West Texas

Miles and miles of...miles and miles!  Wow, what a big state!

We were so surprised though at the good use of the state's natural resources.  Those miles and miles were usually miles of Oil Rigs, of Natural Gas drilling and storage, of Cotton,

of Corn, of Soybean, of Mining, of Cattle, or Ostrich, Emu

or other exotic animal ranching.  The land was being Used!  You can drive for an hour or HOURS and see the same crop.  Amazing to us how Texas has rolled up it's sleeves and is 'Producing'!  Not a lot of people seen out there, but a lot of work going on.

Windmills at first surprised me.   I'm from the east and not too familiar with them on my horizon, but out here? they are almost everywhere and why not!  (Exclamation, No question mark)  It's WINDY here.

Oil and Gas Rigs dot the hills and valleys.

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In town? Fun!!

Hot rod shows, flea markets or other events going on during weekends.  A nice bunch of folks, living and working hard and it seems well. Here's a few shots of wonderful rods!

Some of the old towns have dried up, but that is true everywhere.... where life has gone through serious changes.  I'm glad they have left some of it.... as it was.....it adds a flavor of history.

"Thankyou" U.S. Military!

December 2010, Lower Manhattan, a 4 hour walk through history.

The Wall Street Bull.

Looking south from our room a few blocks from the South Street Seaport Museum.

Mary Youngblood, Grammy winning flutist, was preparing for a public concert in the NYC Customs House/now a museum.

       Oustide the Customs house are 4 large statues.

Inside, above where the concert was to be held, the circular rooms domed/wall ceiling contained 10 large 20x20' paintings of NY history.

In the museum was a permanent collection representing the Indian cultures of this hemisphere.  This golden figure was from Columbia 600-1000 AD

Inside, everything was the best of the best. From floors to doors, marble and bronze or ceilings and walls and painted halls, everything was and is, equal the best palacial grandeur of the world.

"High Noon" on Broad Street.

                       Home of the Free, land of the Brave.  America.

        Lunch time in the Big Apple.

Stopped by George Washingtons favorite pub, but it was closed today..............sigh.

                     Outside the NY Federal Building.

Lower Manhattan is an eclectic mix of architecture.  Still finding streets I've never been on before.  Lovely!

Eateries almost everywhere.

Stone Carvers were NOT in any unemployment line in this city.  They must have numbered in the thousands and worked overtime.  It is a city of carved stone.

                                                                  Street Art

                                                                      Trinity Church

                                                               Hot Dog!

      Trinity Church, near Ground Zero, the stained glass above the altar.

         One of the many bronze reliefs on the entrance doors.

                                     Dad, camera, son and street sculpture across from Ground Zero.

                          ...................a NYC must do! FINGER FOOD. Try some!!

The city that never sleeps...........Gotham.

Many artifacts of NYC are stored below ground in vaults and tunnels.  Some, are kept below the roads of the land bases of the NY bridges.  The arched sections under the Brooklyn Bridge hold original material used in construction of the bridge and borings of the rock beneath it's structure and the East River itself; taken before the bridge was built.  I had the luck to view some of it 30 years ago.  The bridge is now undergoing renovation but I wonder what is stored in this section?