Wide Open Spaces of Texas

July 14, 2011

The Texas landscape west of Amarillo. June 12, 2011.

One of the first decisions Betsy and I had to make when planning our trip west was to fly or to drive.  There were advantages and disadvantages to each means of travel, but since our Prius, Mrs. P, is comfortable and gets 50+ MPG, we decided to drive so we could see more of our great country.

I must admit that I found the different landscapes we saw on our recent trip to be fascinating.  I’ve spent most of my life in the Midwest, in the Carolinas and here in Tennessee.  The wide open spaces of Texas were amazing.  At times it seems you could see forever.  We thought Texas looked as dry as it is in fact.

We passed a corral around an old-fashioned windmill.  We didn’t see any cattle around what I assume is a water station, but it did help break up the horizon.

Trees with green leaves were so rare that we were excited to see the trees around those buildings in the distance.  If you look closely you can see wind turbines on the horizon to the left of the trees.

As we got closer to New Mexiico, we began to see some mesas on the horizon.  We also noticed a little more green in the landscape.

There were even more windmills now and then.

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Watery Wednesday #148: The Colorado River

July 13, 2011

The Grand Canyon and Colorado River from the Desert View overlook. June 14, 2011.

This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

Betsy and I got our first look at the Grand Canyon at the Desert View overlook on the eastern end of the park.  That overlook also provided a good view of the Colorado River.  I always thought that ‘colorado’ meant ‘color red’, but the river looked more green than red.  I’m not complaining, though, the sight was spectacular.

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My World: Before the deer came to lunch

July 12, 2011

Lollypop Lilies, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. May 29, 2011.

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Note:  This was written before my mother passed away, but did not get posted.  I decided to post it today.

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This is my post for the My World meme.  It is hosted by Klaus, Ivar, Sandy, Wren, and Fishing Guy.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

We usually don’t have much trouble with deer, although there are plenty of them around the Glade.  We often see them on the golf course behind our house or in  the vacant lot below our house.  But they usually stay away from our house because we use Liquid Fence to discourage them from lunching on our flowers.

Usually, but not always.  We’ve had a very hot and dry May, and for some reason the deer appear to be more active because of the unusual weather.  We have seen them about in the middle of the afternoon, while we normally see them in the early evening.

The picture above shows our Lollypop lilies (and a Veteran’s Honor rose) in the flower bed nearest the road.  The picture was taken last Sunday — the deer came to lunch on Tuesday while we were running errands.  I didn’t have the heart to take an ‘after’ picture.

New rose bed in front of our house. May 29, 2011.

Here’s another view of the buffet the deer enjoyed.  They left the purple iris you see on the left, but munched on the roses, lilies and day lilies.  The roses will come back, and the day lilies should bloom in the fall (if we can keep the deer away).  We’ll just have to wait until next year to enjoy the lilies.

I never thought Bambi would do such a thing!

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Scenic Sunday: A Village in New Mexico

July 10, 2011

Laguna, New Mexico, and the surrounding countryside. June 13, 2011.

This is my post for the Scenic Sunday meme, which shares beautiful scenes from around the world.  To see more Scenic Sunday posts, or to join and show your own pictures, click HERE.

Our trip last month was the first time I had been in New Mexico, and I found the scenery to be fascinating.  Some people might say that the landscape is desolate, but the wide open spaces under a clear blue sky were very appealing to me.  The green we see in this part of Tennessee was missing, but the different shades of brown were interesting in their own way.

When we spotted a little village on a ridge away from the interstate I had to stop and get a picture.  The village, Laguna, New Mexico, is a former Indian Pueblo village west of Albuquerque.  In 2000 it had a population of 423.

The picture above makes the village seem almost insignificant compared to the open spaces around it and the mountains in the background.

The church in Laguna, New Mexico. June 13, 2011.

My telephoto lens revealed some of the homes in the village and the church overlooking them.

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SkyWatch Friday: Oklahoma Sunset

July 8, 2011

Clouds and sunbeams in the evening sky near El Reno, Oklahoma. June 11, 2011.

This is my post for Skywatch Friday, a meme for sharing views of the sky from all over the world.  To see more, or to join and share your own photos of the sky, click HERE.

As we were driving toward Weatherford, Oklahoma, on our trip west, we were treated to a beautiful display of light and clouds in the evening sky.  I simply had to pull off the interstate to snap this picture of a sunbeam showing us the way.

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Fort Smith National Historic Site

July 7, 2011

The uniforms of soldiers involved in Fort Smith's history. June 11, 2011.

One of the first places we visited on our recent trip west was Fort Smith National Historic Site in Arkansas.  During our visit we  were fortunate to be able to hear a presentation by a park ranger on the history of Fort Smith.  The ranger was supported by the re-enactors wearing the uniforms of soldiers during the different periods of the fort’s history.

Fort Smith was established in December, 1817, by a company of the U. S. Rifle Regiment (the soldier on the extreme left in the photo above).  The fort was established to maintain peace between the Osage and Cherokee Indians.  The original fort was abandoned in 1824.

In the 1830s Fort Smith became a supply depot for Indians and soldiers (next two soldiers in white) moving westward along “The Trail of Tears”.  In 1838 a new Fort Smith was constructed near the site of the first.   This was a masonry fort, but it was also used primarily as a supply depot.

Confederates (the soldier in butternut in the middle of the group above) took possession of Fort Smith when Arkansas seceded in April, 1861, but was recaptured by Union troops (next two soldiers) on September 1, 1863.

