Hereford, Texas

May 27, 2017May 27, 2017 / Ed Armstrong

I have always loved the colors of the thistles!

Horses are beautiful creatures!

I went on a nice drive from Canyon, Texas west through Hereford and on to Clovis, New Mexico. It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed seeing all the ranches, cattle, and agriculture fields. Some communities seemed to be thriving and others seems a little bleak.

These two trains going in opposite directions were VERY LOUD and the ground was shaking as they roared through town!

I stopped several times along the route to take some photos. One of my favorite stops was to enjoy the thistles in bloom and the horses grazing in the fields.

Although I saw quite a few cattle, I did not know that Hereford, Texas was the beef capital of the world!

For Memorial Day weekend, the flags looked very colorful and nice!

I was impressed with the power and sound of the trains going through towns. Two trains were passing each other during the photo of me and it was LOUD!

The trains move quickly through town!

Lake MacKenzie

May 23, 2017 / Ed Armstrong

It was a beautiful day to see Lake MacKenzie!

Gorgeous clouds on a beautiful day!

I decided to go in a new direction today. I went south to Tulia and then turned west near Silverton, Texas. I discovered a new lake in the Texas panhandle area. It was a nice drive and I enjoyed seeing a new campground and lake. The lake is not huge, but it was less than an hours drive from Canyon.

I met several people along the edge of the bank. Their advice was to go to Lake Meredith if you wanted to drive a boat. However, they said if you wanted to fish, you should come to Lake MacKenzie. They showed me some photos on their phones of fish they had caught earlier in the day.

This funny sign was inside the store selling fishing supplies and snacks.

Sunset Hike!

May 21, 2017 / Ed Armstrong

This was a fun hike that ended in total darkness!

Last night I went on a very nice sunset hike in Palo Duro Canyon! It seemed like there were at least 70 people on the hike. The group varied from young elementary aged children to couples quite a bit older than me. Apparently the trail we hiked was relatively new and will ultimately extend for 9 miles. Our hike was 2 miles long and was a terrific length for a hike that ended in total darkness.

This was a beautiful background for the marriage proposal!

When the park ranger guiding us stopped at the first stop to rest, a guy suddenly asked if he could have everyone’s attention. I said that he wanted to ask his best friend to marry him. He got down on one knee and opened a jeweler box. The lady was embarrassed, but very happy and grinning from ear to ear. She said yes and everyone clapped with excitement. It was beautiful to see a couple sharing love with the background of the setting sun on the orange rocks. Simply spectacular!

The sunset across the top of the canyon was beautiful!

I loved seeing the orange rocks highlighted by the setting sun. I also enjoyed seeing the sunset across the edge of the canyon.

Texas Pecans!

May 10, 2017 / Ed Armstrong

I love pecans!

While driving through Texas, one of the treats is to find a local store that sells pecans. I love nuts and pecans are one of my favorite nuts. I stopped and sampled different chocolate covered pecans as well as cinnamon flavored and praline flavored pecans. I love them all!

Hike in Austin

May 6, 2017 / Ed Armstrong

It was spectacular where the water flowed next to the trail!

There were beautiful spring flowers along the trail.

John and I went on a wonderful hike in Austin. It was a nature trail on the outskirts of the city. We hiked a total of 6 miles through a beautiful area. Someone went through quite a bit of effort to create steps through many sections of the trail. It was great exercise for my legs!

The trail was extremely well maintained and it provided excellent exercise!

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We also enjoyed seeing some of the spring flowers and a pond at the end had quite a few turtles swimming around. I loved the section with running water next to the trail.

There were quite a few turtles swimming around in the pond at the end of the trail.

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I also discovered a lizard when I was working on taking some photographs of flowers.

I liked seeing the scales on this lizard!

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Wildcat Bluff Nature Center

April 28, 2017 / Ed Armstrong

What a beautiful day for a hike!!

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Today was a beautiful day to go on a hike in the Wildcat Bluff Nature Center! The temperature was in the 70s with hardly any wind. It was a gorgeous day!

This lizard patiently waited and posed for his photo!

The unexpected delight was finding a lizard on the top of a post. He patiently waited as I zoomed in and focused on his scales.

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I enjoyed taking my camera and it was fun to focus on many of the small flowers opening up for springtime. I need to return and hike on more of the different trails.

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Old McDonald had a Farm

April 26, 2017 / Ed Armstrong

This is a classic and beautiful scene in west Texas.

I love this beautiful old truck! It makes me wonder where it has been driven and what work it has aided.

Barbed wire fences retain animals and allow the wind to intensely blow through them. Yes, those spikes are sharp!

Today was a fun day to get outdoors and take some photos. I found some old farm equipment near Canyon, Texas and they sort of captivated me to see their weathered condition and colors. It was a cloudy day so the lighting was soft and I enjoyed being outside. The wind was gusty, but the temperature was not too cold and it was pleasant to walk around.

This rustic chain tells a story agriculture work in west Texas.

I can just imagine these weathered gears turning!

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Imagine the sound of these gears and tires churning through a field!