SO LITTLE TIME...



It's been almost a month since I last updated the blog and I decided it is time. I've been busy doing a little of everything, so although I am not doing anything terribly important, there seems to be so little time to accomplish much of anything, let alone keep current with my photographs.

A few weeks ago we got some snow and ice. I was wakened to the sound of periodic thumps against my bedroom window. Figuring it was ice falling off the roof or something equally mundane, I ignored it. But the thumping continued for the better part of an hour and I got curious enough to check it out. Here is what I found.....

A flock of cedar wax wings had attacked the red berries on my holly tree. The thumping was the occasional bird flying into the window. I never see these masked fellows except for ONE TIME each winter when they literally strip every berry from the hollies in my yard. Then they are gone as quickly as they came... until the next year.

Mixed in with the cedar wax wings were a few stray robins. Being familiar with robins (they are the state bird in the northern state where I was born), they tend to feed on the ground rather than in the trees. I can't decide if these stragglers were being industrious or lazy. Regardless, they waited on the ground for the berries that got bumped from the tree as the others were being consumed.

Naturally, in an attempt to get a closer picture, I scared the flock sufficiently to abandon the holly tree. They didn't go far as there were still plenty of the tasty red berries to scavenge. Instead they gathered in a higher tree nearby, waiting for me to leave o they could resume their meal uninterrupted.

On January 10th my sister got married to one of the nicest men I've had the pleasure to meet. They were polite enough to let me play wedding photographer for the event despite the fact I'd never attempted to do such a thing until that day. I learned a few things about what to do and not to do.

This adorable cake was my contribution. My sister decided she was going to forego having a wedding cake because there were too many other things to do with coordinating kids being in town during college break, etc. No wedding is complete without some sort of cake, so that is what I set out to do. I surprised them with the cake and I think it was really a surprise they had not expected. I was happy I accomplished that much!

The next Bride and Groom. My brother is marrying his high school sweetheart even though it is about 35 years later!! They will marry on March 9th. Again, I've been called upon to provide the photography services. This time I'll be a bit more prepared and a whole lot more professional. I will rent an external speedlite so I can avoid flashing people in the face with the built-in, almost useless flash that comes with the camera.

After all the wedding excitement and more activity than I can recall, I took a weekend drive to northeast Texas. Ate lunch in Bonham, Texas (Fannin County) and visited Bonham State Park. The park itself is very small, but the sky was a beautiful, crisp blue against which the bold colors of the flags were particularly striking. By the angle of the flags you can tell the wind was very brisk.

I was on my way to Honey Grove, Texas. I had a purpose for driving the distance, but I wandered into this quaint little town along the way and was urged to take a photo or two of the lone Main Street. I don't recall the name of the town, but it might have been Dodd City. Or Ector. Or Savoy. Or some town that was too small to even locate on the map as I try to remember its name.

Here is the reason I went to Honey Grove, Texas. Meet Arthur. He is a year old (or so) Yorkshire Terrier that needed a home. His owners had been renting a house from a landlord in Honey Grove. The renters vacated the property and "forgot" to take their precious little dog. The landlord kept the dog for a few weeks in case the owners "remembered" they had left something (or someone) behind. She was never contacted. Being a lover of dogs herself, she was prepared to give the dog a new home to fit in with her other 4 furry children. Her husband was adamant he needed to find a home for the orphaned boy. In steps Gena, lover of all things adoptable. (As evidenced by my children and all the other rescue animals I've owned or currently own).

Arthur is one smart little dog! He has already learned his name and is getting used to his 4-legged brothers (Clancy the golden retriever and Tabby the orange/white cat). He's current on his shots and heartworm medication; just waiting for his appointment for neutering. He is maybe all of 5 pounds. I hope to include him on some of my adventures and jaunts.

This past weekend, with the help of Ross, we put together a raised bed for my vegetable garden. It turned out better than I expected, so now I want to make another one for herbs and lettuce. My agenda includes having some good composted dirt and mulch delivered to the house so I can get my onions planted.

I am in the midst of a 6 week rose gardening class and will probably add another rose specimen or two to the yard. I am trying to grow Earth-Kind roses with as little watering as possible regardless of our scorching summer heat. Last summer I started a rose bed with 8 plants. I watered twice at most. They have all survived and already exhibit signs of spring growth. I am thrilled!

Until another day .....

OH MY!!!!

Oh My!!! I can't believe I haven't posted to the blog in AGES! I've taken many, many photos, but for whatever reason I've neglected to share them here. I resolve, with the beginning of 2013 mere hours away, to do better this next year! Here are some samplings of 2012....

Most recently I attended the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert in Dallas on December 23, 2012.

Visited the lights at Vitruvian in Addison, Texas.

Toured the Dallas Arboretum to see Chihuly Nights (artist Dale Chihuly).

The last (EVER!!) photo of Big Tex. A few days later he burned because of an electrical short in his wiring.

An amateur attempt at painting. Took an art class with my sister and had a blast. Watch out, Picasso. Here I come.... NOT!!!

