Seeing What's Right Below the Surface...Padre Island Fish

Watching the Waves Come In...Padre Island

Just an early morning moment...can you feel the cool water lapping over your toes? It's only 78 degrees, and there is a very slight breeze ruffling your hair. No one is around, but it is not quiet because the waves are cresting in irregular rows, crashing before they reach your feet, then running up the sandy shore and stopping right at your feet.

If you are a fan of early mornings, then this moment is for you. If you prefer to sleep late and get up when the sun is hot and the beach is crowed, that's ok, too. To each his own!

Footprints in the Sand at Padre Island

This scene reminds me of the poem "Footprints in the Sand" a little bit. The poet writes about walking along the beach with Jesus. He sees two sets of footprints in the sand as they go through life together, but when the times are really hard, there is only one set of footprints. Confused, and thinking that he is left alone during the hard times, he questions Jesus about the one set of footprints. Jesus replies that when there was just one set of footprints, Jesus was carrying the poet.

Sometimes, we think that we have to walk alone through the difficult days, the days when our heart feels like breaking, when we don't know how we will make it. Jesus is right there beside us, ready and willing to carry us. All we have to do is put our  hand in his and he will take care of us.

Padre Island Sunrise

Texas has some very lovely beaches. My favorite is on the northern shore of Padre Island. Here is  a view of the beach right after the sun rose. The beach is quiet and cool, very different from later in the day, when the sun beats down and heats the sand, when families play and workers perform their maintenance. Sunrise is better than sunset, for the sun sets  behind the sand dunes instead of the sea-green waves. If you don't mind getting out of bed and driving for hours in the dark, you will be rewarded, I promise!

Portraits with a Distinctive Texas Style

How would you like to have custom portraits of the ones you love with a very distinctive Texas style at a very affordable price? Sometimes, you do not have to have every line and wrinkle, and all your gray hair highlighted in a harsh flash. Sunset photography is a very flattering way to have portraits done which reveal your character and charm in a very unusual way. So, if you live around Seguin, and would be interested, I would love to hear from you.

Rusty Old Toys Dump Truck and Tow Truck

There was a gentleman who held a garage sale, or more accurately a "side-of-the-road" sale when Richard and I helped with the David's Ride Bicycle Ride a couple of weeks ago. During the slow period, when we were still waiting for the first rider to show up, mom walked over to the other side of the country store's parking lot, at the edge of the road, to check out the wares of this gentleman. She came back and told me that there were some great vintage items, and she suggested I go take a look at them.

As soon as I saw his vintage toy trucks, I knew I wanted to photograph them. I love the way the rusty metal photographs. The colors and texture are awesome. So, I asked him if I could move them a little, and he graciously agreed. This is his old toy dump truck.

He also had a old toy tow truck, which I fell in love with.

There was a white price tag tied onto the tow hook, and no matter how I positioned the truck, it was visible. The gentleman selling the truck not only let me play with his toys, he took the price tags off while I took the photos. Aren't these toys great?

No, It's Not Snow and It's Not Raining...The Cardinal Takes a Bath

I have noticed that when the sprinkler sits where the spray hits the branches of a bush or tree, the birds gather for a shower session. This juvenile male cardinal was a little shy, so I could not get as close as I would have liked to watch him clean himself. When I moved up closer, he would fly away, only to return as I backed off.

When I left him alone to take care of  his grooming, he would fluff his feathers, ruffle them, peck and pull at them as he sat in the spray of water hitting the branches.

When he finally felt clean enough, he found a branch in the sunshine to perch on. There he sat, with ruffled and mussed feathers. I assume he finally let his feathers settle, though I did not wait around while he dried.

Big-Eye Beetle Discovery

There are a bazillion kinds of beetles in the world. Having said that, I think I have discovered a new type of beetle. I am calling it the Big-Eye beetle. After spending quite a bit of time (maybe five whole minutes) searching sites on the internet, which we all know is the ultimate research tool, and not finding any beetle resembling this guy, I conclude it is probably a newly discovered species.  (Please note my disclaimer...I did say "probably".) Oh well, enough with the scientific talk. Let's take a look at the bug that caught my eye, this Big-Eye Beetle!

He was walking on my concrete porch step and I stepped over him as I came out the door. Of course, I was not satisfied photographing him on the ugly concrete step, so I went back into the house and got a pair of tongs out of the kitchen. Then, I picked him up and put him on a more attractive rock in my garden.

That's when he decided to pretend to be an ornamental garden decoration instead of a bug. He pulled his antennae underneath him, hid all his legs and he just lay there, his big "eyes" staring at me blankly. He wasn't much fun, and there are only so many photos you can take of an very still decoration. 

That's when I just took my camera and left him all alone. I went back several times in the next few minutes and looked at him, but he still hadn't moved. Not a muscle, not a twitch. 

Finally, after he thought he had gotten all he could out of his disguise, and after I left him alone long enough, he popped his antennae back in place, stretched out his legs and began to move.

I watched him crawl to the edge of the pretty rock where I had placed him. He looked over the edge, and calmly crawled down the side, back to the dirt below. Now you know how I spend my time when I am really bored, and you know how little it takes to grab my attention. All it takes is one bug. Good grief!

A Familiar Anole Reappears on My Fence

Greetings to all my regular readers...

Several weeks ago, I introduced you to the little green anole, or lizard which lives in my garden and loves to sit on the vintage fence next to the water hose. Yesterday, he spent quite a while going back and forth on the old silver top bar of the fence, hoping to attract some foolish bug to get close enough to become his lunch.  

Sometimes, it is nice to revisit old friends and see how they are doing. 

