Around the Neighborhood

We had a good rain Wednesday. It actually started late Tuesday and rained throughout much of the day on Wednesday. In all, I recorded 2 inches at our house, and some other areas of the Concho Valley received even more. This puts our yearly total just short of the average for this time of year. The grass is really greening up and things are looking nice.

Admittedly, our grass needs mowing. Rio Concho West contracts with a lawn maintenance firm. During the mowing season, they usually start early Tuesday and then finish by late Wednesday afternoon. We have more than 300 residences in our community, so it takes a while to mow, trim, and clean up the area. Now, they don't mow every week; they more or less mow when it is needed. During dry spells, for example, they may skip a week, and that's just fine. This time, it hasn't worked out well. The week prior to the rain, they skipped mowing as it just didn't need it. With the rain this week, they were unable to mow. Well, the place needs mowing now. And we have more rain in the forecast for next Tuesday and Wednesday, so they may not be able to mow then. If they skip next week, we may be swallowed up by vegetation. But we are not about to criticize any rain we get out here.

Donna is enjoying puttering around in the yard. She has put some herbs in one of the front beds where we cleared out the shrubs, and she has bought some roses and other plants for another section of the front bed. The ground had dried out enough by yesterday that she was able to get everything in the ground. We still have room for more items, but we aren't hurrying to get it done. At our age, we ain't got much hurry in us.

Temps are almost ideal. Daily highs range from the low 70s to the mid or upper 80s. We'll probably top out in the 90s next week. Nightly lows are usually in the mid 50s. We have really enjoyed getting out on our back patio again. One of the nicest things about this time of year is that we are able to turn off the furnace and save some money. For the past month, we've probably only turned it on briefly for a time or two, usually just long enough to cut the morning chill. We'll probably have to turn the air on before long. I almost turned it on yesterday.

We drove out to the park after the rain to see if the lake has grown. It's hard to tell. The longhorns were out patrolling the perimeter fence on the entry road. Nice to see those legendary animals.

Part of the herd near the park entrance. The black spots in the sky are birds that follow the herd, waiting for them to stir up things.

This poor old fellow has a huge set of horns, but the left side doesn't match the right. Wonder how something like that happens. He was bringing up the rear.

Part of the herd taking a midday break. The western part of San Angelo is slightly visible from center of picture to the right. The area from center to the right is actually the spillway for the OC Fisher lake, but it is difficult to tell that in this picture.

This old fellow appears to be the leader of the herd. He is scanning his kingdom. What a beautiful set of horns he has!

The ocotillo at the club house are blooming nicely. I always enjoy the bright colors our desert plants put out.

Blooming ocotillo at the clubhouse

There are still patches of yellow flowers hanging on. This stand is behind the clubhouse.

We finished the week yesterday by playing a bit of bingo. It was our lucky day. Donna won 3 games and I won one.

I hope all of you are enjoying the spring.

After a Long Winter

It's been a long winter for Donna and me. It really hasn't been that long or that hard, as winters in this part of Texas are relatively mild. But we've not been able -- or willing -- to spend much time outside. As we age, we simply don't like the cold. Donna has always been cold-natured, and I find myself becoming more so. You know what they say about couples who have been married for a long time -- how they tend to become like one another. Guess that's true for me and the old woman as well.

But the past few weeks have been nice, and we've enjoyed sitting outside again each day. Temps have generally been comfortable during the day, even occasionally downright hot, and night time lows have been relatively mild. We even had an inch of rain about a week ago, though we are still well below our seasonal average. I am afraid we are in the early stages of a new drought. We'll see.

I've enjoyed watching life return outside. Trees have put on their new leaves, flowers are blooming everywhere, and people in our community are enjoying being outside. It's a great time before the heat of summer arrives.

I've really enjoyed watching the tree in our back yard come back to life. Below are a set of images taken over a period of about one month showing its rebirth.

Our oak tree as it is just beginning to put out new growth sometime in March.

Here is that same tree a week or so later.

And here is that same tree a week or two later, with all of its leaves. I included this picture to also show the blowing wind. On this particular day, the wind blew a steady 30 mph or so all day; the gusts were noticeably higher. Notice the smaller tree lower right.

I assume these are young acorns forming on our tree. They almost look like green grapes. Our front bur oak is also putting out a new crop of acorns.

As you turn off the highway into our community, there is a 5 acre tract of land that looks like normal pasture for most of the year. But for the past couple of weeks, it has been a beautiful sea of yellow. Below are some pictures I snapped of that tract. The color has peaked and the flowers are now beginning to fade, but the entire community has really enjoyed the color. Folks have even been turning off the highway to take pictures. No words are needed; the pictures speak for themselves.

At least once a week, Donna and I take a drive somewhere after eating lunch out. Often we go to one of the parks bordering Lake Nasworthy, but sometimes we go out to Twin Buttes or the state park. Below are some pictures from some of our drives.

This little girl posed nicely for us as we drove past at Spring Creek Park on Lake Nasworthy.

Some of her friends were loafing nearby.

And these two gals completely ignored us.

More yellow flowers. These were at Twin Buttes. The lake is visible in the distant background.

