not a fisher-person

So, I went camping this last weekend with a few friends and their dog Toby. It was on a deer lease near Jacksboro, TX. I'm not a hunter but I do enjoy being outside. The area hasn't had a lot of rain and the ground was incredibly dry. Needless to say, when the wind picked up we all felt quite dusty. We spent a lot of time at the 'tanks' just hanging out and fishing. (by tanks I mean man-made ponds) I have come to realize that I am not much of a fisher-person. I do like casting the line out into the water, but that's about as far as my enthusiasm goes. There were many fish caught and some returned. (above: photo of everyone but me fishing)

Toby, who is almost 10 years old, was never a fan of water before this trip. But there was something about the slope of the ground that made him feel comfortable enough to walk out into the water. Then out of nowhere he would just swim off, trying to catch up with the bobbers on the fishing line. He was a different colored dog by the end of the weekend.

While everyone was fishing, I took the opportunity to wander around with Toby by my side. Most of the trees were only just starting to put on leaves and only some of the grass was coming around and greening up. But I could hear birds, including turkey, and coyotes howling over the hills. I saw so many inch worms, one scorpion, two rabbits, lots of tiny frogs, one bullfrog, several fish (sun perch, bass, and crappie), and a snake. It was water moccasin, which was not in the water and startled me as I stepped right next to it. But it got away just as quick as I did. I also found hog, turkey, deer, and raccoon tracks. (image is of a turkey track)



That's it for the camping reflection. I'll leave it with a picture of the sky at sunset.



And a picture of an dead tree that I really like.

seeds and the wind

It was such a nice weekend so I spent quite a bit of time outside. The blooms on all the trees around town have faded and the lime green leaves are emerging. When the breeze would pick up last week tiny white-yellow petals fell out of the trees. I watched them, they were like snow falling down in the sky. I was still unsure of what tree they had belonged to so I investigated.
By Saturday they were all over my porch and in piles around the apartment complex. Individually they are about half and inch around. I assume they were once white but have yellowed and dried as they grew tired of the trees clutch. At the center of the petal is an enlarged space, there is a seed encased in each petal.
As the wind rushed in once again, I went toward where they were coming from and found that it was an elm tree.


A tall elm tree and it was still full of these dry blossoms. There would be more to come. The wind was stronger on Saturday night. They started getting in my apartment. When I went outside they stuck in my hair. The wind only got stronger and when I went outside Sunday morning my porch was clean. Not a sight of the little elm tree petals/seeds.
It's funny, but I enjoyed the sound of them as they danced across the cement, carried by the wind.

volunteering, eventually

I had a goal for this last weekend: volunteer at the South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. Unfortunately, that did not go as planned. The orientation was on Saturday morning at 9am. I walked to my car at 8:30 and was greeted by the sight of a nasty indentation on my car. Someone hit my car during the night. No note. So, I spent the next hour and a half talking to the police and my insurance company. Needless to say, I missed the orientation. But luckily, there will be other days to volunteer.

The good news is that I visited the center on Friday to give them my application. I didn't have my camera on me at the time but I saw lots of neat things. I work with someone who is fulfilling an internship there so she led me around, gave me a tour. Some of the animals included an American White Pelican, a Barn Owl, American Kestrel, and even a Gray Fox named Gracie. Gracie was friendly like a dog or a pet cat. It made a squeaking, purring sound when we approached the cage. The bobcat was hiding. The animals I saw the most of were squirrels. They have many young to very young squirrels that people have brought to them. They feed and take care of these little guys until they are able to be released.

I can't wait to return to the center and help. Most of all I look forward to observing these animals even if they're not in their natural habitat.

http://spwrc.org/

Out for a Drive

I went for a drive today. I drove past Idalou to Apple Country Orchards to look at the apple trees. They are just now beginning to bloom. I saw white and pale pink blossoms. They should be in full bloom during the next few weeks depending on the weather. I intend to return for the Apple Blossom Celebration on April 9th. The orchard has over 6,000 apple trees and 30 varieties.


It is obvious that they have been pruning because their are branches everywhere. The rows of trees seem to go on and on. I am told that behind the apple trees are peach trees. The orchard takes up 30 acres of land. They have a bakery and a small store with apple decorated plates and jars of preserves, jellies, and honey. I sampled some of their cinnamon honey. It was delicious.



I can't wait to see the trees in full bloom or taste the apples.

Spring Break

I felt so lucky to be back in the Hill Country for a few days! The trees were turning green and the air was thick and refreshing. I spent quite a bit of time outside just reminiscing about the time I had spent living in the area.
I heard cardinals, white winged doves, and brown-headed cowbirds most of the time. I also heard katy-dids (which sound like little goats) and saw many deer. Unfortunately I did not capture these in photograph, but I did take several pictures of the landscape.


I found just a couple of bluebonnets blooming.







And took some shots of the neighborhood around my parents' house.

I passed by SO many wind
turbines southwest of Abilene.

And finally, when I returned home this beautiful tree full of pale pink blossoms greeted me outside my front door.