Savoring Wildflowers in Spring

Over the past month my wife and I have taken several weekend drives throughout different areas of the Texas Hill Country to enjoy the Spring wildflowers. My wife’s favorites are the Texas Bluebonnets. Spring is a refreshing time of year due to the dynamic colors of the flowers breaking out from the drab brown of Winter dormancy of the plants and trees. Recently I have seen a few pictures come up on friends’ Facebook pages of flowers and plants coming alive again up in Ohio and Illinois. They need the refreshing renewal of Spring even more than those of us here in Texas; as they had one of the coldest Winters in a long time. (Makes one wonder about the global warming theorists?? I will leave it at that- think about it).

Flowers call for attention. You can rush by the flowers and miss them and many people do. I feel those who rush by miss out on one of life’s savoring pleasures. On our drives we took country roads around where websites had sightings of bluebonnets. We took our time driving along to spot the flowers and if someone behind was in a hurry we simply pulled off to let them go and kept enjoying our wildflower drive. Where we found open fields of flowers we would stop and take time to meander around in the fields with our cameras taking pictures. The pictures this week come from our flower excursions.

With wildflowers and any flowers there is first of all the big picture enjoyment of gazing at the big picture of the total landscape. Seeing the array of colors mixed with green against the backdrop of the blue skies is an awesome reminder for me personally of the great God artist behind nature. Then I move from the big picture to focusing in on the individual flowers. I am amazed at the intensity of color and the delicate makeup of the flower itself. These close observations make me wonder why is there such a variety of flowers? We went primarily looking for bluebonnets and this year was a great year to find them. At the same time we also enjoyed a variety of yellow, orange, pick and purple flowers along the drive. The variety again drives my mind back to thinking about a Creator God behind the diverse colors and variety of flowers. Of course that thought stems from my belief system. I simply feel the most reasonable explanation for such awesome beauty, complexity and diversity is found in positing a God behind nature. The atheist I guess in their belief, can stand and wonder at the infinitesimal probabilities of random chance chaos popping these flowers into existence out of nothing. So no matter what your belief system is you can still be amazed at the innate beauty of wildflowers in nature.

Taking the time to break out of our busy life to drive around was a relaxing way to de-stress from the stressors of life. We came home rested with a renewed inner joy from seeing the beauty of creation. Maybe you have never taken time to do country drives or going out to nature parks in the Springtime. If you are looking for a new way to break out of the rut of your same old, same old ok life give it a try. Simply check on the internet for parks in your area to visit. Do a search for what wildflowers are natural to your state and area and see where there have seen sightings. Then take a weekend morning or afternoon drive to savor the wildflowers of your areas.

Here are a few websites on wildflowers to explore. The first is the section of the U.S. Forest service website on wildflowers. Then of course being here in Texas I list two websites about wildflowers here in Texas. We live in large diverse country so the Forest Service website showcases information on wildflowers in each geographic area.

U.S. Forest Service - http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers

Texas Wild Flowers - http://texas.wildflowersightings.org

Texas Blue Bonnets - http://www.bluebonnetlove.com

Reflection: Do you take time to notice the Springtime flowers? Do you find yourself too busy for that? Maybe that is a sign you are too busy. Slow down and take time to smell the roses and be awed by the natural beauty of the flowers in your local area.

Breaking Free From To Do Lists To Savor Texas Bluebonnets

With a house especially in Spring time, there are always To Do’s to keep the weekend busy. House cleaning and yard cleaning can make the weekend as hectic as the workweek. Sometimes, (not always), it is more important to wad up the “To Do List” and give it a toss to enjoy a more than ok weekend. My wife and I did that this past weekend. We used most of Saturday for a Country drive to Wimberly, Texas to look at the Texas Bluebonnets, a wild flower that is the state flower for Texas. Bluebonnets are one of my wife’s favorite flowers. Thankfully our first year in the San Antonio area has been a good year for bluebonnets.

We took a country back roads route to Wimberly from New Braunfels so we could enjoy the wild flowers in the fields and ranches. Also this allowed us to take a slower pace to enjoy savoring the scenery. Country roads help to learn enjoying the journey, instead of rushing from point A to point B like we too often do. Just as we entered Wimberly, there was a field in front of a health services plaza and church that was full of Bluebonnets. It was there where we took most of our pictures.

Since it was our first time to Wimberly we took some time to look around before taking pictures. There were many interesting shops and since our main focus of the day was flowers we said to each other that we have to come again for the shops. It was lunchtime when we reached the town so we decided to grab a bite to eat. We asked at the Visitor’s Center and they gave suggestions and we went with the nearest restaurant named The Leaning Pear. It is just Caddy Corner across the street from the Visitor’s Center.

If you are in Wimberly I definitely recommend The Leaning Pear as a place to eat. The restaurant was clean and neat even the outdoors area where we ate. All the staff were very friendly and helpful. The food was refreshingly fresh and tasty. We shared the Caprese Panini and their House salad which had crispy sweet pear slices on top. Since Wimberly is not too far from New Braunfels we will definitely go back. If you are in the Wimberly area their website is www.leaningpear.com

After lunch we decided it was photography time with the bluebonnets. We went back to the field at the edge of town and parked. We each had our cameras so went to various parts to the field to take photos. I mention in the title to savor bluebonnets. Savoring is allowing the experience to soak in to your inner being. It is not a quick rush click click of the camera and back into the car. We probably spent over a half hour roaming around the field taking panoramic shots and close-ups of the flowers. By slowing down and savoring God’s creation you can enjoy the beauty more fully.

We need balance in our lives. We do need to take care of our homes but during the various seasons we need to take time to break out of routines and enjoy other aspects of life. For my wife and I enjoying God’s creation of flowers in Springtime is one of those breakaways. Our yard and garden is definitely calling but I foresee other short trips around the Hill Country to enjoy God’s creative touch in nature.

Reflection: Are the “ToDo’s” getting the best of you. On a weekend take a day to break away to do something you enjoy. Go to the beach, a country drive, visit a small town you have never been to. Take time to do it at a slower pace to truly savor the experience.