Frolicking

A young man frolics with his dog on the grounds of the Coconino Courthouse Courthouse in Flagstaff, Arizona, last July 2011.   I once lived in Flagstaff and it was perhaps my favorite of all the places I've ever lived (although that number has not been too great as an adult).  It is a beautiful small mountain city at almost 7,000 feet elevation, and the warmest month of the year, July, has an average high temperature of 81 degrees!  Most residents do not even have air-conditioning units in their homes.

The Last Picture Show

Fox Theater

Timpson, Texas

Pensive Peacock

Seeking Anonymity

Fence No. 24 ~ Zoo Fences

Caldwell Zoo

Tyler, Texas

LINKING TO FRIDAY FENCES

A Visit to the Lily Farm

One of the largest daylily farms in the world is located just less than 10 miles from our home.  The Lily Farm has over 50,000 daylilies on a four-acre spot near Center, Texas, a sleep little town of some 5,000 residents.  The owner, Mark Carpenter (on the far left), took over the ownership and operation of the farm a few years ago from his uncle.  You can tell from his grimy clothes that he is a hands-on proprietor.

When you visit the farm during the four to six weeks it is open late each spring, you are given a collection of colored flags so you can mark the plants you may be interested in.  After your selection is made, Mark and his helper will take you for a ride in a cart to locate your flags and they will dig the plants you decide to take home.  Make your selection carefully.  These plants are not cheap.  They range in price from $20 per clump to $500!

I love to visit the Lily Farm because of the photo ops.  Mark is very pleased to have you take as many pictures as you like.  And an added bonus is, of course, all the wonderful butterflies that call this place home!

And the daylilies are absolutely spectacular!

Calvary Baptist Church ~ Henderson, Texas

Blue Halter

Butterflies Galore

The butterflies are everywhere this spring/summer.  Of course there are lots of bloomers to attract them and I've been quite enthralled at photographing them.  I hope you don't get tired of butterfly pictures!

Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beholder

And to a turkey hen, this guy is a rock star!

Swallowtail on Indian Spice Tree

Photographed this morning in our back yard

American Wigeon

My limited knowledge and sketchy research tells me this is an American Wigeon, but if I'm wrong, please correct me!

Your Purple Majesty

Happy Mother's Day

Wing Action

Fence No. 24

Hangin' out at the back gate.

LINKING TO FRIDAY FENCES

Loyal Llama

This stately llama belongs to one of our neighbors.  Llamas are becoming increasingly popular on Texas farms and ranches.  Gentle beasts, they are also known to act as guard animals for herds of cattle and/or horses, warning of encroachments of coyotes or dogs.  However, this llama's mate was killed by some type of large predator a few months ago and she has now been turned out into the pasture with the cattle, where she quickly became quite at home.  Llamas are related to camels.

Who has the key?

An iron door guards a mysterious spot in Jerome, Arizona.  This doorway is built into the side of the mountain in one of the terraced areas of Jerome.  It looks very strong, almost like a cell door.  Where does it go?  What is it protecting?  Who has the key?

Last Night's Super Moon

I have never been lucky enough to get a picture of the moon that I felt was worthy of sharing.  So what happened last night?  Not a clue.  This is SOOC, auto setting, handheld (albeit propped against a post to minimize shake).  I've seen better obviously but I think the gods were with me on this one.  Now maybe I'll take the time to learn how to really do it!  The rise of a hill in the bottom left corner is just barely visible.  This just reinforces my feeling that most of my good photographs are accidental!  I need to change my name to The Accidental Photographer!

Bridge Over the Brazos River

Waco, Texas

American White Pelican

I visited the Phoenix Zoo in February of this year.  They have some wonderful habitats for the animals, including a beautiful river/bayou for many of the Southern coastal birds.  I was quite disappointed to find several items of trash contaminating the beautiful pelicans' habitat.  Hopefully it was a random occurrence and the litter was cleaned up shortly after I visited.

Rambling Rose

My mom has this beautiful red climbing rose planted on one end of a little storage building.  The rose just winds and trails and even grows over a fence and up into the branches of an Indian spice tree.  But what I really like about where this rose grows is ...

You may have noticed in the first photo the holes in the wall of the shed.  In the last years of my dad's life my mom always used to say he couldn't hit the side of a barn with a shotgun, but one night just a couple weeks before  his death they heard a critter out in the back yard and he retrieved his shotgun, fired from the back door, and even though he didn't hit the side of the barn he hit the storage shed and left it permanently peppered with bird shot.  I think the critter escaped into the darkness but I smile whenever I see all these holes in the old storage shed and I think that make a wonderful backdrop for that climbing red rose..