March 28th
It is now two weeks later, April 11th
Soon there will be thousands of whirligigs on the ground, and, yes, filling the gutters and downspouts. Spring is here in Indiana.
On the town square
Announcing the eclipse
Downtown store front decorations
Statewide excitement about the eclipse
Shelbyville is directly in the perfect viewing path of the eclipse. Hopefully the skies will be clear on April 8th. If not, you will have to wait until 2044 for the next eclipse viewing!
Creeping Phlox
Roses coming
Hosta’s
Maple seeds beginning to develop
It won’t be long until there will be hundreds (if not thousands) of those twirling, spinning maple tree seeds flying to Earth. The technical term for this winged seed is samara, but you probably refer to them as helicopters or whirligigs.
Feels like -7, this pair of backyard Cardinals was enjoying the sunlight.
There are some impressive trees along the banks of Cypress Creek in Wimberley Texas that we saw during our trip there a few days ago. Some very talented people have turned some tree trunks into quite remarkable carvings in a popular picnic area just behind one of the buildings housing restaurants and shops.
Quite the signature…
Now that’s a stare!
Pointing skyward..
For UT Longhorn football fans
By the creek bank
It is impressive to see that a chainsaw was utilized to create such detailed works of art like these.
This photo was taken today from a road to a Hudson Bend marina. the water level is very low…
Lake Travis is a huge lake in the Hill Country northwest of Austin, Texas. It normally has 29.5 square miles of water. That is when normal precipitation falls on the Colorado River basin areas. The whole world has seen lots of area under drought conditions. The Colorado basin and Central Texas is no exception.
That boater has to watch for shallow water not normally there!
As of today, 10/20/2023 Lake Travis Mean Water Level was 627.30 above sea level. One year ago today it was 640.76. Thus in one year the Mean Water Level has dropped 13.46 feet. Another parameter measured daily is the total surface area in acres of the lake. Today the Lake Travis surface area was 8,799 acres. Last year, same date, it was 10,746 acres. Nearly 2000 acres less one year later. Seeing the low level of the water today was quite a shock.
Wimberley, Texas is in the Hill Country outside of Austin in the central part of the state. It is a small town that is hugely popular for its many shops and restaurants and the natural beauty of the area. There are some famous swimming holes close by too!
The Preserve entrance
A worthy project
Cypress Creek runs right through the town, and the banks and surrounds have become popular recreational locations for locals and visitors alike. Sher and I went with our son and his family to see the town, the creek side trail and the huge bald cypress trees.
I was told this a favorite place for weddings
The cypress trees along the banks live for hundreds of years and are massive in size. One nearby tree has been dated to be from at least as far back as the year 1426. You can stand inside one tree whose base was blown out decades ago by a lightning strike We had to get our picture in that one!
Note the creek in the background
Close up detail of photo to the left
The roots of these trees run shallow and nearly parallel the ground surface both above and below. These exposed roots are fascinating to observe.
Typical shape of the cypress at the waterline
Shadows and reflections on the water
The size of these trees is impressive!
One shop owner explained to me that yes, these are the same bald cypress trees you see in Florida in the swamps. He pointed out that in Texas they don’t do as well or are as prolific because there is not enough water in the Texas Hill Country to support massive groves of the trees. They are still fascinating to see. Wimberley is fortunate to have such a lovely attraction as the Cypress Creek Nature Trail & Preserve .
Roadtirement 