http://theveranda.com/blog Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:26:21 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en West of Fort Davis is a large county park with a winding path for joggers. The park looks west toward Blue Mountain, and if you care to walk your dog or take a stroll at the end of the day, you might see scenes like this. http://theveranda.com/blog/2008/07/blue-mountain/ Leaving Fort Davis on north Highway 17 is this view of Star Mountain, marking the long descent from the Davis Mountains to Balmorhea. http://theveranda.com/blog/2008/07/star-mountain-scenic-drive/ Leaving Fort Davis on Highway 17 North, this is my favorite cottonwood bower. The shapely trunks are handsome even in leafless winter. During walks in the area, one can distinguish the different timbres of the wind through various leaf shapes. Cottonwood leaves sound like hundreds of ... http://theveranda.com/blog/2008/07/30/ Few people think of winter when they think of the Trans Pecos. But winter brings snow, heavy frosts, and ice storms in all their hoary glory. The first scene is of Alpine. The second shows the rhythmic shapes of the cacti outside Fort Davis. http://theveranda.com/blog/2008/06/winter-frost-in-alpine-and-fort-davis/ Twenty minutes south of Fort Davis is the Mitre Peak Girl Scout Camp. Access is gained by calling the Permian Basin Girl Scouts in Odessa. These scenes were taken along the Fern Canyon trail, a mix of moonscape rocks and thick damp tree scape that ends in this reflective pool. http://theveranda.com/blog/2008/06/mitre-peak-girl-scout-camp/ Many visitors enjoy the Davis Mountains' dark skies during the Dark skies need to be preserved for the McDonald Observatory McDonald Observatory star parties. But these photos show what a mellow setting the Observatory visitor center is during its daytime programs. After our rainy season when the grasses are ... http://theveranda.com/blog/2008/06/big-bend-dark-skies/ Fort Davis has many historic buildings. These two pictures are of the west side of the old Masonic Lodge. Notice the trowel marks left by the stucco masons and how the swaths show in the different light: the first photo was taken during an evening storm; ... http://theveranda.com/blog/2008/04/masonic-lodge/