Featuring Digital PhotoArt of Rainbow Creek
by: brendasue







The Birds of Rainbow Creek

The Birds of Rainbow Creek
by: brendasue of Kates Cabin Bird Sanctuary in Waller County, Texas

Saturday, October 30, 2010

The Birds & The Bees of Bluebonnet Herb Farms by: brendasue

Welcome World. Just a regular nature photostudy tonight! No Tornados, no Rainbows---just the birds and the bee I found at Bluebonnet Herb Farms. I just can not see extraordinary things everyday, it is too much for an old Lady and an old Dog!


The Gardens at Bluebonnet are just beautiful this time of year. We are behind on rain, but the temperatures most days are below 90.  After baking at close to a hundred degrees in August, it is nice to be outside again all day.  There is full sun where She has the plants for sale, so there are flowers everywhere!  With the flowers come the birds & bees. Kates Cabin is about 20 minutes physically from the Herb farm. I have noticed that the birds and insects that live here are different than those on Rainbow Creek in the deep woods (I have all trees).
So, come in, take a nature break and look at what I found in our photostudy today of a red hornet with a black butt and a Mockingbird that lives at Bluebonnet!  Enjoy!













Let The Class Begin!












Here is the Star of the photostudy today.  I haven't found an exact photo to identify him yet, but I suspect he is a Red Hornet Wasp. He is the first one I have ever seen with a black butt. His legs are red.  Please leave a comment if you know what he is!










It appears the top part of him has some brown and yellow. Some of the paper wasps are like that. He is feeding on Butterfly Weed Flowers.














The red legs blend in well with the color of the flowers. He easily walks on top of the flowers where he gets nectar.

























He is checking me out, too!  They make a decision if you are a threat to them or not. Usually the ones feeding on flowers will not attack.  Those around a nest will attack with very nasty stings.
But this guy is just having a snack. I am standing far away and zooming in as opposed to trying to photograph him in close proximity. 














The lower half of his tail is black.
















In my opinion, he is a very handsome creature.  These insects are Key in pollination of plants and do not deserve to be killed at will just because they are seen.










No Humans (that I know of) suck on flowers for nourishment. Some flowers are edible, but not sucked on.













This guy seems to enjoy sucking on these flowers!












Here is the proud Mockingbird that lives here at Bluebonnet.















I do not have any Mockingbirds at the Bird Sanctuary, so it is nice to get to know this one. I had forgotten how verbal they are. He sings many songs!












Here is a bird and a bee in the same photo!













The top of this little live oak tree is 'his' perch, so he says!
















Goodbye Everybody!






This concludes our photostudy today on a bee and a bird at Bluebonnet Herb Farms in Hempstead, Texas.  Come by and buy some herbs or some flowers or trees. She has the best selection in Town. Come at lunchtime and eat in Mary Helen's Garden Cafe. Yum!) visit their website: www.bluebonnetherbfarms.com






I will be gone for a few days. No homework while I am gone!








katescabin@gmail.com
















O+O

Friday, October 29, 2010

Space Cowgirl Ropes A Texas Tornado! Once in a Lifetime Shots! by: brendasue

I Kissed A Texas Tornado, Roped It, and Bringing It to You!!  Hi Everybody. When this Storm left Texas it continued North producing Tornadoes everywhere and becoming the 2nd worst Storm in History.





When the Little King and I left the cabin, Gray skies covered the sky and I doubted I would get any Sunset Shots today.  The routine ride is Little King sits on the front seat and watches out the front window. We make one turn.  When I stop the car, he has to be the first one out the door to run down the Country Road!


On this day, I let him out, but I noticed a very powerful wind that was not at the Cabin. He took off down the road and I grabbed my camera to catch one Golden spot in the sky.














My oh My look at this sky!



















This is right above my head!   Oh the wind is blowing so hard and sucking up into that cloud.



















One spot of Gold is a Sunset!


















Little King come back, it is a tornado forming, we have to go!
You can see the clouds going over the road. (sunset to right).












The sky seems to crack open and Glow. It is sooo windy.


















Zoomed in to the orange crack. Would you look at that!















Zooming back out so you can see this funnel cloud forming. It is a tornado.  Little King come back, we must go for real.
























The Sun lights up the bottom tail of the Tornado.

















OMG,















Come Back now Little King and get in the Car. It is coming down.
















Oh this is big, really big.  I am so scared but I cannot stop taking the Photos!












I have never seen anything like this, ever.
Okay he is in the car. It is soo windy still.

















The bottom tail of the Tornado is just above the tree. It is still coming down. I am in the car, too.

















Look!  The sky has parted and it is the Sun! I do not believe it.



















The most spectacular Sunset of my Life! (Maybe I am going to die in the next few minutes.)


















I hear my Daddy's voice yelling:  Get the Hell out of Dodge!
But I can not move.  Is anyone else seeing this event???  How could I be the only one to see this tornado?  Look at that Sun!



















I am soomed in as close as I can go with this camera. The sun is illuminating the inner chamber of the Tornado.   OMG










You can see the lower tail on the left just above the tree.  This is an open vent going up the middle of this cloud sucking up the wind like a vacuum  cleaner.  It is a Funnel Cloud. It is hovering just above the sun. I am so weak and overwhelmed.

















I do not know how You feel about praying. I do not care. As for me, right now I am praying.  I do not know what I am praying for. I just See that I am in the presence of Great Power and absolute Glory.
Something has just happened---the wind has stopped. It is dead still.
From lots of wind to nothing in an instant. What is going on here?















Look at that Chamber of the Tornado. It is lighting up.

















You can see the Tornado tail and the ground in this photo. This is as close at it comes to the ground (Close enough for me!)
The wind has stopped and by the Grace of God, this cloud is lifting up.









You can see it lifting up over the sun.  You can see the funnel cloud in the middle top of this frame.  What a huge Tornado, this storm is going to cause some bad weather.














The vent chamber is still open, but the cloud is still slowly lifting. There is no noise, no wind---Just me, the King in the car and a Tornado.













You can see the tail that was above the tree has lifted off to the right.  (Thank You)











Oh My-The Power, The Glory before me and IN my camera.















The interior funnel cloud is lit up by the sun beaming through the clouds.  Oh my, there are just not words to express this feeling. I feel so very small. I am nothing.























Keep on Lifting Up Baby!  A very Powerful Cloud.















You can clearly see the funnel cloud moving rapidly to the right.
Any of those hanger down clouds could turn into a tail and come down to earth.   Now the momentum of the storm is moving to the right and up whereas it was sitting on top of me about 15 minutes.











The darkest concentration of clouds on the horizon is well off to the right now (heading North) Hope someone is tracking this on the radar. A very big Storm.















I am showing this shot in black and white for detail. You can see the tail has closed up and is still lifting up.





















To the left, the clouds are breaking up exposing the last of the Sunset. To the right you can see the remainder of the funnel cloud as it disintegrates.












There it goes:  Up, Up and Away!
















And here we go, the King and I out from under these clouds, back down this Country Road to the Cabin in The Woods on Rainbow Creek.....Home, sweet Home.












MOM and I  made it Home Okay
What a Sunset!
What a Tornado!


...this is the Little King signing off from Rainbow Creek. Goodnight!







If you are interested in the rest of the photos of this photoshoot, contact me at:   katescabin@gmail.com (I have 100 or so).
My work is copyrighted.  I give you all permission to share this column with everyone.  No one has permission to sell my work except me.  Thank you,  brendasue

Here is a Christmas DVD mini video of the Tornado.  Enjoy



















O+O