This fella has mastered the art of getting noticed. He pumps air into his dewlap, and a bright pink bubble appears under his chin.

After he stared at me for a while, he finally moved on and climbed up a decorative garden ornament, and I went back into the house.

As I was writing this post, I thought about all the readers who regularly visit my blog. There are friends and family, of course, but there are also a lot of anonymous readers who live all over the world. The list of countries that my readership is made up of is enormous. I would love to hear from you! There is a spot at the bottom of the post for you to leave a comment, so why don't you take just a moment and say hello...

Also, there is a place to join as a Friend of this blog. You can find it to the right of the post. It's not hard to become a friend, and I would love to be able to thank you for your visits.

Thanks to each of you who visits Wild About Texas, and may God bless you!
Nancy

David's Ride

Today was the 6th Annual David's Ride event, a bike ride to honor David Eikenburg, a local Seguin pastor who was killed while riding his bicycle on July 11, 2005. His wife and daughters, along with his church and many wonderful volunteers host a 25, 40 70 and 100 mile bike ride. The monies raised support Camp Agape, a christian bereavement camp for children. 

Several folks from my church hosted rest stop #5 for the cyclists. We served peanut butter sandwiches and pickle juice, along with bananas, oranges, pretzels, and animal crackers to 130 riders. Some were riding the 70 mile route, and some rode an extra 30 miles to complete a 100 mile circuit.

This is the fine crew that volunteered to take care of the riders who made it out to the sand hills.

The riders left McQueeney Baptist Church in McQueeney, Texas at 7 am and they headed to Kingsbury, then turned and came south to our location, then headed either out toward Elm Creek road, over to FM 775, then back across I-10 to McQueeney, or they headed further south to La Vernia, then back to FM 775 and back to McQueeney.

We arrived at the General Store at 8 am to set up, then sat and waited for the first rider. Although there was no prize, we did have a contest to pick the time the first rider would reach our station. I guessed 9:13 am, but was way off. The first rider did not appear until about 9:45, but he was not alone. There were 17 riders in the first group.

After they left, riders continued to arrive in groups or in pairs until the final rider arrived around noon.

We met Randy and Bonnie, who told us about Camp Agape, and the children who they have met. The stories were both heartbreaking and inspiring. David's Ride honors a fine man who loved bicycle riding, and it benefits children who have suffered the death of a family member.

Fourth of July....All About Parade Royalty

In small towns and large, and in civic organizations all across America, pageants are held during the year to elect royalty. Kings and Queens, Dukes and Duchesses, Little Misses and scores of other titles are handed out to outstanding young people, who then represent their organization or town during the year of their reign. 

Seguin's Fourth of July parade is always well-represented by these royal personages. Each beautiful young woman beams as she wears her gown and her tiara, each young man stands with pride as he escorts and rules his kingdom. 

Here are several royal personages who caught my eye. 

What a smile! This young woman radiates charm and royal poise as she smile for the camera.

 

Look at this charming young prince, complete with gold trimming and jewels. His hat is adorable, though it might be slightly large for him.

There is an unbelievable amount of work that goes on to create the costumes that the royalty wears. I have included a couple of close-ups of this royal couple's costumes so you can get a good look at how much detailed beading and sewing someone had to do.

These three royals were trying to stay cool when I came upon them. Their skirts were hiked up and they were holding their long hair off their necks. Yet, when I asked to take their photos, they were so accommodating, lowering their skirts and letting down their hair. I hope they were wearing lots of sunblock.

Some queens and princesses don't get to stand on a float. They ride their horses in the parade. They are rodeo queens. The one on the left is Miss Round-Up.

This young couple may or may not be romantically linked, it doesn't matter. With scads of delicate pink roses bejeweled with silver, they reek of romance, reminding all us older folks of the sweetness of youth and young love.

How often does a young woman get to wear such a glittering tiara? Not often enough, if you ask me!

Luling, a small town about 25 miles northeast of Seguin, hosts a watermelon festival every year. Here is their Watermelon Queen.

You don't have to be grown up to be a royal personage. Many towns and organizations also have little princesses and princes, such as these two from the town of Floresville, which is famed for their peanut festival.

I can only imagine the amount of time and work that goes into making the floats and costumes for these royal personages. I do not know how many times the young kings and queens wear their full regalia. I am just glad they come to Seguin and take part in our small town parade. I love the parade royalty.

Fourth of July....About People

Parades are more than floats and marching bands. They are also people...the folks dressed in red, white and blue on bikes, in their vintage cars, dressed as clowns, with their families, all having a wonderful time. Here are some of my favorite people of this year's Fourth of July parade.

This young lady's eyes sparkled more than the stars on her headband as she waited for the parade to begin.

What a great pair...can you tell that she loves her dog?

As this clown walked up and down the sidelines, I knew he must  be soooo hot. Yet, he smiled and entertained the children with a spring in his step.

Every year, the local steel mill has a patriotic float entered in the parade. I don't know about you, but my heart just sings when I see the backbone of our country, men strong and true, standing with pride as they wear their matching red,white and blue shirts.

Now, these four young men caught my eye as they walked in front of me. I don't know if you can tell or not, but the gentleman on the far left is pumping his arms up and down in time to some hidden rhythm, his eyes closed at times, and his head going back and forth. He might have had an earbud pounding music into his ear, though I did not see one.

Then there is the very politically incorrect, but very southern Confederate soldier. In the south, folks have long memories.

Elvis is alive and hiding out in a small town in Texas. Here's proof.

And we cannot forget the tooth brush lady....

Finally, two of my very favorite people in the whole world, my daughter and my grandson. My son-in-law and my granddaughter were also there, but I did not get a single shot of all of them together. They understand....the parade had my total attention.