AN AFTERTHOUGHT

After I posted about going to Lake Texoma and Whitesboro I remembered there was another facet to the adventure which I'd failed to mention. It is worth mentioning but for very strange reasons.


As we were leaving the Old World Meat Market I noticed emergency vehicle lights in my rearview mirror. Then I noticed another stopped police car. Seeing the procession of cars told me it was a funeral. No, there was no hearse. Or was there??? Sure enough, the coffin was in the back of a pickup truck (tailgate lowered) and a spray of orange and yellow flowers adorned the wood. How odd, I thought. Then the REAL oddity was seen.... and naturally since we had just gotten in the car I didn't have my camera out to capture any of this.... on the back of the pickup carrying the coffin were two large flags on each side of the tailgate. I assume the flags were the US flag and perhaps the Texas flag. I can't say for sure because I was distracted by the flags on the back of the pickup truck immediately following the coffin-carrying truck. In all its glory was the CONFEDERATE FLAG (we call it the Rebel Flag) with the word R E D N E C K emblazened across the center as shown below. I couldn't believe what I was seeing!!! The flag on the other side appeared to be a military flag or some other organization's flag. All I noted was that it had words on it. My jaw was still on the ground from seeing the REDNECK flag.



Today I looked up obituaries from that area and found the notice about a 75 year old man. Somehow I imagined the person would have been much younger.

Trust me on this one. I could never have made this up in a million years!!

Until another day...

AN ADVENTURE LIKE NO OTHER

After days of overcast skies, rain, threats of wintry precipitation, and bone chilling winds, Saturday began with clear skies and warmer temperatures. There were adventures on the agenda. First we wanted to visit the store front for GermanDeli.com which is west of the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. We had not been to the location in quite a few months so we were anxious to browse the aisles once again. We drove to the location only to find .... we couldn't find the place! I'd printed a Google map and for some reason I'd looked at it wrong and didn't realize the map was indicating a NEW location. By the time we figured it out we were almost in the mood to strike the trip from the agenda and simply move on to the next item. However, once we were following the correct map we found it in no time and enjoyed the visit. I bought some Curry Bratwurst and some Nuernberger sausage.

Next on the agenda was to drive to Whitesboro for lunch at a favorite "hole in the wall" place which once boasted itself as the local filling station. It is now a deli - slash - meat market - slash grill. Worth the stop at the Old World Meat Market if you happen to be in Whitesboro, Texas. We were then headed to Whitewright, Texas to watch my cousin do some skydiving. I wanted to try photographing the activity and figured this was a great opportunity. Unfortunately, the communication wires got crossed and there was to be no jump today.

It was early afternoon, we were near the Oklahoma border, so we drove to Lake Texoma. There is a campground there known as the Sheppard AFB Recreation Annex. It is intended for use by military, both retired and active, and their families. It happens that H is retired from the Department of Defense (he worked for the government in a civilian capacity, but was affiliated with the Army and Air Force) and with proof of identification is allowed access to certain military facilities, including this Recreation Annex. We entered the area and explored the facility. There is fishing, boating, camping, hiking, picnicking, and more.

We entered the fishing barge in time to watch this young woman snare a fish.




The lake was beautiful and serene. We saw various ducks, loons, cranes, seagulls, and pelicans.

We explored the cabin areas and inquired about rentals and rates. Very reasonable. Toward dusk we noticed the deer emerging from the wooded areas to feed. This was one of the last spots at which we stopped to take photographs. We then headed to the gate to aim south back to Dallas. But wait. THE GATE WAS CHAINED AND LOCKED.

We were inside past the hours of in/out access and were now locked in the annex. OMG!!! The first worry was H's dog at home without means of going outside to relieve herself. I wasn't worried about us. After all these years of adventures, we've started carrying staples with us for cases of emergencies. I have extra clothes, shoes, towels, first aid kits, fishing gear, etc. We come prepared! Back to the areas with people we went. We quickly learned there was a combination lock on the gate and we could exit after using the combination. The gentleman kindly told us the combo and we were able to leave the facility. We almost had to spend the night on a locked military installation. That would have been fun. If it hadn't been for concerns about the little dog at home alone, I would have enjoyed that very much.

Until more pictures are processed...

FISH VERSION OF 'HIDDEN OBJECT'

I've added some fish to the aquarium and now delight in watching them swim about. They are small and dwarfed further by the dimensions of their 70 gallon habitat. It was interesting as I shot pictures to note that I could see some of the fish hidden in the leaves or camouflaged by the rocks. This post serves no other purpose than a venue for the various pictures I took as I experimented with the manual camera settings settings. I am noting that 800 ISO is slightly better than the grainier 1600 ISO but just as effective in achieving 'stop action'. Shutter speed ranged from 1/200 to 1/250; f-stop varied from 5.0 - 6.3; flash was used. [Surely you didn't think I was such an advanced aquarist that I had trained the fish to hold a pose for the camera, did you?]

No doubt the 3 varieties of fish have been spotted. I have (5) O.B. Zebras (o.b. = orange blotch) known as Metriaclima estherae in the scientific world; (3) Pseudotropheus demasoni (the blue striped fish); (3) Labidochromis caeruleus or Yellow Labs. I am told that since these are aggressive, territorial fish the best way to control the aggression is to crowd them. Before taking this approach into consideration, I still have room for a few more. They can grow up to 4-5 inches in length and have a lifespan measured in years!

