Local cattle farm.
Lovely rolling hills.
09-04-2019Curious little one.
Moo.What?
05-02-2020Gotta go!Well…hello!
05-25-2020This little guy watched me walk by him. I got within six feet of him.
Saw this little guy on the Riverwalk.
Sadly, it was dead.
It cooked in the sun.
Non-poisonous.
06-02-2019She startled us and we startled her.
07-25-2019Then, we saw her fawn.
Peek-a-boo!
07-25-2019They posed for us for a bit, then took off.
07-25-2019This was pitiful.
Victim of a vehicle.
The phone couldn’t capture the brilliant green.
Non-poisonous.
07-29-2019Hey, Baby!
Seeing spots.
08-17-2019
Capturing the sunset in the Butterfly Garden
at Gold ParkWaxing crescent Moon above the pines.A glow beside the Moon.Sky on fire.Pink glow amid the wild flowers.
Big grasshopper.
Taken with my old Samsung Alias II.
Nature Preserve
Round Rock, TX
10-25-2008Another shot of the blue tail.
05-06-2019Tiny bee in my side yard.
05-13-2019On the Riverwalk, headed to Gold Park.
Love the Ladybugs.
05-13-2019Dragonfly in the Butterfly Garden.
He looks like a Skivvy Waver.
05-17-2019Wolf spider running on the Riverwalk.
05-19-2019Hungry Bumbles
05-31-2019Young Preying Mantis on a Black-Eyed Susan.
Riverwalk
05-31-2019
Anarchy!
Even man-hole openings need decoration.
04-15-2019Crying man-hole.
Maybe its the smell?
04-22-2019Happy man-hole.
This one must smell better.
05-07-2019Love animals.
Covered walkway to Gold Park.
05-17-2019Save Earth.Go vegan.
We continue to have stormy, rainy weather and the temperature has dropped, considerably. We traded floods for tornadoes, yesterday. I learned, today, that two small farms south of town were damaged. I have a healthy respect for Mother Nature. ~Vic
Swollen drainage ditch to the river.
This helped flood my neighbor's backyard.
04-13-2019The tiny creek at Turnip Patch Park took out one of the benches.The Riverwalk is to the far right.
The town closed it for a couple of days.
I saw a juvenile garter snake making its way back across the walk when I was out on the third day.Train trestle in the background.The wooden fence is a barrier between Gold Park & the Eno.That is the bridge I was standing on to photograph the Riverwalk & the trestle.
Ok. So. No full moon pix for today. *sigh* We have been inundated with storms…again. We were bombarded with tornado warnings for five hours. An area just south of town close to I-40 was damaged. I am so glad it’s over.
That being said, I do have some shots of the waxing gibbous moon from April 28, 2018. I suspect I had the same problem during that full moon on April 29 (8:58pm EDT)…bad weather. I also have some waxing gibbous shots from April 16.
Howl for me! ~Vic
Pink Moon 2019 was at 100% illumination at 7:12am EDT.
April’s full moon is widely known as the Full Pink Moon, even though it doesn’t actually turn pastel pink as the name suggests. The Full Pink Moon’s name comes from the abundance of moss phlox, a common little pink flower that typically begins to spread across the ground in early spring. With that said, this creeping phlox is not the only thing that begins blooming during the Full Pink Moon.
In many Native American tribes, April’s full moon is associated with the bustling life and vibrant growth of spring. In Sioux culture, it’s named after the sprouting of red grass. The Comanche tribe called it the New Spring Moon and, both the Tlingit and Sioux tribes referred to it as the Budding Moon, after the new plants that begin to bud and sprout during spring. The Cherokee tribe even called it the Flower Moon (though that name is also sometimes used to refer to May’s full moon) and celebrated it for the growth of useful medicinal plants and magical herbs.
Walking back home.
At the same time, April is a time when rivers and streams begin to fully thaw. Accordingly, the Shoshone tribe named April’s full moon the Full Melting Moon and the Arapaho tribe called it the Moon Where Ice Breaks in the River. It was also known as the Fish Moon because of the fish that would begin to swim upstream during this time. The Cherokees believed that flowing water was under the control of a spirit called the Long Man and would perform rituals to honor him during the Full Pink Moon. An example of a ritual like this was the Knee Deep Dance, based off the movements of the Water Frog. The Assiniboine tribe also called April’s full moon the Frog Moon.
Water is not the only thing that starts to flow during the Full Pink Moon. This is also the time where maple sap begins to flow in earnest, marking the true beginning of the incredibly important sugar-making season. The Abenaki tribes called April’s full moon the Sugar Maker Moon, and the Ojibwe called it the Sugarbush Moon. The Ojibwe tribe would journey north to their spring camps to tap maple syrup and engage in spear fishing. Maple syrup was integral to Ojibwe culture. Not only was it a crucial method of seasoning all their foods (they did not have access to salt at that time) but, it also symbolized harmony within the community and with the forces of nature around them.
Gold Park
Waxing Gibbous
04-16-2019
The Full Pink Moon also holds religious significance in other cultures. For example, in Islāmic communities around the world, April’s full moon is celebrated as Bara’at Night, also known as the Night of Innocence. Muslims offer up prayers, asking God to absolve dead ancestors of their sins. They also prepare sweet desserts such as halwa or zarda and give it out to children, the needy and other members of their community. Meanwhile, Christians call it the Paschal Moon and celebrate the first Sunday after April’s full moon as Easter Sunday. It’s possible that the reason why the Easter Bunny brings eggs is because April’s full moon is also known as the Egg Moon, given that animals such as geese begin mating and laying eggs in spring.
