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Escaping The City

Wildflowers
Escaping The City

Field of Wildflowers

Wandering through city streets.
Random thoughts flooding my brain.
Surrounded by so many people.
Yet, here I am alone.
Do they see me? Am I even here?

Where are they all in such a hurry to go?
Somewhere?
Anywhere?
Nowhere?

Do I have a destination?
Does it matter?
Can I escape from it all?
Can I wake up in a field of wildflowers?
Can I just be?

 

Cricket Walker

Escaping The City

Dreaming My Dreams

Lost in thought, listening to the blues, and dreaming my dreams…

What do I dream of?

My dream is for my pictures to one day tell a story, to be the voice for those stories forgotten over the years, to portray what I feel, far beyond what I see, to capture the feeling in every face .

[image_frame style=”framed_shadow” align=”center” alt=”Capturing the feeling in every face…” title=”Capturing the feeling in every face…”]https://www.cricketwalker.com/photos/9731-crop.jpg[/image_frame]

I want to be a photojournalist with lost stories to tell with my words and my pictures.

I want to visit a zillion tiny country towns that were once booming but somehow fell between the cracks when the railroad left town, or the interstate bypassed it and folks began leaving for the city. I want to share those stories that were once passed on from generation to generation, but somewhere along the way, someone stopped telling them.

[image_frame style=”framed_shadow” align=”center” alt=”My grandson’s face…” title=”My grandson’s face…” ]https://www.cricketwalker.com/photos/Image1.jpg[/image_frame]

I want to know the story behind the empty general stores, falling down barns, and broken dreams. I want to listen to the folks that just wanna tell their story, and maybe bring a smile to their face over a cup of coffee in the local small town cafe.

[image_frame style=”framed_shadow” align=”center” alt=”Abandoned Building” title=”Abandoned Building”]https://www.cricketwalker.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/abandoned.jpg[/image_frame]

I want to be the voice of the homeless, to bring their faces into our thoughts, to know and understand what brought them to this point in this great nation. To find the fighters that let nothing break their spirit, continuing to find joy in the world around them no matter what challenges they are faced with.

[image_frame style=”framed_shadow” align=”center” alt=”Magic Of The Moment On The River” title=”Magic Of The Moment On The River”]https://www.cricketwalker.com/photos/IMG_4121.jpg[/image_frame]

I would love to travel the historic routes of our country, and capture the magic of those journeys of so long ago, bringing life to the history far beyond what we find in books.

[image_frame style=”framed_shadow” align=”center” alt=”Gulf Coast Magic” title=”Gulf Coast Magic”]https://www.cricketwalker.com/photos/gulf.jpg[/image_frame]

I want to experience it all!

It would be incredible to travel and visit all the wonderful (and sometimes weird) people I have met on the net, sharing good barbeque and a lot of laughs.

[image_frame style=”framed_shadow” align=”center” alt=”Laughing Gull” title=”Laughing Gull”]https://www.cricketwalker.com/photos/IMG_5587.jpg[/image_frame]

My biggest dream is to one day live and travel full time in a little motor home or conversion van on a never ending road trip capturing the stunning beauty surrounding all of us – the beauty that we sometimes forget to truly see and feel.

If I ever get weary of it all and needed a lil place to call home, I would find a place in the country surrounded by nature and wildlife, but I would never stop taking pictures…

 

Cricket Walker

Escaping The City

If This Aint Heaven . . .

wind

Within minutes, you realize that you are in another world . . .

color

A place where color finds its way in, regardless of the drought.

The Cowboy Store

False advertising! I looked in every nook and cranny of The Cowboy Store and I did not see a single cowboy for sale. (grin)

cowboy

Ummm… Cowboy? Ya realize you are going the wrong way, right?
Come back here, dang it! (grin)

creek

If this aint heaven, I don’t know what is . . .

weed

A place where even the weeds are stunning . . .

longhorn

And everything is bigger than life . . .
(Is his tongue in his nose?)

peace

A feeling of peace overtakes your very soul . . .

old

And you feel as if you have somehow gone back in time.

river

Life makes perfect sense here.

saddle-horse

Ready to ride off into the sunset . . .

saloon

Or just kick back with a cold beer at the local saloon.

