Texture and Fluidity

Monday, February 11, 2013

San Antonio River, Mission Reach, Concepcíon Park Trailhead upstream

Today's photos:

The weather changed again over the weekend, so today was more typical of mid-February here: a bit chilly, windy and overcast with scattered sprinkles that were too light to show up on the weather radar. However, compared to the destructive storms occurring in much of the rest of the U.S., our weather remains pleasantly mild.

As I was walking, I became particularly aware of the texture of the landscape; how it was reflecting the mood created by the weather, particularly with the wind rippling the surface of the river.

• The first photo is a little blue heron. I couldn't help but wonder if this is one of the pair we have been seeing further upstream or if there are more little blues along the Mission Reach.
• The second photo is a slider turtle sitting on a rock. It was an overcast day, so I don't think it would be correct to say it was "sunning" itself. As a matter of fact, this was the only turtle I saw the entire walk. What really fascinated me, however, was how the wind and the presence of the rock in the current affected the surface texture of the water.
• The third and fourth photos are a snowy egret.
• The fifth photo is a great blue heron flying over some power lines.
• The sixth through the eleventh photos are of a spotted sandpiper, once again with spotless winter plumage, searching for food without any apparent trepidation of the water current going over the weir and down the riffle.
• The twelfth photo is of water rushing down through a riffle. There aren't any birds or other creatures in the photo. The subject of the photo is the texture and fluidity of the scene itself.
• The thirteenth photo is a pair of gadwalls.
• The fourteenth photo is a fascinating tree branch pattern in one of the old pecan trees above the river in Concepcíon Park.

Publication update: As it turns out, the Sunday Special Edition that I had hoped to post this past Sunday still needs some more work, so it will be this coming Sunday's post. After all, life is a process that requires continuous adaptation.