Meanderings of a Mermaid

Okay so I am sitting here and waiting for movers to arrive. A call has just come in that they will be late; some issue with the truck. Time to think....I had some plans to hole up at my wintery cottage for a few days but..... I may just head back to Texas to start the actual house search! The van is fully loaded with the camping gear. And there are a few homes I've spotted over the web that want me to come visit. We are all ready to go. Camping gear, me dogs....more adventures. We could be seeing scenes like this in a week again. Maybe wetting a line myself. After trout. My predilection to stop and look at everything means that the journey isn't too rushed. Lots of inviting wayside stops where I can stretch my long legs, rest and work on my income taxes! (only critical thing for April) This was the route I took entering Texas the first time. I zoomed in through Wichita Falls. It was a nice way to go. Better than the interstates around Dallas and Fort Worth. Okay Folks. It...

First of all, each day I was greeted by a myriad of songbirds. This is in March. How wonderful. Early evening brought out the doves and the rummaging armadillos. At night I could hear coyotes communicating across valleys. The wind rustling through the leaves spelled out a welcome that I could not mistake. My tires crunched over many gravel roads, caliche packed trails and nicely paved roads. The automatic gears got a bit of a workout on some of the hills. The people of the Hill Country are wonderfully warm and inviting. Each gas station attendant and waitress was proud of his or her community. Many introduced themselves and shook my hand. I feel very welcome to come and make it my home. Each and every day, from each roadside I could hear that this land will be a good fit for me.

Roaming the Canyon Lake area: I could smell the nice leather interior. I could say something about the raw dirt smells and the age old fumes from the fossils in that cliff. But,... ah.... it was the leather at that moment. And maybe a fragrance of wine..........I wasn't roughing it all the time! No. Some folks riding through Lake Somerville State Park. Polo cologne, or is it Stetson? Glad I didn't run into a live version of this beast. There would've been some smell, to be sure! Around my campsite at Enchanted Rock State Park: I could actually smell when the deer were close at hand or had just left the area. My dogs became accustomed to their close approaches fairly quickly. Good thing. This place is packed with deer. And this gem is lavender. Ahhhh. growing wild in the Blanco area.

Whimper. The photos speak for themselves. (soft sobbing in the background). So a new sport will have to be found. Rattler hunting. Cowboy ' rastling ( mmmmm ). Teaching rich old ladies in Fredricksburg how to cross two stitches to the left. Learning all the new recipes of the new land...

My final days in Texas I camped at Colorado Bend State Park. The river is very low here, following s everal months of drought. Right after this photo was taken it began to pour rain and thunder for my final three days. Camping in THAT was fun. Okay, not so fun for dogs that hate thunder. Resourceful ranchers know how to keep the oats coming up! This doll is Sigi in amongst the Indian Paintbrush. Too bad I left before I could see the new flush of flowers and growth after the few days of rain. Prickly pear cactus (I think). It is ubiquitous. Yesterday a flip flop fell out of my van and into the snow and stuck to the sole are several cockle burrs. Little nasty balls of spikes. They are picked up on human and dog paws and cause the dogs to walk on three legs. Oh, and I saw a flattened road-killed snake one day. Pretty red, black and ivory. After that I flipped through a poisonous snakes of Texas book and saw that it could've been any of a large variety of nasty beasts. I clearly...

Who can deny me this?? Gorgeous. Wiggly roads. Hilly. Beauty all around. This is towards the west side of the area I scoped out, around Medina. This scene is from the Willow City Loop. Also known locally as the Devil's Kitchen, the Dungeon and Hell's Half Acre. All these names came from the fact that many bandits hid out in this valley due to it's ruggedness and remoteness. If I could snap my fingers, this is the road I would live on. Nasty, sneaky evil armadillos (okay not really). And a little hard to photogragh. Believe you me. I have closer shots. Mostly of their butts, if you're into that sort of thing! Breathtaking. That's all. Could this be my future retirement home??

A Heidi Moment if there ever was one. Here we are at Washington-On-The-Brazos. This is the place to come and learn about Texas Independence and all the brave people who fought for it! Sigi is beside me and then Tika . The flowers are the State Flower - Bluebonnets. Just out in time for me that day! Texas. Come and Take It. The war slogan.. The accomodations were royal. At times I was able to vastly improve on this! Thanks friends. Texans are extremely kind and generous. The most picturesque town in the hill country just has to be Fredriksburg. Strong German settler influence. Oh here I am At Luckenbach. See D... proof I made it to the Shrine... Everyone is Someone at Luckenbach. Could this be my future retirement home?????