Gawking or Walking

 This morning I decided to walk here and not drive to the trail.  I put on the above vest as I did not want to get shot!  Below is my first picture as I trespassed across my neighbors pasture.  Larry, will always say to me, quit gawking and come on.  This morning instead of going on a walk I took my camera and went on a gawk!

 I can walk down my lane and across their field as they have a trail cut to Galla Lake.

 This is after I came back up to our land.  This is a Black Gum.  Seems like I looked it up and they are called Tupelo Gums.  A Sweet Gum has all those nasty balls that mess up everything, but the Black Gum has a waxy leaf and it so beautiful in the fall.

 Someone asked Larry if they could deer hunt to which he said certainly.  Kill them all.  He has set this up and comes and sits in there at dawn.  I could tell him where to place it as the deer walk behind where he has it looking...but maybe one will venture in front.  Too many of the folks that ask to hunt want a big buck.  I just want them all shot.

 When the man rented the pasture for his horse.  Larry insisted that he put up a shelter.  Larry told him to buy one of those tiny carports.  Look what he bought. It will shelter a herd of horses.

 This is a Sweet Gum.  Those balls fall from them and you will be tripped walking if not careful.  You will certainly be tripped gawking because you are not looking at the ground when you gawk you are looking at trees, bushes, flowers, the sky, birds.  Today I was gawking.

 Black Gum

 Persimmon

 Road to Galla Lake.  I am coming back around from my gawk.  Before I walked up this lane and now I cam walking down it.

 Pin Oak--I love them.  Some folks call them Water Oaks.

 This is a Ornamental Pear.  Folks plant them in their yards all around here.  They grow fast and have a pretty shape.  They break in storms and don't have pears on them.  Well, they have tiny pears the size of a little cherry.  The birds eat the seeds and spread the Pear trees around.  I like them ok, but I was thinking this morning...what if all those folks had planted REAL pear trees.  Wouldn't that be awesome. Pears growing and spreading.

 I think this was a Pin Oak but I really can't remember for sure.

 We call this a Scrub Oak.  Daddy cut them for wood.  Some call them Black Oak.  They don't grow very big and are hard as nails.  You will mess up your chain trying to cut them down with a chain saw.

 Pin Oak and below a close up of the leaf.  They get really huge and grow near a ditch or water source.

 This is where I am coming back around across my neighbor's pasture.

 Neighbor is trying to attract deer.  Why not just plant a garden like me and you will be run over with nasty deer.

 Sycamore--bad tree for yard.  Huge leaves and nasty stuff that you have to pick up.

 Dogwood.

 Wild Cherry--Larry likes them.  Wood is soft and they will split in a storm.

 Mighty Oak--this is really two trees grown together.  In 1984 when we bought this land, they were not really very big.

 Maple--Larry's Momma liked them and planted a lot of them in our yard.

 Pecan tree she planted.

Pecans are falling but the crows are carrying them off.

 These are Willow trees.  We hate them. If they get in your pond or neat a ditch, they just take over. These are on the neighbors land.

 I saw this pretty woodpecker in the top of the first willow.  He is sitting on the bare limb in the tree to the left.

 This is nasty nut grass.  It has a start in the garden.  I can't get rid of it.  We bought some top soil and this is what he brought me hidden in the river dirt.

 This is a Catalpa and a Red Bud, I planted 3 years ago.

 This is a "Piss" Elm.  Why did Daddy call them that? I do not know.  They grow slow and have a rough bark on the tree.

 Pretty Maple

 Maple and Ash we left on the pond bank.  If I had it to do over, I would never let trees grow on the inside of a pond bank.  Larry says now they are too large and pretty for him to cut down.