The Sun Returned

With the rain out of here, the sun was out for the first time since Thanksgiving Day. Even though the light north wind was a bit cutting at times, it still was a delightful day to get the cardio walk in and

The tidal pool looks placid again.

Birds were every where in the trees.

The beaver several days ago. See the tail----it's for sure, a beaver.

take a few pictures.

The storm with over eight-inches of rain was hard on the beaver population. Four beavers were killed. The city parks service picked up the last one this afternoon. I really did appreciate the help that I got from  Parks and Recreation to take care of the one that was in a very populated spot for visitors. Thanks to the guys at the City of Dallas Parks and Recreation Department for their help. Two were killed crossing 78 at San Rafael;one on the Dixon Creek crossing of Buckner and the fourth washed up into the parking area at Sunset Bay. I had just taken a picture of one going up the channel into the old fish hatchery just before the storms hit. I've been looking for him but haven't seen him again. I fear the worse outcome with the recent outcome from confirmed deaths.

The water flow has really slowed down. The grass caught on top of the new USGS automated water gauge is still funny. I'll call the field office and find out how they report that much water flow.

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What Day Is It?

It's Saturday, the Holy Day of Obligation. GO BLUE!     Update:  Michigan lost. College   Football has changed.

Monk Parots

More Monk Parots

American White Pelicans stop from their nesting grounds in Montana on their way to Central and South America. They don't fly over open ocean, however.

Still Shooting Leaves

Although some of the trees are now devoid of leaves, it was a driving force to continued to shoot fall leaves with such amazing colors. The weather up until today has been awesome and perfect to be out walking with camera in-hand.

Thanksgiving, however was a day of rest and cooking. Yes, my chef skills still manage to cook a full Thanksgiving meal. Turkey, dressing and the sides. The cranberry sauce was passed on this year. It was more difficult to find fresh cranberries and cranberry from a can is a cardinal sin. So, with the dressing and turkey, the condiment was huckleberry preserves this year and it was just fine; might have re-kindled an old tradition again.

So, Wednesday, seems to be the very last day to shoot leaves this season. With the strong winds and soaking rains the leaves are pretty much coming down with this round of weather-induced  conditions. Over the past week alone, over a thousand images have been cataloged for this season of color in the Dallas area. The focus has been on sycamore trees until Wednesday when I found some oaks that were orange and red. And, there was a discovery of a totally new stand of sycamore trees that produced excellent results.

It is to be hoped that y'all all had a wonderful Thanksgiving in whatever way was meaningful to each of you. Here are a few of those images from Wednesday. It seems that there might be a second posting just to include the full range. Right now, it's all depends on who much time can be mustered away from editing to actually do the post.

Seldom seen in Texas. It reminds me of the Maples in the Great Lakes area. The reds have always been a favorite.

The textures and colors are amazing

The new stand of Sycamores found

A Performance of Note

Camille Saint Saens and his Carnival of Animals

George Frideric Handel's Water Music

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's  Swan Lake Ballet

 Today's guest performers were Pelecaniformers under the baton of Maestro Pelecanus erythrohynchos

The Big One!

Most of the past few months has been focused on the subject matter of  leaves. In fact, there were a few post  written about it on this blog. It's not an exciting subject to some, but overall, it is key subject matter from the most basic definition of landscapes.

With the flooding rains in May, it was just a give me that the foliage was going to be super this fall and it was hoped  that the colors would survive the later returning drought after the flooding rains of the spring. One never knows what will developed. All one can do is to base future events outcomes  on past events of weather during a season based on  seasonal averages. Sometimes it works. Other times, the odds favor the house (mother nature).

While last week was pretty much the end of leaf hunting, Murphy's Law always plays its hand late. Today, the king of leaves turned up almost right under my foot. Guessing, it had to be 8 1/2 inches across and 6-inches in the stem to tip width. When I had put the tape measure to it, it turned out the be 11 1/2 inches across and 7-inches stem to tip. It sure was the largest sycamore tree leaf that I have ever found.

With 2-4 inches of rain, wind and another cold front due from Thanksgiving thru Saturday,  Most likely, the colors will fall for sure with this weather system. Some of the bright colors have already dimmed a bit since the last threat following last Monday's rain and wind. This bout will surely bring the leaves down and the color will be gone for another season.

I've made a third trip to one tree to capture the most unusual bark that I have seen. Today, I had just shot a couple of images  to see how the lighting was going to come out, but I have decided that it's not the lighting so much or all the normal things that jinks an image in a technical way. This trouble in capturing the bark as it really looks is in the tree. The tree is not ready to reveal its true beauty just yet. So, if I have to go back four time or five or even six times, As a photographer, it's worth that effort to catch the true beauty of another living thing--the subject tree.

While I almost forgot to shoot the tree that produced the massive leaf, It is within itself an unusual tree that I had not noticed until today. It's a sycamore that was hiding right in the middle of the ring of sycamores that I had been shooting this month. I'm always amazed at nature.

11 1/2 inches by 7-inches

The tallest tree is the sycamore that has been hiding in plain sight and produced the massive leaf.

Katie, the Mute Swan at White Rock Lake, that was so sick, seems to be enjoying her normal quality of life once again.