Balloon Glow

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I missed an annual event near my home in Missouri while I was Carrollton TX in June – a balloon glow (where tethered hot air balloons are inflated at dusk at a local park as part of a summer festival). My husband and daughter decided to attend at the last minute after afternoon thunderstorms ended…and sent pictures! It was great to be able to enjoy the event vicariously (and maybe also good not to be slogging through a muddy field). But – I am determined pay attention to the scheduling of the event and be there rather than in Texas in 2024!

Carrollton Frosts – January 2023

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There were two frosts in late January when I was in Carrollton. The first day started out at 30 degrees and 96% humidity. I made the first round of pictures around the yard of my parents’ house not long after sunrise.

Frost covered the upper surfaces of everything.

The seed pods of the red yucca are my favorite images – coated with frost that highlights the ridges and folds of the pods.

I went inside for about an hour then photographed more plants and objects. The crystals on a tiled counter near the gas grill were the largest (mostly columns).

On another morning, the temperature was 34 degrees and the humidity was not as high…but frost formed anyway. I wondered if the oxalis would be able to withstand the two days of frost. The tiled counter was encrusted with crystals again.

Josey Ranch – September 2002

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Carrollton’s Josey Ranch Lake still had noticeable problems. The broken sidewalks and disassembled boardwalks were still the same as in August. The heavy crane was gone. 3 city trucks drove on the walkway to get to the other side of the lake to begin repair to the boardwalks while I was there. Maybe the broken walkways will come next….or they’ll wait until next summer.

I saw one swan in August but didn’t see any in September and there were a lot of white feathers in the water and mud near the remaining cattail area. They were not native swans…but they have been at the lake from the beginning. They will be missed if they are truly gone.

I did see some other birds which made for a good morning of bird photography.

Great Egret

Great Blue Heron


Green Heron

Snowy Egret

Hopefully the work around the lake will be done before the winter birds arrive.

Road trip: Missouri to Texas

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It is a 6.5-hour drive from my house in Missouri to my Parents’ in Texas. Only the first few hours are interstate so there are not the typical highway rest stops along the way. I left early enough that the Oklahoma welcome center on I44 was not open yet (doesn’t open until 8:30 AM) so my first rest stop was the Will Rodgers rest stop along the turnpike; I also bought gas there (thrilled that it was below $4/gallon). It is not my favorite place since the rest rooms always seem crowded and not very clean.

The second stop was a McDonalds for a breakfast burrito – my favorite road trip breakfast – which I ate rather clumsily going down the road (cheese dribbled on my lap!).

The third stop was another toll road plaza. None of the three rest stops were visually appealing. Fortunately, the Texas Welcome Center on US 75 just across the Red River has some interesting plantings. I did some macro photography.

I noticed that Oklahoma was greener than Missouri. They must have gotten more rain recently than we have in Southwestern Missouri. The day got hotter and hotter as I drove…passing 100 degrees at 11:42 PM.

A lesson learned from this trip: the back of my car with the slopped hatchback is not cooled very much by the air conditioner; I’ll place my luggage in the back seat rather than the far back when I am driving on a hot day.