Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Bluebonnets along the way

I think it's about a week or so early for the best bluebonnet-viewing, but I couldn't resist taking these photos yesterday on my drive home from Austin. I may go back to the Chappell Hill area (see the last 3 photos here) in a couple of weeks and take more. It's all so gorgeous.

Along the highway, west of Giddings, TX.



Also along the highway, between Giddings and Brenham, TX


In Chappell Hill - how would you like to have your whole front yard knee-deep in bluebonnets? 
Beautiful!

A bit north of Chappell Hill - a field of bluebonnets along FM 1155.


Magnificent drive!!

So GREEN!

Driving home from Austin yesterday, I was struck by how green everything is -- the trees, the medians, the roadsides, the hills ... quite a difference from when I drove to Austin and back last August and October -- after months and MONTHS of drought. This is such a joy!!



Even as I got into the flatter parts of this drive, past Brenham and heading toward Tomball and Spring, it was still green, green, green as far as I could see. How marvelous!

Monday, March 19, 2012

Early spring view out my front window

 All those new green leaves!

 Crape myrtle just outside the window, live oak farther out in the yard.

A neighbor's tree in full bloom at the end of the cul-de-sac.

Beautiful spring in the neighborhood!

I took all these while driving home one day recently. It was so spectacular, all the way north on Northcrest! I couldn't help it! And yes ~ it took longer than usual to get home that day!!

This is a close-up of the tree above. I don't know what all these trees are called, but they're gorgeous!

Looking north on Northcrest ...

Wow! Someone made a good choice many years ago - this tree is beautiful every single year!

Beautiful front yard

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Spring - I never tire of it!!

I took these photos about 2 weeks ago, and I'll take more soon. This stage of each spring is just fascinating to me, though - the very beginning of everything becoming new again! Even though we had a very mild winter, these are still wonderful to see.


This is the oak that doesn't lose its leaves in fall. Its leaves all turn a pretty reddish-brown and then brown, and then they hang on the tree all winter! The first year I lived here, I thought I had killed it! But this is what it looks like when the new leaves begin to show - pushing out the old brown ones. It'll become very thick and green, of course. It's a fantastic tree.

Here's where all that yellow pollen (dust) comes from - and with so many of these pines all over the area, in the forests and in yards, the yellow dust gets everywhere!

This gap, just to the left of the sego palm there, is where I lost a tree last year. No matter what I did, no matter how much extra water I gave it - I lost it. When the guys were taking it down, I could see that it didn't stand a chance. The inside was hollow and rotted - no amount of water could have saved it.

And here's that oak tree again, the same tree as in the 2nd photo above. Four days later, and what a difference! Those leaves come in fast when they decide to come in!!