Magnolia Against True Blue Sky

This photo of a magnolia blossom against a pure blue sky has not been retouched in any way. That is a truly beautiful blue sky, accenting perfectly the colors of nature. Many of the open magnolia blossoms are up high and really out of the reach of my camera lens, but this one begged for it's "portrait shot."

Spent Magnolia Blossoms

This magnolia blossom has come to the end of it's life cycle. The cycle will begin again and there will be blooms in another place. The weather is getting quite hot and the petals dry out, turn a burnished orange.

A Study of Magnolia Blossoms

This blossom will soon dry up and turn orange... all part of the magnolia blossom life cycle. When you walk past a magnolia tree loaded with blossoms, the air is pungent with a sweet fragrance that you can't miss. It is a joy to take a deep breath and experience their scent.

All around the neighborhood magnolia trees are preparing to deliver the gorgeous magnolia blossom with it's sweet fragrance.

Magnolia Breaking Free

This magnolia is breaking free from the outer layer that once protected and encased it. As I was photographing the buds on a magnolia tree, a security officer came up to investigate. He could easily see what I was doing but he let his presence be known... as in I was somehow violating the rules or trespassing. I told him that I was just taking photographs and "No harm, no foul." It was clear to me that he was just making sure I knew his presence was a warning. How silly. It was public property!

A Train Runs Through It

In case you're not a movie buff, the title of this post is a take-off on the movie title, "A River Runs Through It." There's no story line about this train so that's where the similarity ends. Railroads bisect Houston, and the highways that have grown up around those tracks, are built above and over the tracks. Where there is no highway to circumvent the tracks, you will see scenes like the one above in our neighborhood. About three years ago, this area was designated a "quiet zone" which means that the Engineer is not supposed to blow the train horn at crossings, but sometimes you hear that familiar sound. It is much quieter than it used to be, especially at night when the train horns sounded long and loud throughout the night. Hank Williams, Sr. wrote about the train and his lonely heart..."Hear that lonesome whippoorwill; he sounds too blue to fly. The midnight train is whining low. I'm so lonesome, I could cry."

Now, the horns only sound occasionally, probably warning that someone or something is nearing the crossing that should not be there. There were once many small railways in Houston, built to transport cotton and goods that came into the ship channel. All of them gone and mostly forgotten now. Passed into history. For those who still follow the lure of the train, check out: www.touringtexas.com/texas-trains/index.htm.

Keeping The Ocean Clean - It's Not just BP's Job

The City of Houston has affixed these metal tags to the area just above the storm and flood control drains, in an attempt to raise the consciousness of it's citizens about not dumping anything down the drainage system. Many people do not understand how the flood waters of our city affect The Houston Ship Channel and Galveston Bay. Every year, tons of plastic refuse collects in the bayous and eventually makes its way to the Bay or the Gulf. The other day, I saw some people doing yard work and blowing the leaves right into the drains. While many might think this is harmless, that leaves are "biodegradable," actually, leaves clog up the drainage system and then cause flooding. The next "Trash Bash" event is planned for March 26, 2011, a day when many areas around Houston bayous and of the coast are cleaned of debris by caring individuals: http://www.trashbash.org/. Scouts, church groups, civic groups, individuals, and businesses all participate in the event to make the environment cleaner for people, birds, animals and reptiles. If you'd like to take part, check out the website.

Shamrocks In Bloom

Yes, I have written about shamrocks before, on St. Patrick's Day; however the only photos I could get at that time were taken in the rain when the blossoms were closed. Here you see the little shamrock flower in all it's glory. The combination of rain and sun and moderating temperatures have made for just the right balance to cause shamrocks to pop up all over the neighborhood, with copious blooms.