Iris Time and The Tale Of The Armadillo

Spring showers bring spring flowers.  Except, when we don't get many spring showers!  It's been a hard year in regard to rainfall and the grass and flowers have suffered.  Only the strong survive!

This iris is one of our favorites.  We bought it at the Extension Spring Fling a 

few years ago and it's been a consistent producers each year.

This is another Spring Fling iris.  Talk about a dark, deep purple!  In fact,

it's almost black.  There's one of the Knockout roses in the background.  I don't

think we are totally sold on them yet,

Another one of the black ones.

The grass looks pretty bad but the flowers are doing better, as long

as you pour the water to them,

This flower bed also contains blue sage.

Now that is a purple iris!!

Clouds......

just teasing us!

The spring and summer of 2018 was dry in these parts.  We had to water everything pretty often if we expected plants, or anything, to look decent or in some cases just to survive.  There are several old hackberry trees and ligustrum that look as if they have "bit the dust!"   I don't care so much for the hackberries, although it just makes for more work having to cut them down.

Another problem associated with dry weather is that when you water the grass, it's an open invitation  to every armadillo in the neighborhood to come over and dig for it's next meal.  For several days we had a nightly visitor in the back flower bed.  We tried staying up for him but he eventually wore us down.

So, we decided to try trapping the little stinker.  Everyone told us that it's hard to trap one and how we'd have to funnel him toward the trap in order to have a chance.  We used some boards and tried to force him toward the live trap since I don't know what you bait an armadillo trap with!

It went on for a few days with no luck.  Finally one morning Beverly hollered at me from the kitchen and told me to come look!  Bingo, we got him!  It was huge!  Now, I usually dispatch these kinds of pest quickly, but I wasn't in the mood to bury it.  So, Mr. Armadillo got a trip to the river and his commuted!  What's strange is that a few days later we caught a second one and later I think one more got in the trap but worked his way to freedom.

Armadillos look like they were put together by a committee!  It's funny

that this creature is the symbol of Texas, or maybe just Lone Star beer!

Simon was more than a little curious about his new friend.

A Short Trip Over The Willow City Loop

The bluebonnet, scientifically known as lupinus texensis, is the state flower of Texas.  It defines the great beauty of our state and blooms in the red rock canyons of the Palo Duro, to the sandy, humid coasts of Padre Island, to the green, fragrant pine forests of east Texas,and  all the way to the high deserts of the Guadalupe Mountains in West Texas.  Fortunately for us, some of the best viewing is in close-by central Texas.

For years we have been talking about driving the Willow City Loop between Llano and Fredericksburg where some of the best bluebonnets supposedly grow.  Following our Legacy Bridge excursion, we continued our trip to Llano.  Well, when in Llano one must eat at Cooper's Old Time Barbecue.  We had the ribs and chicken and they were tasty.

As you head south on Highway 16 toward Fredericksburg, you'll come to a sign on your left for the Willow City Loop.  This road basically meanders through ranches, across cattle guards and finally takes you to the town of Willow City.  Who knew there was a Willow City!  From there the road loops back and connects with the highway again.

We met lots of other people driving the loop but the bluebonnets and other wild flowers were a little disappointing.  A dry winter and spring isn't a good combination for wild flowers but the day still provided yet another adventure for the two of us, and at this point, that's all that matters!

I don't remember if I was looking at the flowers or if this was a pit stop!

Texas Bluebonnets, our state flower.

There's lots of ranch country in this part of the state.  There might be a rattlesnake

out there under one of those flowers, too!

I like this view from close to the ground and the little yellow flower in the foreground. 

Sir, Do You Know Where The Legacy Bridge Is?

One of our favorite TV shows is Texas Country Reporter.  Bob Phillips travels all over this great state and does programs on interesting Texas people, places and things.  In the opening scenes of the show, it shows the Legacy Bridge which is located in western Mills County.  The bridge is one of only two suspension bridges still in use in Texas.  It spans the Colorado River from the Mills County side over to the San Saba county side.

We have meant to go and see it for years but have never taken the time.  So, one day we decided to just do it, as Nike would say.  But first, we had to make a stop in Goldthwaite at the Pecan Store,  If you've never been there, and you like things with pecans in them, you need to go there.  We first discovered it during our pecan orchard days and then later when we would stop for a treat while in that part of the world.  They make the best sand tarts and the best part is that they give out samples!

We found out there is two ways to get there.  You can start in Goldthwaite or, as the woman at the store said, you can go toward San Saba and watch for the sign.  Sounds easy enough, even for me.  So, off we go.  We find the sign, turn right and begin what would become a frustrating drive to find this elusive bridge.  We finally drive all the way to the dead end.