Texas Longhorn

But don’t mess with this guy in Bandera, Texas.

mercy

Lord have mercy, this ought to be illegal . . .

Cricket Walker

Escaping The City

And then I got distracted . . .

Stunning Red Finch  
Some days I am blessed to find beauty hiding in the shadows right off my balcony. Other days I choose to search it out, which usually includes a drive out to the country.

Today was no exception. My plan was to focus on the beauty of the cacti in bloom up in the Hill Country.

 

Cactus Blooming in the Hill Country  
And I certainly wasn’t disappointed. The colors were so incredibly vivid that it seemed as if every bloom had been painted by hand.

And then I got distracted . . .

 

deer  
Oh goodness, what a beautiful distraction. This little guy was a bit camera shy, but the moment was absolutely priceless. Do you notice his mama back there making sure he is staying out of trouble? 🙂

 

The cacti are blooming and the bees are pollinating . . .  
Now back to my cactus blooming! A bee decided to join in on the fun and do a little pollinating . I didn’t want to get too much closer.

And then I got distracted . . .

 

The kid is weird!  
“Yeah, I am a weirdo! And, your point is?”


Messy Pollinator  
Now back to my bloom dang it! Wow! He is a bit of a messy pollinator isn’t he? At least I have found the source of Haley’s sneezing all afternoon! Pollen is everywhere you look!

And then I got distracted . . .

 

Ruh roh . . . I think she is about to get soaked!  
Ruh roh . . .  I think the kid is about to get soaked!

And, yup I am still distracted . . .

 

Ooops! It's a bit slippery!
Ooops! The rocks get a bit slippery when they are wet!

Hmmmm . . .

Maybe sometimes distractions aren’t such a bad thing!

 

 
Cricket Walker

Escaping The City

After a Very Long Winter

So very green
There is something so incredibly refreshing about spring. It is almost as if the world around us  is waking up again after a very long winter. 

colorful wildflowers
I have a thing about the natural beauty of wildflowers. Even with all their little imperfections, they never fail to take my breath away.

Beautiful Hawk
I was so caught up watching this hawk, that I almost forgot to take his picture. He seemed a bit mad at me for interrupting his hunting. 🙂

Squirrel Eating
Squirrels have a way of capturing my attention for long periods of time. They are so dang cute that you can’t help but smile at their antics.

Yup! He's a boy squirrel!
Oh! I almost forgot! He mentioned that if I intended to talk about him on my blog today, that I should make it clear that he is a boy squirrel. 

But, you knew that already, didn’t you? 🙂

Cricket Walker

Escaping The City

Afternoon Getaway at the Zoo

Sometimes you can escape the city, or at least feel as though you have, by taking time out to visit your local zoo. Our zoo here in San Antonio, Texas is surrounded by a peaceful park, and is one of my favorite afternoon getaways.

tiger
My favorite animal of all, is the tiger. Such a purdy kitty. 🙂

duck
I have no clue what kind of duck this is, but the colors are stunning.

grizzly bear
This adorable grizzly bear definitely needs a pedicure after his bath!

red cardinal
I have been trying to capture a picture of a male cardinal for nearly 2 years. I can always get a shot of a female, but this is the first male.

kangaroo
Now this kangaroo has life figured out. Lay back, enjoy the sun, relax, and just take life as it comes, one moment at a time.

parrot
Either this parrot is mute, or he just didn’t like me, because he sure never bothered uttering so much as a peep. He just glared at me.

rhino
Many years ago I read a book called “Rhinoceros Success” by Scott Alexander, and I have been fascinated by rhinos every since. If you haven’t read this book yet, I highly recommend it.

zebra
This poor guy looks like he would rather be anywhere else but here.

Haley
Of course no trip to the zoo is complete without visiting the monkeys. Oh wait, this is Haley climbing around, huh? (grin)

Cricket Walker