Skywatch Friday in the Park with Alan

 

Morning mist with crows and grackles at the ball fields

I've been meaning to post about our progress with civilizing Alan, our sixteen month-old pointer mix (with border collie, maybe?) but have been too wrapped up with that process and other life issues. We adopted him way too soon after suddenly losing our lovely Nylah, and just as he was entering adolescence. I'll probably recount that experience, but for now let's just say that he's growing up and calming down. Mainly I wanted to get in a Skywatch Friday post, which I've been neglecting for too long, and this morning's skies at the local parks where we take Alan on his "taste of freedom" excursions (part of his training program) were just splendid. 

We get out early to miss the disc golfers who take their off-leash dogs out on the course with them, and that meant that this morning, still in the midst of our post-drought rain benefits, we got mist!

Same view, moments later.

Further along this particular path, we came to a pass under one of the major cross-town streets, where at some point someone had gussied up the concrete pylons nicely. Along an adjacent path we visited a pond where a fella had been fishing the other day, and it was nicely misted up as well.

El Dorado underpass

One of the creek-fed ponds along the way

After that, we headed home, with Alan all calm and happy. 

The true benefit of getting out several times a week with the pup is that we've discovered some real treasures: places to walk and explore, several nature trails, and parts of town we hadn't even known were there! And we've lived here for over a quarter century!! So at some point I'll try to show off some of what is beginning to reconcile us to the necessity of staying in Texas, on our own little patch, with an "accidental" dog whose presence has opened up a new way to tolerate a place we have been trying for most of our lives to escape. 

Alan
Named after Joyce's adopted mutt who made his debut
in Richard Osman's The Bullet That Missed.

Note: in my haste to get this post finished so I can get at dinner construction, I seem to have mucked up the settings. For now if everything ends up in the right order, I'll be happy. But if I have time, I'll try to figure out how to get it right.