"U" is for.........

"U" is for U.S. Government

 

Daily Photo Community Alphabet Challenge

December 1, 2013
"U" is for U.S. Government.   We stayed in Roswell, NM last night and I just KNEW I would see a UFO and have the perfect U. Unfortunately (fortunately) that did not happen. ;-)

This "U" was taken near Magdelana, NM at The Very Large Array, one of the world's premier astronomical radio observatories, it consists of 27 radio antennas in a Y-shaped configuration on the Plains of San Agustin fifty miles west of Socorro, New Mexico. Each antenna is 25 meters (82 feet) in diameter. The data from the antennas is combined electronically to give the resolution of an antenna 36km (22 miles) across, with the sensitivity of a dish 130 meters (422 feet) in diameter. http://ww.vla.nrao.edu
Processed with Photo Toaster on my iPad

Have an Unbelievable Sunday
Jeanne

"T" is for ..........

"T" is for Tin Turkey

 

Daily Photo Community Alphabet Challenge

November 23, 2103
"T" is for Tin Turkey! Seemed like a Terrific way to start Thanksgiving week.

Have a Terrific Day

Jeanne

 

"S is for ....

"S" is for Slinky!

 

The Daily Photo Community Alphabet Challenge

November 17, 2013
"S" is for Slinky! My favorite toy, this one sits on my desk as a reminder to not take life so Seriously. What could be better than a Silver Shiny Slinky??

 "What walks down stairs, alone or in pairs
and makes a slinkity sound?
A spring, a spring, a marvelous thing!
Everyone knows it's Slinky.
It's Slinky, it's Slinky,
It's fun, it's a wonderful toy.
It's Slinky, it's Slinky, it's fun,
It's a wonderful toy.
It's fun for a girl or a boy"

Bet you hum that all day... :D

Have a Super Sunday
Jeanne

"R" is for ......

"R" is for Riker the Red tri

 

 

Daily Photo Community Alphabet Challenge

November, 10, 2013
"R" is for Riker our beautiful Red tri Miniature Australian Shepherd. He was named after commander Riker, (Number 1) on Star Trek, TNG.
Riker's sister Annie got the "A" post for the alphabet challenge and he has been patiently waiting his turn. He is such an amazing fur baby, incredibly loyal and wicked smart. My husband and I are very grateful Riker lets us live in his house *wink*

Have a Red letter day
Jeanne

"Q" is for ....

"Q" is for Quack

 

The Daily Photo Community Alphabet Challenge

November 3, 2013
"Q" is for Quack!

Meet George. He is the Pekin duck that lives and QUACKS at our pond. He and his mate, Gracie, are fairly new additions to our little piece of Texas.
They are fascinating to watch and listen to and have great personalities. When I speak to George he turns his head and listens (processes), very much like our dog does. He really QUACKS me up! (sorry couldn't resist that)

Have a Quirky day
Jeanne

"P" is for ......

"P" is for Pink Pistol

 

The Daily Photo Community Alphabet Challenge

October 27, 2013
"P" is for Pink Pistol! Only in Texas is it "normal" to name a boutique Pink Pistol. The Pink Pistol boutique and Red 55 Winery are located in Lindale, TX about 20 miles from our home. Lindale is the home of country music star Miranda Lambert. Miranda is also part of a country western group called The Pistol Annie's, hence the name.

The store is full of t-shirts and tourist stuff, and memorabilia from Miranda's music career. The grand opening was held last weekend complete with a visit from Miranda, tons of bling and a whole lot of PINK (what else). People came from across the country and stood in line for hours to see the store (we did not). It was a lot of excitement for a town who's populations is less than 7000. 

Have a Perfect day
Jeanne

"O" is for......

"O" is for Orange things in October

 

Part of the Daily Photo Community Alphabet Challenge


October 20, 2013
"O" is for Orange things in October!
Another shot from the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.  What an amazing place to send a fall day.

 

 

Have a happy day

Jeanne

"N" is for

"N" is for Notice

Photo A Day Community Alphabet Challenge


October 13, 2013
"N" is for NOTICE and a very important one at that!
Taken with my iPhone, processed through Snapseed.

