CWC - 7TX0 - F14 - SPS - CWC

     Just landed one day and my hangar door already opened, Austin, the lineman at Kickapoo Airport, trundled over in the tractor to help me put my V-tail away, then asked me for a joy ride. "You bet," I said, happy to show my appreciation for his professionalism and good service.
     Not long after, MyMrMallory, pilot-in-command, Austin, in the right seat, and I, in the back seat, piled in during a pleasant morning. The route MyMrMallory planned was exciting: Take off from Kickapoo and land at Danaher Airport, and, if Mac McGregor was there, we would visit with him for a while. Then, take off from Danaher and then land at Wichita Valley; then fly over to Sheppard and land at Wichita Falls Regional; from there, return to Kickapoo. Few cities can claim four airports within a ten mile radius! Wichita Falls is rich in aviation history and it delightfully shows.

         Off the port-side wing, Danaher Airport (7TX0) recently received new pavement, numbers, and stripes. (Better pictures forthcoming.)

View of the new ramp at Danaher Airport. 

Mac on the lift that he employs to reach the top of the hangar. 

Tom Danaher Estate's Baron 55 and his own v-tail, recently sold.

Tom Danaher Estate's Grumman G-44 Widgeon (top), and Nord.

          View of North Texas as we accomplish Austin's joy flight, one I would enjoy repeating any time soon.

Prairie Dogs and Swainson's Hawks

Swanson's hawk overhead.

Several hawks stood on the bushes within the perimeter of Prairie Dog Town; others flew overhead.

I saw only two Burrowing owls this time.

A Prairie dog barks and moves his tail. 

Snow-on-the-Prairie plants are prolific.

A Prairie dog looks up from his den.

Prolific Sunflower Plants and Quail

A Bobwhite quail, one of a covey of about ten.

UPDATE:

Gate and sunflowers.

The Snow-on-the-prairie grows along the sunflowers.

Lone Yearling

I'll ask Warren what this gal is doing all by herself in this field.

Horseshoe Bay Resort Stroll

Evening over Lake Lyndon B. Johnson

Condominia and houses along the shore.

A line of lights. 

Church on the hill.

Lines of car lights delineate a road.

Palmetto, in Honor of Artist Ken Jahnke

Horseshoe Bay.

Hamilton Post Office Mural

             Mural by Ward Lockwood, Texas Rangers in Camp, fresco seco, 1942, at the Hamilton Post Office on 120 South Rice Street, Texas.

Kevin's Big Blue Project

My ongoing post about my experience participating in Kevin Selle's Big Blue Project. 

The South Pond Where I Found the Cows

Mistflower

Growing prolifically in clumps here and there in the countryside. 

Archer County.

Devil's Claw

Proboscidea louisianica

Extensive source for fascinating information at Wikipedia.

The East Pond Where I Found the Horses

     At the East Pond, I came upon some of the horses. To the west, the horse named Bird and a colt stood at the fence and neighed at the herd, apparently wishing to re-join them. Clay separated the colt from the other horses to protect him from bites.

Some of the horses.

Prickly pear in the foreground.

An old tree along the bank.

Trees survived the drought.

Gray County Courthouse

Texas Historical Commission's information about the Gray County Courthouse.

Texas Plains Trail Region's information about the beautiful courthouse.

Gray County's Website.

Texas Courthouse Trail's detailed images.

Milky Way from the Truck

     The evening was pitch black. I could not see past my nose. In the distance, Doug plowed well into the darkness. I could see him from the top of the hill where I parked my truck. I saw his truck lights as he made his way across the pasture to the gate, and then down the road. As he left, I knew that I was the only human in the area. My eyes scanned the sky for meteors and the Milky Way.
      Sitting in my chair behind my camera and tripod, I heard a pump jack, chugga-chug, chugga-chug, night hawks, and coyotes. At some point during the night, I heard crunching sounds. What makes crunching sounds? I couldn't figure it out. Intimidated by the darkened, vast expanse of prairie grasses and all the critters it contains, I pulled my chair, tripod, and camera onto the bed of the truck, and settled down for the night. With every coyote yowl, with every crunching sound, I pulled my sister-in-law's quilt over my head.
     At around one o'clock in the morning, clouds blew in, covering the meteors.
     Here are a couple of shots that turned out okay.

The Milky Way above my truck, and to the right, my fisheye lens camera at work.

My fisheye lens shows the Milky Way and the clouds as they roll in.

Green Panhandle

Flowers along the roads in the Texas Panhandle.

Green grasses in August.

An Air Tractor sprays for bugs on the tall corn.