Another spectacular winter sunrise

How time flies! Another 2 weeks gone! And February already!
It's not that I'm very busy or that too much is happening that keeps me from writing but I don't seem to get anything 'on paper' these days.

Anywho. Let me try to pick myself up and get something going here.

I try to take a walk (on the wild side) every day and find some nice scenery or wildlife to enjoy.
Not too difficult around here.

These rock formations are right out of my back door and there are some easy hiking trails all around it.

Another trail close by is the Mesa de Anguila trail. 
Too long to hike in it's entirety but easy to follow for a while and cut back or to from the washes around the golf course.

 

                                    

Stone cairns are used at tricky places to mark the trail.

                                                   

 

And although the weather is on the cool side there are still some little flowers like these Many-Flowered Goldeneye:

The birds are very 'flighty' (I guess it's a bird thing), but every now and than I get one or two to sit still enough for a while.

 

Like this Loggerhead Shrike ..

                                                     ..  or these Say's Phoebes

Another short hike behind the campground brought us to this natural arch:

  

The arch, or bridge, is made of red sand stone and is still eroding away. 

It will probably fall down in time.

   

                                                                           

The red of the rock is more vibrant in the evening hours. We were there around midday which washed out the color a little.

View towards Lajitas

There are a lot of small caves in this area and we were warned to be cautious around them since mountain lions are spotted here on a regular base!

James needed some supplies for the Resort (did I mention he's promoted to Maintenance Manager of the Employee Housing!), so we went on a trip to Alpine. It's an hour and a half away and besides a lumber yard it has a decent grocery store, a nice coffee shop, and some other stores as well so we did some more shopping.

And look what I found for $50 at the local Thrift store!

It's an Ashford Table Loom and by the looks of it it has never been used, I think it's brand new!

                         

It conveniently folds up when not in use. Very handy indeed if you live in close quarters!

And here's the kicker ...  when I Googled it after we got home, I found out it's worth .... are you sitting down ... $600!

I knew it was a good find but .. holy smoke!

But why stop there?! Next to it stood this beautiful Louet Spinning Wheel!

                                               

It's an S15 and although discontinued since 2010 it's a great wheel!
One reason I like it is that it has enormous bobbins so they hold a lot, and also thicker, yarn.


                        

Second reason; it has a small 'footprint'. Again, this comes in handy if you're in an RV and have to justify bringing in more 'stuff'!

And third; it's (the only wheel) made in Holland! I just get a kick out of that.

I paid $25 for it and although it is 25 years old (a stamp on the bottom said 06-88) it is still worth about $250 to $300!

Needless to say, I'm a very happy camper!

Sitting outside we often see some horses coming through our backyard. There's a horse trail that passes us by and although the local cowboys use it every now and than, more often it's a guide with a couple of tourists in tow.
It's such a nice way to explore this neighborhood.

To ride into the sunset ...

  

Or by the light of the (full) moon ...  

 Yipee-yi-ay, Yipee-yi-oh, Ghost Riders in ... the sky ......