Young White-winged Doves Roosting on a Wall

    Surreptitiously moving from tree to tree, camera in hand, I approached two juvenile white-winged doves sitting atop a wall. Interesting to note that their plumage develops around the necessary wings, then around their necks and heads.

Old Ol' Covered Wagon

     What a delight to come upon an old wagon in the grass. What surprise! "Must be over hundred years old," said Clay, and then added, "Don't know how it got there." Thistle and nightshade flowers surrounded the old wagon.

Bishop's Weed

Tall Scurfy Pea

Note: This is one I need to check to confirm its identification.

Texas Toadflax

Note: I may not have identified this one correctly.

Golden Prairie Clover

Prolific Pricklys

The prickly pear cacti bloom impressively this year. 

I hope to have images of them at full bloom in a week or so. 

Future Fritillaries

Larvae on the passionflower in my garden.

Visit Wikipedia to view information on the life cycle of the Gulf Fritillary.

      Update: After a nice rain, the passionflowers opened . . . While I have counted thirty-two passionflowers opened, today I saw five, which is equally as beautiful.

And below I show a larva dangling from the passionflower vine. Could not resist capturing this image.

Rudbeckia hirta

Bark Art

Meanwhile, At Ye Ol' House

      Vultures lurk atop the chimneys of ye ol' house. 

Volunteer in My Garden: Carolina Larkspur

Hail Storm

      My celebration of rain became bittersweet when hail the size of golf balls plummeted through the branches and a tornado struck Oklahoma.

Infrared camera image post-processed with Silver Efex.

The following images are color post-processed the same way.

Infrared: Abandoned House

An old place surrounded by old trees lends itself to infrared images. 

(Beautifully post-processed by Nik's  Silver Efex.)

F14: A Relevant Little Airfield

      A little airport, founded in 1946, sits at Lat/Long north 33 degrees, 56.86 minutes / west 98 degrees, and 36.97 minutes, elevation 1005 feet MSL, near the town of Iowa Park in North Texas.

     Most airplanes at Wichita Valley Airport are small (big on fun, though), such as RVs, Cubs, Pitts, Extras, and home-built. There are at least two helicopters that I've seen so far, including the emergency helicopters from the hospital popping in for some aviation fuel at a reduced price. On the field, too, there is a crop-dusting company with two or three Air Tractors.

     The aviation community there gather en masse on most weekends to fly or mess around with their aircraft. They are a friendly bunch who gather at Pat's home every Sunday for the "Prior Meeting," that is, "prior to supper at the Thai Orchid" meeting.

     Brian at his blog speaks of their friendliness one day when he stopped by for a burger:

     http://brainsflight.blogspot.com/2007/06/wichita-valley-airport-f14-thank-you.html

     In the fall, the airport hosts the "Pumpkin Plummet." Cubs and 172s -- even the twin engine Piper on the field -- fly the pattern and drop pumpkins at a target on the grass.

     MyMrMallory and I flew over the field today and snapped a couple of shots. Here is one of the photos taken from the west.

For more information about Wichita Valley Airport, click here.

     Wichita Valley Airport foments the aviation culture in the Wichita Falls area, and reflects its rich history in aviation.

Update: Unsatisfied with the images we had taken, MyMrMallory again flew the helicopter for another attempt, this time from 2,500' MSL. Below are some of the images I took.

      View of F14 from the south. Grass runway 4 is to the left. The location of the original terminal is at lower right. A couple of old hangars now serve as workshops. Lore has it that an airplane sits still in one of those hangars, once totaled by a flood in that corner of the airfield.

The view from the northeast shows grass runway 22. 

      My favorite image so far. (I say "so far" because MyMrMallory still wants to make another attempt at an angle from the top.) The small grass runway to the left is 16; to the right, paved runway 13.

Coluber Constrictor

   A young one, slithering farther inside its den, away from two (also young) men 

gathering stones in a wheat field. 

Collared Lizard in the Grass

Barn Owl Mom and Nestlings

Three nestling barn owls, and another egg (bottom right in image).

Festus and His New Friends

       Time came when MyMrMallory purchased a forlorn parcel of land, dried up by the drought, overtaken by mesquite, abandoned.
     
       And on it, a horse fended for itself, all alone, finding fetid water to drink in the diminishing ponds, and some native grasses to eat, whatever could grow with little rain. Subsequently, Clay came upon the horse, and recognized it as one he had known on that old, abandoned ranch years ago. He had named the horse, "Festus," for its recurring festers.

       Clay brought his own horses to that abandoned parcel of land, and Festus joined them. They are a sight to see, for this city gnome, they always are. Today, they surrounded my truck as I visited them. How I wished to have some nibbles to give to them! Festus slowly approached, dear horse, and I promised myself to stop by the shop for some morsels to bring him.

This is Bird, I think, who began his life as "Thunderbolt," 

later changed to "Thunderbird," and finally to "Bird."

The colt Clay owns for his children to ride. 

I like the reflection of the sun bouncing from the silver paint on the hood onto its cheeks.

Sniffing for food in the bed of the truck, or just characteristically curious.

"Did you find any food?" "No, did you?"

They came to my window to sniff my hand.

And this is Festus, the golden horse shown below. 

He is in better shape now, under Clay's care.

The other horses treat him gently.

(Apologies for cutting their ears off; iPhone photo 

so I couldn't compose very well in the bright sunlight, unable to see the screen.)