SkyWatch: Tivola (TX) Sunrise

With snow on the ground and a windchill somewhere down around 0°F/-17°C, I thought a SkyWatch flashback to a warmer time would be appropriate. Jo and I were heading back to Arkansas after visiting our parents on the middle Texas coast. We'd gotten an early start on our trip, but not too early least we arrive in Houston during morning rush hour. We pulled into a roadside park just south of Tivoli, TX so Jo could take several sunrise photos. None of the photos show the swarms of mosquitoes that were trying to carry us off. (BTW: In Texas, Tivoli is pronounced Ty-vole-ah. It is in Refugio County which is usually incorrectly pronounced  Re-fury-oh.)

.

SkyWatch: Tivola (TX) Sunrise

Texas Trip -- Randomly

A few random photos to wrap up our recent trip to the Texas coast.

Roadside bluebonnets, the Texas state flower. (Photo by Jo)

Mom's Amaryllis

I really don't see why Mom didn't plant a redder hibiscus.

We visited a little too late to see the peach blossoms.

Indian Blanket

The bees were abuzzin.

Primrose (Photo by Jo)

Texas Trip -- Randomly

South Texas

Bouganvilla in my folks' yard.

Jo and I are in South Texas near Corpus Christi (Aransas Pass to be exact) visiting my folks and her Mom. We made this quick trip -- if driving for 16 hours can be called a "quick trip" -- because my Mom was released from rehab following a stroke. Most of our time is being spent with relatives, but we've manage to sneak away every once and a while to take a few photos and walk the dogs along the channel that runs from Aransas Pass to Port Aransas and then into the Gulf of Mexico.

Chinaberry Blooms

Chinaberry is a nasty invasive tree that has naturalize throughout the south. This fast-growing tree can form dense thickets that crowd out native vegetation. Chinaberry fruit is poisonous to humans and small mammals. Leaves and roots release compounds that inhibit the germination and growth of other plant species (allelopathy).

As a kid, I did my share in helping the spread of this invasive. Chinaberries are often the projectile of choice of small boys interested in "chunking" something at their friends.

South Texas