Monday, 2 Apr 2012, Denton, Tx

Texas Bluebells

Tiny but gorgeous in big clusters in the fields.

These are in pink or white, again in clusters.

Roses are in full bloom everywhere.

We left San Antonio around 10 am had a beautiful drive today. The landscape changed, the wildflower were blooming, and the sun was shining--it doesn't get much better.

I only had one stop to make today...yes, another outlet mall...but this one had the only Pottery Barn for Kids outlet in Texas. I'd made up my mind that it was where I wanted to get Gillian a quilt for her 'big girl' bed and I've spent quite a bit of time looking at the selection on-line. Cheap they aren't and I figured I'd get a better deal at an outlet store...at least I was hoping I would.  HOLY MOTHER OF OUTLET MALLS!!! It was the Tanger AND Prime Outlet Malls, back-to-back, and I only went in the one store. Who says I have no self-control? Once again, I went into a mild state of shock as the store was huge and the Kids' section had nearly everything I'd looked at on-line for half price! I picked up and put down for an hour before settling on the quilt and had enough money left over for a few accessories. The other half of the store was a combination of discounted furniture and a gazillion other items that Pottery Barn does so well. I tried to imagine Kim in there...it's her favourite store...so many beautiful things. In the meantime, Wayne had found a store that sold power tools and did his own rendition of a frenzied shopper. If the van wasn't loaded to the gills before, it sure is now!

We were on Interstate 35 and the Texas Bluebells were the show stopper today. There were masses of them and it was kind of funny to see 18-wheelers pulled to the side of the road (illegally) and the driver's out taking pictures. The flowers have a relatively short blooming time so everyone is anxious to capture the magic of a field of bluebells, mixed with yellow and/or pink wildflowers. At one point traffic came to a standstill and was backed up for miles. We managed to get off on a side road and followed the truckers on a detour but stopped at one point to admire (and take some photos) of a huge field of bluebells. They seem to be a cross between our Lupins and Hyacinths.

Lunch was at a nice rest stop just outside Waco. It wasn't quite as hot today and the breeze, which always seems to be blowing in Texas, was nice and cool. This rest area had a 'travellers exercise' area with about 5 or 6 different places to do chin-ups, stretches, etc...never seen that before.

As we got closer to Waco we could see the landscape changing. Where Southern Texas is very arid and sandy, we were now seeing rolling hills, trees and lots of green area. As we went further, and started into the Fort Worth/Dallas area, everything looked quite lush. It really is a beautiful part of Texas and much like Virginia, has expansive horse and cattle ranches. The Texas State Speedway is quite impressive although I can't recall seeing any major NASCAR races from here. Of course, we hit rush hour traffic so pulled off and stopped for supper to wait out the worst of it.

After booking in to the Best Western in Denton, a suburb of Ft Worth, Wayne decided to gas up the van for the morning. A half hour later he returned to report that the van wouldn't start...just 'click, click' so we are patiently waiting for the tow truck to come and the driver/mechanic to do an assessment on whether it gets towed to a Ford dealer in the morning for repairs OR a magic turn of a screw will fix the problem. I suspect the former...we aren't lucky enough for the latter scenario. If we do have to spend another night here there's a nice pool and I just started a new book on my Kobo so things could be a whole lot worse. (P.S. The guy just came and the van started each of the five times Wayne shut it off and re-started it. Murphy's Law. We'll see what the morning brings.)

That was our (wonderful) day. Tomorrow we will either still be here in Denton or somewhere in Oklahoma. Until next time, love and hugs to all. xx