morels

One of the treats we get from going to the ranch is the morel mushrooms that grow there in the spring. Some years are good & some not so good. Don's aunt Mardene said she'd heard this wasn't a good year. So Friday evening when we arrived we set out for a spot where we've found them before. I think we found five.











So late Saturday morning we set out again. They can be hard to spot; they blend into the flora.



We startled a turkey hen off her nest.





Found other mushrooms too. Don't know if these are edible or not.







Don pauses to watch two turkey hens that haven't spotted us yet.





After wandering around for several hours we had found fifty mushrooms. It didn't seem like a lot for the effort but we were grateful to find those. We layed out the mushrooms on paper so they wouldn't mold before getting them home.





Hanging out Saturday evening with family & friends. Doug (friend, far left) got a turkey early in the day. Terry (Don's brother) ended up getting a turkey Sunday afternoon. Don (third from left). Doug (right) is Don's cousin who lives nearby & stopped by to visit & eat supper with us.



Ultimately we came home with a lot of mushrooms. Don went back out Saturday evening to hunt turkeys & found mushrooms in a spot he hadn't found them before. So we did enjoy some fresh mushrooms fried in butter. The rest we dried & stored in an airtight container. When we want to use them we'll just reconstitute with water. We'll be able to enjoy them year round.
Note: All photos this post taken with my point & shoot camera (Canon G7) in the auto mode. The macro setting was used for close ups.

Galveston, Texas

Whenever I get to Houston to visit Art & Carolyn I love to go to Galveston to walk the beach there. Not the ocean but close enough. The constant roar of the waves, the screeching of the gulls & the view make it a real treat for me. Carolyn stepped outside her comfort zone & drove Art & myself there (it was only her second time to drive there . . . "Art used to do all the driving"). We had lunch at Benno's Cajun Seafood. Then while Art & Carolyn enjoyed the view I walked along the beach . . .

Don's family

While we were in Texas, Don's sister, Kathy, visited as well. Here he is pictured with Kathy and Art & Carolyn.







Here I am with Carolyn.

Happy Mother's Day!

We returned from Texas on Friday only to turn around & head to the ranch. It was more a morel mushroom hunting trip than turkey hunting (more on the morels later). So while we were there I "picked" a "bouquet" of irises for you that were blooming out in the old orchard. It is now enclosed with a fence so the horses can graze there. It's a day for me to remember my mother, Lola, and my mother-in-law, Mavis. And a good time this past week to visit my other mother-in-law, Carolyn. May it be a special day for all you mothers reading this!

windshield photography

I made it back home early this morning after going to Houston, Texas with Don. He was attending the OTC (Offshore Technology Conference) for work (and they had plenty to talk about with the oil spill in the gulf) & I went along to spend time with Art & Carolyn, Don's father & stepmother. We had a great visit but I don't much care for Houston traffic. These photos were taken on our way back to George Bush International Airport yesterday, but the traffic is always horrific to me. I just don't have to deal with this on a regular basis. Thankfully I didn't have to drive in it myself. Don was happy when he handed back the car keys to Hertz.









Side window views:

Happy Birthday, Betty!

Betty, my older sister, is shown here in a photograph I took last September. She is with Kyla, her granddaughter. Have a great day, Betty!



For those of you who check in regularly, I don't think I'll be able to post anything for the next week. Check back later!