Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

A Scissor-tailed Flycatcher visited me the other day.

He flew high up in the cottonwood tree, well beyond the range of my lens, but I snapped a shot anyway. 

He's such a pretty bird--pale gray with dark wings and a dark tail, and a pop of color on his flanks that's a little bit orange, a little bit pink. He's known best for his very long forked tail, which you can't even see in this photo.

Lucky for me, he flew down from his high perch and landed on a dead plant near the river. I snapped a few shots, stepped closer, snapped a few more, stepped closer...hoping to get a halfway decent shot before he flew away.

This is the best of the bunch...

Doesn't he look regal, sitting there so tall and proud? And that tail...it must be at least twice as long as his body! 

It was a real treat to see and photograph this bird. 

All in a Day's Walk

I wear a fitness band to track my steps. My goal is 10,000 steps a day. As long as I dedicate 45 minutes to a brisk walk, then the remainder of my steps are accumulated throughout the day with moderate activity...when I'm at home.

But, it's a completely different story at the trailer. It's tiny inside a travel trailer and it only takes a couple of steps in any direction to get where you're going. So when it rained the other day, I did a lot of pacing...10,000 steps worth. 

The next day started out like this...

Can you see the river? Neither can I.

and I began to think I would have to change my plans...again. But it was only fog and eventually it cleared.  

Crocs for the Beach

I grabbed my walking shoes and headed for one of my favorites places to walk...Matagorda Beach.

Now this is more like it. Look how gorgeous it is! Miles and miles of beautiful, undeveloped beach. I will get plenty of steps today and have fun doing it. 

The water is so clear. The waves gently roll. The rhythm is just right.   

I set a brisk pace and scatter the shore birds occasionally.

I stop along the way to snap pictures of interesting things I see...

like patterns in the sand

and shrimp boats working the surf.

At the end of the my walk I leave with lots of photos, 8770 steps on my fitness band, and...

five cents in my pocket. Not bad.

Chance of Rain 20%

My view of the river yesterday through a rain streaked window. I was not expecting this.* We need rain and for that I am thankful. I adjusted my plans and my attitude.

The soaking rain stopped after a time and I walked to the river's edge to try and capture the cloud reflection on the water. Fish were feeding as you can tell by the ripples on the surface.

Another shower or two and then the sun broke through and the sky began to clear.

Or so I thought...

More rain on the way! It see-sawed back and forth like this all morning. The ever changing sky entertained and it turned out to be an enjoyable morning at the river.

*Forecast for Tuesday, October 13:
Cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 90F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 20%.

Life is Better at the River

Hanging out here for a few days, soaking in the peacefulness, and thanking God for his blessings.

Hummingbird Notes and Photos

The notes are mostly for me...so I can remember. The photos are for you...to enjoy.

The Ruby-throated hummingbirds have migrated farther south now. Only a few stragglers remain. The number of birds we saw this fall was far fewer than past years. 

The most at our house in Needville at one time was about 12. They nectared almost exclusively from the garden flowers. I maintained three feeders, but they were barely used. In past years I've had to scramble to keep eight feeders full.

There was a better showing at the travel trailer in Matagorda. The greatest number seen at one time was around 100. And while that may sound like a lot, it is not as many as previous years. Normally I have to refill 16 feeders twice a week. This year the nectar in 16 feeders lasted two weeks.

We did not experience drought conditions this year and that may be the reason why numbers were down. Maybe this is what is normal when there is plenty of natural food along the migration path.

I will always enjoy feeding and watching these beautiful birds, no matter how many show up. 

So long for now little birds. See you again next year.  

All photos from September 2013, Canon EOS 60D, Canon EF70-200 f/2.8 IS (borrowed lens)

One Evening on the Colorado River

John was fishing for flounder. One small one was caught, but the big ones were elusive.

The air was cool and dry--the first time it really felt like fall. The smell of woodsmoke drifted over from the fire pit across the way.

The fishing lights on the dock were turned on to attract bait fish which in turn attracts larger fish. John began catching small sand trout.

