Misc. photos from the past week.

As always some days are busier than others but it wasn't a bad week...I did manage to hit a deer with our truck. It is still drive-able and is going in for repairs soon. I was mad and it scared Michael. As I've always told him don't swerve, just hit them head on and pray it all goes well. Nothing to serious and we are okay. 

I was busy the other night cleaning out the chicken coop when I got a message on my phone asking if I was taking photos of the gorgeous sunset. I was watching it but no photos and then I thought oh why not. So I ran to the house and grabbed the camera...

It was prettier before, this is the tail end of the sunset but still neat...

Sometimes we all have those upside down days...

Michael was making paper star wars airplanes...

We love our Lucy girl...She is so entertaining.

She had a rough evening terrorizing the house, time for a nap!

Oh so cute!!

Fred picked a few watermelons out of the garden!! 

A few of the deer that come up to eat...

Gorgeous moon and clouds...

Inca doves

Our girls out in the pasture...

Busy little bee...

We are getting a frost tonight so not sure how long the wildflowers will keep blooming.

Scarlet sage is oh so pretty, love that bright red.

Since hunting season started back in October we've had Feral Hog problems. We have several new hunters in the area and they have all put up feeders on timers that go off at all different times, you can sit outside and listen to all the feeders going off. Which in turn draws in the Feral hogs, which in turn leads to them tearing up our property. I am so disgusted with it all but not much I can do about it...

We'll disc it up and get it flat once the hogs leave and do it all over again as soon as they come back again. 

Our heifers. I had the vet check and one is open (not bred) and one is bred and due about May/June. I've been trying to get the open heifer back over to the bull. Not having much luck though. I paid the guy and he seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth, sigh. I might try AI (Artificial Insemination) or I might just go buy a bull. I didn't want to deal with a bull but so tired of trying to get these girls bred. 

Julie, is my little whooly bear caterpillar. She is definitely ready for winter!

Hope y'all have a good week and Happy Thanksgiving. 

Busy day...

We started the day off going to Market days in our local town. Love seeing all the hand-crafted items. I also had fun purchasing a few Christmas gifts. 

I had several ladies try to take this from me as we walked back to the Jeep. It is cute! I bought it for someone and I think they will love it.

Yesterday Michael went to a re-enactment camp with his school at the Mission in Goliad. He wanted to show his Dad a few of the booths. So after shopping at Market Days we headed to the Mission. 

We saw some interesting items and met a few people.

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Fred really enjoyed watching the Black Smiths work.

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 We then headed to a grandsons Birthday Party...

Birthday boy having fun! 

Grandpa joking around with Grandsons

Michael playing with one of his younger cousins. 

Erica with her boys!

A very busy day but lots of fun!!

A little of this and that...

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 Michael yelled "Mom come here, Mom!!"...I asked do I need the camera? Well of course Mom! I love my boy, he knows me! He found a praying mantis and brought it to me. I tried to get a photo of Michael with it but it started grabbing a hold of him with it's hooks and Michael freaked out. Next thing I know I am rescuing my son from a praying mantis. It was too funny as he lost it, after years of handling mantis he freaked out. We both had a good laugh. I put it on the cucumber plants and then took some photos. Never a dull moment around here...

 He is an old soul with a kind kind heart...We love him!

I saw these and had to get one, absolutely gorgeous! This lady does an amazing job. She makes scorpions too...

Crystal Spiders

Hope y'all enjoy your weekend!

Brazos Bend State Park

I met up with a friend at Brazos Bend State Park (just South of Houston) for some photo therapy. It was a gorgeous autumn day and we got some great photos...

Autumn colors in South East Texas

The water was so calm....

A young gator, so pretty!

We had fun watching it and taking photos. He/she did manage to catch a small fish while we watched...

I just liked the reflection...so calm and peaceful.

Great Egret

Little Blue Heron

Common Moorhen, and I thought my feet were huge!

There were small gators everywhere....

I was told they open their mouth as a territorial thing...

I am watching you...

Water Hyacinth (Water Orchid, River Raft) I don't think I've ever seen this bloom before.

Lots of turtles too...

Arrowhead aka Duck Potato

Native Americans ate the roots of this plant.

I was taking photos of this fly on the flower when a German tourist asked me what I was taking photos of...When I told him the yellow bloom with the fly on it, he said where? I pointed to it and then showed him a photo I had taken on the camera, he was like Wow!! 

My friend likes to photograph dragonflies. I spotted this one and was trying to tell him where it was so he could take a photo...he kept saying I don't see it. So I took a photo to show him...See it now? Yes I was being a smart alack!

Then my friend got me back when he spotted this turtle and I didn't....It took me awhile but then I finally saw it peeking out of the duck weed. 

Crow on the path...

Grebe

Yellow Lotus seed pod...I kind of chuckled to myself. If my Mother had seen these she would have wanted me to go pick her some as she used them in dried flower arrangements...and being in a state park in the middle of a swamp I would NOT have done it....kind of like when she asked me to pick her some prickly poppies...Not happening! They are called prickly for a reason!

And old dude soaking up the sun!

I absolutely love whistling ducks. Seldom do I see them in the wild. The very first one I ever saw was in a tree on the river walk in San Antonio. Yes they like to sit in trees. When they fly they make the strangest whistling noise...I see them a lot at the zoos here in Texas. We were walking the path and I glanced over at an island. I saw the orange beaks at first and thought Moorhen but then got to looking and was like YeeHaw!! Whistling Ducks!! A whole flock of them, I counted 13 all together!! 

They weren't flying off but they were wary of us and watching...

Look at those big old legs!

They were well camouflaged in the trees. 

Preening...so glad we spotted the whistling ducks. It made my day to get some good photos of them and to be able to watch them for a bit too. 

Turtles, Turtles everywhere and covered in Duck weed.

This guy was totally relaxed with his huge webbed feet stretched out behind him...

There were a lot of butterflies too...

White Ibis...such cool looking eyes...

Just to show you I don't always get the photos, oops!

Common Moorhen

The birds were spectacular!

American coot, they have red eyes!

This Great Egret was fishing and managed to catch something...

It didn't eat what it caught but flew off...and then lost it's food!

Oh so pretty!!

We had a great day! It was so nice to spend time with a fellow photographer and friend walking in the sunshine and enjoying the wildlife....I need to do this more often!