New Music on the blog

1. Sugar Shack
2. Wagner, The ride of the Valkyries
3. Marty Robbins - A White Sport Coat And A Pink Carnation
4. CONFEDERATE SOLDIER SONG ~ JOHNNY REB
5. Lorena
6. Old Folks at Home (Swanee River) - Harmonica solo/duet
7. MANTOVANI------blue danube
8. Gershwin play I Got Rhythm (full)
9. Rhapsody in Blue 1
10. Rock Me Baby-BB King/Eric Clapton/Buddy Guy/Jim Vaughn
11. I Shot the Sheriff by Eric Clapton
12. Mustang Sally
13. Don't Be Cruel
14. Fever

November, watercolor

"November" 9 by 12 watercolor, 140 pound Canson Montval paper

Death is coming
slowly, surely.
Leaves turning, falling,
others waiting
Urged by the wind
as the sky turns gray.
Seed time and texture
in the fields, in tree bark,
in lives.
More interesting
in lessening light
but doomed
by November.

Happy Halloween

Hippie and Tea Party Geezer

Boo!

Katherine and Sarah Clark

Wendy and LadyBug, and Kerin

Erin, Abby and Max Bell

November blues

Death is coming
slowly, surely.
Leaves turning, falling,
others waiting
Urged by the wind
as the sky turns gray.
Seed time and texture
in the fields, in tree bark,
in lives.
More interesting
in lessening light
but doomed
by November

Tallgrass means tall

A visit to the spectacular Tallgrass Prairie Preseve in the middle of Osage County just north of Pawhuska gives a glimpse of what this country was like before fences and cattle. Thanks to the Nature Conservancy,http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/oklahoma/preserves/tallgrass.html this is the largest remnant of such prairie on earth, of about 10,000 acres.

Few roads, and bison roam free--a herd of better than 2,500...none of which we saw. Yes, there are still some oil wells and private patches of ground, but it's wild and free and the only sound is the wind.

You cross cattle, er, bison, guards to drive down the gravel roads and 8-foot fences keep them in.

The prairie grasses star the Big BlueStem, plus the Small Blue Stem, Switch grass and some others. Big Blue Stem reaches from 6 to 10 feet high, but the root system is deeper. It was once a complete ecosystem, but that is now extinct, although here and in the Flint Hills of Kansas just north of here, it survives.

 We got out of the car to walk a nature trail, neatly mowed, and were soon surrounded with grass over our heads.

To make sure we don't get lost

 

 How tall is tall grass? Here's Susan.

It's beautiful when backlit by the sun.
And there are quiet cool spaces with water and shade too.

Headquarters is at the original ranchsite after a 20-minute drive down the gravel roads.

Check this site for a map http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/oklahoma/files/tallgrass_map.pdf