Knowing we had gone too far, we turn around and backtrack, finally making a guess at the correct road based on an old sign post that had long since lost it's sign.  Bingo!  Just down the road we find it and drive across this relic from the past.  The bridge has been restored after someone tried to burn the wooden deck a few years back and is worth going to see.

As we were leaving the dirt road to get back on the highway, we came upon a car with two older people in it.  And guess what?  They were looking for the same bridge!  It was nice to be able to help them!

Just like on TV.

I'm not Bob, but I am a Phillips!

We got out and took a selfie. Can you say Kardashian?

The bridge is a total of 403 feet long with the main span being 344 feet long

and is 14 feet wide.  The bridge was constructed in 1939.

This cable on the top is one of the main cables that support this historic bridge.

You can feel the movement of the bridge as you drive across it.

My pretty navigator for the trip.  She really was the driving force 

that finally got me off my duff to go see this thing.

The Colorado River down below!

Texas Historical Plaque on the Mills County side.

It's really impressive from this view....

as you start up and hope you don't meet another car!

During the day, we also drove by the State Game Warden School which is

located over in the southwest part of Hamilton County.  All new game wardens

in Texas train at this facility.

We also stopped in Star, Texas.  The Star school campus looks great but

all the students now go to school in Evant or Goldthwaite.

The Easter Bunny Comes Again in 2018

Easter time in Texas can give you all types of weather.  It's often said that Easter is the time for one  last cold spell, often associated with ruining early gardens and making a mockery of many a lady's wardrobe!  In Texas it's not unusual to have a snow on Easter or, just as likely, to have a sunny 90 degree  day.  Easter, 2018, was spent in Abilene at Jordan and Ashley's house.  That, in it's self was a major change for us and one we think we will start recommending for more holidays!

We got lucky this year and enjoyed some really nice weather.  In fact it was so warm that Leighton wanted Presley to come early and spend the night with her.  Of course, the two of them had a ball and before you knew it, they had made their way into the pool!  Now it was warm, but not that warm!  It's a good thing they are young and tough.  They invented this game with Bebe where she pretended to be the security person at a pool and they had slipped in and then when Bebe would see them, she had to pretend to throw them out.  This went on for several hours!

One of the things that we enjoyed the most was worshiping at Southern Hills.  Toby, Jennifer and Taylor came Sunday morning and we all went to church together.  The singing is always wonderful there, but we think it was especially good Easter Sunday. 

Ashley prepared a delicious meal and the afternoon was spent for the most part around the pool, watching the young ones splashing, swimming and shivering whenever they got out of the pool!

Jordan was even able to call in a turkey and harvest a nice tom while we were there!

What were the girls thinking?  I'd say they had everything upside down!

The goofy girls love to act silly and it looks like they are pretty good at it!

Don't forget this guy.  He can perform, too!

 

Remington came out to welcome Papaw.  He wanted to know where the Jeep was,

not, "Hey. Papaw, you doing OK?"

These two girls could not stay out of the water!  If you could see their

lips, I think you'd find that they were a little blue!!

Jordan has harvested many turkeys but this is the first one that he has been 

able to call up and kill on his place there in Abilene!  He was, as he says, pumped!

A little time in the sun before having to dive back in the water!

Toby's meat cutting skills, acquired while at Tarleton, comes in handy when 

it's time to carve up the meal.

Jordan and Ashley's kitchen was the scene of the best part of the day.

Toby, still working on that ham.

Bebe is getting hangry!  You don't want her hungry cause she can get angry!

Look at that aoudad above her head!  We could have eaten that for all I know.  Maybe that's what 

Toby was carving up after all!

Taylor Dan also has a hollow leg and seems to be ready to eat.

This is the same guy but he's in disguise.  He looks a little like a martian or one 

of those Shriners that you see riding the motorcycles in parades.

This is the tall and short of it.

These two had a great time as well.

Who is this guy?  He could be a martian as well!

It's time for the big egg hunt.

Doesn't that water look good.

Taylor even got into the action with a little fun in the sun!

Remington enjoyed trying to get us all wet.

The image of my own Dad.  He sat like I sit, held his hand like me, philosophied 

like me and of course he was one handsome dude, like me!

One last selfie before we go!  It was a a great day.

During church that morning, Southern Hills passed out flowers to everyone

to place on one of several wooden crosses.  Ashley sent us this screen shot from the

church website showing Presley placing her flowers on the cross.