The drive was about 60 miles along Hwy 71 then cutting off on 2233 before turning left towards Kingsland. I have never been there before. It was hard to keep my eyes on the road for the bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush, the first of our spring wildflower show.
Thank heaven for wide verges and for wildflowers which enjoy each others company.
And for ranchers with the true Texas spirit.
I am determined next year to purchase seed of Indian paintbrush. In fact on the way I was daydreaming about scalping our septic field and trying again to establish a wildflower meadow. I need to get rid of all the grasses and weeds that have invaded.
By the time I arrived at the shop it was 6:30pm. We needed to find a place for dinner. David had been busy picking out a couple of places. Here I was thinking Sonic Burger or Dairy Queen. David was thinking Grand Central Cafe at the historic Antlers Inn, a 1901 restored railroad inn. It may have been St Patrick's day and everyone in this town was celebrating with dinner at the Central Cafe. The wait was 45mins. We moved on to his second choice, Doc's Fish Camp and Grill, in Marble Falls where we had a nice catfish dinner with 2 sides. I had garlic potatoes and coleslaw and David had mushrooms and sweet potato fries. It was a great meal and a first for someone who has never had catfish before!
So today, we drove back the same 60 miles to pick up the truck. Camshaft sensor for the second time. Spare part to be carried at all times!
The flowers were as pretty and on the way back I had the chance to stop at a few places. The first was a little country store with hanging plants. I didn't buy any but did by fresh yard eggs and the man gave me a tomato! He told me I'd be back for more!
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| Hot house tomato |
The Spanish bayonet yuccas are in bloom everywhere.
And the granite works in Marble Falls. So nice to have a local source of decomposed and granite gravel.
The two day, 240 mile adventure is over!
Loved the bloom on the yucca. Have a couple here in my yard in Oregon but bloom is much smaller. Photos of wildflowers are wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI can see why you want a wildflower meadow featuring Indian paintbrush! Gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThat shot of the hilly expanse covered in blue and orange (red?) is so wonderful -- makes me happy!
ReplyDeletePaintbrush is a native I cannot seem to get established here though your photos (and the display along MoPac in town) sure make me want to try again. After multiple packets of mixed and then at least one packet of solely that seed sown, my grand total of Paintbrush plants stubbornly remains in the single digits. I never got repeaters. I'm still not sure why they've eluded me but I'll be more than happy to copy your successful approach once you post about it next season.
ReplyDeleteThat's right - I'm playing the long game here.... Such beauty demands nothing less.
The paintbrush just glows against the backdrop of bluebonnets. What a beautiful wildflower! And I just love the painted gate. It's unfortunate you were dealing with vehicle difficulties, but great that some gorgeous scenery was awaiting you!
ReplyDeleteI hope the need to photograph didn't keep your husband waiting. I would have had to stop too often.
ReplyDeleteWow, you people don't mess around when I comes to wildflowers!
ReplyDeletehow beautiful! I'm sure your husband is glad the truck is fixed, but it was a good opportunity to look at those beautiful meadows.
ReplyDeleteThose wildflowers are absolutely stunning!
ReplyDeleteThose wildflowers are stunning!
ReplyDeleteThe Texas hill country in bloom is one of the prettiest sights in the U.S., IMHO. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful photos and what a nice, albeit unexpected, adventure. It sounds like you made the most of it. Let me know how your wildflower seeding of the septic goes. I’ve thought often about doing ours, but am not sure I want the weedy look it will get while waiting for all the seeds to drop. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteLooks like you did make the most of a surprise trip.
ReplyDeleteWe've eaten at Doc's before...pretty good stuff.
Drove down to our daughter's yesterday and was hoping for a Bluebonnet show. Not so many Bluebonnets, but LOTS of Paintbrush. It'll do...
The paintbrush are looking so pretty!!
ReplyDeleteWhere was the store where you bought the eggs?
I'm sorry I don't know the name of the store but it was on W Ranch Road 1431. Our truck was at 4401 and as I drove away it was on the left hand side just a few blocks down towards Marble Falls. They had hanging baskets outside. They sell quilts and fabric handbags as well as Mexican yard art. Hope this helps.
DeleteI enjoyed your telling me this tale during our recent trip to S.A., but it's great to see the pictures, especially of the wildflowers. Very pretty!
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