Dancing at the Butterfly Ball

Australian Black Swan

Sanctuary

Photographed at Chimp Haven

A sanctuary for chimpanzees who spent the majority of their lives in research laboratories

Part of the National Chimpanzee Sanctuary System

Near Keithville, Louisiana

On the Roadside

I spotted these beautiful wildflowers a few weeks ago growing along the roadside in a rural area.  I  had never seen them before.  A few days later my mom and I were out together and I saw another patch of them in a different area.  She claims she's never seen them before.  There were about three feet tall and the blossoms were almost six inches in diameter.  If anyone knows what this beautiful flower is, let me know.

Giraffe Grace

Fox Theater

Timpson, Texas

I'm not very good with textures because I've been unable to concentrate long enough to figure out the layers application on PhotoShop.  Or maybe better said, I want it now and get frustrated if the learning process is too complicated.  But I have figured out how to import some textures into the little friendly PicMonkey program and I find it an invaluable helper to overcome the washed-out nature of a harsh Texas sun.

Left to the Elements

All That Remains

For months after I came here I was constantly on the lookout for a chimney, the kind that was left after the house was gone.  I found a couple but the pictures were never quite right.  Mom couldn't remember where one might be.  Then one day I drove down a little used road and only about a half-mile from our house I found what I'd been looking for.  I told Mom about my find.  She of course remembered there had been a fire about five years ago (in fact, the owner of the house had been burning limbs, the fire got out of hand, and as he was trying to contain the fire and keep it from spreading to his home, he had a heart attack and died!) but she hadn't been to the site and hadn't remembered that the house had a fireplace and therefore probably had a chimney left standing.  It just goes to show you that sometimes you find what you're looking for close to home.

Saint Jo, Texas

This is the only stone barn I've ever seen in Texas, although I'm sure there may be some down in the Hill Country in the areas settled by German immigrants.  I found this one last summer on a road trip in Saint Jo, Texas, in the central part of the state just south of the Red River in Montague County.  It was just one block from the main highway in downtown St. Jo (population, 977) with residences on either side and across the street.

Linking to Tricia's Bluff Area Daily Barn Charm

Seeking Shade

Phoenix Zoo

Rousseau's Station

San Augustine, Texas

I think Rousseau's Station is now a used car lot.  

Amazing to think that even gas stations once had stamped or hammered tin ceilings.

P.S.  I've been on a short break due to a fall my mom suffered.  The evening before a scheduled pacemaker replacement (this is her third!) she tripped over the dog going to answer my phone call to tell her I was on my way home from photography club.  She mashed the dog pretty hard and he lashed out and bit her arm.  After the pacemaker replacement, the doctor decided it was best to admit her to the hospital for a few days for some IV antibiotics.  Puncture wounds can be pretty nasty and I didn't want to take any chances since she will be 91 in a couple of months.  I'll try to get by to visit you all within the next day or so.

Rural Landscape

Near Henderson, Texas

Linking to Barn Charm

Butterfly Parade

On Tiptoes

Duet

(I forgot to crop out that little speck of dust on my lens in the upper left

 and I'm too tired to go back and do it now!)

Pale Princess

SOOC

Spread Your Wings

Lutz Telescope

Lutz Telescope

Atmospheric Research Observatory

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, Arizona

I must  be missing Arizona ~ I keep pulling photos out from my trip last summer!