Miss you already....

We finally had a hard freeze in Buda, plants turned to mush, flowers are nowhere to be found, and I miss my garden companions already.  The day turned out to be really nice after the fog lifted and I even received a visit from a beautiful cardinal.  Even though it was a nice day, I'm already ready for spring...

Thanks for the visit Mr. Cardinal.  I needed a pick me up today. 

  I took this photo a couple of weeks ago along the side of the road before the freeze.

Peggy Martin rose before the freeze.  There are still a few blooms, but they are dwindling. 

Change of Seasons

The pictures below are of  a beautiful little creek that I pass by weekly when driving from Kyle to Dripping Springs on FM 150.  The photos show the colorful transformation of the changing of the seasons.  The top photo was taken approximately three weeks ago and the bottom one was taken this summer.  I'm not sure which one is my favorite.

Autumn

Summer

The Retreat in November

Sunday was a lovely day...a little humid for me, but the plants seemed to enjoy it along with the drizzling rain.  Here's what's blooming and perking up in yard this month.

Sedum

Lantana

Knockout Rose

Mexican Petunia

Duranta

Flame Acanthus

Purple Heart

Cape Honeysuckle

Cape Honeysuckle

Primrose Jasmine

Crepe Myrtle leaves

Blue Eyes

I'm entering this picture of my youngest son Brady in the I Heart Faces Photo Challenge this week.  The theme is raise your hands. He's a great model.

La Jolla

From Old Town San Diego I took bus 30 to La Jolla.  I mainly wanted to go to La Jolla to get some photographs of the sea lions but couldn't get any good photos of them.  I did get some good photos of the beautiful waves crashing up on the rocks and even snuck into a professional photo shoot of a bride and groom.

Old Town San Diego

Old Town San Diego was the birthplace of California.  Today Old Town boasts a vareity of history, shopping, and dining.

 

 

Let's Go to San Diego

I had a Southwest Arilines reward ticket that was going to expire on October 5, 2011 and I didn't want it to go to waste, so I booked a quick trip to San Diego, California.  I was only in San Diego a day and a half so I had to make the most of it while I was there.  The weather was great....highs in the upper 70s and lows in the mid 60s.  I walked almost eveywhere and the dogs are barking.  Now I need to recover from my vacation.

Grab your peanuts and a complimentary beverage and come with me on my quick trip to sunny California.

I stayed in  a Bed and Breakfast in the Hillcrest neighborhood where quaint, colorful bungalows are around every corner and tropical plants and flowers are pentiful.

Hillcrest House Bed and Breakfast

This is where I had my morning coffee and my evening glass of wine.

University Avenue - plenty of restaurants, shops, outside seating, sunshine, and flowers around every corner.

These tropical trees with the beautiful orange flowers are everywhere.

Now, let's turn on 6th Avenue and head down to Balboa Park. 

The buildings are a work of art themselves.

The Botaniacal Building

The Sculputure Garden

You don't even have to be in a specified garden to see beautiful flowers.  Here are some of the flowers I took photos of that were just along the way.

It's time for lunch at El Prado. I simply love all the open air dining in San Diego!

Roots of a tree in Palm Canyon.  Doesn't this look like something from Jurassic Park?

Friendly Parrots

Desert Garden

Rose Garden

I'm entering this photo in the Gardening Gone Wild Picture This Photo Contest for October.  This month's theme is Fill the Frame.  I think this beautiful rose certainly fills the frame.

The next stop is Old Town San Diego, so rest your feet for a bit and we'll get on Bus 10 to go to Old Town.