FOCUS ON TEXAS

Texas Skyscapes
By Ashley Clary

Oh, that Texas sky. It may threaten; it may dazzle us with its splendor. Whether dawn or dusk, midday or midnight, those wide-open skies sometimes seem to be the gateway to the heavens.           

Central Texas Electric Cooperative member Patricia Busse sent this photo of a waterspout on Lake Buchanan. Waterspouts are tornadoes that occur over water, forming funnel-shaped columns of air and spray.

Fannin County Electric Cooperative member Zane Barker sent us this photo of one of the most dramatic sunrises we’ve ever seen. This event happened on Valentine’s Day at his parents’ farm outside Bonham.

It looked like the aurora borealis came to Texas just for Donna Stanley, who stepped out on her front porch in Liberty Hill and snapped this photo. She is a member of Pedernales Electric Cooperative.

This shot was taken by Bandera Electric Cooperative member Charles Carlson, near Garner State Park. These harmless mammatus clouds are found on the underside of tall, anvil-shaped thunderstorms.

Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative member Tracy Uker sent us this photo of waning daylight, truly made Texan by looking through the spokes of an old tractor wheel.

                                     
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DAREDEVILS is the topic for our NOVEMBER 2009 issue. Send your photo—along with your name, address, daytime phone, co-op affiliation and a brief description—Daredevils, Focus on Texas, 1122 Colorado St., 24th Floor, Austin, TX 78701, before SEPTEMBER 10. A stamped, self-addressed envelope must be included if you want your entry returned (approximately six weeks). Please do not submit irreplaceable photographs—send a copy or duplicate. We regret that Texas Co-op Power cannot be responsible for photos that are lost in the mail or not received by the deadline. Please note that we cannot provide individual critiques of submitted photos. If you use a digital camera, e-mail your highest-resolution images to focus@texas-ec.org or submit on our website at www.texascooppower.com. (If you have questions about your camera’s capabilities and settings, please refer to the operating manual.

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