JDW Photos and Life

We continue our hike and I have to remind myself that the scenery we are passing is not something you see every day unless you live here. The general colors are a bit redundant but the detail is ever changing. Here is another ridge of a canyon wall. Hopefully you are not tiring of canyon photos. I have more to come. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

Just a little past the Aoudad Sheep was the halfway point of the trail (about 1.5 miles) and our first glimpse of our goal of the Lighthouse rock feature. The trail was easy to this point with only a few ups and downs but the heat was definitely picking up. We drink some water and continue the hike. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

We watched the Aoudad Sheep for several minutes - and they watched us. We could see movement behind the ridge but never saw full bodies other than this one that really liked his lookout-rock. In this photo, you see the horns of two more sheep. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

As we watched the Aoudad Sheep on the ridge, they seemed to be enjoying the morning as much as us. So being the diligent photographer, I decide to change my lens to the zoom I use for wildlife. I thought that they would be gone by the time I got the lens changed and my effort would be wasted. I had started to wonder why I was packing this heavy lens but getting a better view of these animals made the effort worth it. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

As I was off the trail shooting the photo shared yesterday, my eagle-eyed hiking partners spotted some activity on top of the adjacent ridge. I zoom in as far as the lens on my camera could and this is the photo. You see a couple of Aoudad Sheep. I figured they would quickly leave as there is no doubt they were watch us. This species of sheep were originally brought from North Africa in the 1940's (at least that is the common story/belief). They like the arid and rugged landscape and have done well. They escaped their original containment and a decision was made to introduce them to the panhandle canyons in 1957 near Palo Duro Canyon (south of Claude) and then additionally near Caprock Canyons (Quitaque). The Texas heard is now larger than the native heard in North Africa. According to most literature, they are not often seen in the public areas of Palo Duro Canyon park. It is interesting that the official park website does not include a photo of the sheep - maybe confirming that t...

The mesquite were just coming out and their fine leaves had that bright green of spring. I hopped off the trail a few feet and framed them with an interesting rock formation in the background. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

As you hike a trail like this, it is always good to look behind you to see what you may be missing. This feature was deep in the shadows of the morning sun. Though the sun wasn't lighting up the colors in full glory, you can still see the beauty in this photo. As we made our return hike later in the day, this formation was not a great photo with the intense and high overhead sun. It would be a great photo with a late evening sun but that was not an option for us. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

I had not hiked the Lighthouse Trail since I was in high school and have wanted to go back there for years. Our trips to Amarillo rarely include the time or priority for a trip to the canyon. I had the right opportunity on this trip - a free morning and travelers that liked hiking. The Lighthouse is the iconic rock formation of the park but it is not next to roads. It is roughly a 6 mile round trip and is marked as moderate skill. My high school self remembered it being pretty easy but the trail was not well-marked and you needed to pay attention to directions. Things are different today than my 50 year old memory! The trail was VERY well marked and heavily worn with its clear popularity. We were at the trailhead at 8 AM and the parking lot had only a few cars. We saw no hikers going our direction but a few that were returning from their very early morning hike. The river through the canyon is the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River. There is no doubt where the Red River got its nam...

Click on READ MORE for the full post. Click on the blog photo to see full size and detail.  If leaving a comment, please provide a hint who you are. We decided to take a hike in Palo Duro Canyon the morning after our arrival (letting Mom rest after the visitor surprises). The last time I did any hiking here was when Chris was a teenager and we repelled off some of the cliffs, hiked back up, and did it again. Prior to that, I had not done much hiking in the canyon since my late high school days. The canyon is beautiful but can be brutal with heat. That Friday morning was as good as we could ask with no weather systems and temperatures in the 60's climbing to around 80 by noon. I really wanted Josh and Lauren to do a little hiking while visiting. I'm sure this rock formation has a name but I don't know what it is. It is not the lighthouse and is easily visible from the road. It remains one of my favorites. Thanks, Doug White

Click on READ MORE for the full post. Click on the blog photo to see full size and detail.  If leaving a comment, please provide a hint who you are. A more personal photo share today. We traveled to Amarillo across the Mother's Day weekend earlier this month. This was one of those years where Mom's birthday coincided with Mother's Day and as a bonus it was her 90th! Lauren and Josh flew in from Kodiak and were at our house for the previous few days. Lauren (Chris' wife) came over from Spring and all 5 of us drove to Amarillo for the weekend. Chris (son) was stuck in Louisville and it was Kentucky Derby weekend with airfares crazy high and flight availability non-existent. He was with us in spirit. The five of us rented a house for the weekend so we could all visit more. Mom didn't know that anyone was traveling with Donnice and I. Our other three travelers were a total surprise. After getting to the house, I went to pick up Mom while the others unpacked a bit. As Mo...

