View of Dallas from 4,000 Feet

     In his beautiful Bonanza, Uwe flew Dotti and me to Love Field. We could see from the air the Margaret McDermott Bridge designed by Santiago Calatrava.

Francisca Efgenia Melendez y Durazzo at the Dallas Museum of Art

      One of the charming things for me to experience at a museum is the curiosity that I see in its visitors. Here, my sweet friend uses the magnifying glass to further study one of the works of art at the Dallas Museum of Art's wonderful exhibit, Women Artists in Europe from the Monarchy to Modernism. 

      Drawn to the miniature oil paintings by Francisca Efgenia Melendez y Durazzo (1770 - 1825), I learned that at age twenty, she became an Academic of Merit. Shortly thereafter, she became the artist for the Court of King Charles of Spain. The portraits we viewed at the exhibit show her work painting the members of the king's family. The work is framed together with letters to her requesting certain details, such as "eyes that show more smiling." Though the language written on the letters harks back to the Eighteenth Century, I could still understand what the message said. Spanish is a beautiful language, and having the opportunity to read it gave me an added embellishment to the experience at the Museum. 

     My attempts to photograph the moment a visitor studies a work of art serve to challenge my skills with my camera. With low light and a moving subject, I have to quickly compose after adjusting my settings. This time, I used my X-T3 from Fujifilm with a 35mm lens. I could have made much better images if I had focussed more deeply as a photographer; instead, I focussed on the wonderful exhibit, the wonderful women whose work I viewed and inspired me, which made capturing moments of secondary nature. Sometimes, enjoying the experience, such as this one, can overcome my passion for capturing a beautiful moment. I can feel those times by now, and allow them to wash over me, inspiring me for the future.

Cirrus SR20 on a Foggy Morning

Visitors at the Fort Worth MoMA

     While taking in the exhibit of Laurie Simmons' photography at the Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art, I noted a visitor wearing a particular shirt. The matching colors attracted me. Here, the visitor and his friends have just viewed "The Mess," by Laurie Simmons.

Moonrise Over KCWC and My Plane

The full moon rises over KCWC, January 20th, 2019. The sun eventually eclipsed the moon that evening.

    At Kickapoo Airport, as the sun set, the moon rose. I captured several images to make a panorama, hoping to achieve a view that reflected reality, as I saw it that evening. Wide angle lenses make the moon look very small, which I did not want to do in my image. And so, I used a 110mm lens on my GFX 50s, exposed several images by panning, and then blended them in PhotoShop. I borrowed the reflection from the windows in another image to highlight the building, and then straightened the beacon tower.

     At eleven o'clock that evening, I photographed the eclipsed moon with the Nikon P1000 at 1000mm. I hadn't noticed that the camera has a moon icon as one of its scene modes (in addition to the bird mode). I turned the knob from manual mode to moon mode, just to experiment. The camera rendered a beautiful exposure, as I show above. I'm convinced that when I'm out and about with this particular camera, I should allow it to do all the work when documenting scenes.

Quiet Post Moorise and Sunset Over Kickapoo Hangars

Sunrise Over Gray County Cattle

      The small, dark spots in the distance of this lovely view are Charles' cattle munching in a healthy pasture. 

Below the Dam at Duck Lake

    While on photo safari with Clay, we came upon the scene I show above. In processing the RAW image in PhotoShop, I emphasized the water and the road going into the distance. I love these kinds of images and I especially love finding them.

Dawn Over the Pond at Horse Camp

      Every once in a while, Clay will take the time to show me a location for photography. I like to call those times "photo safaris." Unless I feel sick or the weather is extreme, I don't miss the opportunity to tag along. 

     At six o'clock, we made our way to a pond at Horse Camp, the one with the huge dam, and waited for the ducks to arrive. The sunrise looked muted and gave the sky and the mirror-like water some color. The electrical posts provided some interest, too, for my picture. 

     We saw a pair of Buffleheads, and a few Northern Shovelers, teals, and I think I may have seen some mallards. The ducks, as they arrived, zoomed over us. Their wings made a zooming sound that fascinated me. 

