Monday, April 5, 2010

Long Day, Loads of Photos

This day has been, shall we say, a little extra sanctifying.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. (James 1:2-3)

Thankfully, this is not how most days are in the parenting department. Today felt like tsunami waves, one after the other, of long, complicated, often confusing, definitely exhausting confrontations.

There is this promise, though: No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:11)

That is my prayer. For both of us. May we be trained by it.

And since I'm too wiped out to think much more, here are a LOT of photos to see!

On Saturday, BB took 3 girls to the farmer's market, while I took MK with me for other errands. MK and I ended up taking a detour - an impromptu photo shoot/exploring adventure beside the highway. You'll see why...


Wildflower season is here! We stopped to see all the colors up close. The sides of the highways are gorgeous. Because they are protected (ie, you're not allowed to pick the flowers), they really are beautiful - quite a feast for the eyes.

 It was a rare chance to get photos of just one of the girls all alone, and MK loves to be in pictures.
 
 I'm pretty sure this is Indian Paintbrush. Looks coral-colored from the road, but up close they're redder.

 
 Small, happy wildflowers. Can you believe all the colors?!
This isn't our mockingbird, of course, but it was fun to see one while we were out.

I think this is my favorite.

She loves to leap. Had some pretty (for real - a lovely shade of blue) stains on her leggings after our adventure. She also lay down in the flowers and enjoyed nestling herself into the thicker, taller patches.

I've been admiring the mix of colors on this stretch of highway for a couple of weeks, and was afraid that if we didn't get some pictures soon, we'd not catch this year's fleeting blooms in time!

Top-view of a paintbrush with cheery purple flowers at its base

MK was fully into the experience. She always is - touching, smelling, looking. Her only qualm here was the occasional bee nearby. See the highway behind her? You face one way with your camera, and get a breathtaking nature/country Texas shot. You face the other way and get the cars zipping by.

Tiny purple weeds with such dainty detail

MK's legs. And a floppy, buttery wildflower.

She spotted this one. I had not noticed this variety. Sadly, it got crushed under my purse once we got in the car...

Everybody's doing it. This couple was photographing their baby in the bluebonnets. I saw at least 4 cars pulled over along this stretch of highway while we were there.

I just liked the trails element of this one...the pathway we followed along the side of the road to get to the flowers.

I am glad we got to be together, just me and MK. She was fun to have along. By the time I took this photo, though, she was over the bright sun, heat, and ready to eat!

4 comments:

  1. Wow! You're so blessed to live near such beautiful wildflowers!

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  2. Well, hello there Nelle! Yes, the wildflowers are the absolute highlight of the year here, as far as nature goes.

    Thanks for stopping in!

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  3. Beautiful! The Indian Paintbrush is gorgeous... and MK fits right in, as pretty as a pixie among flowers.

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