We Missed Y'all and That's No Bull!

We haven't done much with this blog in awhile. It's time to fix that.  Perhaps with a photo or two just to show we are alive and kicking. We were out in the Panhandle today and met these two fellows and they were kind enough to let us take their picture.  I think their names were "Angus" and "Beevo".

--SdS

Full Moon over Palo Duro Canyon

Beautiful Palo Duro Canyon

photo by SD Stanton copyright 2009.
All rights reserved.

Saturday Sunrise

If you elected to sleep in this Saturday morning, you missed this! It only lasted a few minutes and was a breath-taking sky on the heels of a morning sunrise.

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(I got a couple too, but Shelley's were better.)


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Late Summer

Signs of late summer are everywhere. Besides all the back to school preparations, the late summer flowers are taking over the garden. My cosmos are starting to bloom and cicadas are buzzing up in the trees. The days are getting shorter and the temps are cooling down a bit.
Soon, college will be back in session too. Its a lovely time of year.

Purple Coneflower

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Ah..... A cool mountain stream in New Mexico

A cool mountain stream at El Porvenir Campground, New Mexico

Dale and I had to take off our shoes and socks and wade a little.

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From Dale:

Here are a few of the shots I took on our road trip Friday.

New Mexico Highway 104 is a bit on the desolate side at times.

A log cabin is dwarfed by Hermit's Peak, west of Las Vegas, NM.

I have no idea what butterfly this is. It sits on a mountain aster.

Not sure what this one is either, but it appears to have had a rough life.

This is a black-billed Magpie. It's the first I've seen in person, and there were a lot of them in one small area.

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Tractor Parade - Texas Sports Cars?

Some of the members of the Panhandle Antique Tractors Association.

July 4, 2009 Canyon, Texas.

--Photos by Shelley

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Riding and Tawking

This was taken yesterday at the Independence Day Parade in Canyon.
I don't think the teen's heart was in it, do you?

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Happy Birthday America!

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Today marks the 233rd anniversary of the signing of our Declaration of Independence. It is the day that marks the starting point of our Country. Since the Declaration was signed and delivered to the King of England, many have died doing their best to keep its principles intact. The primary one is Freedom.

On this 4th of July, reflect on our history and how we came to be. When you see the fireworks tonight, know what they represent. Those "Bombs Bursting in Air" represent the battles our forefathers fought to free themselves (and us) from tyrannical rule. It has been (and still is) our responsibility to see that it remains free.

Have a Happy and Safe Independence Day!

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*** A Humbling Experience ***

This morning we went to the parade in downtown Canyon. It was the biggest they've had yet - markedly bigger than past years. It lasted over an hour this year. We loved it!

As the floats of military men past and present passed by us, they were met with grateful applause all along the route. As they passed by, I stopped my applause to take a few pictures and give them a high "thumbs up". One of the floats touched me. I was standing there with my US Coast Guard cap on, camera in hand, just minding my own business. ;-) Two of the soldiers (shown here) broke loose from escorting their Veterans of Foreign Wars float to come over to me - ME, of all people - for the purpose of shaking my hand!
I was surprised when the first one (a Desert Storm veteran) extended his hand and said, "Thank you, sir!" (I thought they just wanted to say hi to the kids in front of me.) I was kind of glad he did though, because I wanted to thank them - each and every one in the parade.

I was very much humbled. It's been over 30 years since I served and I must admit I felt a little unworthy. I remember thinking, "Everybody should be thanking you guys."

Thank you, Gentlemen!
Thank all of you who are putting it all on the line (and have put it all on the line) to keep our Country safe and Free.

--Dale

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Emily not too excited about waving the flag here.

But wait!!! Something about dad just brings out the patriotism in her!
(red headed and blue eyes!)

--Shelley

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Good ole Ken (friend of the family) made an appearance on one of his tractors.

--post by Dale

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Wild Wheat

Light and Wild Wheat

--Photo by Shelley

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Down the Rabbit Hole

This peaceful scene in Palo Duro Canyon just couldn't be ignored.
Its part of the Sunflower Picnic Area.
--Photo by S. Stanton

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A Wonderful Day in the Canyon!

(photo by Shelley) A supercell storm passed over Palo Duro Canyon, but only gave way to a bit of wind and rain. This photo was taken near the Pioneer Amphitheater looking towards the north east near the campgrounds.

Saturday 6/13/2009

We spent most of the day in Palo Duro Canyon yesterday. First we got up at dawn and headed to the canyon to meet friends and take the 5 mile hike to the Lighthouse. They hiked while I drove around the canyon taking shots of flowers, birds, etc. (I have a bad knee and couldn't make the long hike.).

We are shooting photos for a calendar the our TV station is going to use for a pledge premium for our Palo Duro Canyon production. The production is in conjunction with a Ken Burns series on the national parks which will be aired on PBS this fall.

The hike was tiring for Dale, Lynne and her husband Jay and we came home to rest and download the photos we had taken. Dale caputure some beautiful shots of the Lighthouse, Capitol Peak, Castle Peak, and others plus a stunning shot of a collard lizard sunning himself.

The park was full of hikers, cyclists, campers and even some on duty military men on manuevers (the canyon resembles the terrain of Afghanistan!) and other people like us (with fancier equipment) taking photos of our beautiful canyon.