Have  Nifty day
Jeanne

"M" is for....

"M" is for Millionaire Pumpkins

Photo A Day Community Alphabet Challenge


October 6, 2013
"M" is for Millionaire pumpkins. We spent our morning at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. It drizzled rain the entire time we were there but we persevered. An amazing amount of pumpkins decorated the grounds. I loved the colors and variations of the millionaire pumpkins.
What a great place to visit!

Have a Marvelous Day
Jeanne

"L" is for...........

"L" is for Little

 

September 29, 2013
As a part of the Photo A Day Project, Alphabet Challenge

 "L" is for the Little Damselfly that Landed on these Leaves.
I Love the reflection of its tail and wings in the water.

Have a LOVELY Sunday and keep Snappin'
Jeanne

Still searching for Monday's challenge dragonfly. This is my first attempt at photographing these very busy creatures and I have realized two things. I need a better lens and bug spray is a top priority. Searching for more dragonflies today if it doesn't rain.

"K" is for .....

"K' is for Knobs!

A little junkin' always uncovers the best treasures!

Photo A Day Alphabet project September 22, 2013

Keep Snappin'
There is a whole world out there that needs it's picture taken!

Jeanne

100 Mile Capture Oklahoma and home

100 Mile capture visits Oklahoma and heads home


Remember where we started?
We have seen A LOT of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado....7 states, 14 days,  3485.4 miles and  65 hours 15 minutes in the car!  We have enjoyed tons of family and beautiful scenery, and more than a few quirky things a long the way.  Hope you enjoy our road trip 100 miles at a time.   Want to see how it all started?  click here 100 Mile Capture

It's day 14 and we are MORE than ready to get home!  It is always SO exciting to go on vacation but equally exciting to get home.  Isn't it amazing how we think we need to "get away" and once we are there all we can think about is "get back".  Human nature I suppose.   Quoting my favorite movie "There's no place like home....there's no place like home"

Mile 3100 Wellington Oklahoma
We saw a lot a bridges in Oklahoma with numbers on them.  So I Googled it! Honestly, I Googled my way across 7 states.  Lets face it Oklahoma isn't super exciting so I needed to give you a little more than" here is a bridge in Wellington, OK"   SO from the ODOT website
OH! and just a little FYI ~~ Bridges and overpasses are NOT a safe place to be in a tornado
NOTE Oklahoma bridges are identified at places in the text by a series of numbers and letters. ODOT assigns these codes based on map coordinates which locate the bridges on the road system. The first two digits identify the county. For example, the number "20" denotes Custer County. Since the structure numbers are geographical points, they can change as roads are remeasured, and a relocated bridge would likewise acquire a new number at a different site. Because the numbers are unwieldy and subject to revision, they have been used sparingly in the text.  

Mile 3200 ~ Oklahoma City and stuck on the freeway
We have been really fortunate this trip to not encounter a lot of traffic.  Lunch time in Oklahoma City was the exception. This is a windshield shot.  Thought you might like this better than the guy stuck next to us doing some "personal grooming".  This was really all I wanted to see of his truck.  "DO NOT BUMP"......or groom.  ick! {{shudder}

We sat in traffic so long I was able to load this into my ipad and add some nifty little touches to it.  I love the canvas look and this had SO much sky it worked perfectly! 

Good bye Oklahoma City and Hallelujah! traffic is moving again!  I love seeing this sign, it means Texas and home isn't that far away!

Mile 3300 is a rest area somewhere near Davis, Oklahoma.
We never stop at official rest areas, especially isolated ones, for some reason they creep me out.  BUT since we were at the 100 mile mark and since I got by with a windshield shot the last time we just HAD to stop.  I am so glad we did.  Who would have guessed that Oklahoma was where the Reflection Seismic technique was born....huh go figure,  O.K. to be honest I had never heard of it until that day in Oklahoma.
TO THE GOOGLE!!  
"This geophysical method records reflected seismic waves as they travel through the earth helping to find oil bearing formations. It has been responsible for the discovery of many of the world’s largest oil and gas fields, containing billions of barrels of oil and trillions of cubic feet of natural gas. Pioneering research and development was led by J.C. Karcher, an Oklahoma Physicist. The Arbuckle Mountains of Oklahoma were selected for a pilot survey of the technique and equipment, because an entire geologic section".

