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The San Antonio Missions National Historical Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site preserving four of the five Spanish frontier missions in San Antonio, Texas. The Alamo is the fifth mission, but the National Park Service does not administer it. … Read More

The American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis) is a fascinating butterfly closely related to the Painted Lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui). Distinguishing them can be difficult. A significant difference between the two butterflies is the underside of their hindwings. As you can see … Read More

In September 2021, we spent a few days in the Ruidoso, New Mexico, area. Besides hiking around the area, we also did some sightseeing in other places. On the day we went to White Sands NP, we noticed a beautiful … Read More

Happy New 2025! I hope the year that just ended fulfilled some of your cherished dreams and aspirations. May the new year be successful in all your endeavors! As I prepared this post with my favorite photos of 2024, I … Read More

On our way from Bryce Canyon NP to Arches NP, we stopped at the ranger station at Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Since we had some time to get to Arches NP, we asked the ranger if there was any hike … Read More

Many local shrubs and trees suffered devastating effects after the hard week-long freeze and snowfall that hit Texas in February 2021. Throughout the city, it was evident to see the damage caused. Most noticeable were palm trees. The city of … Read More

One of my favorite destinations in Texas, Big Bend National Park, offers isolation from large cities. A hike along the Santa Elena Canyon will even augment the quietness one can find in the park. Just try to go there when … Read More

Fall foliage comes late to the Lone Star State. Often, we will see fall foliage from mid-November to mid-December in Austin. Around mid-December, I went for a bike ride around the Lady Bird Lake. It is a popular trail for … Read More

Some time ago, we went for a visit to a fantastic Austin nursery, Garden Seventeen. We were looking for native plants to add to our front and back yards in our old house. After the 2021 February snowpocalypse, a few … Read More

Although the weather has been unseasonably warm for December, we have had just enough cold temperature snaps to create appealing fall colors. Yesterday, after the sun came out, I could not pass up the chance to photograph our deck view. … Read More