Cities

Silos in Oklahoma surrounded by green grass, a sweet sight after a much-needed rain.

A fence barely stands after a fire in Oklahoma.

     A bridge that reflected the progress of yore stands abandoned to the progress of the present time.

More Monarchs

     I feel delighted to report that I have spotted an increase in the number of monarch butterflies migrating through my garden this year. Hurrah!

Nighthawk Aerobatics

Lightning, Thunder, Rain, What?

       During yesterday's storms the clouds above us swirled before releasing lightning and rain. Ben was out there, somewhere, filming, we felt sure, and prayed for his safety -- and some great images with his camera!

Garden Dog

Pelicans' Post Shrimp Salad Nap

Such is life on the islands. 

Pelicans at Restaurant

Ah, here we are! Nothing like a shrimp salad after walking around town!

Pelicans in Step

Wish I had a purple umbrella like that!

I would prefer that we have a shrimp salad!

Pelicans Walking

Are you sure this is the way to the restaurant?

Yes! Just up the stairs and we'll be closer to that great shrimp salad!

Pelicans on Mykonos

We like the shrimp salads at the restaurants here.

Green in Drought

        The Fort Worth Botanical Gardens, specifically the Japanese Gardens, give one a refreshing respite to our eyes tired now of seeing our drought-striken countryside.

        And at my home, the old Oak Tree continues to grow! I hear rumors muttered by old-timers about an aquifer underneath our neighborhood that provides a source of water for this old tree. It may explain why the tree continues to grow in spite of the drought on the surface. 

Advertisement for Wild Bird Rescue

Created by Executive Director of Wild Bird Rescue, Lila Arnold.

Photograph of a juvenile Mississippi Kite,

released by Wild Bird Rescue, courtesy of volunteer, Brad Love.