Occasionally he switched up his lure to find the one the fish liked best.

John continued to fish until he was sure he wasn't quitting too soon, and...

the mosquitos began to bite more often than the fish.

(Photographed last Friday evening at Pelican Point Boat Slips in Matagorda, Texas)

Strawberry Fields Forever

I have a new flower love. It's a variety of gomphrena called Strawberry Fields.

You can see how it came by that name, as the flower resembles a small strawberry with tiny yellow seeds.

I planted it in the middle of summer and it took the heat like a champ. It also survived a severe pruning by leaf cutter ants and bounced back strong.

The red flowers, which attract butterflies, nicely compliment the purple Mexican sage it's planted next to...

which by the way, is extremely vibrant and showy right now.

Strawberry Fields is just right for our little garden by the river--not too tall, not too bushy, beautiful, and hearty. It's my new flower love.

That Time of Evening

It was that time of evening

just after sunset

when the horizon glowed golden

the sky above deepened to blue

birds flew to their evening roosts

and all was beautiful.

My Lucky Day

Me and My Flounder (photo taken by John)

I felt lucky to catch this nice flounder on Saturday. It was actually the third time that day that I'd had this feeling, but this was the only keeper fish I caught. 

Let me explain...

We were fishing at the Redfish Hole.

There are all kind of logs under the water here and it's easy to get hung up on them, especially when fishing on the bottom like we were doing. I've gotten pretty good at getting loose when that happens, but this time I was stuck tight and it wasn't budging. 

Just as I was handing my rod (the pretty blue one, my favorite) to John to see what he could do, something pulled it from my hand and it went sliding across the boat. Lucky for me, John grabbed it before it went overboard (Lucky feeling #1).

Was it a fish after all?

Well, not exactly...

I was an alligator! I didn't see it when I cast, because it was under the water. It surfaced when John was trying to get my line unstuck (Okay, right at this point I wasn't feeling very lucky, just weak in the knees). 

Can you see the gator in the water?

Here's a closer look...

Yes, he's big. Maybe 6 to 8 feet long. I'm very sure he never knew he was hooked, and he didn't seem aggressive, but that didn't matter to me. I was ready to leave.

I persuaded John to cut the line and move the boat to a new fishing spot. Whew! (Lucky feeling #2).

And then I caught that flounder (Lucky feeling #3).

I do believe it was my lucky day.

The Beauty of Roses

Three roses picked from the garden...

placed in a pretty vase that belonged to my grandmother...

added beauty to my desk...

and each time I looked at them...

my heart smiled.

Wishing you a beautiful day and a happy heart!

Miles of Smiles at the Oklahoma State Fair

Strolling through Centennial Plaza, our first stop was an indoor exhibit called City of AGtropolis where we saw...

a large mesh tent filled with butterflies. Geep bought our tickets and in we went.

There were hundreds of Blue Morpho butterflies inside! They would often land on you, especially if you were wearing bright colors.

I wondered if this was the first butterfly Myles had ever seen. It is certainly the largest.

We each took a turn feeding a butterfly...

Geep demonstrates the upside down method.

I opt for the right-side up approach. (photo taken by John)

The Butterfly House turned out to be the highlight of the day for me, but we also saw...

chicks hatching,

goats grazing,

butterflies emerging from chrysalises, and...so much more...that I stopped taking pictures after a while.

However, I do wish I would have remembered to photograph our fair food...

We ate two Indian tacos on fry bread, one turkey leg, several fried ribs, some curly fries, a boat of fried okra, and one ear of roasted corn...to start with.

Later there was funnel cake, liquid nitrogen churned ice cream, and a jug of homemade root beer...and then we were full.

When the midway opened we went to find the Merry Go-Round for Myles to ride. We took the long way, so I'm sure we must have burned off all of those calories.

It turned out that Myles wasn't tall enough to ride the Merry Go-Round, not even to ride sitting on Mama's lap on the bench. We were slightly disappointed, but we didn't let it spoil our fun.

Miles of Smiles, the theme of the Oklahoma State Fair, described our day perfectly!