Friday afternoon, dogs, mud, thorns and fossils (and HEAT)

Stormy weather threatens for our weekend. I love a good storm, but I wanted to get back to walking with the dogs. I am almost over a nagging virus that had threatened our vacation and has continued to be a drag the last few weeks. In fact, DH is still a bit under the weather. He decided not to join the walk. He made the best decision.

I loaded up the dog walking gear and drove out to the park just north of a local airport. I had hoped that the fall wildflowers were out. And they were.

Of course, I forgot that I had not used the camera in over three weeks. The battery was not charged. I will be heading out later in the weekend (hopefully in a little cooler temperatures) to get some photos.


Recent rains has greened things up. Liatris is blooming where the bluebonnets bloomed in the spring. There are pops of color everywhere -  fall blooming sunflowers of some kind and the purple blooms of the Eryngo. Other wildflowers peeked out at us, Prairie Agalinis, Aster, Snow On the Prairie and Goldenrod were all present in the open field or along the banks of the creek.

We walked through the (mostly) dry creek bed. Humans skirted the wet places (mostly mud-wallows) and sought out shade. The dogs semi-submerged in the water holes and delighted in being out in the wild - running with friends. Hugo wandered off and came back with a wonderfully smelly and rotten fish. Paddy got a nip when she showed interest in his treasure. TDW (remember my friend The Dog Whisperer?) quickly tossed the carcass beyond reach.

We watched the rough ground below our feet and found a few fossils - snails, bivalves, and a portion of a nautiloid. Our area has a good deal of limestone - mostly rotten limestone. There are springs and caves and cliffs and fossils.

A few times we heard planes flying low. I glanced up and saw a corporate jet coming in for a landing. I remembered that OC was coming home from a business trip today. I sent her a text message, "Did you just land." I received a response in a few minutes, "Yes. We are on the ground."

I usually do not operate the cell during a walk. I like walks to be cell-free events. But I want to have the option. So often we walk at a place where we get no cell reception. I consider it a hazard considering the many ways we could be hurt (falling off cliffs - which I have done; snake bites - which Ruby has done). I am more cautious in my old age. I need to be able to call for help. I only contacted OC as my brain made the connection - airport, jet, business trip schedule. It is a connection I could just have easily not made.

Anyway, it was hot and the humans and puppies quickly grew tired and in need a a cool spot to rest. We headed back to the cars with plans to come back for photos and more fossil hunts. And we will bring trash bags to start a cleanup of the trash and shotgun shells left by the dove hunters. I wonder why anyone thinks is is permissible to leave shotgun shells on the ground. This is public property. It shouldn't be turned into a dump or all too soon hunting will be banned there.

In fact, I plan to look into petitioning whoever is responsible for the property to stop hunting for a year and ask that recovery of shells be mandated. After all, I am graduating from the job soon and I'm going to need something to do.