I went hiking this morning out at Balcones Canyonlands Doeskin Ranch area. It was kind of one more free morning to go hiking before I go back to working tomorrow. There were quite a few people out there hiking and enjoying the morning, including one relentless trail-runner that must have been in amazing shape as we passed each other half a dozen times. The morning was cool, the sky was a perfectly clear blue and I hiked every trail out there as I was in no hurry. The picture below shows the trail winding through the low ash juniper that dominates the landscape out there.
They once again have done a burn of the grass and brush out there, which was kind of disappointing as I like the tall grasses. I was hoping that the grasses has grown long enough again for some nice photos in which the grasses look like a sea of gold, but in half of the refuge area there was only dirt, stones, and ash.
I did manage to get one photo that I kind of like. It shows some of the long grasses in the foreground bracketed by some leafless bushes forming a triangle that leads to the line of an old stone wall in the distance.
I artsied up this photo a bit in Lightroom to make the grasses appear a bit more windblown. I did this by laying a graduated mask over the grass and reduced clarity. I also enhanced the landscape tones in the image to make it look more like a painting I guess.
Ah well, back to work for a new year.
Jason Frels 
That is a lovely blue sky! We had a dreary, rain, sleet, snow flurry day. Great job on being artsy with the last photo. Love the wind blown look, of the grasses. I don’t love the the “wind blown” look of my hair when out in the wind!
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I like the Lightroom touchup. It does look a little like a painting, to me.
So, your vacation ends tomorrow, huh? I guess all good things must come to an end. But we need you back at your engineering job, as Carolyn is still waiting for her helmet.
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I thought you all would be better served by my hiking and fancy pitcher takin.
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I liked it, but for some reason, Carolyn kept smacking her head. She needs a helmet.
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Most women are impressed with corny puns. Don’t know what is wrong with her.
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That’s so true. But she’s not like most women. She’s a little doolally.
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Heyyyy now, Laurel and Hardy!
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Yes, stooge?
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Groaning!
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Oh gosh! Ummm….yeah, at a loss for words!
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I can’t believe that.
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“Haha!” It can happen….at times!
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Haha! Yes, time for him to stop being lazy!
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I like that last shot as well, and good luck back at work…
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