Finally Friday - Spring in San Saba

Spring Saturday in San Saba, TX.   Hill Country.  Ray and I visited Aunt Pat on solar eclipse weekend.  One chore was a new flag for James' grave and trim up the area.   

Nifty decoration as you look over the land

Ray in hog heaven - using the tractor

Gorgeous sunset

Ray and me with a heart cactus

That's a round-up of spring in San Saba   (look out for snakes - rattlers on the move.  None slithered out on this trip)
 

Whatever Wednesday - Eclipse

Solar Eclipse 2024 in San Saba Texas.   Ray and I went to visit Aunt Pat on Saturday. Did chores and prepped.  Kevin, Maria, and the girls arrived Sunday afternoon.  Fish fry (yummy).  Excitement build-up.  And weather worries.   Monday - 12:15 pm  we all had our glasses, chairs, and chatter

Got cooler.   Clouds flitted by, but weren't completely blocking the moving eclipse.  Wind kicked up. 

Birds quieted

Darker sky 

Eerie.  Pat's solar night lights even turned on.  The kids hushed.  We all stared in awe (with our solar glasses on)

Maria captured this moment.    Magic.  Awestruck.  Astounding. 

Wow!

And then the light switch slowly turned on, clouds cleared, kids started playing again, adults just kept saying "Holy cow, that was so cool."

Aunt Pat gave us notice last year for this "party", and she threw a doozie. 

Won't be around in three hundred years for the next total eclipse.  Very glad to be here for this one. 

Science rules!  
 

Easter Weekend

Happy Easter weekend to one and all.   And for those celebrating Passover - blessing to you too.  

Saturday will be Easter egg hunt day with this crew. They are older now and we'll have to get creative with our hiding. I just hope it's not raining - soggy eggs...that's no fun

Meanwhile, last weekend Ray and I went to visit Aunt Pat and enjoy the bounty of Hill Country wildflowers. 

The bluebonnets were popping

Just a glorious time of year - not too hot, not too cold. Just right for  spring flowers.

Cheers to you and your families in this time of year for  renewal. 
 

Monday Moments from a Thurs/Fri in San Saba

Enjoyed two days in San Saba Texas visiting Aunt Pat (yes - hello - you are famous!)

This is a color photo on an exceptionally bleak day ( Friday)

Creepy tree

okay - so, if we enter....what happens?

Happy sign of spring - cardinals were everywhere.  She is very generous with the bird seed.  Gotta love the spring  hope of color pop

Pat laughed that I was taking this photo.  I mean...truly - this is awesome.  Aging.  Weathering.  Pop art.   c'mon - tell me this isn't awesome. 

Have a  good week everyone!
 

Frivolous Filler Friday

In a normal year, I would be in line at Kohl's with my coupons for Black Friday shopping.  2020 isn't normal, so I'm off to San Saba with Ray for a quick visit to Aunt Pat's . I'll come home Saturday for some time on my own - to read, chill out, and watch some holiday movies on the big screen. 

People who care nothing for their country's stories...are like people without a past - without a memory - they are half people - Alasdair Gray

As I walk, solitary, unattended

Around me I hear that eclat of the world

    Walt Whitman

Sunsets, snakes, San Saba - plenty of stories will be told on Friday night. I hope you and family are enjoying a quiet holiday weekend - staying safe

 And after the turkey feast on Thursday, there's always a Tex-Mex meal Fri, Sat, or Sunday.  Enchiladas, anyone?

Happy Friday

Monday - More Mix of Stuff including San Saba Visit

 

 

We took our walk in the morning (and almost died...sorta)

Whew! 104 - dang hot

Went outside Saturday at  5 pm and encountered this fella on the wall. I was the intruder. He was quite happy hanging out. 

This is Texas Hill Country in August. Cactus, dry, heat, and tough terrain.  Not for the feint of heart. Who settled this land? Who chose this God forsaken place?

Folks who don't want to jack with society...

Just raise cattle, hunt deer, and 

"Leave us alone"

I'm truly a visitor in a foreign land here. Not keen on snakes, heat, and cows. 

