It just so happened that the same weekend I planned to participate in the Hill Country Lawn and Garden Show in Burnet, the Hill Country came alive with color, blue and red with a touch of white and yellow, all against the bright lime green of fresh grass and budding mesquite trees. So naturally I had no choice but to take as many pictures of all that seductive color as possible.

And after deleting the shots that weren’t good enough, I still had 239 images left, way too many for one story! This happens every time spring lures me down to the Hill Country. And then I glaze over and have no control. Every mile, every curve presents yet another photo op that I am just sure will be better than the last one. And let’s face it; reality tells me that while I enjoy looking at every one of those 239 images, I suspect after about the first, what, 25?-10? the novelty will wear off for you, the reader, and they will all begin to look about the same since you weren’t there to enjoy them in person. So. At great personal sacrifice, I will make myself choose the ones I think are blog-worthy and share them with you. No mean feat, I assure you.

For me it was quite an adventure, as I threw caution to the wind, which was in full force the whole time I was down there, and ventured down some roads new to me. I will tell you that on my wanderings the best cover of bluebonnets, Indian paintbrushes, and in some places yellow flowers that I couldn’t identify, were on Hwy. 29 between Llano and Fuzzy’s Corner, Hwy 71 between Llano and the Hwy 281 connection, Hwy. 281 between Marble Falls and Burnet, side roads of Kingsland and down to what’s referred to as the slab-ask for directions. On the way home I was pleasantly surprised to find great patches of bluebonnets on Hwy 16 from Llano to the San Saba county line. The much-traveled Willow City loop was rife with neon-green mesquite trees, but very few bluebonnets. The Cypress Mill road was an interesting drive but, again, few flowers. Trash trees they may be, but the mesquite trees were beautiful everywhere. In fact, I probably took as many pictures of them, and some fresh oak trees, as I did flowers. The candles on the big Spanish dagger yuccas had already faded, and the bear grass-type yuccas had not bloomed yet. I hope this information helps you on your travels during the flower explosion this year and perhaps future years. Rain at the right time of the year is always a factor, too. You will just have to fill the car with gas and have faith your timing is right.

This is still too many pictures, but here we go.

For you city folks who may not be familiar, this is a cattle guard, a device used to keep cattle from wandering from their pasture into someone else’s pasture, eliminating the need for a gate, therefore keeping the traveler from having to stop and open and close said gate, which is a pain unless you have someone riding shotgun whose job it is to get in and out of the vehicle to open and close that gate. I went over numerous cattle guards on the Willow City loop and the Cypress Mill road.

And after all those flowers and hills, I could tell I was just about home when this became the landscape. I think this is why they named the town Levelland.

And I knew I was almost home when the center pivot became the photo op.

Great trip, but it’s always good to be home again. And now I can watch my own bluebonnets as they open, which they are beginning to do.

Another flower photo op. Oh my.