The view from the rest area showing some of the Arbuckle Mountains

 There is oil in them there rocks!

Well HELLO Texas...we have missed you

Mile 3400 ~ Bells, Texas

Bells Texas has a population of app. 1300 people.  Small town USA, baseball and concerts in the park. See the little sign down to the left? It says Hope Concerts. 

No small town in Texas is complete without an antique store named "Somewhere in Time"   Go ahead Google it .....there are hundreds of them all over the state.

WE MADE IT HOME!!

3485.4 miles and 65 hours 15 minutes in the car that covered 7 states in 14 days! It was a great trip full of adventures, family, hellos and goodbyes shared with tears and laughter. Thank you for coming along. 

Dorothy really did say it best...There is no place like home

 

Keep snappin'

Jeanne



"J" is for ......

Photo A Day, alphabet challenge "J" is for .......
September 15, 2013


"J" is for J. (How boring is that)
I found this "J" while walking through a historic cemetery in Nacogdoches, TX. They use these to mark family plots owned but not yet occupied.
Not very exciting but very important. We can't have any "M's" occupying "J" space now can we.
Enjoy your Sunday
Jeanne


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

100 Mile Capture Kansas

The 100 Mile Capture in Kansas

Not much to see in Kansas????  That's what I thought, but when you are looking, I mean really looking you find the coolest things and places.

Remember where we started?
We have seen A LOT of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado....
 7 states, 14 days,  3485.4 miles and  65 hours 15 minutes in the car!  We have seen tons of family and beautiful scenery, and more than a few quirky things a long the way.  Hope you enjoy our road trip 100 miles at a time.   Want to see how it all started?  click here 100 Mile Capture

Mile 2800 found us in Oakley, Kansas at non other than Prairie Dog Town!   

Prairie Dog Town's flag-topped red billboards are recurring beacons on west Kansas highways. They promise: "Pet the Baby Pig," "Live Rattlesnakes," "See The Largest Prairie Dog In The World," "Live 5-Legged Cow," "See the Live 6-Legged Steer," "Russian Wild Boar," "8,000 lb. Prairie Dog," and "Roscoe The Miniature Donkey".  We have driven down I70 numerous times and always get a laugh out of the barrage of signs,  "see 5 States from our tower"  "worlds largest ball of string"   "worlds largest prairie dog"  these people obviously have A LOT of time on their hands!   BUT seriously, if I had to describe Kansas in one word, that word would be FLAT!  All of these road side signs are there to break up the monotony of the absolute nothingness that is I70 in West Kansas. 

 

Mile 2900  Out in the middle of Kansas, if you look across the plains from I70 you will see a huge church.  Every trip we make to Colorado from Texas we drive by this and always say "one day we should stop and see what that is"  WELL...since our 100 mile mark was about 11 miles away we turned off the interstate drove 10 miles to the very small town of Victoria, Kansas and found the Cathedral of the Plains, St Fidelis Church and Cemetery. 

The present church was begun in 1908 and was completed in 1911.  The exterior is constructed of native limestone, quarried seven miles south of Victoria.  It was judged necessary that each communicant 12 years and older be assessed the sum of $45 yearly and to deliver 6 wagon loads of stone to the building site.  In large families, such as were characteristic of the settlers, the father and his older sons hauled as many as 70 and 80 wagon loads of stone. 
This massive Romanesque structure stands in the form of a cross facing to the west.  Its majestic towers stand on the west end of the church.  On the façade, above the 13 foot in diameter round rose window a statue of St. Fidelis, the patron saint of the church stands in a niche in the wall as if to keep watch.  The church is 220 feet long including the steps.  110 feet wide at the transepts, and 75 feet high at the nave.  Its ceiling is 44 feet high above the floor level.  The seating capacity is 1,100.  The north and south side walls stand 27 feet high.
  It is currently listed as one of the 8th wonders of Kansas
http://stfidelischurch.com/History/StFidelisChurch/tabid/5200/Default.aspx

