Mountains and non-Mountains (photo display)

[gurdonark]

I took some pictures during last weekend's trip to the mountains, and a few from my local area. I'll place them behind the cut.

These are the Kiamichi Mountains, as seen from the picturesque Talimena Drive, in southeastern Oklahoma. The drive, which links up the Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas with the Kiamichi Mountains in Oklahoma, runs along the ridge of one set of mountains, with distant mountain ridges on each side. It's simply gorgeous.

This is the forest in which my friend Gene and I hiked during our time in the Winding Stair National Forest:

We enjoyed the deep woods, filled with short-needle pines, and the last Fall violets.

The border between the State of Texas and the State of Oklahoma, near Paris, Texas, features rolling hills rather than mountain country. The Red River marks the dividing line between the two states. It's a shallow, expansive river, gently rolling:



Things are appreciably more prairie-like where I live, and rather smaller in scale, though I do not quite live in pure prairie itself, but in a kind of transition zone. Here's little Glendover Pond, the park pond in the little park a short walk from our little tract home:

The Boyle Farm, a five minute walk from my house, keeps the landscape a bit more rustic than our suburban sprawl neighborhood:

In this season, the crape myrtle trees have a second bloom, with reds and pinks and whites showing everywhere:

Comments

[thecatinside.livejournal.com]

Thank you for sharing! I particularly like the view of the Kiamichi Mountains. I must admit I didn't even know they existed until you wrote about them.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

They're wonderful, little, little-known, and their own little, cool thing!

[woody77.livejournal.com]

very beautiful!

And thanks for identifying the crape myrtle. We have many in bloom here, too, and I didn't know what they were called... Will probably try to plant some. :)

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Here crape myrtles just thrive! I tend to prefer only native plants, but crape myrtles (and also, the odd mimosa) get "free passes" from me.

[woody77.livejournal.com]

I also prefer native plants, and we tend to go that route, but for the landscaping right up around the house, we tend to branch out a little. The native stuff tends not to be as flowering, as it's so dry here all summer, but anything that can be supported with modest irrigation, and won't get too aggressive is welcome.

[gregwest98.livejournal.com]

I've got to get down towards Talihina and see those mountains. I've been meaning to for some time. My son has been - the scout camp is down there.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

It's so cool! They have really neat looking cabins for rent on the Mountain Fork River. This is family vacation material par excellence, and it can't be, what, 3 hours from you at most?

[laruth.livejournal.com]

What a beautiful country! Your pictures are very nice. Thanks for giving us a look into your part of the world.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Thank you for reading, and sharing, my little bit of world.

[kenmora.livejournal.com]

Yours truly is a beautiful corner of the world. All the more so viewed through your lens, and your perspective on life.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

So many times here in north Texas people do not appreciate what they have. They say "too flat", "no beach", etc. But it's really gorgeous in its own way. SE OK is different--everyone says it's gorgeous who ever goes there, but only locals really know it's there.

[poetbear.livejournal.com]

wOnderful. do short-needled pines smell the same
as the longer-needled varieties?
~paul