We are still working on the beds around the house, especially in the front. Donna has done most of the work. Yesterday she planted a few herbs. As soon as she is finished, I'll post some pics.

Happy Easter!

Colorado Bend State Park

On the final day of our Hill Country Trip, we rose early. We enjoyed a good breakfast at the hotel: eggs, sausage, biscuits, waffles, pastries, yogurt, and some pretty good coffee. Hampton puts out a pretty good spread.

We left the hotel about 7:00 and drove north on US 281 through Burnet and on to Lampasas. After a quick pit stop at McDonalds -- love their coffee -- we were back in the car and headed west on Highway 580, weaving our way towards Colorado Bend State Park. We had never been to this park before. It is rather remote and off the beaten path, roughly about halfway between San Saba and Lampasas. In addition to being rather remote, my Google maps showed the road leading to the park to be natural surface, so I had avoided going there. When we had a trailer, I did not want to drag it down a rough surface road. On this trip, though, we were pleasantly surprised to find paved road all the way to the park. The main park road is also paved.

Just after crossing the Colorado River, we came to the Bend General Store and turned onto County Road 442, which would take us to the park. Soon after, we crossed Cherokee Creek at a low water crossing. From there, it is a pleasant drive of less than 4 miles to the park boundary.

Low water crossing at Cherokee Creek

Bluebonnet covered hills on road to park

Park entrance

Our plan was to hike the trail to Gorman Falls (see park trail map). The trailhead is near the park entrance, but we wanted to see the entire park, so we drove all the way to the park headquarters and camping areas, which are located 6 miles in along the Colorado River. The speed limit in the park is 20 mph, so it takes a while to drive this distance and then return. But the park scenery is really pretty.

We found the headquarters closed, but used the self pay station located there. Since we have annual passes, entrance to all state parks is free to us. We then drove through the campgrounds and day use area. The opposite bank of the river is pretty rugged, and we found the river to be slow moving. A number of people were camped there, most in tents although we did see 2 small travel trailers. There are no hookups that I saw, and water was provided at communal spigots. If you want to camp there, be prepared to rough it a bit. I also did not see any showers, and the restrooms we used were composting. I do not believe trailer dump stations are available, either.

This photo was taken near the HQ. You can see the Colorado River just beyond the grassy area. It runs along the base of the hills.

A closer view of the river. Notice how still it is.

Park HQ. What a lovely old tree!

I took this shot from a high point along the road about a mile or more from the park HQ. In the very center of the photo is a small gap where the river courses its way through the hilly countryside. Click to enlarge.

After checking out the facilities along the river, we retraced our route back to the Gorman Falls Trailhead near the park entrance. Another composting toilet is located at the trailhead. We put on our hiking gear, grabbed our hiking poles, and headed to the falls.

Gorman Falls Trailhead

Texas cannot boast of many waterfalls, so a trip to see the cascading falls at Colorado Bend State Park is a worthwhile adventure. To get to the falls requires a 3 mile round-trip hike over some rough and rocky trails, and there is a bit of a descent as you approach the falls. The falls themselves are very fragile, so they are off limits to swimming. Actually, the falls are considered a living waterfall, with a buildup of travertine that has taken ages to accumulate. I don't know much about such things, so if you are interested, please investigate online. The pictures you find online will also be much better than mine below.

We had considered hiking a second trail, the Slide Trail, which would take us to an overlook over the Colorado River, but as we neared the end of the Gorman Falls trail, we were just too tired. The trail is hard on your feet, as it is covered with rocks. I think the locals go out at night and sharpen to rocks for all the tourists. My feet would ache for the next couple of days as a result. Much of the trail is in the open sun, so on a hot summer day, it can be a hot hike. In fact, on this particular day, our temps reached into the 90s, so I was glad we got such an early start.

Slide Trail junction. Our trail goes right. Note all the rocks and how open it is.

There are wooded areas along the trail. The rocks are almost always there, though. All the rocks and roots make progress a bit slow.

Near the end of the trail, you can begin to hear the falls perhaps as much as a quarter of a mile before you get there. As you near the falls, you then notice poles embedded in the rock with connecting cables. These cables help on the steep descent. Donna is a bit skittish about steep trails and such, but she did a fine job on this day. I think I married a mountain goat!

Descent along steep trail with cables for assistance.

I can't really describe the falls. They cover a wide area, a cascade really, and the whole area is very shady. As a result, I had difficulty getting good pictures. If I got too close, the spray messed up my lens, so I ended up taking my photos from a ways back. We also spotted a true waterfall higher up the bluff, but it was difficult to view through the plant growth. I would encourage you to go online to get better pictures. It's really a lovely area, and I'm so glad we took the time and effort to visit it.

This was my first glimpse of the cascade. It is in the very center of the picture, framed by the small trees. The contrast of light and shadow makes things hard to see. Notice we are still descending as I snapped this shot.

This is a better picture, and it shows that the falls are really like a grotto, with sheets of water cascading down the rock surface.

This may be my best picture of the falls.

This zoomed-in photo shows the buildup that has occurred over years.