 Some amazing information concerning this stunning piece of architecture can be found here

St. Fidelis Cemetery in Victoria, Kansas is worth a special visit to see the unusual "Volga" iron crosses. The crosses were part of the ethnic heritage of the German speaking people from the Volga River area of south Russia who settled this part of Kansas 

 

 

 If you would like to see more of this beautiful historic cemetery you can click on the photos or go to this link http://brickroadphoto.smugmug.com/History/Cemeteries/St-Fidelis-Cemetery-Victoria
 Mile 3000 ~ A rest area somewhere in Kansas
This is one of the blades from the big wind turbines you see all over Kansas.  HUGE!  

Loved this close up of the turbine connector end, very cool

The last leg of our trip is next!   Oklahoma and Texas...here we come!

Thanks for looking and keep snappin'
Jeanne

I is for.......

I am doing an alphabet challenge as part of the Dailies Photo Community I belong to. Every Sunday we have an assigned letter of the alphabet This week was " I"
"I" is for Ice!


Keep Snappin' and have a great week!
Jeanne

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

100 Mile Capture sees Colorado

Hi everyone!
Sorry it has been awhile.  Can't seem to get rid of the cold and sinus I brought home from vacation.  NOT my favorite souvenir by the way. 
Back to the 100 Mile Capture.  We made it to Colorado!  Woohoo!  

Remember where we started?
We have seen A LOT of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah....
 7 states, 14 days,  3485.4 miles and  65 hours 15 minutes in the car!  We have see tons of family and beautiful scenery, and more than a few quirky things a long the way.  Hope you enjoy our road trip 100 miles at a time.   Want to see how it all started?  click here 100 Mile Capture


Mile 2200  Maybell, Colorado.  Before moving to Texas 4 years ago we lived in Maybell.  It is a little ranching community in Northwest Colorado. about 60 miles West of Steamboat Springs.   No stoplights, no cell coverage, just a small country store with two pumps (one gas one diesel) and a restaurant that opens during hunting season.  This spot is about 10 miles from where our small ranch was.  The locals call it the Governor's mansion.  I hate to admit it but I lived in that area for 20 years and never stopped to read this historical marker. Good thing this was our hundred mile mark!   All of NW CO is so dry.  The fire danger is always scary there this time of year.

Here is my sweet and very patient hubby keeping the motor running while I snap away. This has been a very common site on this trip.

SO many pictures...SO very patient

Mile 2300 We ran around visiting family and friends in the area for 3 days. These signs are all over NW CO.  They were placed by the F M Light family in 1928 and are actually numbered and registered with the state historical society.  107 years in business with 5 generations of Lights running the store in the same location as the original store.  F M Light and Sons western store is truly a Steamboat legacy and a must see if you are ever in the area.

Mile 2400 is on Rabbit Ears Pass above the beautiful mountain town of Steamboat Springs. This is the view from the top of the pass looking down on Catamount Lake.

This has always been one of  my favorite views.  As I looked down on this that day there is concern and sadness.  It is SO very dry in what is usually a lush green valley. If you look closely you will notice how many of the beautiful pine trees have been lost to the pine beetle epidemic.  One misplaced lightning strike would spell disaster.  (ranting side note)  I try to be as environmentally conscious as I can be.  However, the pine beetle issues that the Colorado forests face infuriate me.  Environmental activists would not allow the few invested trees to be removed for "environmental" reasons.  In 4+ years the beetle kill has spread so rapidly, there are some areas it has killed all of the pines, changing the landscape and creating a huge and dangerous forest fire issue.   There are homes built amongst those dead trees.  Those same activists who would not allow the removal of a few diseased trees are now demanding protection from the inevitable forest fires.  Demanding the Forest Service DO something.  They tried to DO something  4 years ago, you wouldn't let them, remember??? 

