We've been enjoying driving through the back roads between Houston and Austin looking for wildflower displays.  Eagle Lake is a small town east of Houston that is srrounded by rice fields and is home to the largest privately owned lake in Texas.  Eagle Lake is also known as the "Goose Hunting Capital of Texas." The striking red door on this building just north of the town caught my eye.
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Eagle Lake, Texas
This field of poppies frames a stand of pine trees near Smithville.
The warm late afternoon sun was perfect to photograph these minature horses near Columbus. 
If I were a horse, I bet bluebonnets would taste great. 
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I've included a few pictures in this post from our trip to Austin from Houston, and some others from around Austin.  The challenge to photographing the bluebonnets is to catch them at the peak of their bloom, but before the grasses grow up around them and obscure the flowers. 
The photo above was taken near Smithville, and I think we made our trip just as the bluebonnets were peaking.  The next photo is from a cemetery in Fayetteville.  Many of the markers bear a painted porcelain image of the deceased, and the names on the markers (Bambuch, Knippel, Veselka) would lead you to think that you are visiting an eastern European cemetery.  However, the bluebonnets are a sure sign that you are indeed in Texas. 
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Cemetery in Fayetteville, TX
A favorite activity during wildflower season is to get portraits made while in the bluebonnets (especially of children).  The next picture is of my daughter in one of the bluebonnet-filled hillsides in Austin.  When I was in high school, one of the services we performed as students was to walk the hilsides along the highways and spread bluebonnet seeds.  I'd like to think that some of these plants were descended from those that I had sown. 
The next image is from 2005 of my two older daughters at the same location as in the image above.
For wildflower viewing in Austin, it's hard to beat the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center.  Below is a display of California poppies at the center.
Of course, they have bluebonnets there.  Many, many bluebonnets. 
As we were leaving, some of the visitors were gathered near an archway gazing intently upwards.  We asked what there was to see, and they pointed out an owl that was nesting in the stonework.  Can you see her in the image below?
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Texas is known for its wildflowers each spring, but after the severe drought last year the prospects were looking dim for the blooms.  However, recent rains coinciding with warmer temperatures ensured the appearance of bluebonnets, poppies, phlox, and other wildflowers.

Yesterday we drove from Houston to Austin but took a meandering route through the back roads in search of wildflower displays.  These are a few pictures from that trip.
 
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Cemetery at St. Roch's Catholic Church in Mentz, TX
I've always thought that I wouldn't want an elaborate and expense grave marker when I die, but I do like the idea of bluebonnets growing over my final resting place.

A bluebonnet bovine feast!
After watching the other cows in this field, I noticed this little guy hiding close to his mom.
After they realized I wasn't a threat, the little one began to frolic in the flowers.  Who wouldn't?
The scent of this field near La Grange in the warm, humid late afternoon was intoxicating.  In the near future, I'll be posting more images from this trip and from around Austin.
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Recently I spent a couple of days in Lubbock on business and managed to find some time to take some photographs.
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Pfluger Fountain and Holden Hall
Memorial Circle is the heart of the Texas Tech campus.  Dedicated in 1948, it honors the contributions of Texas Tech students who served in World War II.  Pfluger Fountain was added in 2002.  Holden Hall can be seen to the right (named after William Curry Holden, the first director of the Museum of Texas Tech University). 
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Clock Tower near Murray Hall
The sun's first rays of morning strike the clock tower near Murray Hall.
The Clock Tower can be viewed through the Square Spiral Arch sculpture near the Experimental Sciences building.  Texas Tech allocates 1% of all new building construction projects towards the acquisition of public art.  Jesús Moroles created this arch in 2002. 
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Mass Communication Building Walkway
More traditional archways are common throughout the Texas Tech campus, which is known for its Spanish Renaissance architecture.  This view of the front of the Mass Communications building is typical of the many covered walkways at Tech.
The architectural style of Texas Tech extends to the surrounding area.  In particular, several churches along Broadway mimic the Spanish Renaissance style.  St. Elizabeth's new sanctuary was completed in 2002 and adheres to the tradition. 
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Memorial Circle at Dawn
The photo above is a panoramic view of the campus taken from the center of Memorial Circle at dawn.  The Administration Building, Chemistry, Geoscience, and Math Buildings, Engineering Key, Holden Hall, and the Human Sciences Building can all be seen in this image. Click on the photo to view it larger. 
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Visiting the giant Christmas tree in Zilker Park is a cherished tradition for me and countless others who have lived in or visited Austin.  As long as I can remember, the city has strung colored lights on the moonlight tower in Zilker Park.  A favorite activity is to stand underneath the tree, look up, and twirl (which induces bouts of severe dizziness). 
The tradition actually started in 1967 when the Mayor Pro Tem Mrs. Emma Long lit the first tree (no, I wasn't around then). 
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One of the iconic images of Austin, TX is the Pennybacker Bridge on Loop 360 over Lake Austin.  The bridge is named after Percy Pennybacker, who pioneered the technology of welded structures and designed bridges for the Texas Highway department.  However, if you refer to this bridge to an Austin native, simply call it the "360 Bridge." 
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The bridge opened for traffic in 1982, and is designed so that no part of it touches the water below.  This aspect of the design is important to the large number of recreational boaters on Lake Austin.  Growing up in Austin, I've been under and over this bridge many times. 
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Combine City 03/27/2011
 