This is the upper part of the falls. I don't know if all if the falls are together, or perhaps more water was running during our visit because of recent rains.

The falls are next to the Colorado River. This photo is looking upriver.

At the end of our visit, we got to climb back up using the cables. It is not that steep of a descent, but it is all rock, so it can be very slippery. Good footholds can be far apart, and Donna had a bit of trouble stretching from one foothold to another.

Photo of another stretch of the cables.

Donna was glad to get away from those cables . . . and so was I!

I enjoyed seeing these yellow flowers  among the cacti and rocks. This is typical of the Hill Country.

The overall hike was not long, but it did wear us out. Back at the car, we changed into clean clothes and were delighted to get the A/C going.

We left the park and headed home, passing first through San Saba and then Brady. We stopped at a Mexican restaurant in Brady and had a late lunch (it wasn't very good, but I don't think we've ever had a good meal in Brady), then continued on home, arriving about 4 or 5.

We really enjoyed our trip, and are already planning our next venture.

A Little Shopping, a Little Olive Oil, and a Little Beer

On Monday, we rose early and checked out of the hotel in New Braunfels by 8:00. No breakfast is provided at the hotel, so we drove up I-35 to San Marcos and stopped at a McDonald's across from the outlet malls. Any time we are in the area, we like to spend a little time at the 2 large outlet malls in San Marcos.

We always start at Tanger Outlet Mall because the stores there open at 9:00 AM. We split up, each going to the stores we enjoy. I visited the Haggar store. I like clothes shopping at outlet centers because they tend to carry sizes regular retail stores do not. I prefer pants with 31 inch inseams, and it is extremely difficult to find odd sizes such as this in most retail stores; most carry only even number lengths. So, I stopped in and purchased some slacks.

After an hour or so, we moved north to San Marcos Premium Outlets, where Donna can spend hours at the Vanity Fair store. I went in briefly and picked up a couple of shirts, then sat outside and read a book while Donna finished her shopping. It was a beautiful morning, and I enjoyed relaxing and watching the people come and go.

These two outlet malls have done well over time. Most outlet malls today are really suffering. We sometimes stop in at the malls in Hillsboro and Conroe, and both of those centers have more empty stores than they do operating ones. I did not see any empty buildings at the malls in San Marcos.

After shopping, we picked up Highway 12 and headed west out of San Marcos. At Wimberley, we stopped for gas at the local H.E.B., then continued to Dripping Springs. What once was just a spot in the road is now a busy community, with major retail businesses of all sorts, from Home Depot to H.E.B. to Walgreens. The little Hill Country towns we once loved so much are no more.

At Dripping Springs, we headed west on US 290 for about 5 miles or so, then turned north on Bell Springs Road. We followed this 4 mile stretch -- which was lined with house after house on small acreages -- to Fitzhugh Road, where we turned east for half a mile to the Texas Hill Country Olive Company. We did a bit of shopping in the store -- where we purchased a bottle of their garlic infused olive oil for dipping purposes -- then walked through the olive trees. Tours are available on the weekends. There is also a bistro on site where you can enjoy some interesting meals if you like.

Texas Hill Country Olive Company

Tasting counter, where you can sample the oils before buying.

Products for sale on left, counter center, and bistro in background.

Donna making a purchase. 

The olive trees

Donna among the olive trees.

Close up of an olive tree.

Back on Fitzhugh, we headed due west. This is a small country lane, and the speed limit was pretty low, so we took our time and enjoyed the beautiful countryside. Soon we came to the entrance to Pedernales River State Park -- a place Donna and I have hiked a few times in the past -- and at this point the road upgraded. A few short miles later and we were in Johnson City.

Blue bonnets at entrance to Pedernales Falls State Park.

Lovely stand of blue bonnets

At Johnson City, we turned north on US 281, crossed the Pedernales River, and headed to Marble Falls, our destination for the night. Upon arriving in Marble Falls, we went to the Blue Bonnet Cafe for a late lunch. The Blue Bonnet is something of a legend in these parts, and I've wanted to stop for a long time. They are especially known for their burgers, breakfasts, and pies. Although we arrived around 2:00 PM, there was still a line, and we had to wait about 15 minutes or so to be seated. Donna and I are always looking for a good burger, so that is what we ordered. The burgers were good, I thought, but nothing special. Donna agreed. We've had better, but we've certainly had worse. Oh well, another item crossed off our bucket list.

We checked into the Hampton Inn on Lake Marble Falls for the night. It is a beautiful setting on the north bank of the Colorado River/Lake Marble Falls. Right next door is a Chili's Grill and Bar, and Donna and I took advantage of their happy hour prices. We sat out on their balcony overlooking the lake for awhile, then eventually moved inside to enjoy the air conditioning on what had become a very hot day.

View of Lake Marble Falls from our room

Donna enjoying the view and the beer at Chili's balcony bar. That is the US 281 bridge in the background.

Hotel pool, with part of hot tub visible at bottom. Lake is on right. Chili's is in background.

Lake Marble Falls, looking upriver

I'm not very good at this selfie thing, but here are the old folks by the hotel pool overlooking the river/lake.

It was a pretty full day for us, but an enjoyable one.