AUTUMN ADVENTURES....Part II

After eating a quick breakfast, loading a small ice chest, and filling the tank with gasoline, we pointed the SUV in a northerly direction and hit the Interstate headed to Oklahoma!

Once out of Texas we began to see the Choctaw Nation Casinos. Prior to this, the only casinos into which I'd ventured were the Las Vegas, Nevada variety. Considering I needed to make a rest stop, the casino was as likely a place as any. I used the rest facilities and then wandered around the casino floor for a bit. My traveling companion decided he might as well use the facilities too, which afforded me the opportunity to sit at a 1 cent (yes, you read that correctly) slot machine. I figured, what the hell!!

I had two single dollar bills in my possession and decided to play until these two bills were depleted. Knowing my ability to gamble, I figured it wouldn't take long! So I got busy pushing buttons for credits and lines. My cohort returned and I tried to hurry the inevitable loss. First I won 6 free games. Then I won 75 credits. I asked my companion to please bring me a soft drink (I was working HARD trying to lose and needed some of the free beverages). He returned with a root beer and I was only shy of ending my game by 20 credits. We needed to hit the road. We had a destination. The next thing you know, I won something and the machine now showed I had $3.12 winnings. I cashed out, laughing all the while that my first trip to the Choctaw Casino netted me $1.12. I figured they had basically paid me to use the restroom and have a root beer. It made my day!!


After the casino ordeal, H took over the driving and I started shooting pictures of every and any thing. I think I rode most of the 550+ miles with the viewfinder pressed to my face.

I could see this glorious bridge approaching rapidly. Camera in place, settings locked in, I started releasing the shutter with a burst of continuous shots ......

And this is what I saw!!!! Sometimes it is REALLY a disadvantage being short. My vantage point was not exactly were it needed to be.

During a drive through the Beaver Bend State Park in Broken Bow, Oklahoma we saw these pretty brown ladies. I also saw a gray squirrel which made me very happy. We only have the red squirrels in Dallas and I loathe them! (Glorified Rats with Bushy Tails)

Then we got to the good stuff! This stream was glorious. The rules for trout fishing were posted nearby. Made me wish our adventure had included some fly fishing. Maybe next time we should make this park our destination and include fishing and camping on the agenda.

Those of you in the north and northeast no doubt see far more autumn color than we do here in the south. Our conditions are usually less than prime for spectacular fall showings. What is shown in these pictures is not far from as good as it gets. There tends to be more evergreen trees than hardwoods.

Now we are in the Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas, near the town of Mena.

Once inside the forest I began experimenting with tripods, monopods, filters, and all my various lenses. I was in my element!!

At one of the vistas there was a swarm of walking sticks (the insect). There were literally hundreds who suffered death-by-tires and a few live creatures suffered the wrath of curious children and weird amateur photographers. (My family would likely tell you there was nothing weird about me being enthralled by this creature because I used to keep collected and preserved insect specimens in my bedroom closet as I was growing up!)

All too soon this is what we saw in the west. We were more than 200 miles from Dallas and needed to call it a day.

Thanks to my navigator for getting us there without incident. You know who you are!!

Until further adventures...

SPEAKING OF...

Water-lilies... 1908

Signature from The Seine at Lavacourt - 1880



After all these years I finally visited the Dallas Museum of Art. I was thrilled!! Monet is a favorite.

I was most surprised by the paintings by Picasso. I've never been a fan of his artistic style based on the photos I've seen in books, etc. However, I was shocked at how truly wonderful his works appeared in person. Perhaps the selections I viewed are lesser known works... or early works. Regardless, they were superb.

Until I happen upon another adventure....

AUTUMN ADVENTURES

The local news has been reporting a significant pumpkin shortage this season. The reports attribute the shortage to too much rain, the inability to get into the fields to harvest the crop, and a cooler growing season in general. I disagree with this assessment. All one has to do to understand the pumpkin shortage is make a trip to the Dallas Arboretum for the Fall Color Show. I've never seen so many pumpkins... literally!! They were in every shape, size, and color. They were lining the paths through the gardens. They were floating in fountains. They were piled into frames to form houses. The largest pumpkins offered themselves as resting spots for visitors weary from the long walks or for hungry squirrels as they opened cherished nuts. Regardless, the color was magnificent!

This is a fountain. The water trickles around the grooves as it spirals down to the center.

Another unique fountain. Three walls of water cascading into a pool below.

Water lilies.... not much needs to be said about these amazing beauties!

A quirky shot. So many jutting points and bare limbs.

Hints of autumn color are beginning to appear... we made a return visit to the Hagerman Wildlife Refuge. This is quickly becoming one of our favorite destinations. We saw very little in the way of wildlife this visit. A couple of turtles, a few Great Blue Herons, some small ducks... that was it!

The way the sun sparkled into the lens captivated me (there is certainly nothing outstanding about this photo).

Until the next adventure...

The State Fair of Texas

The State Fair of Texas is currently doing its annual run. This past Friday night I had the opportunity to go for a couple of hours and devoted the time to experimenting with the capture of the sights at dusk.

The parting shot taken from the car as we exited the fairgrounds.

Until another time...

HONEY GROVE, TEXAS

Autumn is the time of year when a large number of communities have their annual festivals. The weather is cooler, the farmers and ranchers have harvested their crops or sent their salable livestock to auction. Fall Festival, County Fair, Wild West Festival, Harvest Festival... you name it, there is a festival for it. Today happened to be the Davy Crockett Festival in Honey Grove, Texas. Supposedly Davy Crockett (of Texas Alamo fame) discovered this area when he camped there while on his way to join the Texas Army at the Alamo (San Antonio) in 1836.

Sights of the day....

A rusty iron staircase. Talk about solid!!! Not to mention it must weigh a great deal.



Although the weather was extremely pleasant (high in the mid 70s at most) this young lady shared a drink of water with her thirsty pet.

My maternal grandfather worked at the Allis-Chalmers tractor factory in West Allis, Wisconsin for as many years as I knew him up to the day he retired. He was a welder on the assembly line. Every time I see the signature orange paint of an Allis-Chalmers tractor I pause to smile. Oh how I miss him and wish I could talk with him once more. When I was a little girl I used to love sitting in his lap backwards with my ear against his chest. Then I'd wait for him to talk so I could hear the way the sound of his voice distorted in his chest cavity. I was probably a weird little girl!

The town of Windom, Texas. The city park was decorated for Fall. There were pumpkins, mums, and/or dried corn stalks at each light post.

We ventured to Achille, Oklahoma! The remains of the downtown retail district was abandoned and overgrown with weeds. For some reason I enjoy taking photographs of these otherwise depressed areas. They make me smile in a sad sort of way.... wondering what tales could be told from their former thriving days.

This is the Red River. The land on the left side of the river is Oklahoma; the land on the right is Texas. This was taken from atop the dam that separates Lake Texoma from the Red River.

It was a wonderful getaway on a comfortable day. My idea of PERFECT!

Until the next adventure....