An American Oystercatcher with a black head, brown-and-white body, pale pink legs and a long red-orange bill walks head-down across wet sand on a Texas barrier island beach, searching for food.

The Oystercatcher and I — A Quiet Morning on St. Joseph Island

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We love spending time on the beach, especially when you can find a remote area where the only other animals are wild. Whenever we go to Port Aransas, Texas, we make time to cross the channel and enjoy quiet times … Read More

A three-image collage of flowers: a cluster of hooded yellow Jerusalem Sage blooms, two magenta Trailing Ratany flowers with fringed petals, and a spiny purple Leavenworth's Eryngo flower head resembling a small pineapple.

JKLoriously Floral

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The time has come for another edition of Floral ABCs. This week, Terri’s Flower Hour #42 reaches the letters J, K, and L. I wasn’t sure I’d have an example for every letter. My photo archive and a quick internet … Read More

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

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