WOW! I am finished with rant....that felt kind of good! 

  

Mile 2500 The Eisenhower Tunnel!  When you live on the Western Slope of the Rockies you learn to travel this road a lot. The Eastern Slope has Denver, Colorado Springs and shopping, and lets not forget specialized medical services.  I have seen the sun shining on one side of the tunnel and a blizzard on the other side.  Like two different worlds.

 The Eisenhower Tunnel, officially the Eisenhower–Johnson Memorial Tunnel is a dual-bore, four-lane vehicular tunnel approximately 50 mi (80 km) west of Denver, Colorado, United States. The tunnel carries Interstate 70 under the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains. With a maximum elevation of 11,158 ft (3,401 m) above sea level, it is one of the highest vehicular tunnels in the world. The tunnel is the longest mountain tunnel and highest point on the Interstate Highway system. Completed in 1979, it was one of the last major pieces of the Interstate Highway system to be completed. The westbound bore is named after Dwight D. Eisenhower, the U.S. President for whom the Interstate system is also named. The eastbound bore is named for Edwin C. Johnson, a governor and U.S. Senator who lobbied for an Interstate Highway to be built across Colorado   

As you can imagine there is no stopping for photo ops so these are windshield shots. A tunnel may seem like an odd place to put a "watch for wildlife" sign but when you exit the tunnel you start straight down the pass into Denver.  I have seen all kinds of wildlife on that road and when you exit the tunnel it takes a minute for your eyes to adjust to the light.  Trust me, the sign is important.

   

Mile 2600  North East Colorado aka the plains of Colorado is mostly farming, ranching and tornadoes.  This was taken around Lowland, Colorado and pretty typical of the area.  

Mile 2700 finds us in  Burlington, Colorado.  What a treat to see this beauty in the parking lot at McDonalds.  It is a 1918 Ford Model T.  What do you think Henry Ford would think if he saw what we do with our cars today, drive thru everything, everywhere. 

 Next stop Kansas!  Now I know you are thinking yippee (insert sarcasm) but we found a very cool historic photo op in Kansas, can't wait to share! 

I will continue to post the addendums to each state when I can.  Since I took 1200+ photos this trip, I am enjoying and a bit backlogged, going through them.

Thanks for looking

 

Keep Snappin'

Jeanne

  

"H" is for....

"H" is for Happy Hydrant.


Sitting in traffic at a very busy intersection I looked over and saw this hydrant. Three trips around the block to get a "non moving" shot and still ended up doing a semi drive by. Sorry about the crop and quality but loved it too much to pass it up
Thank you all for your comments on Dinah! I loved all of them.

Happy September!
Jeanne


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

100 Mile Capture Utah

Our 100 mile capture continues with a trip through Utah and a stop to see more family.  I will be posting an addendum for all of the states of things that didn't fall into the 100 mile mark but really needed to have their photos taken, here are the links for Arizona  Side Notes of Arizona part 1  and Side Notes of Arizona Part 2   SO much to see there!
If you aren't familiar with the 100 Mile capture go take a look at how it started here http://brickroadphoto.blogspot.com/2013/08/100-mile-capture.html

Mile 1500  The southern part of Utah has gorgeous red dirt and rocks.  Such a beautiful contrast with the amazing blue Utah sky!

 

Mile 1600 After our detour in Arizona we decided to cut across to Cedar City, UT through Duck Creek Pass.  What a beautiful mountain drive!  I was surprised to see large lava beds along the road,  they seemed so out of place at this elevation.  We stopped at a scenic overlook for Markagunt Plateau and Navajo Lava Lake.  From the Volcano Discovery website "Markagunt Plateau volcanic field, located east of Cedar Breaks National Monument in SW Utah, is a group of cinder cones and lava vents on Markagunt Plateau. The youngest cinder cones are located near Panguitch Lake in the north and Navajo Lake in the south."    Like a lot of the western states, this part of Utah has seen drought and has a lot of standing dead timber. Fire would be devastating to this beautiful area.   

