Don's Bug Barn

Last month on one of my "days off" I took a short road trip to Athens, Texas, to visit the East Texas Arboretum.  I didn't find too many worth photography opportunities on that trip but on my way home I came to a screeching half just east of Athens when I passed something called Don's Bug Barn.  In a rather large salvage yard resided well over 100 VW "Bugs" in varying stages of rust.  They were behind a locked cattle gate so all I could do was take pictures over and through the fence.  I would have loved to have gone through the gate for a few rusty closeups but I thought Don might have been in one of the buildings on the property with a rusty old shotgun so I just snapped a few pics, jumped back in Truck and got the H out of Dodge.

Even in rusty junkyards you can usually find something of beauty.

Hard-Working Mother

This little wren and her mate are busily feeding babies in a nest in our carport. They make innumerable trips from sun up to sun down to keep those babies' tummies full.

Here'e my salute to all the hard-working mothers out there and I wish you all a happy and beautiful Mother's Day.

Peek-a-Boo

This terrapin crawled out of the pond and up a really steep hill to explore our backyard this morning.  When I spotted him I took my time getting the camera and wandering out there because, unlike the other backyard inhabitants, I knew he wouldn't run away before I got there.  But he did do his retreating into the shell trick as soon as I approached but I was happy to see that my camera caught his eyes and nose.  The minute I left, he very hurriedly scurried off - much faster than I would have imagined.

Indian Paintbrush and Bluebonnets

Our bluebonnets are going to seed and are slowly disappearing amongst the tall grass, but the brilliant Indian paintbrush are still in full blown.  Several of the comments on the bluebonnets post two days ago mentioned that the photo looked like a painting, and more specifically some likened it to a Monet watercolor.  That was the intent in the photo processing because all that detail in one little photo doesn't come across too well.  I used a Topaz Adjust filter called Venice in one of the preset categories to achieve that look.  I find it works quite nicely in photos that might otherwise be just too busy to be eye-appealing and also in landscapes to give a "painterly" effect.  I particularly liked the outcome of Venice for this photo.
We Texans have former first lady Lady Bird Johnson to thank for our present awareness and love of native wildflowers.

Rose-Breasted Grosbeak

We have had a very special visitor to our feeders the past few days, a rose-breasted grosbeak.  He is undoubtedly one of the most strikingly colored birds I've ever seen.  A rare one for these parts, he's probably just migrating through from his winter vacation in Central and northern South America and is on his way home to the Midwest, upper New England or southern Canada.  He appears to be traveling solo and tends to feed around midday and late afternoon.   Today was his fifth day here and I'm sure as soon as he's rested and well-fed he will fly away north.  I just hope he remembers where he got some good chow and comes back in the fall.

Texas Bluebonnets

The bluebonnets along our driveway were quite spectacular this year.

Cattle Egret

The cattle egrets have returned to East Texas after spending the winter in warmer climes.  They've already begun plucking insects from our hay meadow.  The buff coloring on the bird pictured is an indication of the breeding season.  A member of the heron family, the cattle egret lives in tropic, subtropic and temperate areas and can usually be found wherever there are herds of cattle.  They love to eat the ticks and lice from the animals and the cattle love their attention.  It's probably like getting a massage from a good masseuse.

Athens City Cemetery

Last week on my "day off" I traveled to Athens, Texas, a city of about 13,000 (it seemed much bigger!) about 70 miles southeast of Dallas to visit the East Texas Arboretum, to eat a great BBQ rib lunch at Applebee's and hopefully to see some Texas bluebonnets (alas, there were few but tons of Indian paintbrush).  I had made a note somewhere in time that there was an angel statuary at the Athens City Cemetery so of course that was another hotspot on my travel map.

It didn't take long to spot this dynamic duo in the center of the historic cemetery which is only a few blocks from the courthouse square (oh, btw, my courthouse photos were poor because the number of trees around the Henderson County Courthouse in Athens make it virtually impossible to photograph).

Both these lovely statues are in the Wofford family plot.  The Woffords were obviously a notable family in this area because these are magnificent pieces of art, although I can find little information about them.  Supposedly the seniormost Wofford served in the Civil War and came to Texas shortly thereafter where he was a prominent businessman.  One of his relatives, undoubtedly, was a noted Civil War general but remained in the South after the War.  The first names were different.  There is a small town named for the Woffords about five miles from Athens.

What struck me as unusual about these statues was their cleanliness.  Most cemetery statuary in this area is encrusted with soot and lichen and very few families have the resources to keep the marble as clean as these seem to be.

Cemetery Beauty

The East Texas region is known for its beautiful azaleas and they are finally in full bloom, being almost a month later than usual due to our prolonged winter.

This little cemetery is one of the oldest in Shelby County, Texas.  I often drive by when I'm in Center, just 14 miles away, because it is so lovely.  Located only two blocks from the courthouse square, it has graves that date back before the Civil War.

I had never been here to know about its azaleas.  It literally takes your breath away to see the beauty.  The cemetery is on the grounds of the Methodist Church and obviously has a loving caretaker.  Most of the blooms are a rich pink and white, although there is a smattering of pale pink, brilliant red, lavender, and coral.  The pink ones are my favorites.

Tulips in Texas

East Texas Arboretum

Athens, Texas

The Hummingbirds Have Returned

Cardinal Portraits

This fellow sports a few battle scars

Posing for the camera

Adolescent female

Birds Welcoming Spring

The American Goldfinch dons his yellowest feathers in anticipation of warmer weather.  That golden hue also helps him attract a mate.

Papa Bluebird checks on Mama inside the bluebird house.  Is she building a nest or sitting on eggs or is he bringing food to Mama and babies?

Just checking on things out here, Mama.

Blooms of Spring

In order of appearance

(All photos were taken on our property

with the exception of the dogwoods)

Wild Pear

Grape Hyacinth

Crabapple

Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush

The bluebonnet is the state flower of Texas.

When I returned to Texas in 2010 we had no paintbrushes.  

I made a comment to that effect on this blog 

and who else but TexWisGirl came to my rescue, sending seeds.  

Paintbrush has a reputation of being difficult to grow.  

This spring we have almost as many of these beautiful wildflowers 

as we do bluebonnets.  

Thank you again, dear friend.

                                            Dogwood                                

Pink Dogwood

Bearded Iris