Sunset Over Kickapoo FBO

     While waiting for MyMrMallory to return from San Angelo, in the cold 22-knot winds from the north, I stood beside the FBO at Kickapoo with my camera on its tripod. The beacon did not light up until he touched down on the runway, so I merged the images together to create the lights. In using the Nikon Z7 and the 35mm Elegant lens from Kipon, I thought of myself as a tad eccentric in my choice of equipment, seeing as how I don't have the capability to use the extraordinary auto focus of the Nikon kit lens; but then, I enjoy all manual with great technology. The idea for using the Kipon lenses came from a post in Nikon Rumors Web site (Where There's Smoke, There's Fire). Eventually, I hope to have the Nikon 24-70mm lens made for the Z-series cameras.

     The practice of photography can bring one such joy. The banker John Safer, also an artist, passed away very recently (1922 - 2018). In his obituary, the writer James R. Hagerty quoted him as saying, "If you don't have any grand ambitions in art, you shouldn't be doing it." It sounds too absolutistic to me and yet, it sounds exactly right, too, about how I feel about my art.

TBM Taking Off

Taking the opportunity to practice photography, I stood at the edge

of the grass along the taxiway. A TBM has a speedy roll,

and so must the photographer and her trusty XH-1 camera and 100-400mm lens.

Birds at the Airport During Take Off

John takes off in the Bonanza when the birds flew away, into the wind. 

"Floating Mesa," by Stanley Marsh

An installation of wood, which then painted a shade of sky color that will 

make the mesa look as if it floats above the ground, up there. 

A New Beginning in Hartley

      Dabbling again recently in infrared, I converted this color image to black and white, raised the reds and blues, and saved it. In truth, I misjudged the look of the nifty Wayne Bennett Smoky Vision polarizer from Sing Ray and disliked the look when I opened it in Photoshop. Initially, I intended to bring out my infrared filters, but felt that I did not have enough time to work on any good images. 

In post processing, though, I found comfort in converting to black and white. 

     The headquarters compound under a deck of clouds. The nifty Wayne Bennett Smoky Vision polarizer added some interest to the view. The grasses in the foreground reflect the overgrazing and the effects of the past drought. The new cattle rancher believes in living "in sync with nature," and he feels sure (with his methods and some rain) that he can develop the ranch to a better rangeland. 

     The road leading to the headquarters compound. The clouds sure do look as if they will provide a gorgeous sunset. (I wish I could have remained there to see it.)

At the headquarters, a gate behind the house leads into the Whitetail pasture.

Sunrise at a Neighbor's House

Driving south from Pampa, I had to stop (safely) to record this beautiful image. 

I lay my Fujifilm XH-1 on the hood of the Willys 

and with the 100-400mm lens composed, holding my breath for a sharp shot.

Caliche Pits, Rangeland, and Cotton Bales in Gray County

 I feel fascinated (endlessly) by the geology of the south west. 

Here we see some of the sedimentary layers of the caliche pit. 

The layer of clouds in the morning provided me with some color for my photographs. 

In my photography, I prefer to defer to the subject and leave the gorgeous sunrises in the background.

Sometimes, though, I look for a composition the will bring more light to the subject.

Except on those days when I feel too wussy to trek into the stubby cotton field. 

My Willys parked by the side of the cotton field. 

When possible, I feature my Willys in my photographic stories. 

Tumbleweeds (non-native Russian thistle) roll around the area.

This gate leads into the road that runs along the second playa.

Lovely colors with the pink clouds in the background and the yellow cotton bale packaging.

Charles' cattle munch on the corn stubs while birds fly around them.

Good ranch management includes the extraction and control of mesquite plants. 

Charles spent several hours on his tractor pulling the plants from the bulb. 

He designed the claw himself. 

Tall and healthy grass.

Snow-covered Evergreen

Hamilton Park.

Snowy Alma Mater

"Sunwatcher," by Jack Stevens.

Across the pond from MSU Texas Museum of Art stands a lovely willow in the snow.

Preflighting Grumman with Wave Clouds Above

Cormorants and Gulls on the Pond Along Highway 82

     Along the highway, near Holiday, some of the land from which they borrowed to build the highway expansion have filled up and remained filled since the drought broke in 2015. Cormorants and other shore birds frequent the ponds, and have made the rock island their roosting spot. Since they became accustomed to vehicles (my little Willys) lurking along the shoulder of the highway, they carry on as they would without my presence, and so I have the happy opportunity to watch them.