It was such a "profitable" morning photo-wise that we got stoked to go down there again and so we packed a supper and headed back to the canyon at 5:oo p.m. to spend the evening down there. We grabbed sandwiches, wine coolers, salad, baked beans (from the friendly supermarket deli) and some bakery sugar cookies and headed back down to the canyon. Our yearly pass has already paid for itself.

On the way to the canyon, a weather alert came across the radio for Randall, and Armstrong Co. As we headed down closer to the canyon, the skies grew dark and it started to sprinkle. We wondered if the park would let us in, because the river down there is proned to flash flooding. However we had no problem getting in and the rain subsided as we went through the entrance gate.

The cloud systems over the canyon were beautiful and we stopped at the lookout, near the interpretive center to sit on the wall and watch the storm pass over the canyon to the south. We had hoped for a light show from the storm, which was spare. But the view was breath-taking.

(view from the wall of the interpretive center) Photo by Shelley

We drove through the canyon and saw people lining up for the pre-show supper at "Texas!", the musical drama in the park. The camp grounds were full. About 6 pm we pulled into the Sunflower picnic area and found a shady spot to have our picnic supper and Mississippi kites soared overhead and deer grazed close by. At one point, a doe got curious about what we were doing and came over close to our picnic table and shared some the sugar cookies with us. She got as close as 8 feet away and seemed hungry and kept us from devouring the rest of the cookies.

As it grew closer to 8:30, we drove to the ampitheater to get some shots of the rim rider who appears over the top of the cliff above and waves the Texas flag signalling the start of the musical.

We vowed to come to the canyon to camp later this summer--perhaps at one of the cabins--and enjoy our pass to its fullest. We are so lucky to live less than 30 minutes from Texas' largest state park, (and most likely the most beautiful) which also happens to be the second largest canyon in the United States!

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**** Dale's Take ****

At first it was tempting to stay in bed, but I was too anxious to actually go to The Lighthouse. After all, it is the iconic structure of Palo Duro State Park. I can't remember if I have ever taken a hike that far before. Wasn't sure how well I was going to take the 6-mile round trip, but I surprised myself. At least a half gallon of drinking water is required (1 gallon is recommended) to keep you out of trouble on the hike. One of the first structures we see as we start out trek is this "Hoodoo", as they call it. It's the pillar-like structure you see here. (This structure is not The Lighthouse.) The white streaks in the walls are gypsum.


Many people don't realize that there is such beauty in the panhandle. The trail to The Lighthouse is no different. Scenes like this are everywhere you look. Even on an overcast day, the colors are astounding. Here, The Lighthouse looms in the distance - still a couple of miles away.


As Shelley said above, a Collared Lizard was nice enough to pose for me for a few minutes. These guys are known for their ability to stand up on their hind legs and run like you or me. They do it to escape predators, and they look like a miniature T-Rex in the process.


As we get closer, Lynne stops to take a shot of our destination while her husband (Jay) takes in the beauty.


On the way UP to the lighthouse, we stopped and looked behind us. You can see the trail that brought us here in places, from the bottom left snaking around through the center of this photo. it goes around the wall on the right side of the floor, way off in the distance. (As with all the images here, click on it for a bigger view.)


Finally, we arrived at our objective! And it was breathtaking!


Later in the day when we returned to the canyon, we had a really nice picnic supper that Shelley worked up for us. We watched mule deer drift around close by, and even had one come within 6 or 8 feet of us as if she didn't have a care in the world. Mississippi Kites seemed to be everywhere, soaring above gracefully. At one time, there were three in an adjacent tree. (You can see more about them HERE in my bird blog.) Sadly, the close-up shots I got of a mule deer doe showed her to be a bit under-nourished - so I won't post it here. I don't know why she was so skinny, but she seemed to be healthy otherwise.



Right around sunset, the TEXAS! musical started in the usual way. A lone horseman rides the canyon rim high above to signal the start of the show. We could see it well from the park road.

We had one fantastic day! It's nice to have a place like this so close to home.


BTW, here's proof that I actually made it to The Lighthouse. :)
(Photo taken by Lynne Groom.)

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Relate Links:

Palo Duro Canyon State Park

Musical Drama "Texas!"

Shelley's Palo Duro Canyon gallery

Dale's "This is Texas!" gallery

Indian Blanket Flower

Indian Blanket in Palo Duro Canyon State Park


--Photo by Shelley

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Desert Rose

This prickly pear cactus flower looks like a rose.
The are so pretty and almost "waxy" looking.
Taken in Palo Duro Canyon State Park.

--Photo By Shelley

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A Parental Moment? (Two roadrunners)

I caught what appears to be a parent roadrunner, feeding a youngster today in Palo Duro Canyon. We don't see these often. I just wish I had been a little closer but my telephoto zoom lens helped all it could. It is rare to see them doing anything but running off!

--photo by Shelley

Rough and Ready

He's been riding to work.

Watch out! Dale's hitting the streets.
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My Guy - Big Canyon

Yesterday, Dale and I went down to the canyon (in the morning) to get some shots for a calendar that we are putting together for the tv station. Dale is so good with his photography and he's one of my favorite subjects to take photos of. He so into it. Here he is at the scenic overlook about to take a shot. That's a long drop down there!

Watching and Waiting

The lonely sentinel of the plains.
No matter where we roam, it stands tall and waits, ready, steadfast, unyielding.

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