Our Hoary Bat

Did you know some bats fly during daylight hours? 

And some are loners?

I didn't, 

until Tom and his brother John 

witnessed one swooping low over our pond 

in the middle of the afternoon 

before trying to hide in the foliage of a nearby willow. 
Actually, a willow overtaken with grapevine.

It was larger than the Mexican Freetail bats 

that Austin is famous for, 

so Tom hurried to the house to get me. 

(me = my camera)

John snapped the first few shots, 

then I wobbled down the bank in my flip-flops to shoot some more. 

I couldn't help it.

It was tough because he was really hidden in those leaves. 

I've cropped and increased contrast 

so you can see him.

Thanks to Mr. Google, 

we determined he was a

 Hoary Bat. 

Our best guess, anyway.

We were too excited over seeing him to be 

(too) 

disappointed he wouldn't be bringing his friends to Long Hollow 

to help eat up the mosquitoes.

(Dang it.)

But isn't he cute? 

Doesn't he look like a panda bear? 

Although I admit I'm not tempted to cuddle him.

I sure hope he's still hanging around! 

(Get it? hehehe)

The Color Purple

Prairie Verbena

I'm not sure what this is, but the bees and bugs sure loved it! 

Wine Cup

Prairie Onion

Wild Chicory

(this actually hasn't bloomed again yet, but I'm keeping an eye out for it!)

"I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it.... 

People think pleasing God is all God care about.  

But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back."  

~Alice Walker, The Color Purple, 1982

Trust me, it was beautiful!

My son and his new bride forbid me from bringing my camera to their wedding. 

Can you believe it? Something about "relaxing" and "enjoying the moment" and "paying big bucks to someone else"...

So I don't have any photos of my own to share of 

The. Most. Beautful. Wedding. Ever. Amen. 

but you can click on that link to see a few that others posted on Facebook, and I "borrowed" to share on my Long Hollow blog.

I do, however, have photos from the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner, and here they are!

(I still had fun!)

 Oh, well, congratulations to my precious son and his beautiful wife!

Walking along a dirt road in April

Just about every morning, rain or shine, I take a walk down my dirt road with my puppies. 

Unless it's raining, I have my camera and my eyes are constantly searching for something to shoot...a new flower, an interesting weed, or merely the play of light on a leaf.

When I find it - whatever "it" is - Belle and Max wait patiently while I examine the something from every angle through my lens. 

They are so good.

You can imagine how many photos I have, then, if every morning I take between two and twenty. 

During busy times, I might not even glance twice at the photos, much less edit them or post them on my blog. 

There just aren't enough minutes in the day for that.

But there are (almost) always enough minutes to take a walk on a dirt road before the day gets swept away. 

(By the way, I apologize for being AWOL from your blogs. My son's wedding is fast approaching and I've been focusing on those last to-do's for it. Thanks for popping by to see me anyway - I miss you all!)

(One more thing...my photos are a mess. How do you organize yours?)

Linking (for the last time!) with
Lissa's Walk and Click

Do All Things With Love

I can't believe it's been more than 10 days since I posted here. 

There's been so much going on...birthdays, funerals, up-coming weddings, taxes...

...and then the explosions today in Boston made me stop,

 take a deep breath, 

and put it all in perspective.

Let's keep trying to spread the word,

just as all of those who came to the aid of the victims 
did with their actions.

Strangers helping strangers.

That's what overcomes evil.

That's love.

Prayers for the victims in Boston and their families...and the ones who hurt them.

Why I love road trips in springtime...

Red and blue, playing nicely together.

Indian Paintbrush 

and 

Bluebonnets 

are beautiful by themselves...

but together 

they truly bring out each other's beauty, don't they?

These were some of the lost files my friend Bruce recovered for me.

Thanks again, Bruce!

And this is where I stopped to snap these on my way back from Houston a couple of weeks ago. 

Doesn't it look like someone passed by with a leaking bucket of blue paint?

And that's why I love road trips in springtime. 

The end.

Deepwater Blooming

I took these last week while visiting my parents and intended to post them days ago.

Sigh.

That's just the way it's been lately.

(Deepwater is the name of the neighborhood I grew up in, by the way.)

Awake, thou wintry earth -
Fling off they sadness!
Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth
Your ancient gladness!
~Thomas Blackburn, "An Easter Hymn"

Wisteria dripped from thick vines woven through a trellis on the back porch.

Morning Glories turned the chain link fence into a work of art.

My grandmother planted these brilliant azaleas in the front of the house. 

They shout SPRING IS HERE!

Wisteria petals dotted the patio table. 

So delicate.

These are blossoms on a Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow plant. 

The petals change from purple to lavender to white. 

Amazing and gorgeous!

Just a carpet of tiny yellow flowers decorating a field in the middle of the neighborhood where all of the schools are located.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. 

I'm spinning in circles again, but will try to come around visiting everyone this week!

P.S.
My friend was able to recover my lost NEF files, by the way. He used a program called Rescue Pro by Sandisk. Whew! I'll be eternally grateful to him for taking the time to retrieve them and help me learn a little more about photo files. (And all it cost me was a 12-pack of Budweiser!)

Check out his beautiful website and if you have friends getting married in the Austin area, send them his way: Bruce Coville Photography