Click on READ MORE for the full post. Click on the blog photo to see full size and detail.  If leaving a comment, please provide a hint who you are. The first photo is the outside entrance to JEB (ChE) building. It was opened in 2004 and has 205,000 square feet of space. It's starting to show a little age like all of us but it remains pretty building in my eyes. The second photo is the interior once you enter those doors. I had absolutely zero knowledge that this building even existed or its purpose when I interviewed for this job 10 years ago. So many things had changed. It's amazing to think how many things have changed in the 10 years since and I will likely be amazed at even more changes 10 years from today. Thanks, Doug White

Click on READ MORE for the full post. Click on the blog photo to see full size and detail.  If leaving a comment, please provide a hint who you are. My other "home base" at TAMU was the Jack E. Brown Engineering Building, otherwise known as JEB, and is the home for chemical engineering. The bottom floor is mostly classrooms and student computing centers. The second floor houses most of the faculty and a few support staff. The third through seventh floors have research labs in the center with offices around the perimeter housing faculty, staff, and grad students. I was on the 6th floor during the Zachry renovation. As faculty expanded with the student enrollment, the building is undersized for the task. Each professor (not me) conducts research and that work plays a huge role in rankings of Tier 1 universities. Having adequate facilities (lab and office space) is important in recruiting top talent. It will be interesting to see how the university and department tackle this pro...

Click on READ MORE for the full post. Click on the blog photo to see full size and detail.  If leaving a comment, please provide a hint who you are. This is the south entrance to Zachry Engineering Education Complex. My labs are located on the first floor not far from this entrance. If you have not been on campus in the past 10 years, it is a great place to go walk through (but my labs are not visible from public locations). My time as an instructor is done though my official retirement date goes to the end of this school year (Sept 1). I have a few items still in my cubicle that will get picked up today or tomorrow. Thanks, Doug White

Click on READ MORE for the full post. Click on the blog photo to see full size and detail.  If leaving a comment, please provide a hint who you are. This is the old ferry landing in Bridge City to cross the Neches River. It was replaced with the Rainbow Bridge in 1936 (designed to never interfere with river traffic to Beaumont with a clearance of 177 feet - height of the US Navy's USS Patoka - though it never did pass here). That height was used by  Bethlehem Steel in Beaumont to build many offshore drilling rigs.  The bridge is a narrow, two-lane truss bridge with a steep approach and decent. For much of my 32 year career at DuPont - Orange, I crossed this bridge twice a day - often with delays due to terrible wrecks. The Veterans Memorial Bridge,  a cable-stayed 143 foot high bridge,  was opened in 1990 and the Rainbow Bridge was refurbished. Both bridges are now in full service (since 1997) with traffic to Bridge City crossing the Veterans and traffic to Port...

Click on READ MORE for the full post. Click on the blog photo to see full size and detail.  If leaving a comment, please provide a hint who you are. This butterfly looks to be the same well-camouflaged variety as I posted on May 4. This photo was take a couple of weeks later and a different location yet nearly the same time of day (middle afternoon). I still have no idea its specific ID. Some people have suggested it may be a moth vs a butterfly. I'm pretty certain it is a butterfly. The antenna are clearly more butterfly than moth. There are other differences between moths and butterflies listed on websites and this guy checks butterfly in all categories. The way he is staring at me, I think he recognizes me also! Thanks, Doug White

Click on READ MORE for the full post. Click on the blog photo to see full size and detail.  If leaving a comment, please provide a hint who you are. I am always impressed with the tenacity of nature. As we sat waiting for any more birds to show up (they did not), we look around a bit at our surroundings and enjoy the day. This cluster of spring wildflowers growing from dirt collected in rocks and surrounded by dead twigs from the winter speaks to me. Thanks, Doug White

Click on READ MORE for the full post. Click on the blog photo to see full size and detail.  If leaving a comment, please provide a hint who you are. This is my last photo of the golden-cheeked warbler for this year. There was one ray of sunlight and he happened to stick his head in it to make this shot possible! Thanks, Doug White

Click on READ MORE for the full post. Click on the blog photo to see full size and detail.  If leaving a comment, please provide a hint who you are. Another shot of the warbler hidden in the trees. Thanks, Doug White

Click on READ MORE for the full post. Click on the blog photo to see full size and detail.  If leaving a comment, please provide a hint who you are. On the private property ranch just outside of Waco, we had the privilege to see another golden-cheeked warbler. This is just a pretty bird with a pretty song! Thanks, Doug White

