Tag: lighting

Hotel Giles

Timothy Price51 Comments

Hotel Giles at night

At this time last week, we were staying at the Hotel Giles in Comfort, TX (https://www.hotelgiles.com/). We had driven 687 miles to Comfort to experience the total eclipse of the sun. Comfort, TX, was in the direct path of the eclipse, so we got around 4 minutes and 20 seconds of totality. Hotel Giles is a wonderful hotel that was perfect for viewing the eclipse with its large open space behind the hotel. The owners and staff were friendly and went out of their way to make our stay pleasant and memorable. They kept us informed on what was happening in Comfort, arranged for lunch, and made the guests dinner for a reasonable price on Monday since most restaurants were closed on Monday. A delicious home-cooked breakfast was included in the price of the room, and the coffee was excellent. If you are in the area, I highly recommend staying at the Hotel Giles.

The Hotel Giles was originally Hotal Faust, designed and built by architect Alfred Giles for Paul Ingenhuett in 1880. Alfred Giles was an English architect who moved to San Antonio, TX, in 1875 for health reasons and became a well-known and influential architect in San Antonio, southwestern Texas, and northern Mexico. He was also involved in ranching near Comfort. You can read more about Alfred Giles at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Giles_(architect).

The room we stayed in.

Interior stairway and the Parlor where guests gather. They have jam sessions on Friday nights.

This guy had been waiting for years for the eclipse.

The courtyard and gazebo at night.

The Cottage, a covered deck, and the Cabin.

The barn and a Tesla charging station out front.

Captain Jack

Timothy Price34 Comments

Captain Jack. Lyrics and Music by Billy Joel.Vocals by Timothy Price

Captain Jack from Billy Joel’s 1973 album, Piano Man, is my latest cover. I first heard this song around 1974 after I purchased Piano Man. I fell in love with it. It’s not at all biographical; however, I had friends who got messed up with drugs in the 70s. A few died of overdoses, and a few committed suicide. Seeing how drugs destroyed people’s lives, I never had a reason to experiment with them.

These spent poppies go well with Captain Jack.

Cardinal Sin

Timothy Price57 Comments

Meet Mr. Cardinal Sin, one of many Northern Cardinals who were very vocal in Comfort, TX.

I’m hard of hearing, and I don’t hear a lot of the birds we have around our house. I was pleasantly surprised to discover I could hear almost all the birds in Comfort, TX. Including many of the same species of birds we have in NM. I don’t know if the humidity carries sound better or if the birds are just louder in Texas, but I heard them loud and clear. Especially the Northern Cardinals, who chattered and sang continuously during daylight hours. The problem was they were hard to see clearly up high in the foliage of the trees. I finally got several good shots of Mr. Cardinal Sin, who, in a fit of sinfulness, exposed himself to me.

Click on a photo to enlarge it.

OO NO B

Timothy Price49 Comments

Sandias @ Sunset

Osric Owl would not open his eyes for me at first. He finally woke with a hoot and gave me a “Stupid Paparazzo! And spell my name right!” look.

Nora Owl was looking sleepy also. That’s an indication the owlets might have hatched.

Beaver @ sunset

A tree with no name @ sunset

Have A Corona!

Timothy Price75 Comments

We had cloudy conditions for the total eclipse of the sun in Comfort, TX, today. But the clouds made for much more interesting and dramatic eclipse photos than what one gets under clear skies.

The Buildings on either side of me at totality.

The diamond ring captured on my iPhone

Wind & Cats

Timothy Price33 Comments

The wind blew away the color this morning

Silver: “Hey, Loki! Loki, Loki, Loki, Loki, Loki, Loki! Hey, Loki! Hey, Loki! Hey, Loki! Hey, Loki! Loki, Loki, Loki, Loki, Loki, Loki!”

Glenda, Spunk, Silver, and Loki waiting for Gwendolyn.

Gwendolyn: “Okay! Here I am! The Jugger Not Band meeting can begin!”

“Well? Well?”

“Calling a Jugger Not Band meeting to order is like herding cats!”

Sasha sacked out

Blow Me Down!

Timothy Price53 Comments

Red sky at morning. High wind warning

That saying is true for today. We still have high winds, as I type.

The irrigation ditch is dry.

A funny thing happened on the way to the blogosphere. Brad and I were discussing birds wishing paparazzi get struck by lightning. I noticed that all the irrigation ditches have had no water in them in the past few days, even though the river is running higher. The birds’ wishes missed the paparazzi and zapped the irrigation pumps instead. I got a text from the Mayorodomo that the irrigation pumps were down due to being struck by lightning.

Doesn’t take long to get dry, cracked earth in a dry and windy environment.

Nora Owl was secure in her nest, but we did not see Orsic Owl this afternoon.

Rough water on the Rio Grande

Puddle ducks blown up against the bank by the high winds.

Wind making waves on the water.

T=Towers

Dual dragons driving their way through the wind.

Dusty pink at sunset

Dusk