My New Nickname is Google

March 29/2018  Weather sunny, high of 82, low of 58.

Bluebonnets in Mason

We have a clear day after the storms and are heading north in search of Spring.  Spring in Texas is Wildflowers, especially the Bluebonnets.  The flower is prolific across the roadsides, the hills, the yards.  When it starts to bloom it is found everywhere.  Up till now we have only seen a few small patches.  Rain and 80's will make them pop.

Historic old barn and bluebonnets

Mason, Texas is an old fort town where the infamous soldier Robert E. Lee held his last post before joining the confederate army.  The Fort sits perched above  the town and leading up to it you see some historic old cabins and barns.  And......and.... and...... BLUEBONNETS!!!

Old Yeller and Travis

Now everyone who ever watched Disney on Sunday back in the sixties (yes that is us) did a big cry to the ending of Old Yeller.   Fred Gipson penned the novel from his home town of Mason back in 1956.  Spoiler alert:  Old Yeller defends the family, but he is bitten in the struggle before Travis(the young boy) can shoot and kill the wolf with the rifle.  After confining Old Yeller the young boy takes his first step to adulthood and is forced to put his dog down.   I want a tissue to mop up my tears just writing this.  What a classic movie.  At the Mason Library there is a statue of Travis and Old Yeller and inside the lobby they have many of Fred's books he wrote and some biography.  He was a country boy. 

Seaquist House

Snooping around town we found a cool old theatre from 1928 that is still showing movies and a beautiful old mansion that started ownership in 1886 with a Reverend and switched hands till the Seaquist's purchased it in 1929.  Since then it has been restored and opened to the public.    There are some good eats in Mason too, Cooper's BBQ and Willow Creek Cafe, little boutique shops where you always find the cutest things.  Billy found a coffee cup he thought he should have.....  Billy?????

My new nickname is Google?

Willow City Loop

wild Texas bluebonnets

March 28/17 Weather high into the 80's, low 60.  This week is solid warm weather.  After the rain last night the Windmill riding gang thought it would be the  right day to head over to the Willow City Loop near Fredericksburg to see the Bluebonnets.   In 2016 we went several times to see the wildflowers and they were ``spectacular``...... this year they seemed quite a bit thinner.  Apparently the flowers need plenty of rain in October for germination and unfortunately it was a very dry month in 2016.  Lots of rain came in November and December but just not at the right time.  Really it is hard to believe that has to be so exact but the stand of flowers does show the difference.

That Texas star is everywhere!!!!

First stop was for lunch in Harper.  Just have to show you what I found in the ladies restroom.   Another Texas Star...... Love it :)

winding down towards an old mill

Back on the bikes we wound our way through the back roads with a couple of turn arounds and a few stops to check the county map to find another road across the back country.

flowers along the cattle guard crossings in the Willow City loop

Then we popped out at the Willow City Loop.  The ride is about 15 miles and part of it ventures into private ranch property; this is a very popular tourist attraction every spring.  We respect the signs posted and do not stop and park and walk into the fields.    Usually this is the best viewing of the Texas bluebonnets, white poppies, and several fields of a yellow flower that we are not able to name.  The little pink flowers that are everywhere are so pretty - named Winecups or Poppy Mallows!

winecups or poppy mallows

field of yellow and white flowers along the way