Click on READ MORE for the full post. Click on the blog photo to see full size and detail.  If leaving a comment, please provide a hint who you are. Hopefully, you are not tired of this bird and can handle one more photo (actually two). These birds are constantly on the move hopping from one branch to another. As a photographer, all we can hope is for them to perch long enough and in enough light for us to capture them. This guy jumped from good light and down towards the base of the tree and deeper into shadows. I almost put my camera down due to the poor light. However for just a second, he had light on his head and I took a couple of frames. Again, I am amazed at the detail captured by this camera. Yes, I captured a gnatcatcher doing exactly what earned him his name! This time you can actually see the wings of the gnat. The second photo is zoomed to full pixel resolution and processed to enhance detail to better show the bug details. Thanks, Doug White

Click on READ MORE for the full post. Click on the blog photo to see full size and detail. If leaving a comment, please provide a hint who you are. After his quick snack seen yesterday, this guy decided to sing his praises to us once more while still in the oak tree. Thanks, Doug White

Click on READ MORE for the full post. Click on the blog photo to see full size and detail.  If leaving a comment, please provide a hint who you are. After the blue-grey gnatcatcher finished his song in the redbud, he flew to a nearby oak tree. He was sitting for a second and then made a quick hop in the middle of me catching these three frames. This sequence is an example of one of the fun parts of reviewing photos after a shoot. Oftentimes, you don't know what detail you captured until you get home. Look closely at the third photo. You can see the bird catching a small bug - maybe a gnat? I took that third photo and over-processed it to try and reveal more detail. That edit makes for a terrible print photo but I believe it is further confirmation that the bird was likely catching a small bug. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! Thanks, Doug White

Click on READ MORE for the full post. Click on the blog photo to see full size and detail.  If leaving a comment, please provide a hint who you are. After the wren left, a blue-gray gnatcatcher decide to come show us how it is really done - redbuds and a concert. Thanks, Doug White

Click on READ MORE for the full post. Click on the blog photo to see full size and detail.  If leaving a comment, please provide a hint who you are. Another shot of the wren just as he was about to leap to another location further down the tree and virtually out of sight. Thanks, Doug White

Click on READ MORE for the full post. Click on the blog photo to see full size and detail.  If leaving a comment, please provide a hint who you are. This Carolina Wren decided to get in on the action in the redbuds. This is a classic pose for these birds with the head and tail high. Thanks, Doug White

Click on READ MORE for the full post. Click on the blog photo to see full size and detail.  If leaving a comment, please provide a hint who you are. A bit later, the cardinal moved to a redbud tree just beginning its bloom. There were other redbud trees in more full bloom that would have been nice but I'll accept this one. Thanks, Doug White

Click on READ MORE for the full post. Click on the blog photo to see full size and detail.  If leaving a comment, please provide a hint who you are. I traveled back to Waco to shoot at a private ranch just as all of the trees began to come out of the winter. This cardinal was a bit shy and what pretty-well hidden. It was interesting to get the focus right on this one. Thanks, Doug White

Click on READ MORE for the full post. Click on the blog photo to see full size and detail.  If leaving a comment, please provide a hint who you are. As we were wrapping up our stay at Meridian State Park, this butterfly was in the area and there were no birds to photograph so you know what I did! I have searched the internet and have not found a good identification for this one. I guess the "dull" colors don't make the headlines of butterfly ID photos. The camouflage clearly makes it look like a dead leaf fluttering in the wind. This photo also wraps up the MSP photos and I'll be moving to a new location in the next note. Thanks, Doug White

Click on READ MORE for the full post. Click on the blog photo to see full size and detail.  If leaving a comment, please provide a hint who you are. After the small snack in the photo yesterday, this guy kept searching for more food. He selected a really nice frame for this photo. The detail in the tree is almost as interesting as the bird. Thanks, Doug White

Click on READ MORE for the full post. Click on the blog photo to see full size and detail.  If leaving a comment, please provide a hint who you are. After the quick snack seen yesterday, the warbler to fly to another section of the tree and see what he could find. Thanks, Doug White

Click on READ MORE for the full post. Click on the blog photo to see full size and detail.  If leaving a comment, please provide a hint who you are. The photo yesterday showed the warbler hopping through the oak tree. The photo today was taken about a second later and you see his prize. He was after the insect you see in his beak. Believe me, I had no idea this was taking place at the time. I was very surprised to see such detail from so far away. Thanks, Doug White