There is something about Amarillo that makes people want to bury vehicles partly in the ground.  Perhaps people are inspired by Stanley Marsh 3's Cadillac Ranch.  Maybe there is some desire to augment the unremarkable landscape.  I'm not sure I understand it, but I'm finding more evidence of this phenomenon.  Someone planted this mower in their front yard.
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There is another example of the buried vehicle art genre southwest of Amarillo on the Claude highway.  A local farmer planted some combines to make "Combine City". 
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The story goes that the farmer had one old worn out combine from his farming operation.  He sold the engine, and then planted the combine carcass in one corner of his field.  Soon, others were donating their old combines to be planted as well.
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There are 12 combines in Combine City now, and the farmer hopes to get one more to make a baker's dozen. 
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If you have an old combine sitting around, consider sending it to Amarillo for planting.  
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Last weekend I wanted to get some pictures of the Amarillo skyline from a closer vantage point.  From this perspective, the Amarillo National Bank Plaza One building dominates, but the Chase Building is actually taller and said to be the tallest building between Dallas and Denver. 
Amarillo National Bank holds the distinction of being managed by four generations of the same family since it was purchased in 1909 by Benjamin Taliaferro Ware.  It is the largest family-owned bank in the nation. 
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Like many other towns in the Texas panhandle, Amarillo also features brick streets in the downtown area.  The city began paving the streets with brick in 1910, and today there are still over 16 miles of brick streets in the city. 
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Lighthouse 03/06/2011
 
The iconic image of Palo Duro Canyon is the Lighthouse formation.  I've photographed it in the past when I was still shooting film, but that was several years ago.  Yesterday the weather was clear and still, and it seemed like a perfect day to make the hike for some photos.  It seems that I had forgotten how long the trail was.  The Lighthouse trail is about 3 miles (one-way), and I thought I had allowed myself enough time to arrive at the formation to capture the dramatic light at sunset.  During previous trips to the Lighthouse I rode my mountain bike.  Carrying the tripod and camera gear, it took me about an hour to make the trek, and I would have liked to have arrived about half an hour earlier. 

During my hike out, as the sun marched relentlessly towards the horizon I passed several groups of hikers returning from the formation.  Near the base of the lighthouse, the last group wished me well.  I made my way up the side of the cliff to set up at the classic vantage point.  Taking a breather, I finished the bottle of water I had brought and went to work.  The image you see is a composite of several taken with a 50mm lens (I really need to get a wider lens) and stitched together in Photoshop.  I was able to make a few series as the light faded fast over the horizon.     
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As I was finishing up, my thoughts turned to the hike back.  I knew that I was going to be making the hike in the dark, so I was prepared with a flashlight.  Making the trek back to the car was tedious and lonely in the dark, but I was motivated by hunger, thirst, and the howling of coyotes in the distance to expedite the journey.  I made it back safely, but the next time I go will be on a bike!
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Grounded 03/05/2011
 
The Amarillo Air Force Base closed in 1968, but over time some of the facilities were repurposed into other uses.  The runways and air terminal are now the Rick Husband International Airport, and the military family housing area is still in use now as civilian housing.  Some of the buildings have been converted into Amarillo College's East Campus.  It appears that the maintenance shop is now used for aircraft repair training. 
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