151/365

This gazebo is in the same small park area I mentioned yesterday. Like the other small park, this space is on a median just a few yards wide. This median runs east and west, between Venice Blvd and May Ave.

I did apply a "watercolor" filter to this shot for an arty effect. I rather like it, don't you?

150/365

There are a pair of small park areas near my house. This bench is in the closer one, about three blocks south.

149/365

This chimney and grill was built by the original owner of my house. According to my elderly neighbor, who has lived in this neighborhood since 1953, the man was a contractor. There is a grill, but I haven't used it. I have used the space, however. I have set my hibachi on top of the grill. It's a lot more convenient than setting the hibachi on the ground.

This picture is the beginning of a series exploring my neighborhood. All pictures were taken yesterday afternoon.

148/365

This work of art appeared in the Sunday school room sometime between May 4 and 18. I wish I knew who drew it. Assuming it was someone in this particular Sunday school class, it was someone between 8th and 12th grade.

There is a legend, in the bottom center. It reads: "Only the ends of the red will show you my blue side."

I appreciate the mystery and wildness of this art.

147/365

Where would I be without my morning dose of caffeine? The pictured cup currently contains green tea, as it does most mornings. I steep "Gun Powder Green Tea" for three minutes, then mix in a spoon-full of local honey.

146/365

A scene from last night's re-enactment of a 2nd Century Eucharist. My friend Hank is seated near the center.

145/365

In which I seem to be mildly surprised to be taking my own picture.

144/365

This is a variation on the magnolia bud posted a few days ago. Using Photoshop, I inverted the color of the bud and leaves, then applied the glass filter to the background.

143/365

Honeysuckle growing in my backyard. The house in which I spent my formative, teenage years, had a honeysuckle bush growing along a fence on the west side of our backyard. This honeysuckle is among bushes growing at the north edge of my property - also the backyard.

142/365

Heavy gray clouds
press in on my brain
spring in Oklahoma

141/365

Third, and last, in the series of magnolia blossoms. There are, incidentally, a row of magnolia bushes which grow to the east of the building I work in.

140/365

Second in a series.

139/365

First in a series of three: magnolia bud.

138/365 - Canine Companions

Sister and Fearless. Or vice-versa. In this picture, the differences are obvious - one has a white paw, one has white on her chest and neck, and more white in her face. Thing is, it's rare that they are so close together for any length of time.

Regardless, they are extremely well-behaved dogs. Brother Dave has left little doubt in their craniums concerning who is the alpha dog in the pack (he is). And, even though they only see me once a year (on average), they are always exceedingly glad to see me.

137/365

Even more bluebonnets. The three pictures I've shared all come from the same area, neighboring fields by the side of a state road near Brother Dave's estate.

136/365

A coy, flirtatious rose, from El's garden.

This, and the other roses I have recently posted, is an heirloom variety known as "Katy Road Pink".

135/365

I've never asked, but I've always been curious about this area, immediately east of Brother Dave's drive. The bird bath often has a hose in it, to insure fresh running water. Not sure what a penguin is doing in the Texas Hill Country, but he looks fairly comfortable.

Brother Dave explains: "In Austin there is a large garden store located on a busy intersection of one of the major north-south freeways - MoPac. The store has a steep hill on the side of the property facing the roadway. Routinely, that hill is decorated with pink flamingo lawn ornaments of various sizes. However, one day as Linda and I drove past we noted that, for no obvious reason, the pink birds had been completely overtaken by penguins. Again, for no obvious reason, we were compelled to make an unplanned stop and purchase. Because we wanted the little guy to feel as at home as a penguin can in the scorching Texas Hill Country, we placed him next to the bird bath (currently awaiting hose repair) under the shade of the large live oak. He/she seems quite content, having stayed in that spot for some 8 or 9 years now."

134/365

More bluebonnets, as promised.

133/365

More at Love During Wartime.

132/365

Ninety percent accuracy is not as good as silence.
— Yueh-lin

131/365

Fallen branch, to the south of Brother Dave's house in the Texas Hill Country.

130/365

If you want to ask where the flowers come from, even the God of spring doesn't know.
— Zen saying

129/365

The hummingbirds are ready for their close-up.

128/365

I'm taking a brief break in sharing my travel photos in order to share something more recent: a picture from a historic occasion. This is the scene from the election of a new Bishop for the Episcopal Church in Oklahoma.
Read More

127/365

Onions for next week or next month, growing in El's garden.

126/365

Onions for tomorrow. They grow in El's garden.

125/365

More cacti from Brother Dave's property.

124/365

123/365

The aesthetic of this bent tree fascinates me. Is it bowed by the wind? Wounded by lightening? Greeting visitors to the estate?

The gate to the property is seen in the background.

122/365

Sunset captured from Brother Dave's back porch, Wednesday, 18.April.07.

121/365

As sure a sign of spring in Texas as a swaggering robin: bluebonnets. Brother Dave drove me to an area absolutely rich with bluebonnets. I have at least two more shots to share with you from this area.