It's funny and I can laugh at myself - such a city slicker. Ray's in his element. Aunt Pat is a pioneer woman. 

Damn good cook - we ate well! Believe me. 

Awesome visit and weekend.  Got home Sunday around 1:30.  Threw laundry in, went grocery shopping, and I was in my pool (my element) by 3:30.    All good and I have a vacation day tomorrow - just cuz.... Cheers all as we finish August with a hot gasp.....

Monday Moments - Saturday Sunset in San Saba

Home from our weekend at Aunt Pat's in San Saba.  A delightful weekend - we lucked out.

Well, Ray had to white knuckle drive through some crazy rain on Friday. Traffic was horrible getting out of the DFW area.The 3 hour drive took 4. Ugh for him.  But once there,  we settled in for a good time.

It rained an inch overnight and we awoke to a foggy, cool day. The fog lifted and Ray and Kevin headed to town for errands,  came back, and worked on their deer hunt preps for November.  Meanwhile, Pat and I enjoyed a walk - 5000 steps, baby!  Chat and laughs on the patio. 

Saturday evening was gorgeous. Happy hour, meal, and patio sit for the sunset. Temps and breeze were an aberration for this time of year - 70s?  What? Here are the pics - fabulous.

Grand visit, projects completed, plenty of relaxation, and darn  good food. Pat can whip up tasty meals - we were grateful.  We said farewell by 11 am and the drive was sunshine and 3 hours for Ray.  Now I'm doing laundry and getting ready for another workweek.

Happy Monday - Last week of August. Let's finish summer with a bang!

Wildflower Wednesday

Last weekend - Ray and I headed to his aunt's in San Saba. On Friday, we had a jaunt to Fredericksburg.  Wildflowers galore - bluebonnets out the wazoo.  Thank you Lady Bird Johnson for your Texas beautification plan - the highways and byways were out of this world.

A to Z - Eye on Texas: S

 Eye on Texas visits three S Texas spots - Spur, San Saba, and Salado.

 First Spur, Texas - I chose the town just cuz..........I mean c'mon Spur. How western can we get?

The screenwriter for Urban Cowboy, Aaron Latham, was from Spur. And that movie spawned the whole western craze - mechanical bull riding, beer drinking, and Bud and Sissy forever line dancing. Admit it, you secretly liked this movie. I know I did  - Hard Hat Days and Honky Tonk Nights. I even bought cowboy boots because of this movie. Hee Haw!

In 2009, Spur dedicated a giant spur sculpture by John Grusendorf  in honor of its centennial.

 Let's cruise down I35 to Salado, Texas - an artsy town for a bed & breakfast weekend and outlet and cutesy shopping.

The Stagecoach Inn is the oldest continuously running hotel in Texas. It's on the National Historic Register.

 Finally, let's visit San Saba, Texas because I am the movie critic for The Little Paper of San Saba.
Yes, I have a hook-up for said title - Ray's aunt lives in San Saba. I am not paid, but I send her movie reviews, book reviews, travel articles, etc and she's very happy for the "filler". I am a poor writer, but I am published!

 A few from her patio. It's a rough rugged country. I wear my snow boots as snake boots.........yikes

In the spring, there's a limited window for the cacti to bloom, but it's fantastic.

S is for snakes and sales and spurs - the variety in Texas is Staggering

Happy Anniversary Labor Day Weekend

 Thursday August 18th, Ray got home from work to find water pouring from the garage and front door. Busted tubing under the kitchen sink drowned the house. ServPro to the rescue. Now the roar of 19 fans and 2 de-humidifiers is overwhelming. Thus we fled Friday night to San Saba. Thank goodness for Aunt Pat's lovely patio and wine tasting.

 Gorgeous sunset allowed us to relax.

 I'm not a country gal, but the view and skies are tremendous in the Texas Hill Country

Ray and I will be married 25 years on Monday - September 1st.  Twilight, sunset years. Together we can conquer floods and more.