Ponds, New and Old, from the Air

Grasses and other plants cover the sides of the roads. 

The pens, middle of picture at right, made a soft landing area on its grass for our helicopter.

North Texas looks green this autumn, and new (to me) flowers have bloomed.

A joy.

In the middle of a wheat field, a newly-dredged pond starts to retain water, thanks to the recent rains.

An old pond might return to its former size after several years of drought.

Unusual Clouds Under the Moon

Above the Pecan trees, the swiftly passing clouds, southwest to northeast, and the light of Moon.

Four-o-clock, Perhaps?

      Would you consider that "gorgeous flower" sounds redundant? I came upon this flower by chance, by taking a different path after a moment's decision. What a joy. "Uncommon," said Paul. "I'm guessing it's in the four-o-clock family (nyctagineceae)."

Rat Snake on Cracking Road

Still as a statue, the snake waited for me to leave. 

I pondered, what scares me more, the snake, or the drought-cracked asphalt?

Purple Ground Cherry

Indian Rushpea

     In her book, Wildflowers of Texas, Geyata Ajilsvgi notes that the Indian Rushpea "forms large tubers about 6 inches underground which are sometimes used for food for hogs, thus giving it another common name, hog peanut." She adds that the native Americans gathered and roasted the tubers. Sounds yummy, until you read further: "A common Spanish name is camote de raton, meaning, 'mouse's sweet potato.'"
     Note the mound of soil in the background of the photograph? That is a prairie dog den.

Blue Sage

Gulf Fritillary on a Gayfeather

Just off Hunters' Ridge, I spotted a gulf fritillary among several species of flowers.

Maximillian Sunflowers and a Shed

A charming view of the Maximillian sunflower and an old shed with a tiled roof.

Air Tractor Taking Off at Sunrise

An Air Tractor takes off into the sunrise and then heads north to dust a field somewhere. 

Colorful Helicopter Pre-flight

        My weekly helicopter jaunt with Gary had some added color and cloud formations, just to add to the treat of a ride.

Ivy on Bark

Pumpkins Out Now

Spider Lily

In various spots of my garden, spider lilies volunteer. This one had the best background for a photo.

Having Been Rained Out . . .

          Mary Latimer conceived the idea that with the rain -- the lovely rain -- we would switch to a "virtual" poker fun run. She treated the hardy and supportive souls who arrived (by car, not plane) to Wichita Valley airport to videos that highlighted each stop of the fun run. We watched videos and slideshows about the parachutists at Frederik, and about the GIFT and the Jenny, organizations which the poker fun runners would have visited in clear weather. Between videos we handed cards to the players.

     One of our prizes, a trophy created and donated by Lazerwerks, showed a poker hand, a propeller engraved with Girls in Flight Training, and the hosting organization, our chapter of the Ninety-nines. Other prizes included the new stamp of the inverted airplane by the US Postal Service, two rides in the DC-3 at Frederik, and a ride in a Stearman in Fort Worth. 

The rain that grounded our airplanes fell hard and for long, bringing respite to a three-year drought.

It poured. Young Niki shows her mock despair at her task of mopping the floor after heavy rains.

Rain splattered on the window of the FBO of F14.

The GIFT box ready to receive donations. 

After the clouds lifted a bit, the GIFT plane arrived.

     Civil Air Patrol Master Sergeant Chris Crissom piloted the GIFT plane from Frederik to Wichita Valley airport.

     Another hardy pilot, this one from Altus, Oklahoma, cruised in with 3,800 feet cloud ceiling, to support the event.

     The event raised modest funds for the GIFT, the Girls in Flight Training school, a two-year old non-profit already highly successful in assisting women to accomplish their goals in aviation.

     In only one week, the GIFT provided 200 hours of flight time, five medicals, five passed written exams, four solos, and two private licenses, all at no cost, except for fuel. This is an enormous altruistic assistance provided by the GIFT for many struggling pilots.

Harriet and Amanda prepare the computer and screen.

Baxter, who spends a lot of time at the airport, stopped by for some scratching behind his ear.

Federal Aviation Administration's representative John Boatwright gave a presentation after lunch. 

Emphasis is on aviation safety. 

     Boatwright gave his presentation a poker theme. "In flying, we are betting our life on being able to recognize 'a good hand,' and 'holdin' or foldin', walkin' or runnin', as the case may be. The good news is we get to look at the cards as they are dealt." 

Use your brain when planning to fly.

      The Four Aces of Decision Making (before you fly an airplane): Aircraft (Is it airworthy?);

Airmanship (Do you know your route?); Atmosphere (Is it safe?); Aviator: (Are you healthy and skilled?). 

       Attendance was not bad for a stormy day at an airport. The FAA Safety Team reached new pilots and between all, we raised some funds for the GIFT. 

     Amanda, GIFT instructor, and Patya, student pilot, check the oil on the GIFT plane as part of pre-flight. Those smiling faces on women pilots, that's part of what it's all about.