"Hangin' With Mom"

Although past the rubbery-legged stage, this new-born still enjoys the comfort, security and warmth of his mother. And one other factor: readily available nourishment for a hungry colt. This was just one of many photo ops encountered in a leisurely drive on the backroads between Houston and Dallas on an overcast day in early spring.

"Driftin"

There's hardly a more relaxing way to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon than by dropping line and let the boat take you where it might. It's not the catch as much as the conversation, the scenery and just communicating with Mother Nature. These two week-end warriors ended up cruisin' the dam on Lake Davy Crockett in early spring. Did they catch anything? They probably really didn't care, nor should you. Just enjoy the moment as they did, while you reminisce on a long ago fishing trip with one of your best pals.

"Small Dogs Only, Please"

While exploring a small town in Northeast Texas, this water hydrant suddenly became the center of interest. Obviously, in years past, when the sidewalk was repaired, rather than adjust hydrant height, new concrete was merely poured around the existing water source creating a new look for this ageless fire deterrent. So the universal symbol for "doggie relief", suddenly limited it's prospective users to small canines only, at least in Honey Grove, Texas.

"Mind If I Join You?"

An open-air safari buggy proved just too enticing to one of the wild animals on display at the Glen Rose Animal Reserve. Luckily, I was armed with my trusty Nikon and squeezed off a shot of this majestic intruder. In this close proximity, you suddenly realize how misleading their size can be as you acknowledge one another nose-to-nose.

"Metro Barn"

In the spirit of some of my recent posts where I went "rural", here's a shot that would appear to be on the north forty of someone's ranch. Actually, this is a barn sequestered slap-dab in the middle of Metropolitan Dallas. A small pocket of land still untouched by urban development, the limited area still offers stables, grooming and riding for those adventurous enough (and well-heeled enough) to keep a horse for their week-end diversion.

"Tractor Graveyard"

While traveling a farm-to-market road out of Paris TX to Honey Grove, a large, manicured pasture played host to an assemblage of tractors all neatly spaced, row after row, not unlike the used car lot at an auto dealership. In varying stages of deterioration, these John Deere, International Harvester and Ford tractors were obviously fertile sources for obsolete or hard-to-find parts. One must assume an enterprising individual saw the opportunity to provide a service to his fellow-farmers, and a mini-industry was born. It would have been nice to get closer to squeeze off some additional shots of this unique phenomenon, but the sign prominently displayed on the barbwire fence read "Beware of Dog". And for some reason, I had a feeling that this landowner, whomever he might be, wasn't kidding.

"A Christmas Wish"

The Week-End Warrior was securely ensconced, precariously hunkered down between the sharp thorns of treacherous rose bushes, his trusty (and obviously brand-new) cordless drill in hand, prepared to fulfill his wife's fervent request, "Honey, can you fix the fence?" Maybe next year Santa will leave a tool belt under the tree so dear, old Dad will not have to resort to using his daughter's discarded doll carrier to carry his equipment. Faded denim, power tools and a hot pink "Classic Cruiser"....just not the image for the serious handyman.

"Creative Insulation"

This is a prime example of desperation becoming the Mother of Invention. After all, what do you do with an exposed three-spigot water line standing unprotected at a motorhome pad in the dead of winter? Simple enough: you rely on what every red-blooded American handyman has come to know as the answer to all mechanical problems: duct tape. With a little foam rubber and a jumbo roll of the distinctive silver tape in hand, this dilemma is no longer a concern. Voile! Another problem solved thanks to American ingenuity.