Stratford Peach Festival

Last Saturday a friend invited me to go to the Stratford Peach Festival in Stratford, OK. Liked the contrast of the old water tower with all the newfangled equipment mounted on top. 

The old Train Depot is still standing.

The temperature was predicted to hit 103°, so we went early. Worked well because the crowd hadn't arrived yet and we didn't get overly hot before we left.

The highlight was the homemade peach ice cream. It is normally made from Stratford peaches, but the blossoms froze this year, so the peaches were shipped in from Texas.

It was quite tasty. $4.00 for a cup seemed a little excessive, but it was worth every penny.

There were lots of vendors hawking their wares, but I only bought one thing. This is a cutting board. The pup reminds me of my Findley. Sadly he crossed the rainbow bridge a couple of years ago.

On the way out of town, we decided to stop in and see what the Purple Swirl Shop had to offer. There was a good mix of antique and collectible items, but I left them all inside the store.

Upon our return, we stopped by one of the Mexican restaurants in town and enjoyed a swirl margarita. Yum!

Linking to Our World Tuesday

Bird D'pot

Photos taken in Southeastern Oklahoma

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (male). I watched this guy preening from my kitchen window. 

Linking to The Bird D-Pot

Saturday Critters

The butterflies finally found my butterfly bushes. I think I have them named properly.

I found these grasshoppers avoiding the heat on an old fence post.

And another hanging onto a T-post.

Linking to Saturday Critters

Weekend Roundup - C

Today's prompts are: Starts with C, Favorite, and Couple.

Starts with C: I get to see a lot of COWBOYS here in Oklahoma.

But this is my all time favorite COWBOY, Mr. CROW.

Favorite C: Loved watching these COMMUNITY band members playing their CLARINETS. 

Couple:  At a ranch auction this COUPLE blocked our view of the items being auctioned. Good thing we were not in the market for tools. Not sure if she was holding him back or holding herself up, but she had hold of that pocket the whole time. Maybe she was hanging on to his wallet.

Just Because:  I absolutely love feeding CARROTS to the horses.

And Finally: A COW and her CALF

Come join the fun!!!

Linking to The Weekend Roundup

Willy Nilly Friday Five

l. Spending a lot of time inside for the next couple of days. Trying to stay cool. These Indians kind of reflect my opinion of the temps. Last winter I swore I wouldn't complain about the heat. Well, that didn't last long. :)

2. I want to write a story based on this pic. This door is on the side of a house along one of the back roads I enjoy. I wonder what lurks behind it.

3. We went up to Illinois last week to get our house ready for the new owners. We took a new route back to Oklahoma. We drove past Hannibal, MO. The route took us through Mexico. Fortunately, that would be Mexico, MO. I almost missed this shot as hubby was speeding down the highway.

It was a scenic route.

4. Egrets in trees.

5. A plant growing out of a fence post. Now that's weird.

Linking to Willy Nilly Friday Five

Little Things Thursday

All photos taken in Southeastern Oklahoma.

It's a beautiful start to what will be a VERY hot day. The prediction is for actual temperature to hit 107° today. I plan to spend most of the day inside, but I'm enjoying a morning cup of coffee on the porch, taking pictures, all while tossing a ball for Gus to chase. Multi-tasking.

My butterfly bushes seem to be enjoying the heat. 

Hope you are staying cool today.

Linking to Little things Thursday 

Wild Bird Wednesday

All photos taken in Central Illinois

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday

The Bird D'pot

All birds photographed in Southeastern Oklahoma

Killdeer

Red-tailed Hawk

Blue Heron

Black Vulture 

Linking to The Bird D-Pot

Saturday Critters

I woke up this morning to the coyotes singing. They were not far from the house, but at least they were far enough away I couldn't see them. Last week, after dark, I saw 5 or 6 right at the edge of the lawn. I took this shot earlier that same day. He was at the edge of the hay field near the trees. At first I thought it was a dog because of his dark color. The ones I've seen before were lighter.

Had to stop along the road to get this pic. Wish the pole wasn't there, but liked the horses against the old house.

Linking to Saturday Critters

The Weekend Roundup - B

Yay! I made it back in time for this weeks roundup. We sold our house in Illinois, so we have been up there getting the house ready for the new owners. We are officially residents of Oklahoma. I'm glad to have that huge job finished. 

Now on to this week's prompts: Starts with B, A favorite B, and Building.

Starts with B. Bear starts with B. This guy hangs out on the lawn of a house high up on a hill. I believe he was created by a chainsaw artist.

Favorite B: Band is a very nice B. Granddaughter just returned from Europe where she was a member of the Ambassadors of Music tour. They played concerts in England, France, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany. They also took a day trip to Venice, Italy. What a wonderful experience to have during the summer between high school and college in the fall. Her summer job is playing clarinet with a local community band. It was a fun evening in the park.

Building: This courthouse is in downtown Dallas. When I still worked in Dallas, I got to monitor a trial in this historic building. 

Just because: How about a Buzzard? A not so pretty B, but still a B.

And Finally: How about a picture of my favorite BOOTS. I wear them a lot more in Oklahoma than I did in Illinois. Good for avoiding snake bites. :)

Linking to The Weekend Roundup

Floral Friday

Today I have two different coneflowers, similar yet different. Both photos taken in Southeastern Oklahoma.

Ratibida columnifera, commonly known as upright prairie coneflower or Mexican Hat, is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family, Asteraceae, that is native to much of North America.

A member of the Astor family. The erect, coarse tall coneflower grows 2 1/2 to 5 feet tall. The stem and leaves have rough hairs.

Linking to Floral Friday

The Weekend Roundup - A

I'm going to be off the grid for about 10 days. This post was scheduled to post on Friday. I will visit yours when I'm back in WiFi land.

This week's prompts are: Starts with A, A favorite, and Apple.

Starts with A. Angus starts with A, as does Australian Shepherd. Callie isn't a full blooded shepherd, but sure looks like she's related.

Favorite. This is not my favorite picture because of its clarity. It is my favorite because San Francisco is my all time favorite vacation destination. On this particular trip I took my brand new 35mm film camera. I scanned the photo so I could post it. Welcome to Alcatraz. 

Apple. These apples grew in the backyard of my Illinois house.

Just because. I can't remember if I have posted this shot of Mr. Armadillo before or not. He isn't my favorite critter because he likes to dig up my flower bulbs and make holes in the yard. I'm not happy with him. He is kind of cute, though.

And finally. I know I have posted this picture before, but he is worth another look. He's a beautiful Leopard Appaloosa. 

Linking to The Weekend Roundup