A shaded rest area framed by live oak branches, with a wooden bench overlooking the calm blue water of Brushy Creek Lake in Cedar Park, Texas.

Shade, Clear Water, and Two Wheels — A Morning on the Brushy Creek Regional Trail

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How could I resist a morning ride on the Brushy Creek Regional Trail? The temperature was moderate for a Texas August, in the upper 70s to low 80s °F (25–28 °C), so I set out to bike the entire length … Read More

The Romanesque façade of the Sé Velha (Old Cathedral) in Coimbra, Portugal, under a dramatic sky of dark storm clouds breaking to blue, with colorful parade floats and crowds gathered in the square below.

Burning with Tradition

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Lens-Artists Challenge #407: Celebrations Around the World This week Patti hosts our Lens-Artists Challenge with Celebrations Around the World. In her post, she writes: “Show us joyful, solemn, traditional, or avant-garde festivals, parades, feasts, holidays… to name a few.” Although … Read More

A Green Heron stands on a weathered log at the water's edge, enjoying the morning sun before beginning its grooming routine.

Morning Grooming

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Every morning, while sitting on the deck, I never know what is in store at the pond. Yesterday, for example, a couple of snapping turtles surprised me with their attempts at mating — I had never seen snapping turtles here … Read More

Port Isabel Lighthouse silhouetted against a fiery orange and pink sunset sky, with children playing on the steps and families relaxing on the grassy hill below, Port Isabel, Texas.

A Beacon Above the Bridge

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We used to spend time at South Padre Island a few years ago. The beaches there are clean and inviting, though the six-to-seven-hour drive from Austin can wear you down by the time you arrive. Anyone making that drive will … Read More

A single Texas Bluebell flower with lavender-purple petals and a deep magenta center, blooming among tall grasses in an open field.

A Late Entrance — Texas Bluebells in the Wild

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Some days I go bike riding and come home with several shots captured along the trail. Today was no exception. Short on time, and with the heat fast approaching, I headed to the Southwest Williamson County Regional Park, just a … Read More

Ponderosa pines stand in a golden meadow at dawn, with hazy blue mountain ridges and soft pink clouds in the background near Pagosa Springs, Colorado.

Summer Daze, Mountain Mornings

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Lens-Artists Challenge #406: Summer Daze Anne sets up this week‘s Lens-Artists Challenge with a fact the whole country (and the world?) seems to be experiencing. She wrote, “My goodness it’s triple digits Fahrenheit… Heat waves come and go during the … Read More

Red-bellied Woodpecker clinging to the side of a small blue bird feeder, stretching its beak toward a seed port, with green foliage blurred in the background.

An Acrobat at the Feeder

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In my ongoing struggle to keep squirrels off a bird feeder (yeah, probably a lost cause), I can report that for four days now I have not seen a squirrel attacking the feeder in its new location. Instead, I have … Read More

Texas wildflower meadow in soft light: tall purple horsemint spikes with tiered lavender whorls on the left, and red-and-yellow firewheel (Indian blanket) blooms with round, pale seed heads filling the right side of the frame.

Two Flowers Spell Three Letters

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This week, Terri’s Flower Hour #40 arrives at the letters G, H, and I. I went to my photo archive to see what I could post — something local, to keep the challenge close to home. I found a few … Read More

Panoramic view from the Cinco Tinajas lookout in Big Bend Ranch State Park, with a sandy creek wash winding through green desert scrub toward distant mesas under a blue sky.

An Oasis on the Other Side of Nowhere

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Whenever I visit Big Bend Ranch State Park, just west of Big Bend National Park, one of my favorite hikes is the one to Cinco Tinajas. The trailhead sits about 1.3 miles (2.1 km) from the Sauceda Ranger Station, and … Read More

Female Smoky Rubyspot damselfly with a metallic green thorax and blue-green abdomen perched on a pale twig at Hornsby Bend, Austin, Texas.

Two Sides of the Smoky Rubyspot

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On Sunday morning, I met some master naturalist friends at Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory. Our intent was to photograph birds, but we got sidetracked by the insects. In a couple of different locations during our walk, we saw several Smoky … Read More

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