After the rain

Late last month, I took these on a walk after a really good rainstorm!

After today's rain, things look much the same, except that the creek is higher!

This morning, I paid $3.419/gallon for gas here in Texas. That's bad enough, but this is worse ... in La Quinta where Don lives. AND this is at CostCo, where the gas prices are so "good" compared to Shell and Chevron and all the rest, that they sold out earlier today! Yikes!!

Setting up the 9/11 memorial at KOHS

I saw students and teachers setting up this display this morning, so I came back with my camera to get photos. There's a flag there for each person murdered by terrorists on 9/11/01. It's very impressive, and I think they'll add a huge American flag under the words KLEIN OAK soon.
(Click on each photo to enlarge it.)

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Our 4th!

Views from Anne's front yard. Everyone on that cul-de-sac is very patriotic: All houses have flags flying on US holidays!

There's one more that's not visible ... it's across the street, hidden by the cars.

Out to eat!

Yesterday, Anne's three kids and I went to lunch together ... something we haven't done in quite a while! Usually one or the other is at work or some other kind of activity. Walking to La Madeleine in Market Street in The Woodlands, I was reminded of the many times we did just this during the past seven years! 

See how tall they have all gotten? Those boys are both about 6' tall now.

Lovely place to wander around ... even when it's in the 90s outside!

More of the vitex blooms

Even more brilliant today than they were last week!!! I love these trees!

Anne's vitex trees

Gorgeous!

This is the best time of year for this tree.

Close-up of these blooms.

Some day, I should plant at least one of these!

Camera comparisons

This is rather experimental. I've added the app Camera+ to my iPhone, and the first two photos were taken with that. 

 Day lilies ~

A day lily ~

The following two were taken with my digital camera, which is very fast and has high resolution. 

 Day lilies ~

A day lily ~

Flowers in spring!

The day lilies are blooming in my back yard. Every single year, I'm just amazed and captivated by these beauties!

Close-up view: They're just gorgeous!

And there will be more to come - see all the unopened flowers here?

And some gardenias, too! This plant is struggling, no matter what I do - but once in a while it blooms!

From the street behind my house

I took these photos on a walk down the street behind my house last week. I do love to see all the tall trees in my back yard, whether I'm in my back yard or beyond the back fence!

How pine trees recover from drought

I've been watering and hoping and hoping and watering ... trying to save this pine tree in my front yard. In March, I could see the new growth! And there are little pine cones all over its branches. The live oak at the right has been doing fine, but the pines have struggled. This one will make it, I think.

Close-up of the new growth at the tops of the branches.

From another angle ...

The two pine trees in the side yard are okay ... one is more okay than the other! But both have lots of new growth on them! Hooray!!

Close-up of new growth ...

Front yard 2012

My front yard this spring.

Even my very stressed-out pine tree is looking good!!

(More photos of it shortly.)

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!