R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 167
August 24, 2015
August 21, 2015
Carol Wyszomirski at Wawel Castle
Today CarolWyszomirski and Annalisa Switzer take us to Wawel Castle, and then show us some birds of prey:
Wawel Castle
Falcons, Owls, and Other Stuff
Filed under: Guest Blogger, Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, vacation Tagged: Annalisa Switzer, Carol Wyszomirski, photography, Poland, travel, travel photography, vacation, Wawel Castle
August 19, 2015
Carol Wyszomirski in Krakow
Today Carol Wyszomirski and daughter Annalisa Switzer shows us Krakow and show us some stunning shots of spires and a bell tower:
Krakow
Krakow Spires
Filed under: Guest Blogger, Photography, travel, vacation Tagged: Annalisa Switzer, Carol Wyszomirski, Krakow, photography, Poland, travel, travel photography, vacation
August 17, 2015
Carol Wyszomirski in Poland
An online friend of mine who happens to visit the same Kindle Kitchen forum as I has graciously provided me with some really nice photos and blogging material. So, for the next four weeks, I’m turning over this blog to Carol Wyszomirski. Carol was assisted in this endeavor by her daughter Annalisa Switzer, who supplied many of the photos and some of the commentary.
In the weeks ahead you’ll see the Polish countryside, Krakow, Wawel Castle, a Gothic church built in the 14th Century, and anothe...
August 14, 2015
Fun Photo Friday — The David Williams Tour Ends on the Mission Trail
Today we say goodbye to both David Williams and the Williams Tour of the El Paso area. It was a great although brief run. Click on any image below for today’s slide show.
Filed under: Fun Photo Friday, Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, vacation Tagged: David Williams, El Paso area, El Paso Mission Trail, Fun Photo Friday, Mission Socorro, Mission Ysleta, photography, Presidio Chapel of San Elizario, R. Doug Wicker, travel, travel photography, Ursula Wicker, vacation
August 12, 2015
David Williams Tour Part 12 — Mission Socorro and Mission Ysleta
Mission Socorro
Ursula, David Williams, and I made our way inside the Mother’s Day festivities area headed over to the Socorro Mission. On the outside it may not look nearly as impressive as Presidio San Elizario, but looks can be deceiving. Here’s the inside:
Mission Socorro
As you can see it contains an incredible wood-beamed ceiling inside the thick adobe walls (note the windows for a hint at how thick). Adobe construction is a fascinating feature of the early Southwest. In dry areas such...
August 11, 2015
Rifleman’s Rifle Video — 1,000 Hits and Counting
I just this afternoon passed a milestone of sorts. My popular YouTube video on how to spin-cock a full-size Model 1892 rifle as well as the Model 1892-based Rossi Ranch Hand just hit 1,000 views. Many thanks to all who viewed that video and helped me reach the 1,000-views mark. As you’ll recall, that video was produced for my blog post Firearms — Television Westerns from the 1950s.
Rifleman’s Rifle (made by Mike DiMuzio using a Rossi M92 rifle with 20″ barrel) and Rossi Ranch Hand Pistol
The...
August 10, 2015
David Williams Tour Part 11 — Presidio Chapel San Elizario and Mission Socorro
Presidio Chapel San Elizario
We left Hueco Tanks behind and headed south and west for yet another El Paso area attraction — the Spanish Missions along El Paso’s Mission Trail. Ursula drove, I navigated, and our visitor David Williams rode in chauffeured comfort. Since we were already east of El Paso we ran the trail in the opposite direction — starting at the farthest mission and heading west back toward the city of El Paso.
Presidio Chapel San Elizario
When going this direction, the first Sp...
August 7, 2015
Fun Photo Friday — David Williams at Hueco Tanks 2
Escontrias Ranch House
This Fun Photo Friday is a two-fer. On this last look at Hueco Tanks I’m going to relate another piece of history here before presenting today’s gallery of favorites. You may have wondered why all this wetland wasn’t put to commercial use. Well, it was. In 1898 Silverio Escontrias purchased Hueco Tanks from previous owner Juan Armendariz, who had purchased this land in 1895 and began to do some ranching. Silverio Escontrias wasted little time settling in and for nearly...
August 5, 2015
David Williams Tour Part 10 — Hueco Tanks Continued
There was a time, not so very long ago, when access to Hueco Tanks was unrestricted. Hundreds of thousands visited every year. But, as usual, there are always a few idiots who ruin a good thing for everyone else. Now visitation is tightly controlled, with a maximum number of visitors allowed into the park at any given moment. It’s best to call ahead to reserve a time, or you could face a long wait. Our wait was around an hour or so, but we went during the off season on a school day.
Ancient P...
