Leaves Leaving

Since there hasn't been any significant rain over the last several months, it has taken a toll on the plants around the area.

Walking outside sounds like you're stepping on potato chips...Crunch, crunch, crunch...

I took this photo in the evening hours, with the exposure increased one or two stops. The color of this photo seems to capture what I really saw outside of the lens, which is why I like it.

Pretty Bird

Meet Petri.......our loud, annoying and demanding Quaker Parrot. He can be lovable, when it doesn't look like he's going to take out your eye.

We've taught him a few words...Hello, Goodbye, Peek-a-Boo, I See You and more.

He'll laugh when you laugh, which makes you laugh more!

Sometimes, he tries to sing...but not knowing the words, it's more like cooing.

When he's not adorable.....he's just LOUD!

He'll squawk at things that scare him, like when you walk by with a shovel or rake or with something that's orange or red.

He can be heard going thru his entire vocabulary, with a few loud SQUAWKS in between words.

Heat Wave

Summer is officially here and I didn't need the calendar to tell me that!

It arrived with a vengeance too, since temperatures are soaring past the 90's into the low 100's.

It's HOT!

In the hopes of some rain, we set up a rain gauge in the back yard, but all it shows me is that no rain has fallen.

Usually, if the cars are washed, that's a signal to Mother Nature to send a downpour right away.

I think maybe a rain-dance is needed.

All Bottled Up

A few years back, my daughter decided that she needed a unique place to store most of her marbles. An old shoe box or plastic bin would not do.

It had to be something different, yet familiar.

She decided on a Coca Cola bottle.

When I saw it, I loved it. I thought it looked great. I took it to work and proudly showed off her creativity, her out-of-the-box thinking.

I brought it home and wanted to take a picture of it, but didn't have the right background for it. Asking my mom for some black material seemed like my best option. So I asked. Luckily for me, she had all kinds of black material on hand, since sewing was once her hobby.

Once I set it up and snapped a few photos, I was really liking how the colors stood out. The only thing that was difficult in photographing this was blocking out most of the glare from the overhead lights from the plastic bottle. I did that by moving the bottle, since moving the lights was absolutely out of the question :)

Now I get to share my daughter's artistic self again, 'cause I still think this looks really cool.

Progression from Mustang Purgatory

I went to visit my Mustang GT while it's being repaired. It is heart-wrenching to see her in this condition, however everyone is expecting a full recovery, because after almost 3 months, there is finally some progress made by the insurance company.

I'm excited to think that my car will be coming home soon. She's been patiently waiting for the insurance company to deem her to be road-worthy and figure out just exactly how much it would take to get her back into tip-top shape.

The guys at Tri-County Collision are making sure that she not only looks good, but also functions as good as or better than before 'the incident'. Improvements are underway, as she's recently received a new hood and fender.

Here's Looking at You

As I was walking up to the gate over at my parent's house, I noticed a slight movement out of the corner of my eye. Sitting on top of the lid of the trash can, sunning herself, was a small lizard. She wasn't her usual vibrant green, since the lid is black and they like to blend in with their surroundings.

I snapped a few quick photos before she decided she didn't like being the subject of the paparazzi anymore. For this photo, she turned her head to look directly at me or rather the camera and probably thought, "I see you too, lady."

These types of lizards are pretty common here in Texas this time of year. You can even find them at most pet stores listed as Green Anoles. And, from what I've read, it seems that the ones with a white stripe down their back are female. If you handle them, be sure to wash up afterwards, as they can possibly carry salmonella and other bacteria.

Not Your Typical Plug-in the Wall Night-Light

I like the weathered look of this light.

At dusk, it turns on and it's really bright.

I don't like the creepy-crawlies it attracts at night,
they can give you such a fright!

Morning arrives with great delight

And then this light is out of sight

Well, not quite...

I was originally taking photos of the pear tree seen in the background, when I decided to fill the frame with this light fixture. After reviewing the photos I'd taken, I kept coming back to this one.

It's just a simple photo -

there's one main subject

and no distracting elements.

Beneath the Surface

About a week or so ago, I decided to check out the backyard to see what type of damage there is due to the lack of rain. It seemed that the grass has suffered and the weeds, especially clover, were abundant, slowly taking over the back yard.

After trying to pull up some of the clover, I decided to dig a little. As I was uncovering the roots, I was astonished to see the network that had been created just below the surface, to unsuspecting eyes.

Little by little, I've made some progress in removing them..along, with a pair of gloves and a shovel and lots of sweet iced tea.