Homestead Christmas

Had a great time at the LLELA Homestead Christmas today - hot cider, dutch oven gingerbread, homemade cookies, corn husk dolls, candle making, period crafts and music, and lots more. Christmas the way it was in the late 1800s.

Taking Off

Guess I got a little too close!

Posted

Love the back roads! Found this little treasure somewhere in East Texas and couldn't resist.

Fishin

Another one from the coast.

Quiet Dinner for Three

We enjoyed several hours at the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge watching heron, geese, pelicans and many other wonderful birds.

Brown Pelican

The obligatory image of a wonderful brown pelican found during our quick trip to South Texas in search of birds, wildlife, and just about anything else we could find.

Sunset

Another magnificent sunset at LLELA.

Taking Flight

Had an opportunity to catch these beautiful, graceful white egrets fly in a perfectly blue sky.

Sunset

A pretty sunset tonight, we can't resist getting outside somewhere, cameras ready.

Fallen Leaves

Willie Nelson

One of my favorites from race weekend at TMS. Front-row seat for Willie Nelson!

Old Box

Another treasure I found in the Lewisville Feed Store.

Antique Cash Register

Had a quick chance to take some pictures in the historic Lewisville Feed Store that observed its last day in business after 100+ years. So many wonderful antiques there providing glimpses into the past.

Inland Sea Oats

Had an opportunity to take a wonderful walk along the river outside New Braunfels and found some delicate and graceful inland sea oats. Not something we see much of in north Texas.

Maibaum-Maypole

We found this treasure in New Braunfels, Texas, this weekend. Settled by German families in 1845, examples of the German heritage are plentiful. This is a maypole that symbolizes important milestones in the life of the town.

Snakes Alive!

We spent a wonderful weekend at T Bar M Ranch outside New Braunfels with about 300 fellow Texas Master Naturalists learning about nature and our environment. Ran into this little guy while I was on a bug collecting expedition.

Little Baby Bison

The newest of the LLELA herd.

Changing Colors

A view from the kayak on a smooth-as-glass pond.

Come On In

Another one from the Jones Ranch at Lake Ray Roberts.

Bonnie

Pilot Point, Texas, the scene of a bank robbery by the infamous Bonnie & Clyde, remembers its history. Re-enactments, arts & crafts, car shows - it was a fun day!

Abandoned Kitchen

We had an opportunity to photograph an historic farm near Lake Ray Roberts. It's in pretty dilapidated condition and, unfortunately there's no money to restore it. Enjoyed working in the house and in the barns that are full of rusted farm equipment.

Water Lily

Out with a group of biologists collecting bugs but I caught this pretty water lily open in the early evening light.

Lighting a Train

Really had fun playing with this one! Worried about getting arrested but nobody even asked what we were doing shining flashlights all over a train. Not sure I got exactly the result I was looking for but it was a great learning experience.

Light Painting

Got inspired by a recent workshop to try light painting again. Kind of an odd place to start practicing but, hey, it was quiet and dark!

Future Fireman

Caught this little guy getting the feel for a real fire truck.

Lots of Great Cars

Another photo from the car show in the square at Denton. We enjoyed all the variety - muscle cars, corvettes, 60's, motorcycles and a few from the 20's!

Another from the Car Show

Any guesses as to the make and model of this one? Not too many like it.

Denton Car Show

We got a preview of the car show tonight, tomorrow is the Arts, Antiques & Autos Extravaganza on the Denton Square. Not all entries had four wheels, several great bikes too.

Sunflower

Experimenting with a different technique.

Sunset

If you could get past the fact that it was over 100 degrees at 8:00 p.m., it was a nice night and the sunset was amazing.

Holding On!

If this little guy thought he was camouflaged he should take a look in the mirror - needs another color plant, seems to me.

Ribbon Winner!

I was honored to receive a second-place ribbon in the professional color photography category in the "On My Own Time" art show through American Airlines, organized by the Business Council for the Arts. Lots of great competition and beautiful artwork by AA employees, retirees and spouses. My ribbon-winning entry:

House of Blues

We had a fun time at the House of Blues Tuesday night hearing about Texas Motor Speedway's 2011 schedule with some new and innovative changes. Then a concert by Goo Goo Dolls.

Abandoned

We found this poor little trailer stuck in the woods on one of our travels. Poor little guy left alone to rot.

Mustang

Another one of my favorite subjects!

They should build an airport ...

Somebody who thinks he's a comedian was visiting us shortly after we moved to the DFW area. Noticing the very active airplane traffic overhead, he said, "There are so many airplanes here, they should build an airport!" I seem to never tire of looking at them. I was waiting at Founders Plaza to pick up my daughter in the middle of a storm - this 777 landed in the rain, wonder where it came from.

Little Critters

Even in the heat of the early evening, it was fun walking in the woods and noticing the tiniest life forms. We also watched dozens of white egrets and blue heron soar in to roost over the beaver pond.

Cafe Du Luxe

Wonderful evening of music, coffee and wine at Cafe Du Luxe in Denton. Eclectic Enclave entertained and it was fun to sit back and watch people look at my photos.

Hiding!

Almost walked right by this little guy while exploring the boardwalk at LLELA and watching the drama of a stormy sky unfolding. Looks like he was all set for the night.

Antique Store

One of the sights on the Denton square - through the front window of an antique store. I liked the carving on the wooden mantels and the glow of the lamp.

Chris in PVD

While in New England last month we had the rare opportunity to watch our son pilot his plane overhead while landing in Providence, Rhode Island. Fortunately he was on time and that particular airport isn't exactly as busy as Chicago O'Hare and only has one runway so it wasn't hard to pick out the right United Express jet. Had a nice lunch together, then we headed back to DFW and he headed ... somewhere.

Denton Courthouse

We had a great time at the Denton, Texas version of the Worldwide Photo Walk! There were over 30 people who gathered to photograph the downtown/square area and meet some new friends. Sweetwater Grill was a gracious host for the group when everyone was finished. Looking forward to next year!

Monster Trucks!

Something just a little different - monster trucks at Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track Saturday night. Unfortunately, rules prohibited us from shooting from the infield since the trucks take up the whole thing, but it was fun to see them up close before the show.

Post, Texas

These windows caught my eye as we were (slowly) passing through Post, Texas, about 40 miles southeast of Lubbock. The town was founded in 1907 by C.W. Post of breakfast cereal fame. Many of the historic buildings in Post have been restored but it looks like they didn't get to this part yet!

Shoe Tree

We found this treasure on our way across U.S. Highway 50 in Nevada, also known as "The Loneliest Road in America". Nobody really knows how it got started but it is now quite a sight to see and is just one of the reasons to take the back roads of America.

New Hampshire Church

We found this pretty church still decorated for Independence Day in Amherst, New Hampshire last weekend. It is the Congregational Church and was constructed two years before the birth of this country. There is such wonderful history everywhere you look in New England.

Fort Worth at Night

This is a shot from the top of a parking garage in downtown Fort Worth looking across the front of the fabulous Bass Performance Hall. Longer exposure lets the lights of the cars create streaks in the streets.