Here's a friendly looking fellow!!

My failed attempt at astrophotography!

Cedar Creek Lake. The most exciting thing I saw all day was this HUGE bullfrog.

Drove to Lake Murray, Oklahoma. Found a tractor graveyard.

New residents in the neighborhood....

There are many more memories from 2012 as well. The best one was traveling to Santa Fe, New Mexico in April to celebrate my birthday with my sister and her almost-husband (only a few days until the wedding as I type this).

The year could have been worse, I suppose. The biggest drawback was the health issue. My genetic predisposition to arthritis kicked in big time and I've had to relearn how to go slow enough so as not to aggravate the pressure points.

Regardless, here's looking forward to 2013!

Until the ball drops.....

MY LATEST PROJECT(S)

It's Spring! Despite the magical rebirth of nature, the arrival of spring loudly heralds the imminent approach of the dreaded summer heat. Time devoted to working in the backyard garden has to be optimized now before the sun becomes blistering to both plant and animal alike.

The Bradford Pear trees were in full bloom a few weeks ago. The blossoms were dainty, yet non-fragrant.



The sky was a glorious, crisp blue color.

The reason I've spent time in the backyard has to do with the renewal of an unused area. The heavy snows in February 2011, followed by the scorching summer drought, caused the demise of a large pine tree. I removed the dead limbs and left some of the trunk (for later use as a multi-level bird feeder). The area around the stump was heavily composted after any leafy vegetation was destroyed. Hardwood mulch was hauled in and spread atop the soil.

Why was I going through all this trouble?

Let me backup a bit. During my lunch hour I walk around the paths of the community greenbelt near my office. Late in the autumn there were some pink roses blooming whose fragrance was so strong they could literally be smelled for quite a distance before and after the bushes were approached. Seeing some of the parks department employees at work one day, I asked if they knew the name of the sweet roses. I was given the name of the Landscape Manager for the area and told she would know everything there was to know about the varieties.

I contacted the woman and she instantly replied with the name... Quietness. She told me the nursery the city used as a source for the roses and I jumped into rose gardening feet first after that. I immediately contacted the nursery and ordered a Quietness rose.

Having invested a good chunk of change into buying the rose and having it shipped to my house, I figured it would be to my advantage to learn all I could about growing roses in this area prior to the arrival of the shipment. As I googled for soil preparation, bed preparation, watering tips, and more, I came across the name of a woman I used to know from our PTA days. She is regarded as a rose expert in the area and I immediately contacted her too, mentioning how surprised I was to find her name so frequently mentioned on the North Texas rose gardening sites.

She invited me to see her roses in a few weeks when the first bloom would be happening and also told me of a rose-gardening class that was currently in session at the rec center of the community in which I work. The Landscaping Manager who told me about the Quietness rose was the coordinator of the classes! I was thrilled and immediately started going to the weekly classes.

The best part was the ability to purchase more roses from the same nursery I'd purchased the Quietness rose, but without the additional shipping charges. They would be delivered to the rec center and we only paid for the plants!

I ordered SEVEN (yes, 7) more roses to go with the one I'd received via UPS shipment and then began planning my rose garden.

This weekend was planting weekend. I've added perennials to the bed as well. The overall diameter of the circular bed is about 20 feet. The bushes are spaced about 4 feet apart. The colors of the roses vary from light salmon pink to vibrant pink and yellow. The perennials will all be white and purple. (I've always wanted a garden that had the look of an English garden... lots of walkways between various showcases of flowering plants.. and very little, if any, lawn grass).

Here is a picture of the small plants on the day they were planted (today). I also installed a do-it-yourself drip irrigation system for the plants. I hope to show a progression of photos as the plants take hold and begin to grow and then eventually bloom.

As part of my sprucing up the yard project, I've purchased the supplies to repair some of the fence, have some awning material to attach to the gazebo frame, constructed an arch for a couple climbing roses, and have plans to convert the frame of the old swingset into a raised garden.

The onions, peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, and basil are all planted in the veggie plot. I really should take a photo of that area as well. Photos document so clearly the overall health of the plants.

Here's to happy gardening!!

Until the next time...

IT'S 2012 ALREADY??

Well, at least it hasn't been 6 months since I last updated this site, unlike the last time! However, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year have all come and gone in the meantime. Therefore, I am behind.... again!

With the price of gas, ongoing household issues, scarcity of disposable income, and a score of other reasons, the weekend adventures have been few and far between. That also contributes to the lack of timely journal entries. So here is an attempt to get caught up to the present.

Again the fish store proves a wonderful place to take photos on a limited budget. This starfish has beautiful coloring.


And this fish!! WOW! The vibrant colors are amazing.

In early December we trekked to East Texas for the annual chopping of the Christmas Tree. With time to kill, we ventured to Caddo Lake, the ONLY natural lake in the entire state of Texas. The moss hanging from the trees was something I'd never before seen.

