7 posts tagged “south texas”

Some autumn afternoon light experiments in backlit photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8135007@N03/sets/72157608182373926/

Big tree down right behind the church hall...  Thankfully, it fell the other way and didn't crush our hall or damage the church next to us!  More photos to come.

It was a grueling day and a long, howling night, but finally, Hurricane Dolly has said goodbye to us. Our electricity just came back on a bit ago. Thank God, everyone we've talked to so far from our Parish and in our neighborhood are okay. We had many downed branches and trees and bushes, lots and lots of both vertical and horizontal water, but other than that, we're all fine. Thanks be to God for all things!

More photos in a Flickr set at: Hello Hurricane Dolly

Or:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/8135007@N03/sets/72157606353428339/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 This last photo is Not an "entry" for the doorway photo quest, but I wanted to share what this unusual structure which we came across looked like from the outside:

 

 

On Sunday afternoon, I was looking out our back bedroom window at birds which were coming to our feeder and birdbath just outside. I'd pulled out and used our two Texas bird guides and the binaculars. Afterwards, I got called away from my viewing spot at the window. When I returned, our Australian Shepherd, Arrow, and our two cats were all lying there, side by side, and watching the birds outside the window.  It was a wonderful sight! Couldn't resist calling my daughter to take a few photos of our bird watchers in action...

 

I've been sick with a nasty, yucky respirator illness this past week or so... Not done much but cough, and when I had the strength, uploaded some old but nice photos on our Flickr account. If you have a bit, take a look! Some nice ones of Colorado, New Mexico, Mexico and S. Texas.  Enjoy!

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8135007@N03/

 

 

 

 

 

 Hybiscus along our carport driveway.

 

Life in the Semi-Arid Sub-Tropics...

Semi-Arid Sub-Tropics? What does that mean?  It means that much of the time it's dry as a desert. Some of the time it's wet as a rain forest. Most all of the time it's hot. To top it off, we're in the midst of the famed "Hurricane Alley." There are basically two seasons here in the South Texas Borderlands: Summer Major and Summer Minor. Summer Major, well, that lasts from about March through mid-November.  Summer Minor, from mid-November through February. There is no identifiable autumn here, unless one considers days with daytime temperatures in the high 90's to be slightly more bearable than those in the 100's.  Unlike the desert, because their is always high humidity here, it does not normally cool down appreciably in the evening or overnight hours.  It has been hard to discover the 'poetry' of this region. In New Mexico, poems just seemed to dangle off of every rock and sunset. My daughter's say of the pieces I've written while here, "All of mom's poetry is hot."  I do not think they were inferring some figurative expression for something which is wonderfully good or sexy. The poems, like the clime, are literally hot. Below is one example:

 

Caldo Seco

 

Today,

The Rio Valley is mucho calor.

Just a thought could set off sparks,

Could flair up into red wildfires igniting

The arid underbrush

Of our lives.

 

The caldo

Is dry; the day a blazing stove.

We are smoke, hazy blue-grey soup;

Our salt-streaked brains fill with swirling dust

While cactus bone winds stir us with hard, 

Parched spoons.

 

Saturday Morning, 4 June 2005 (Already over 100 F.!)

San Juan, Texas ~ Rio Grande Valley

 

The powers that be have termed this region the "Rio Grande Valley" of South Texas. It is decidedly not a valley. It was never a valley. It is a flood plain; the end of an ancient delta which seeped moisture out into the Gulf of Mexico.  I suppose if one is in business or attempting to sell real estate, saying that one is located in the Rio Grande Valley sounds better than, "Ya'll come on down to the Rio Grande Flood Plain and we'll have a real good time."  Assuming the levees don't break in a hurricane downpour, that is.

The Rio Grande does run through, slow and sulky, as its waters end their long journey into the Gulf at Boca Chico, from their pristine origins in Colorado, where we have several times visited, and then wind their way through the mountains in New Mexico. There is a real Rio Grande Valley. We lived there, before moving here. It is in New Mexico, with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to its East and the Jemez Mountains to the West, and the cottonwood lined and sparkling Rio Grande meandering its way through that valley.  But, that is not here. On the up-side, one never has to shovel snow here... and, there are some beautiful plants which grow in this unique region. And, for birders, it is a paradise. More species of birds live or travel through here than most anyplace on the entire earth. Same is true of butterflies. So, I guess I must be content; get over it and get a life! Although I would dearly love to see a mountain sunrise out my front windows everyday, as we did in New Mexico, this is where we are now planted. I guess the highway overpass will just have to do... as well as an occasional trip back to Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and other places of the heart...

Now that I've thoroughly digressed, here are a few photos of some beauties from our yard which I wanted to share:

 

 

 One of the several night blooming beauties which we have in our yard. It is spectacular when we wake to many white blossoms, just closing up in the morning sun.

 

 

 

 

 

Bloom on one of the native small trees.

 

Banana blossom, in our front yard. Yes, one can grow papaya, lemons, oranges, grapefruits and such. Although, some years they can be damaged by the few days of cool we sometimes get here in 'winter.'

 

 

We have GIANT tree of this species of cacti - the hummingbirds and butterflies absolutely love its blossoms.

 

 

Another of the native night blooming beauaties!

 

A rose and a night bloomer living side by side...