November Butterflies

Buckeye

Painted Lady

Red Admiral

Danaus gilippus

Papilio pergamus

Bugscuffle, Texas

     MyMrMallory found Bugscuffle on Google Earth. We could not resist not going. We found a busy community spread among thousands of acres of thriving farmland.

     "Where are we?" MyMrMallory asked Joe Koff, a friendly fellow from nearby Electra, whom we found fueling his truck. A neighbor's dog ambled over to sniff us and join in our camaraderie.

     "We are in Elliot," said Joe.

     "Do you know where Bugscuffle is?"

     Joe laughed. "See that barn? That's where Bugscuffle starts."

Fall Beautiful Yellow

Nikon Coolpix P7700, f2.2, auto ISO 80 - 400, auto WB, manual, slight cropping.

Micro Landscape with Cows

At first, one can see a hill. Upon closer study, one can see from above two cows standing in a lake.

I call this micro landscape "Two Cows Strayed from the Mountain Path."

Sandhill Cranes Arrived in North Texas

    After spotting them yesterday from the helicopter, we returned to the wheat field to confirm approximately two hundred sand hill cranes. They danced as we approached, then rose, boisterously, to fly away from us. 

Rotor-blades Above and Below

Lovely day for helicoptering in North Texas. 

Autumnal colors embellished the view 500 feet below us.

We flew over a wind farm of several hundred turbines. 

I read that wind turbines kill birds and bats. I pray that they do not gobble up pilots!

Aermacchi AM3-C

Perhaps the homelier the aircraft, the more fun it is to fly. 

This one has provided fun since its day of manufacture in 1973. 

Wikipedia has an interesting entry about the history of this aircraft.

Infrared Autumn Trees

Do trees need the autumnal brilliant yellows and reds to look wonderful? 

Fall Insect Activity on Flowers

     Stepping out the back door to accompany my dogs as they do doggy-things, I noted honeybees, skippers, and a Gorgone checkerspot feasting on camelias and lazy daisies. In the crisp temperatures of autumn, the flowers and insect activity remind me of spring. I am also remindful of Chris the Photog when he writes, God's love and blessings to all. 

 

     

IFR to FTW

Tower: "One niner juliette, keep your speed up."
MyMrMallory: "Wilco," he said from the right seat. "Ha-ha. He's telling a Cherokee to to keep its speed up."
Tower: "One niner juliette, you are number one for landing. Keep your speed up. I've got a Lear and a Citation behind you."
Me: [Nervously I studied my instruments to comply with speed and altitude.]
MyMrMallory: [Geez.]
Tower: "One niner Juliette, could you do a short final on three-five for me?"
Me: Watching runway 35 disappear underneath my cowling, I wondered want kind of steep 180-degree teardrop turn I'd need to do to comply with tower's request. My first thoughts were, "Unable," and "He's nuts."
MyMrMallory: "Yes, but we'll have to go out right to turn back in."
Tower: "Disregard and could you do a short final on three-four? If you can't, I'll send you out to let the Learjet in first."
MyMrMallory: [This is where the fighter pilot emerges from within the sweet, darling man I married.] "Wilco, one niner juliette for runway three-four," he said to tower, and then turned to me, "I have the flight controls."
Me: "You have the flight controls," I said, taking my hand off the yoke.
MyMrMallory: "Fort Worth, one niner juliette. How does this look?" he asked them as he made a fast, steep downturn, which I knew he would do, to my delight, as nimbly as a fighter jet. Picture a Cherokee steeply, quickly, coming in for a landing -- nothing I would dare do myself with a Learjet and a Citation at my tail.
Tower: "Good. One niner juliette cleared to land runway three-four."
   
     MyMrMallory landed smoothly despite the high speed, and then we hastily exited, parking at Texas Jet in Meacham.
 
     I filed this morning direct to the Bowie VOR, then the Matzo intersection, then for Meacham airport. Our flight felt smooth in the cool morning, and we marveled, as we do, at the lack of turbulence and the scenery of North Texas.

     Flying along peacefully, keeping the needle pointed at the Bowie VOR, Center came over the radio and announced, "One niner juliette, cleared direct Matzo." I remembered Lehrer saying at a time similar to this one, "Welcome to the world of IFR." I wondered what I would do, if I were flying by myself, realizing that I had forgotten to prepare for this change in my route. "What did you do?" I later asked MyMrMallory at our one-hundred dollar taco lunch. He said, "I panicked. I should have foreseen the change." He figured things out by studying his iPad, and so we proceeded to Matzo intersection without too much winding around.
   
     "What is your soup?" I asked MyMrMallory after he returned from the buffet.
     "I don't know."
     I watched him stir his soup and sip delicately from his spoon. He had a distinct grimace with every sip. I did not want to utter the word "tripe," or he would drop his spoon and push the bowl away.
     The waitress passed by our table, then, having glanced at his bowl, swirled around and stopped.
     "Do you like menudo?" she asked him.
     "No," he said.
     "I was thinking what a brave man you are for liking menudo!" She took his bowl away.

     "What is 'menudo'?"
     "Later," I said, taking a big bite of my taco, and then slid my plate toward him. "Want a taco?"

     Back to this morning, we heard from Center:

Center: One niner juliette, contact lost. Verify altitude.
MyMrMallory: Five thousand, one niner juliette.
Center: One niner juliette, radar contact.
Me: [Nervously I cross-checked my instruments. Thus far, I held 5,000 within fifty feet since reaching that altitude -- easy to do in such smooth air -- so I did not understand the problem, and wondered if my radio malfunctioned. Fortunately, it was fleeting and everything worked properly.]

     On our return, I filed for the Kingdom Seven departure through continued smooth air. We flew a 300-degree heading until we intersected the 285 radial to Maverick, then flew directly home. And what happened at home? I had the most beautiful landing ever in the presence of MyMrMallory! Finally!
     "This the way you are always supposed to land," he said.

Holding for a King Air on final to runway 34 at Meacham.

Turner Falls

         Oklahomans, and every visitor, are blessed to have Turner Falls as a place to admire nature.

From the scenic overlook one can spot Collings' castle.

Children play at one of the picnic sites.

Moss grows along the stream.

Along one of the trails, root systems create interesting forms.

Attractive fall leaves on the water. 

Turner Falls in autumn.

From the scenic overlook, fall foliage and the waterfall.

History of Turner Falls:

Turner Falls Web Site

Interesting web sites on the castle: 

Abandoned OK

Collings Castle

View from Mount Scott, Black and White

North view from Mount Scott, Oklahoma. 

Post processed in CS6. 

Scampering on Mount Scott

    I was honored to be included in a bunch who traveled to make landscape images at Mount Scott under the darshan of Lawrence McFarland and Gary Goldberg.

At lunch at the Meers restaurant.

Blue-eyed grass and lichen on the rock as we drove up the mountain.

View from the winding road, a photo I took as Frances drove up the mountain.

View from the top of Mount Scott. The strong wind made my flowers look blurry.

Gnarly trees that look much like oversized bonsai.

Professor Goldberg fearlessly stands on a large rock to take a group photo.

Handicapped Motorcyclist