In 1872 the Federal Court for the Western District of Arkansas took over the fort.  The barracks were modified to serve as a courthouse and jail.  During this time the fort was a base for U. S. Marshals (the man on the extreme right).

The re-enactors described the uniforms they were wearing and gave a firing demonstration of their weapons.  The early muskets certainly made for an interesting show.

Firing 1830-era muskets. June 11, 2011.

This gives new meaning to 'the smoke of battle'.

Betsy at a portion of the wall of the second fort. June 11, 2011.

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Watery Wednesday #147: The Frozen Variety

July 6, 2011

Betsy enjoying the snow banks along a trail near the Visitor Center at Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah. June 20, 2011.

This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

Cedar Breaks National Monument, near Cedar City, Utah, was a last minute addition to our itinerary.  After we arrived in Utah on June 18, our good friend Neal suggested that we visit Cedar Breaks.

We did an internet search and found that the roads in Cedar Breaks had been opened on June 17.  We also found we could include a visit to the Monument while driving to see some of the places we had planned to visit.

The elevation at Cedar Breaks varies from 10,100 to 10,500 feet.  As we approached the Monument, my little bride was delighted to see snow on the mountain tops.  As we drove into the park with snow piled high on both sides of the road, Betsy was like a kid in a candy shop, as you can see from the picture above.

We asked a ranger how much snow they had gotten over the winter, and he said they had 395 inches by May 31, which was the ‘official’ end of their winter season.  However, it had snowed several times since then, including the day before we got there.

Betsy enjoying the snow at Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah. June 20, 2011.

If you know anything at all about Betsy, you know she was excited with all that snow around.  And, of course, we had to find a place where she could get out and walk in the snow.  She did not, however, make a snowman for me.

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My World: Is Full of Wonderful People

July 5, 2011

Betsy with Becky and Michael, Jackson, Tennessee. June 10, 2011.

This is my post for the My World meme.  It is hosted by Klaus, Ivar, Sandy, Wren, and Fishing Guy.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

One of the nicest things about the trip that Betsy and I took last month was that we got to meet three good friends for the very first time.  On the very first day of our trip we met Becky of Thoughtfully Blended Hearts and her husband Michael for lunch.  They were both as charming and as friendly in person as they are in Becky’s blog.

Betsy and Vedarae, Amarillo, Texas. June 12, 2011.

On our way through Texas we met Cotton Lady, Vedarae, for lunch.  Vedarae doesn’t have a blog, although I’m confident she could write many fascinating and interesting posts.  Vedarae and Betsy have been e-mail buddies for quite some time, and it was a pleasure for me to meet and get to know her.

Betsy and Linda, Grand Junction, Colorado. June 24, 2011.

On our way to Rocky Mountain National Park we met Linda — Colorado Farm Life — and her husband, Terry, for lunch.  (Are you beginning to see a pattern here?).  Meeting them was truly like seeing old friends again.  Linda’s blog is full of insights into the joys — and trials — of farm life and both Betsy and I enjoy following her.  The time with the two of them went entirely too quickly, but we hope to meet them again either here in Tennessee or when we return to Colorado.

If you ever get the chance to meet a blog friend in person, I encourage you to do so.  I promise you won’t regret it.

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Happy Fourth of July

July 4, 2011

The room in Independence Hall, Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was adopted.

Does the Fourth of July mean anything more than picnics, fireworks, and a day off work?  I have to admit that I sometimes wonder.  Now don’t get me wrong — I enjoy a picnic as much as anyone, and I absolutely loved a day off from work before I retired.  But even then there was something special about the Fourth of July.

This day commemorates the day when The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia in 1776.  The Declaration, containing the words “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”, is one of the most profound documents in history.

It used to be that most people felt this was a pretty special country.  We learned the history of our country — the people and places.  We said the Pledge of Allegiance in school, and the Star-Spangled Banner was played at school events.  We also learned how the song came to be written.  We learned the text of the Gettysburg Address, and knew the words to “My Country Tis of Thee”, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”, and “America the Beautiful”.

I grew up on a farm outside a small town in Indiana.  Almost everyone in the area turned out for the Fourth of July parade, and the program before the fireworks display.  The fireworks themselves almost always included a representation of the Liberty Bell or the American flag.  We all felt we were a part of something very special.

The title of this blog is “Senior Moments”, and I’m getting more senior with each passing day.  I guess I’m rapidly becoming a curmudgeon.  If so, please forgive me.  I only wish my grandchildren realize that they, too, are part of a very special country.

I hope you all have a very wonderful — and happy — Fourth of July.

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We’re Home!

July 1, 2011

Betsy and I have returned from a wonderful 19-day trip out west.  The picture above, which can be enlarged by clicking on it, shows the highlights of our trip.  We drove 5,414 miles, passed through 14 states (counting Tennessee), visited nine National Parks, did some hiking and even saw some waterfalls.  Oh, yes, we also took many, many pictures.

I have to admit that Bryce Canyon was my favorite place — the hoodoos were absolutely fantastic.  But the Grand Canyon was every bit as grand as the name implies.

I think the high points for Betsy were the snow we encountered at both Cedar Breaks and Rocky Mountains National Park.  Six-foot drifts of snow in the June were a treat for my Beautiful Bride.  It almost made up for the snow we didn’t get here last winter.

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