Local Critters: Buddy Holly Park, 8 June 2024

 

Saturday morning I took a bike and a camera and headed out to the Buddy Holly Recreation Area (on North University Avenue). The wind was kicking up, but the day was gorgeous!

Great Egret (So-so focus)

Red-winged Blackbird

Black-capped Night Heron (?)

Thankful for volunteers and egrets!

Black-tailed Prairie Dog

Gord Flower

Red-eared Sliders

Buffalo Grass Sign

Burrowing owl

Llano Estacado Lake (Just east of Buddy Holly - across University Avenue)

I just followed the water - a 3.5 mile loop.

Mallard drake

(for Grizz)

Red-winged blackbird and Cormorant

Thanks for joining in, friends! May you find wonder and beauty no matter where you go.

Lubbock Lunch Break - Exploring a New (Very Old) Place

Surprise - it's not Clapp, Mae Simmons, McAlister or Aztlan. It's not even inside the Loop. But it is a beautiful place to take a stroll or ride here in Lubbock.

A kingbird protecting the space

In case you're dying of curiosity, this is where I was:

Learn more about it here

I have a confession: after three and a half decades here in Lubbock, I've been growing restless to explore new places. I've been yearning to ride new trails. Greg has mentioned the trail around the Landmark site a few times lately, and I had a lunch hour to burn on an uncharacteristically cool May day.

Don't pet the fuzzy cow!

Admission is free, but they ask that you sign in at the interpretive center before exploring the trails. There are two shorter trails close to the entrance. The larger trail is about 4.5 miles. Bikes are allowed but this is a not bike trail and it's not a challenging ride.

All the right beasts were there.

If you're like me and feel better when you're outside and more hopeful when you're surrounded by local wildlife, the Landmark site is a great place to be.

Two Prairie Dogs and a Burrowing Owl (on a stick!)

Jackrabbits make me happy!

This visit was more of a scouting trip. My next visit will be focused on learning and observing and soaking it all in. I might even leave the bike at home.

American basketflowers were everywhere - so spidery cool.

And, yes, the trail helped with my restlessness and opened my eyes once again to the subtle beauty of this place where I live. It's also awakened a curiosity to learn more about the history and pre-history of where I spend my days.

And learning more (for me) has always helped with times of living less. It's been a long, dry season of restoration and getting caught up. Adventure and exploration have taken a back seat to paying bills and fixing things that break.

May you find inspiration to get through hard and dry times, and may you be constantly in awe of the beauty of this world with which we have been blessed!