Lone Star

— Paraphrasing Davy Crockett, I wasn’t born in Texas but I got here as quickly as I could. I guess that applies to me. As long as I have lived in Texas (longer than in my home country!), Texas has shown me so much beauty. It is a land of contrasts, both geographically and mentally. Whether in the Big Bend area or the Hill Country, there is always plenty of beauty around. Even when I’m riding my bicycle around town and other places, it is nice to see simple beauty everywhere. The shot above was taken in one of those biking trips I did with a buddy. In one of our favorite trails, we rode from Austin to Andice’s General Store. As we waited for our food, I couldn’t help but notice the nice shadows of the trellis on the patio. I figured it would make it for an edit in black and white. However, after doing that, I decided to put back some color from the original shot with a little more vibrancy. I kept also thinking of the phrase “my heart bleeds burnt orange,” since I worked for over 30 years at The University of Texas at Austin. So, it is Valentine’s Day, and nothing more appropriate than to show my love for the great Lone Star state.