Essays

Moseying: Living La Vida Llanero

The Sibley Nature Center offers adults the Sibley Academy this fall
September 4, 2011

If you were to take all five adult classes this fall at the Sibley Academy there would be one moment where all five classes could be utilized -- as you are hanging on a rope on the Rockpile in the Davis Mountains! You could dangle in mid-air, taking photos and then drawing plants used for natural dyes and in xeriscapes. People in their 60s have taken the rappelling course, so do not let age be an excuse! You do not have to take all of the courses, of course.

Lots of folks have digital cameras but have not learned what all the bells and whistles are for -- so sign up for Richard Galle's "How to use your camera." We love photographers at the Sibley Nature Center -- our website has thousands of photographs shared by over 100 photographers. Every time you go outside, you should have a camera. You might photograph a hummingbird cleaning his tongue with his foot, or a robberfly capturing a tiger beetle, or a badger gnawing on an old deer carcass. Richard has taught the course before, and it fills up quickly. It is a two night course, and you might want to join the Sibley Camera Club (which meets monthly) to continue learning more "tricks of the trade." It is $25 for members, and $35 for non members and runs September 12 and 14th, from 6 to 8 p.m..

Richard also teaches the rappelling course, and he is in 60s. He learned to rappel as a firefighting ranger in Big Bend in his 20s and taught a climb school at Midland College for 17 years. Some of his students (and he has taught over 2000 people) have gone on to climb the really big mountains. He has never had a student injured. Two nights of course work "learning the ropes" are followed by a trip to the Rockpile. If you join the Permian Basin Outing Club, you will get to do it again next year, along with canoeing, caving, and backpacking. It costs $30 for members, and $50 for non members, and runs October 10th and 12th from 7 to 9 p.m. at Sibley and all day October 15th in the Davis Mountains.

Ethel Matthews is a long time lab instructor at Midland College. She will be teaching about Natural Dyes on October 20th. Learn how to dye cloth with onion skin, agarita root, broomweed leaves, and many more plants. Or you can dye yarn, in case you like to crochet or weave. Be on hand the evening of October 20th from $7 to 8 p.m. Sibley members can attend for free, while non-members pay $10.

Michael Nickell is offering his poplar Introduction to Nature Drawing class again. If you have been to Sibley and seen the Icons of the Llano Estacado colonnade with its 12 paintings, you know he is a master at accurately portraying flora and fauna with every media. His work has been in National Geographic, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and in books. The class has 5 sessions, September 12th and 26th, October 10th and 24th, and November 7th. Sibley members can attend for $50 dollars, while non-members pay $80.Each class begins at 6.30 and ends at 8.30.

I will be teaching a short course on Xeriscaping. With this year's incredible drought doing in so many trees and shrubs in town, now is the time to begin thinking about what you might replace them with -- plants that survive tough dry conditions and still grow and bloom and bring butterflies and birds. I was the first to promote Xeriscaping in Midland, running the Gone Native Nursery from 1981-1992. As one of the first to do so in the state, several authors have used me as a reference in books -- and if you find a copy of "Landscaping region by region" by Sally Wasowski, (with many of my landscapes and plants featured) it is still one of the best references available. My class will be September 26th and 27th from 6-8 p.m. It will cost $50 for members, and $80 for non-members.

See you at Sibley!