This guy was lounging at Hog Lake in the refuge. Quite the coat, right?
One last gator pic
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Category Archives: Picture
Sunset at Goose Island State Park
Check this out
He stirred when he heard the camera shutter but quickly settled back into his little nest. Maybe this wasn’t his first car top nap?
Nature’s artwork
Full eclipse of a blood moon.
Not-so-dark night skies here at Loyd Park, smack dab between Dallas and Ft. Worth. Still, quite the sight to behold.
Pretty cool huh?
5 years. A collection of 327 medallions, lapel pins, and smashed pennies provide a fun pictorial of our travels.
Investment Opportunity?
This retired Brooks Catsup 100 ft water tower in Collinsville IL is for sale
The Arch
The day was a bit overcast and the entire area around the arch
is riddled with excavation equipment. They are completely redoing the grounds that surround the arch and the Westward Expansion Museum.
Still, we couldn’t pass up the quintessential St. Louis tourist spot. It was a somewhat claustrophobic and choppy ride (much as I remember it from years ago) in that tiny elevator car but the view was worth it. We rounded our downtown visit with a 
stop at the Old Cathedral, simple and gracefully beautiful, and the Old Court House
, fascinating architecture and inspirational history.
Oh yes, then BBQ at Pappy’s. It was worth the 45 minute wait in line. My rating; pulled pork, then ribs, then the brisket.
Another bird’s eye view of the New
A bit further south the river meanders widely in the broad valleys. The graceful horseshoe bends are beautiful from the Grandview Overlook. 
It is hard to believe that it is the same water that provides the wild rides further downstream. The trail to Turkey Spur was shared with whitetail deer and provided a close up look at the cliffs that have corralled the river for millennia.
Scattered evening clouds have given us a couple lovely desert sunsets.
A desert retreat
We found a great place for some solitude in the desert, Sawtooth Canyon Campground. We crept back a dirt road off CA 247 to this pretty place on BLM land. Ragged rock formations encircle a little canyon and camp sites are placed among the rocks making for nice privacy. There have been a few fellow campers but rock wrens, California quail and ravens are our most frequent companions. I have logged a few hours in the lawn chair over the past couple days
Save me!
It is actually playground equipment at the campground. Very cool, huh?