Old # 9 Tunnel

There is an old railroad tunnel between Comfort and Fredericksburg, in the beautiful hills of Texas. It is home to 3.5 million Mexican Freetail bats, and every day before sunset, they emerge in clouds of swirling black mass, to go feed for the night. The sight is both calm and chaotic, and one can witness the sound and wind the emergence creates. It's truly an awesome sight. After they are all out, there is an eerie peace over the hills as the sun sets, and night starts to fall. It is at that moment that I tried to capture the calm and the beauty of the hills. From the top of the hill, one can see for miles, and capture the beauty and stillness of the essence of Texas - the very reason we chose to move here. There is peace, there is time for reflection, and there is a space to get lost in all that the creator, the great Spirit of our land and being, has sculpted and colored for us to enjoy.

Bats' view of the hills. Watercolor on Vellum, 3" x 5"