Marshall, Texas is home of the county courthouse. Each Christmas the downtown area decorates itself in colors, lights, and sounds of the season. The courthouse was beautiful. On the hour, the lights "danced" to music of Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

Speaking of Trans-Siberian Orchestra.... seeing their live Christmas performance at American Airlines Center was the highlight of my entire 2011. Seriously. Thank you, H. It was one of the best gifts ever. I hope I can see them again in the future.

The bridge that I used to get to/from work every day (and to the grocery store, and church, and the malls, and the gas station, etc) was demolished in October. It needs to be rebuilt to accommodate the highway expansion below. It has been a MAJOR inconvenience having that access cut off, but the new bridge is coming along nicely and is promised to reopen the end of March. It is fascinating (at least to me) to watch the construction. I must need a life if this is the best I can find to do on a weekend night!

This past week I took a day of vacation to visit the Fort Worth Stock Show. As always, I had a day filled with taking photos of animals. This bunny was about the cutest bunny I saw all day. He (or she) sat like a little statue the whole time I was near the cage, posing perfectly for its portrait.

This one gave me the giggles. The families that come in to show their livestock bring chairs, coolers, stereos, etc. to ease the long waits between contests and the shows. Do you think JoeBob Bail Bond is the sponsor for the Little League team? There is some reason the logo is printed on sport chairs!

And that pretty much brings me up to date with the photos. There are a few more adventures planned in the coming months so there will always be more pictures to follow.... eventually.

Until the next time....

UPDATE AT LAST

Exactly 6 months have passed since I last shared some photos and adventures. WOW!! Much has happened in the interim. I've gone to many events, walked hundreds of miles (literally), and had many changes take place in my life. Mostly positive, too! Let's get to the good stuff... the adventures and photographic evidence.

There was a street festival in Hillsboro, Texas and this was seen along the highway as we drove to the venue. My love affair with rust is well documented by now.



In September and October we went to the State Fair of Texas multiple times. I had free passes and I used the opportunity to put many miles on my pedometer and walking shoes. In the past, we always rode the Texas Star at night. This year it was such a clear day I wanted to ride in sunlight. Here is the Dallas skyline taken from the car of the Ferris wheel.

Many pretty colors on the ground below.

I've never ridden Bumper Cars, but those who braved the foray looked and sounded like they were having a blast.

Big Tex is the voice of the fair. He greets the visitors with friendly banter and his traditional "Howdy, folks".

Each evening after dark there is a laser light show and fireworks display along the reflecting pool and fountains. This year I challenged myself to capture decent photos.

The heat from the pyrotechnics could be felt at quite some distance.

As the fall weather began to settle in, we attended an annual Bluegrass Festival in a nearby community park. Musicians simply show up with their instruments and start jamming with each other. It was a wonderful day.

Then H's daughter and her boyfriend came to town from the gulf coast and again we went to the State Fair. Every year there is a contest among the food vendors to develop the tastiest fried goody. This year featured Fried Bubblegum and other artery-clogging snacks. This pictured below is Fried Peanutbutter and Jelly Sandwich, a winner from a prior year.

Our young adults braved the torture of the wildest rides they could find.

I sat in the shade taking photos of everything around me while they stood in line for rides.

And then, our brave, fearless kiddos opted to go on one last, "tame" ride. Every one of them got off the Swing ride dizzy and sick to the stomach. Too funny!!

How's this for a crew??

Look at the steak on this big boy!!!!

The Longhorn cattle were arriving for their competition the next day. These young longhorns didn't have a care in the world as long as someone kept them supplied in hay.

Then I saw him. A brand new, baby longhorn.... complete with baby-sized horns. He was so young they didn't even bother to tether him to anything. He wasn't about to leave mama's side.

Finally he decided to do some posing for me. He got up and nudged his mama with the signal he wanted to eat. He wasn't too sure what I was doing.

Bath time. After the cattle arrive in their trailers, the young contestants take them to the washing area for a good scrubbing. The cattle don't seem to mind one bit.

One of the main reasons I went to the Fair a third time was to see Randy Travis on the last weekend of the event. I have always wanted to see him but had never paid the steep ticket price. All this cost was the price of admission at the fair gate. Randy Travis was excellent.

A week or so ago, there was a Hot Air Balloon Festival in a nearby community. I've always wanted to attend the Balloon Glow after dark, but in the 2 previous attempts to see the sight, the wind was uncooperative and the event had to be cancelled. This time I watched the weather closely and decided Friday night was the night.... I was not disappointed on my third attempt.

Last weekend we attended a street festival in yet another neighboring community. It was low-key, fun, and provided many hours of merriment and walking.

After the extraordinary heat of the summer and the unprecedented lack of rainfall, autumn colors are practically non-existent this year. These photos below are about as good as it's going to get this fall.

And last night was the final night of the horse racing season in this area. We went to enjoy the sights. None of us won any wagers on the horses, but both H and my cousin won drawings for $50 gift cards.

For the most part, that gets me caught up. There are many Christmas festivals and celebrations around the corner. Thanksgiving is nearly here, too. Will try to be better about sharing adventures throughout the remainder of the year. Thanks for stopping by.

Until I decide to spend more time blogging...