While April is known for its showers and ever-warming temperatures, it is also known as a month when spring flowers begin to show up. The name came from the herb moss pink or wild ground phlox which is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring. As the name infers, the flowers are pink in color, thus the name for April’s full Moon. But no, the Moon itself won’t be turning pink.
Tribes kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to each recurring full Moon. Full Moon names were applied to the entire month in which each occurred. There was some variation in the full Moon names but, in general, the same ones were consistent among regional tribes. European settlers followed that custom and created some of their own names.
Other names for this month’s celestial body include the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon and, among coastal tribes the Full Fish Moon, because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn.
Or, Toad Strangler or, Gully Washer… My dad was fond of the frog saying and my maternal grandfather always used the latter. All three are good descriptions of the storm that just swept through here, today. I haven’t seen this much water since Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Have mercy… ~Vic
I thought my chairs might float away.
The backdoor neighbor had his own mini-river.Patio at the side door looks like a mini-swimming pool.
Water from the next door neighbor’s poor drainage…The gold pick-up in the first photo…this is his backyard.
The Eno hasn’t crested, yet and, the water is at his backdoor right now.Bench at Turnip Patch Park didn’t fare well.Entrance to Gold Park underwater.
One sewer access is over-flowing.Underwater graffiti.
See my previous post on this. Picture #2
Nature’s wonderful creatures with many legs or, none at all. All photos are my personal collection. ~Vic
Juvenile Texas Brown Tarantula
Found the little guy in our shed in the backyard (mating season).
I had trouble snapping his picture as he kept moving and I kept jumping.
09-10-2008Gentle spiders.
We turned him over to a friend who had Tarantulas as pets.Butterfly enjoying a Red Verbena.
Nature Preserve in Round Rock, TX.
10-25-2008Red Dragonfly
Nature Preserve.Beautiful moth on a Salvia in the Butterfly Garden at Gold Park.
06-20-2013Big, fast-moving worm…of some sort.
He had places to go.
08-30-2013He looks like a carrot.Moth in the dirty window of a friend’s house. 08-01-2014
A beautiful moth in the butterfly garden of Gold Park.
Personal Collection 09-22-2018These golden beauties line the walkway at Gold Park.
Personal Collection 09-22-2018These look like a distant cousin of Coreopsis.
Personal Collection 09-22-2018Baby pine tree.
Personal Collection 09-22-2018That is a handcrafted bee hotel at Gold Park.
Personal Collection 09-22-2018One week ago, the Eno was completely out of its banks.
Personal Collection 09-22-2018
Soothing sounds. I could listen to this all day.
It was a wonderful walk. There was a breeze and the temperature was in the higher 80s instead of the 90s. Fall is finally here. The local trees’ leaves aren’t changing color just yet but, many are ‘leaf dropping’, including the huge Maple tree in my front yard. I sat in my Adirondack for a couple of hours, journaling. I look forward to the mosquitoes leaving. They are still here. ~Vic
The Autumnal Equinox for this area of the Northern Hemisphere was at 9:54pm EDT.
Why is it called ‘an equinox’?
The word comes from the Latin aequus, meaning “equal” and nox, meaning “night”.
During the equinox, the Sun crosses what we call the “celestial equator”. Imagine a line that marks the equator on Earth extending up into the sky above the equator from north to south. Earth’s two hemispheres receive the Sun’s rays about equally. The Sun is overhead at noon as seen from the equator, so at this point, the amount of nighttime and daytime (sunlight) are roughly equal to each other.
The Snake of Sunlight
A famous ancient equinox celebration was the Mayan sacrificial ritual by the main pyramid at Chichen Itza, Mexico. The pyramid, known as El Castillo, has 4 staircases running from the top to the bottom of the pyramid’s faces, notorious for the bloody human sacrifices that used to take place here. The staircases are built at a carefully calculated angle which makes it look like an enormous snake of sunlight slithers down the stairs on the day of the equinox.
The Summer Solstice for the Northern Hemisphere was, officially, at 6:07am EDT. It is the longest day of the year. It was a fine day for small tasks, discussing work with my boss, playing with Oliver, taking a walk with a close friend, waiting for rain that never showed up, enjoying a ginger ale while reading and being thankful that I managed to avoid the evening news. 🙄
Ollie the 18lbs orange Hemingway (I have thumbs!)
I covet peace and quiet. I covet calm. I see so little of it on a television. I try to keep it on a soothing music channel so I can function.
I was fortunate enough while walking to catch a clear glimpse of our waxing gibbous Moon, 61% illumination, before the clouds moved in for the non-existent rain. I neglected to get a shot of it. I normally chase good renderings of full moons, which is a task with a smartphone. Nothing really matches the rich textures of a camera with real film. I feel the same way about LPs/records. Digital will never capture the tones and depth of analog recordings. And, I’m showing my age. Heh.
From My Personal Collection
It was in the low 90s. That is just too high for June to suit me. Had to wait until 6:00pm to wander out. I do love the local Riverwalk.
Local Deer
I understand that there was a gathering at Stonehenge. I would have loved to have been there.
Cosmic-Observation 