Over a decade ago, I lucked into a National Endowment for the Humanities Seminar titled The Great Plains: Texas to Saskatchewan. For five weeks, Tom Isern led 19 other teachers and I to read and analyze literary and historical texts, discuss conclusions, and visit iconic sites to better understand what it means to live on the plains.
I swore I would never be a woman who lived her life behind a camera lens. I wanted to live in the moment, experiencing life as it occurred.
I achieved this goal until I received a Nikon that captures moments up close and from considerable distance with clicks of a silver button. Using that telescopic lens, I could see fine details my unaided eye used to see as blurs.
The record drought in the U.S. is forecast to ease in some regions during the fall, but a majority of the drought-stricken regions from the West to the High Plains may be left high and dry by prevailing weather patterns through the end of November, according to the federal government's latest seasonal drought outlook.
These sweet treats can be grown throughout the HPPR broadcast area, although the further north they bloom the more likely they will encounter some late freezes that will nip the year's crop in the bud. But the smell and taste of home grown peaches makes it worth the gamble, and the trees will actually live a longer and more 'fruitful' life if they have occasional barren years for resting and restoring. The trail of the peach begins in China thousands of years ago. The flavorful fruit was introduced to our shores by the Spanish explorers.
Spot and stalk on the high plains is a completely different game. Here, creatively seek out the highest vantage point. That could be a windmill tower, a knoll, or even the top of your pickup cab.
