Looking at Fulton Harbor with Landlubber's Eyes

After spending a day at our cabin on the bay, I left Richard fishing off the dock and I drove into Rockport. I ended up at Fulton Harbor, so I parked my truck, grabbed my camera, and started walking next along the pier. I am almost totally ignorant of boats and fishing, but I love being around the fishing boats and the harbor. With that confession, I will just show you some of the photos I took, without much explanation.

A lot of the boats are shrimpers, which explains the name of this boat...Shrimp Cocktail.

However, I did not realize that until I asked this man if he was getting ready to go fishing. "Shrimping," was his one-word answer. Duh. Everyone knows that the Gulf coast is famous for it's shrimp industry.

This gentleman was out walking his dog, who had been cooped up on one of the boats during the night. I should have asked him which boat was his, but I missed my opportunity, and he walked on.

The HEB Lodge at Rockport Invaded by Wooly Worms

Richard works for a family owned grocery chain located in Texas called H.E.B., named after the founder, Herbert E. Butt. Founded in 1905 with a single one-room store run by Mrs. Butt, the company now has over 400 stores across Texas. 

H.E.B. owns two vacation lodges for its partners (employees) to use. One is in the Texas hill country, called the Kerrville Lodge, and the other is in Rockport at the coast. Twice a year, employees are allowed to stay at the lodges without cost. We have never been to the Kerrville Lodge, but we have visited the Rockport Lodge several times. 

 This is the large cabana next to the beach which used to have several ping pong tables for the campers' use. Now, it is locked up. We can see it, and the bay from the porch of Cabin #1, the only cabin we have ever stayed in. We always ask for Cabin #1 because it is the closest to the water.

Here is our cabin. It sleeps six easily. We love the screened porch which covers the whole length of the cabin. That is where we spend almost all our time when we are indoors. Do you see the little tree next to the bush with the red flowers? We found a momma cardinal nesting there. I will post pictures another time of the nest and the four speckled cardinal eggs she was tending.

Sadly, the days were very hazy while we were in Rockport. There were no beautiful sunrises or sunsets like we had on our last trip. There were no fluffy white clouds or deep blue skies. Mostly, the sky and the water were just greyish...

That did not stop me from taking pictures, though. It just made me work a little harder to get some interesting or beautiful shots. 

The main problem we encountered was not a lack of sunlight. It was dealing with the infestation of wooly caterpillars. They were on all the screens of the cabin, on the floor of the porch, falling from the ceiling, and climbing on everything on the porch. They were mostly confined to the porch, so we did not have to deal with them in the bedroom or kitchen (except for one or two of them), so we did stay in the cabin, but after a couple of days, we had had enough, and we headed home early. Now we know that early April is not a good time to visit the H.E.B. Rockport Lodge.

 They look vicious, but they do not sting. They do squish, though, when you step on them.Here is a picture of three of them on the back of one of the chairs, so you can get some idea of the size of the worms.

Buying Some of the Best Produce Straight From the Rio Grand Valley

On Monday, Richard and I left Seguin and travelled about 150 miles south to visit Rockport, a small town on the Texas coast. When we were almost at our destination, we spied a roadside stand that had fruit and vegetables for sale, so we stopped to check out the produce. 

Everyone in Texas knows that the very best produce comes from the fertile Rio Grand Region,  which Texans just call "The Valley". So, I was not surprised when the lady selling the produce told me that the produce, all the tomatoes, oranges, lemons, pineapples, mangos, watermelons, sweet onions, peppers, sweet potatoes and little red potatoes came straight from the valley.

Don't they look wonderful?

I asked this smiling lady if she lived in the valley. She told me that she actually lives in Rockport. She drives down to McAllen and Alamo to pick up the produce and she brings it back to sell on the side of the road.

We picked out some onions, tomatoes and squash. Each tin bucket was filled with $3 worth of produce. So, we spent $9. Then, for dinner, I cooked the squash, sliced the tomato, and used the onion to make fried onions and potatoes. Everything was delicious.

On our way back to Seguin, today, we looked for the lady with her produce stand. Unfortunately, she was not there when we got to the same spot. If you get a chance to buy some fruit or veggies from the Texas Valley, do it!

The Dangerous Bastard Cabbage

For all my readers who live in the Seguin area, I have a question. Have you noticed how many fields and roadsides are absolutely covered with this billowy, tall, bushy yellow flower?

It is called the bastard cabbage (Rapistrum rugosum). I don't remember seeing such a profusion of this particular wildflower, but I have enjoyed taking pictures of it. I love the simplicity of the lemon yellow flowers with their spindly and nubby green stalks against the blue, blue sky. In order to get this type of shot, I literally have to lay on the ground on my belly and set the camera on the dirt and point it upwards just right. 

If I just kneel, as I did for the two next pictures, and if I get pretty close to the blooms, I can get them in sharp focus, and get a very blurred, Monet type of backdrop of bluebonnets or bluebonnets mixed with Indian paintbrushes.

What I did not realize, until I did a little research to identify the wildflower, is that it is so invasive a species that it is crowding out almost all other wildflowers. If it is not brought under some sort of control, it will crowd out all our precious bluebonnets in the near future. Evidence of it's success in overtaking its habitat is the numerous fields in the area that are blanketed in a thick cover of the plant.

It seems it's nickname of bastard cabbage is very appropriate.

A Whole Field of Wildflowers For A Backyard

Yesterday, I took my young future photographer on a trip to look for wildflowers. We drove west of Seguin down Farm Road 467 and stopped when we spotted this yard. This house is located on the corner of FM 467 and a much smaller back road, so we pulled off the highway and parked on the side of the road. If you look very closely, you can see an old bicycle leaning against the side of the house, and a plastic white lawn chair in the yard.

We took several pictures and then we walked along the perimeter barb wire fence and took in the glory of several acres of Indian paintbrushes and some yellow wildflowers covering the field.

I can tell that the wildflower season is winding down, as far as photography opportunities go, because people are beginning to mow along the sides of the road, now. Also, we went to a rural church which has a 90 year old four-room school house on it's property, and they had also mowed their field.

Nonetheless, I will still try to go on a few more wildflower outings before they are all gone.

Beautiful Mystery Flower Stumps Photographer

Generally, when I decide to post photos of a flower, I do some research first. I identify the flower and learn a little about it, and share some of what I find with my readers. This little beauty has evaded all attempts to discover it's name.

I found it in a field of many different kinds of grasses and wildflowers, just south of Seguin, Texas.

It is only a few inches tall, and easily missed in a field of wildflowers because it is so tiny. If anyone recognizes it, please share what you know about it in the comment field. It would be greatly appreciated.

Storm Clouds Roll In

The Texas wildflower season is hit and miss for a photographer. A couple of years ago, it was pretty good. Last year, due to the drought, there were no flowers at all. This year, we have had lots of rain, and the flowers are incredible, but there are way too many days that are overcast or too cloudy for good light. So, this past week I have gotten out every chance I can get, to take my fill of flower shots before the blooms begin to wilt and die.

Today, Richard and I have a young friend visiting us, and I took him with me after I picked him up from school. I gave him a spare camera and we headed out to the same spot I have gone to many times. It is the field in front of some friends' home. There is a wonderfully rusty long, long shed that makes a fantastic background for the flower pictures.

As we drove in the direction of the field, we could see dark grey storm clouds moving in a line toward us, and by the time we reached our destination, the clouds were almost overhead.
With no other option other than returning home, we got out our cameras and began to film. Here are my two favorite shots.

I loved the clouds and the light was incredible.