St. Patrick's Weekend Walk

On Sunday we walked in the woods again....

The yellow watermark line is made from the yellow pine tree pollen that is coating everything in our area right now. Cars look as though someone has shaken yellowish green flour over their paint jobs, and my window sills are layered in pollen as well. The earlier rainstorm has served to wash some of the pollen away, but it was rebuilding rapidly throughout the morning.

I had never seen this delicate flowering tree before.

Nor the violets in bloom aside the trails. Notice the yellowish pollen dusting the violet's leaves.

Overhead a vine was dropping these golden jewels. They were scattered everywhere throughout the forest, yet I could not see them flowering in the tree tops.

Bernie used the raised pier area to do some stretches and yoga poses. This is the area that Laura and I named "Dead Bird Point" the first time we walked it; this walk was the first time Bernie has been able to walk far enough to go to the point.

The wind was really strong and caused waves to form on the lake. Usually the lake is like a pond with little motion upon the silted waters.

Along the water edge cypress knees created sculptural forms. This looked like a three people, and the sweet gum seed pod caught between the couple some how suggested a baby to me, or maybe an offering being presented to a king upon a bended knee.

I love how the shapes are all different.

I would name this shot: "The Exodus of Cypress Knee People."

Bernie and Laura walked pretty briskly and got ahead of me while I stopped to take pictures.



The golden yellow flowers that had dropped from the vine...scattered like treasures or Easter eggs!

Doesn't the red part of the flower look spray painted on? The tubular flower's red back side mimics the shape of the petals as it sharply transitions back to yellow.

The white flowers along side the path are berry blossoms. Looks like we'll have a good berry crop in a few months...

The lavender colored scurfy pea is just starting to bloom in the fields.



It was so sweet to watch Laura and Bernie chatting together as they walked.

Once out of the forest and meadow we re-entered the neighborhood. Our neighbor's orange and lemon trees were in abundant bloom!

The fragrance was divine.

Another neighbor had planted Bluebonnets, and they are now in bloom. Texas has several kinds of bluebonnets; these are not the same kind that will fill our meadows and fields in a few weeks.

The cardinals and mockingbirds were in full song as we walked, and this male cardinal was an especially vocal bird. I'm glad he sounded off so I did not miss seeing how beautiful he was perched in the midst of the blossoming Bradford pear tree.

You can't miss the cardinal's call: Pretty bird...cheer, cheer cheer

The first day of December I posted a picture of this tree in red autumnal splendor. Now the tree has dropped it's leaves, and blossomed. The final peek of slanted rooftop in the distance is our house.

The tree as it was when photographed December 1, 2008.

Back home, the pollen has caked and dried on our walkway, and dusted the moss growing between the bricks.

Thankfully few people are allergic to this large spore pollen, but it is certainly an unwelcome seasonal outpouring.

I'm waiting until it is all over before washing my car again!