Sandhills and Cows

A fairly common scene in North Texas at this time of year.

Varied Archer

       Archer County presents varied geology and flora.

Here I show some unusual sights.

Looks like volcanic rock.

Broom-weed and prickly pear during winter.

Clay soil on a ridge.

Agave in the foreground will soon flower.

I just recently discovered this succulent with elongated cladodes, 

yet looks similar to the proliferous prickly pear. 

Soon spring will bring me out again with my camera to record its color. 

A Country for Big Owls

      Driving along the country, MyMrMallory and I came upon an owl's nest in a gnarly tree. 

She decorates her nest with mistletoe.

One can barely discern her large owl "ears."

Upon spotting our truck, she lept -- and what a magnificent leap -- out of her nest and away from us.

We explored her country. She lives on a ridge overlooking North Texas, 

where the agave and prickly pear cacti prepare to bloom. (I can hardly wait.)

Deer jostle at a pond near her nest, as shown by our wild-cams. 

I stopped to make a photo of the sedimentary rock common in her neighborhood.

Nearby, too, stand pumps, busily extracting oil, where abandoned pipes oxidize, 

around which the hardy and sweet deer step.

White Eyelashes Near Hunter's Chair

     As I positioned my tripod and camera to make a photo of a hunter's chair in the woods, I heard a huff behind me. Turning around, I saw a cow and her little one watching me from only a few yards away. The cow and the calf appeared to feel curious. She raised her muzzle in my direction and gave me the loudest moo I have ever heard, then both walked away.

      And the photo of the chair? Not much to look at, for my first study of hunters' chairs, but a good beginning to the project I have in mind. Infrared photo post-processed in Nik's SilverEfex.

Fire in the Field

       In the field, a fire began right in front of us. As MyMrMallory phoned the sheriff, it spread with vigor.

       We hoped it would not hop over the road.

Of course, with its vigor, it jumped over the road and into the field.

The fire stopped someone's pump from working.

Firefighters doused the flames. He looks a tad bored by the small fire, but at least he got good practice.

The sky looked highly unusual above the firefighters.

                 When I leave my home with camera hanging from my shoulder, I don't know for sure what kind of pictures I will make.

Purples and Pinks Sunrise

        Shuffling out the door along with doggies, all of us sleepy, still, not quite awake from a calm night, I looked up to see the marvel of color behind the old pecan and bradford pear trees. 

Nikon Coopix7700, ISO400, f/2.5, 1/13sec, aperture priority, auto WB.

1920s - 1960s, Still Standing

      Built in the 20s; left in the 60s. Hardwood floors, green tiled roofing. How very much we wish to renovate this house where we saw a barn owl hiding in one of its closets. Clay caught it gently and released it out the door.
      "I used to have lunch on this balcony," he said. "You can see for miles from here, before the trees grew."
      Time passes, and I wondered what it felt like for someone to see his folks' place abandoned, in such disrepair . . . a mammoth skeleton in the midst of the prairie that reminds contemporary people of past wealth and perhaps, of the tender grasp of happiness and hope, both fleeting. Yet, forty years marks a long life span, and I want to think they were a good forty years in this home.

Metal In the Broom Weed.

        Heading out to the countryside wishing to spot wildlife, we came upon a couple of old cars.
They appear to be from the 50s. Post-processing with Silver Efex makes making photos like these even more fun and challenging.
         And did we spot wildlife? Yes, buffleheads, gadwalls, northern harriers, and red-tailed hawks.

After Validating Pilot's License

       After a fun flight that included the maneuvers of stalls and emergency landings, the Scissortail sits on the ramp at sunset, ready to be pulled to 'er hangar.  H.-P. validated my license after following the WINGS program. I have another two years to fly as a qualified pilot. Fun!

Infrared January

A north Texas countryside during January.

     

Big

       My ol' Scissortail sits safely in a huge, huge hangar this week while they repair a few leaky spots on the roof of my hangar. The hangar looks especially large when empty but for one small plane. Here are Ed and Daniel pushing 'er back inside after a nice flight.

        MyMrMallory took the flight controls and flew a 360-degree turn so that I could take an image of a double line of quadriped power lines leading into a power plant, an impressive sight from above, especially, as one can see the vast distance they cross. This one is near Vernon, Texas.

Finally Flying

     Four weeks! I endured four weeks sans Scissortail while the mechanics inspected, repaired, and renovated my ol' bird. Finally, MyMrMallory and I flew.

Someone took this image in Mobile showing the aircraft that raced in the 2011 Air Race Classic. That's my Scissortail there, pointy nose number twenty. (I have long felt that 'er nose resembles the nose of Jimmy Durante.)

Jump ahead to today, and here I show the shadow of my hand on the instrument panel, waving.

Through my window, the Red River.

Hodge Runs

      Eleven-year old Hodge runs joyfully in the north forty. 

Flight Lesson: How Planes Fly

      My flight instructor, Jim, emailed this diagram to me. Since I respond visually to learning, it all makes so much sense to me now.

Created by http://www.lefthandedtoons.com/874/

Lichen Up Close

Snows Reveal

    A predatory bird found dinner, perhaps, an owl or a hawk, and a squirrel, or a songbird . . . 

Snow on the roof of our shed reveals activity.

Lights Reflected on the Wing of a King Air

Made this image in Louisburg, Kentucky during a stop-over.

Mamiya Lichen

     Intriguing in their colors and most particularly in their location, my attention to the lichen on the rocks knows no end. Here they are again, taken with a Mamiya 645, 45mm lens, 1/500 sec., and some tweaking of sharpness and cropping the overblown sky in the digital darkroom.

         Gnarly rocks covered in lichen and a Mamiya: A fine combination in photography.

Night Flight Helicopter

Wild Cam Image of Two Does