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Thanksgiving 2011 - San Leon

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As we drove the open expanses of Texas, on our way to San Leon, we passed by many of these strange white fields.
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As we drove the open expanses of Texas, on our way to San Leon, we passed by many of these strange white fields.

CottonCotton FieldCotton Plants

  • As we drove the open expanses of Texas, on our way to San Leon, we passed by many of these strange white fields.
  • It took a while for me to narrow down the crop to "cotton".  Once I did, I had to stop and confirm, snap a few pictures, and gather up some loose cotton that had blown by the side of the highway.
  • I thought cotton plants would be taller, and I did not realize the yield of each plant.  All of the field we saw were harvested by our return trip a few days later.  Large bales of cotton stood silent vigil on now barren fields.
  • This is cotton.  Cotton sitting on my granite counter.  The extraneous bits is stuff that got trapped into the fibers as it laid on the ground.
  • Without looking it up, I am going to guess cotton is the flower of the plant.  It looks as if the cotton emanates from the seed, and surrounds it completely.<br />
<br />
Those are six seeds, each with a cotton ball surrounding them.
  • I peeled back the layers of fibers to expose the seed.  <br />
<br />
Yes, I am going to plant it and see if I can grow a cotton plant.  If I do, I will document its progress.  <br />
<br />
Meanwhile, off to the internet to figure out more about this crop that appears to be making a resurgence in many areas.
  • The morning after we arrived this sight greeted me when I got up.
  • That is the sun shining through a morning fog on Galveston Bay.
  • Endorphin gushed forth to produce a feeling of elation.  <br />
<br />
At the core of my being, I'm guessing somewhere near the large intestine, I felt something powerful . . . but I put off hitting the John, and grabbed my camera instead.
  • The light changes quickly, and I knew I did not have long to capture the moment.
  • I was trying to catch a bird flying directly in front of the sun, but it did not happen.
  • So I put the tree in front of it, giving it that "hey, look at me; I'm glowing effect".
  • Seriously, it was an amazing moment, and it made my day.
  • This is the same shot with a distant storm front.
  • The palm trees at sunset.
  • In case anyone wants a closeup of the palm trees.
  • As the sun dropped below the clouds, and while still above the horizon, it gave me the chance to snap this photo of the dock at sunset.
  • It's winter in San Leon as well, but you would not know it from the sight of a Monarch butterfly hitting on the few flowers in the grass.
  • I'll say it upfront that all but the last photo are slightly flawed.  The focus is not good, there is some movement, wrong angle, etc.
  • My excuse is the sucker did not stand still long enough.
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