A Drive to Church

There was a light fog hanging in the air as I left for my meetings this morning so I grabbed the camera on the way out the door. I took a couple of pictures of the golf course on the way out the back of the neighborhood and then a couple more after turning off on Hafer, the road which leads to the church building.

Hafer doesn’t look like a metropolitan thoroughfare as it holds firm to its farming community past with hay fields, barbed wire fences and old houses that defy the newer cookie cutter dwellings which have surrounded and engulfed this bastion of nature. I didn’t take a picture of the dead deer on the side of the embankment which had wandered into the path of a vehicle during the night. There are signs warning to slow down; but those signs go unheeded, folks not sure how there could possibly be deer roaming around in the suburbs of Houston.

The fog had begun to lift, looking more like a low hanging cloud by the time I got to an open meadow within a stones throw of our building. I have seen as many as eight deer cautiously going about their business some mornings as they forage at the edges of the meadows. This morning I could find none; but thought I’d seen one dart back into a hedge of bushes as I approached. Sometimes the fog will look surreal at this location as it flows across Hafer, several times thicker at this one location than any other place along the road.

Looking into the passenger side view mirror I caught a glimpse of the traffic light back at FM 1960 through the mist, the mist which was condensing on the cool surfaces of my little green Z-3 coupe. I haven’t figured out, at least not entirely, why I like taking so many pictures through the mirror, maybe I should seek help. I’ll post only four of the pictures with explanations; make sure to click on each photograph to bring them to full size.

1. A look at the golf course on my way out of the neighborhood; this is Northgate just before it intersects with FM 1960.

If you like, try looking the intersections up on Yahoo Maps or Mapquest to get an idea of where in the city they are; or maybe even Google Earth for a view from above.

2. Looking south on Hafer road just past some apartments and instantly transformed back to a country road with a small vegetable farm on the right with the hay meadows ahead just beyond the trees on the left. You can see the reflection from my headlights on the yellow lane marker; the other odd rectangular shapes are the vents which keep my windshield clear reflected off the glass as I'm driving. Our church building is about a quarter of a mile ahead on the right side; can’t be seen as yet.

3. This is a hay meadow, cut down in the fall but will be as high as the lone surviving stalk in the foreground in a few months after it warms up. This is where the deer come out in the mornings to feed as they remain close enough to the safety of the trees. Just beyond that stand of trees, looking eastward, is Interstate 45; close enough to hear the traffic going but out of view.

4. Looking back you can just make out the faint glow of the red light at FM 1960 through the mist. I love the curve of the rear fender in the mirror as it reflects the power lines from off to the side. You can also see one of the older farm houses in this picture with its barbed wire fence along the edge of the drainage ditch. You can also see beads of condensation on the top edge of the mirror.