In the Shade of a Tree

Cat and Flowers

Clouds Over Kickapoo

Joan d’Arc Rose

Morticia, the Remarkable Black Vulture

     She serves as education ambassador for Wild Bird Rescue. Her rehabber, Connie, tells of her high intelligence, her love of watching the fishermen at the nearby cove, and her ability to find shiny objects on the shore. The two pick up trash along the banks of Lake Wichita. Together, they travel to schools to teach the children about nature and wildlife. For me, she posed again and again, showing me that she adored the attention as much as a human would. 

Black-necked Stilt

Peace Rose

Ray of Sun on Photinia

Banshee, Wild Bird Rescue’s Barn Owl

Visit wildbirdrescue.org and lend them your support. 

Archer, Wild Bird Rescue’s Great-horned Owl

Visit wildbirdrescueinc.org and lend them your support. 

Cormorants on a Rock in the Middle of a Pond

White Wisteria

Mural in Ardmore, Oklahoma

     Sometimes, while driving through a town, finding oneself lost may lead to the discovery of something grand. Turning into a side street, just to gather my maps, in GPS or paper formats, I parked in front of a mural painted in 2016 on the side of the local newspaper's building.

     The mural honors the military past of the city of Ardmore. The base, which closed in 1945, brought to town military personnel, some of whom remained in Ardmore, raising their families and continuing to serve the community.

     An informative Website, Ardmore Army Air Field, provides more information about the base, its history, and about the mural pictured above, giving a description of the art work, panel by panel (between the unpainted columns), and includes many links (to my delight).

Vultures Kettling Before a Cloud Build Up and Subsequent Sunset

From Blooming Purple to Green

One Wine Cup

Air Tractor Fire Bomber

Spider's Split at Bat Mountain

A hike in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.

 View from the road of a large rock outcrop called Bat Mountain, our destination.

View of a part of the Wichita Mountains from inside Spider's Split, Bat Mountain.

My favorite thing to do, low-light photography. 

Photography artist Ben Jacobi sits by his camera as it takes several exposures. 

See his image at bjdphoto.

A large, large boulder sits on the side of Bat Mountain. This photo shows us sitting underneath it.

Spring and Blooms on Harrison and Speedway

Post Oak Falls, Little and Big

The "big" Post Oak Falls.

Little Post Oak Falls.

Update: The Post Oak Falls, "little" and "big," are found in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. As an honor for me, I tagged along behind artist Ben Jacobi as he led me to them, all the while teaching me about the park, its history, the names of the mountains, and how to hike safely across the wet streams over which we hopped. All the while, too, I learned more about how to become a better photographer as I watched him set up his tripod and camera to capture a moment of time in the mountains. Before these captures, he took a long time to plan them by studying routes, the time of day for best light, which light he wanted in the image, the composition of each image. The photographs I composed myself of the wonderful scenes in the park serve as a reminder to me of the education and inspiration I received that day.