Until the next time....

A FIRST GLIMPSE

Here is the first photograph of the unfinished aquarium. There is water in the tank but I have a couple more rocks to add. The heater was submerged this evening so as soon as the temperature reaches an optimum level for the varieties intended the fish will be added. The overhead lighting is also lacking at the moment, but that will be remedied quickly enough. I am already enjoying the beauty and the sounds of the dripping water. Tomorrow night a trek will be made to the fish store for some inhabitants. (They owe me some fish in exchange for the ones I traded in... never knew that could be done, but oh so glad it is an acceptable practice).

Until I add some fish...

PEACE and CALM.... and a SMILE

I am all about finding peace and calm these days. I am very tired of feeling life has me stressed to the limit. I try to escape the city on weekends to unwind in the uncomplicated simplicity of less populated areas. I am continually on a quest to find new and equally peaceful means of surrounding myself at home by the same calm that fills my being on my weekend jaunts.

Most recently I've discovered that watching my fish swim in their aquarium allows calm to wash over my senses. As I watch the fish swim I recall the Don Knotts movie "The Incredible Mr. Limpet", wondering if some of what I feel was behind Henry Limpet's desire to become a fish.

Not long ago I was in the pet department of Wal-Mart staring at the fish. An elderly gentleman and his wife approached and the man engaged me in a conversation about fish. He said he used to come home from work and watch his fish for hours. I smiled and nodded knowingly. I can relate completely to his sentiment.

Now that I've been bitten by the aquarist bug, I've expanded my equipment from a 20 gallon tank to a 70 gallon system as shown below. (This is only a picture from the brochure; not my actual setup). The best thing about this is that I've procured the arrangement with a minimal of expense. Thanks to a cousin with friends in the aquarium store trade, this has all been acquired without benefit of major cash outlay. Mere pennies.... literally.

Tonight, with his help and as a result of his vigilant eye for bargains, we added gravel, positioned the rocks (most of which I collected from backyards, parks, weekend adventures, and outside of office buildings), added plants, and then filled it with water. In a few days I will move my fish from the small tank to the larger tank. Of course, I will then begin taking photographs of this new habitat. The filter is running and its hushed sound of a distant trickling creek fills the room. It makes me smile. Anything that makes me smile is worth gold in my book!

As for the smaller tank, I am thinking of trying my hand at either a planted aquarium or a small saltwater tank featuring live rocks and corals. I don't have to decide right now.


Speaking of calm and watching fish, this video is amazing. Watching the slow, gentle motion of the aquatic animals does something to me. It makes me feel as though I am breathing deeply of crisp country air. Really!! I am easily entertained. Of course the peaceful feeling is nothing compared to the magnitude of the aquarium on display. Enjoy!




Until I can start taking photos....

TIME TO POST MORE PHOTOS

Last weekend was the final weekend of the Fort Worth Fat Stock Show & Rodeo. Normally we go the second to last weekend so we had no idea what to expect with this change in routine. There was next to no cattle left to see in the barns. Maybe a handful as the ranchers packed up their tools of the trade, but basically the cattle barns were empty.



The barn with herds for sale had more to offer. Normally when we go there are very few calves. This time each holding pen had multiple newborn calves included with the sale.

And as though we need reminding that this is cowboy and ranching territory (and once part of the raw frontier), here rides the Tarrant County Sheriff's Posse.

At times the activity behind the buildings holds more interest than what goes on inside.

These bulls were being herded toward the cattle shipper you see in the previous photo. I can just hear the bull telling the cow, "If I'm not home by sundown, start dinner without me." Wonder how many of these walking beef markets will end up on a dinner table.

Apparently the final weekend is devoted more toward horses than cattle. The Quarter Horse auction was in full swing. Yes, the auctioneer really does sound as though he is spewing gibberish in a foreign tongue rather than keeping track of bids.

I don't recall seeing these characters on previous visits, but they were cute. It was almost as though they were waving farewell until next year. It was a cold, uncrowded day at the stock show.

A few days later, it started snowing. It snowed and it snowed.

The snow fell at a steady pace all day. It was beautiful to see.

The next morning when it had stopped snowing, this is how it looked from my front yard as I looked down the street.

And this is how it looked in my backyard. I lost some limbs to the weight of the snow. Several were snapped off and now on the ground.

Then the Cedar Waxwings showed up. Every few years they come in huge flocks to strip the holly trees of their red berries. This winter was no exception. There were hundreds of birds in my yard vying for the berries.

They were in every available branch. There were many in the holly trees, but as I opened the back door to take pictures they scattered to the upper branches of the taller trees.

The snow is melting quickly this weekend. The sun is shining, but not for long. We are promised another week of dismal skies and below normal temperatures. But that's okay. I still say it is easier to get warmer than it is to get cooler. At least I remind myself of that when it is 105 in the shade and I think I want to live in the northern climate.

Until the next adventure...

A FIRST

I've done something for the very first time. I've entered a photograph in a contest. There will be hundreds of entries and I won't win, but I have taken the leap, hopefully making it easier the next time.

The photographs submitted were required to emphasize a shallow depth of field. In my opinion that is one of my strongest abilities. At least that is what I tell myself when I am on the weekend jaunts and devote megabyte after gigabyte to flower buds, bugs, moss, rocks, weeds, etc. Will let you know if anything good comes from this submission.

Until the rain abates enough to be out taking photos....