Mile 1700  Interstate 15 somewhere near Filmore Utah.  We exited off of the freeway to try to find SOMETHING to take a pic of and saw this sign about "shed hunters".  Shed hunters are people looking for horns from elk and deer that have been shed in the spring.  There is quite a market and competition for the sheds.  Everything from chandeliers to  aphrodisiac's in Chinese medicine. Trespassing for shed hunting is an issue in many states.

See that arrow??? It is pointing to our next stop and a very special little person we are about to meet.

 Mile 1800  is in Payson, UT.  Seems odd to show you a 7-11 sign but we hit 1800 miles just as we turned into the gas station.  I went to high school in UT and when our little town got a 7-11 it was a BIG deal! During that time it seemed like there was a 7-11 in every town in Utah.  7-11 (Southland Corporation) was founded in 1927 in Dallas, TX. At one time there were more than 50,000 7--11 stores in the US (that's A LOT of Slurpees and Big Gulps!)  Now there are approx. 7000.  I have never seen one in Texas but they still seem to be going strong in Utah!   Kind of a nostalgic picture for me

Mile 1900 is my favorite mile marker so far!!  You need to know I stretched this a bit, it was taken at mile 1905 but it was SO special I just had to wait.  Our beautiful niece and her brand new little one.  What an honor to get to take this little ones newborn pictures. The hardest part of living so far away from family is missing those little things.  What a special memory.    

Mile 2000 is on Daniels Summit   Elevation 8020   We stopped at a turnout to take this when this ATV pulled up.  There were 3 occupants, a man and two boys.  They all got out and immediately got on their phones.  Cell reception in the mountains is so bad, this must have been the only hotspot.  Kind of made me sad knowing they drove miles from nature and their campsite to check their emails, texts and calls.

Mile 2100   Last but not least a true blast from my past!  Meet Dinah the Dinosaur.  This was taken in Vernal, UT.  My dad was in the oilfield, so most of my childhood was spent in Vernal, UT.  Dinah has been a regular fixture for as long as I remember.  Vernal is home to the Dinosaur National Monument and the Dinosaur Museum.  My job in high school was at the Dinosaur Motel and Gift Shop. We sold little pink "Dinah the Dinosaurs"   It always makes me smile to see Miss Dinah!

 

We are off to Colorado!

   

 

 

Side Notes of Arizona Part 2

Hi!  Welcome to Part 2 of Side Notes of Arizona!  We had such a great time traveling through the northern part of this state.   Hope you have enjoyed our trip so far.

We are both Route 66 fans.  I have a grandfather who owned a filling station on Historic Route 66 in Stroud, OK.  It's kind of in our blood.  Love the nostalgia.
During the Route 66 days Winslow, AZ was a pretty happening place, then I 40 was built and the town kind of dried up like many other Route 66 towns did.   The towns people of Winslow have come up with a great idea to breathe a little life back into their community. We drove to Winslow just to see what they had done.

"Standin' on a Corner in Winslow Arizona"

"Such a fine site to see...there's a girl my Lord in a flatbed Ford slowin' down to take a look at me"

Ring any bells?  We love this song by the Eagles and Winslow Arizona has done a great job bringing tourism and tourism dollars in to help revitalize their downtown area with this great tribute to "Take it Easy"   See the Eagle and the couple painted in the window??  On the other side of this tribute is a very nice park, yup that's not a building, just a wall.  How cool is that?

 See I told you there would be an Eagle(s) that you would never forget! *wink* you are humming that song right now aren't you....  Glen Frye and Jackson Browne would be so proud

The next big stop for unscheduled pictures was at Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell.   

 What a beautiful place. 

Glen Canyon Dam, Colorado River Storage Project

Dedicated by the First Lady Mrs. Lyndon B Johnson

September 22, 1966

named for Major John Wesley Powell

Looking down from the damn. 

Zoom in  a bit on this photo, see all the perforations in the canyon wall from blasting during construction??   Too see a bigger version of any these photo's just click on them

 

SO what did you think of Arizona???

 

It's on to Utah!

 

Keep snappin'

Jeanne