- Patinated

Originally posted by Don in On the Trail

We bought this copper birdbath from Jill at our favorite spot in Wimberley, By the Bridge Antiques.  The blue patina of the bath really stands out. The birds seem to like it now that temperatures are in the 90's. Guess summer has arrived.

Rock from the property added by us

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- Rock garden cactus

Originally posted by Don in On the Trail

When we went to the nursery a few weeks back Liz picked out the horse crippler cactus. It now resides in the red rock bed behind the deck. The horse crippler cactus actually does get its name from the fact that horses have been crippled from stepping on it. It grows very low to the ground and is hard to see. I can see it just fine and it is not in the path of any horse...or human.

- Hat dancin'

Originally posted by Don in On the Trail

The wildflowers are not as abundant as they were last spring. Guess they are dependent on the late fall and early winter rains we did not have this year.  However, there are certain wildflowers we have seen this year that seem to be doing better than last.  An example is this Mexican hat that is found along the east side of our driveway. Since I was in among the flowers to take this picture you may have to click on the image to get one in focus.

- Sarah's garden

Originally posted by Don in On the Trail

I just finished the east side "red rock" garden I previewed yesterday.  This is a picture of the garden from the driveway looking up to the deck. The cactus in the background were given to us when we first moved here by Sarah N. At that point we did not really know what to do with them. We left them in buckets for weeks and finally planted them. Apparently cactus can take such abuse, and in fact, like it that way. They have grown quickly and are putting off pups to beat the band. The grass in the foreground is buffalo grass that grows very slowly and does not require much water. It looks equally good mowed or left to grow to 8-10 inches.

- Rock gardening

Originally posted by Don in On the Trail

We just got back from Austin after a day of  playing with Griffin and Skyping (twice) with Jackson and Melissa. You probably thought I'd skip today's blog post.  Oh ye of little faith...as Liz would say. Still highlighting pictures of new plants.  I promise I'll get some people pictures in here soon. These cactus are in a new rock garden on the east side of the deck made from red rocks found on the flood plain.  Liz had mined several piles of these rocks just waiting for a home. Note:  Be sure to click on the picture for a larger view to get a closer look at the rocks.

- Barrel cactus

Originally posted by Don in On the Trail

Planted a golden barrel cactus on the west side of the breezeway.  I still need to add some more grey rock around the perimeter. It is out of harm's (grandkids') way, unless they're climbing in the rocks, which should be off-limits for obvious reasons.

- Yucca

Originally posted by Don in On the Trail

Liz had the idea to post a picture a day so we would start getting back into the swing of our blogging days. This is a picture of the flowering stalk of a red yucca plant against the blue Texas sky.

Sunny, 82 degrees, 25% humidity, SW winds 10 mph

- Folk art shark

Originally posted by Don in On the Trail

I've been working on this shark using the same wood I used to make the whales for Jackson's room. The body needed a tail so I found one in the pile of cedar branches I've been collecting. The fins are made from distressed metal and the teeth are made from shell fragments found on the OBX....shaved down for that "sharky" look.  I decided to leave the wood natural instead of painting it because I thought the natural pattern of the grain gave it a sense of movement.  (Like I know what I'm talking about.) One day it will find a home with the colorful fish paintings shown here.  Liz is in charge of that project.

- Whale of a Tale

Originally posted by Don in On the Trail

Now that Melissa has had her baby shower I can share what I made for Jackson's room. These two whales were made from an old screen door we purchased from our friend Jill at By the Bridge Antiques in Wimberley.  She was actually going to just give us the doors because they were in not the best of condition, but we ended up paying her 5 bucks apiece to take them off her hands. The body of each whale is made from the old door. The spouts are shells from the OBX and the flukes are cedar branches from the yard. The eye on the baby beluga is a button from a shirt Liz wore while in the hospital after Melissa was born. All made to fit in with the whale decor in Jackson's room...

- I love Texas

Have I mentioned I love Fridays, too?  Our first stop was Wimberley, where I struck out on clothes shopping, but we redeemed ourselves at By the Bridge.  I'll let the pictures tell the story:    

This cowbell was spotted first ... it was incredibly loud
(especially considering we were in a very small antique shop).
Should be perfect for calling grandkids in from the floodplain.

Whenever we see something we like, we ask each other, "But where would we put it?"
In this case, at $35 for a beautiful solid wood mirror, the answer was, "Who cares?  We'll find a place!"

This was hanging high on the wall, which is probably why Don spotted it.
"Perfect for Keith" was his verdict.
Of course, getting it on the plane next week should be interesting.

On the other hand, this is what caught my eye as soon as we walked into the shop.
When I commented on it, Anne Marie said, "I made it."
At which point I explained how I craft stuff, too
and then apologized that I probably wouldn't buy it.  More on that later.

Last, but not least, Don also spotted this big iron pot, which has already been moved to the fire pit.
To get a sense of size, that's a 9" railroad tie that it's sitting on ...
it's almost two feet across the top and weighs a ton!  

So, about that cell phone pouch ... as we piled all the stuff up at the counter, I asked, "How much?" since, of course I had to choose the only one that wasn't marked. "Five dollars," said the young woman who made it. "I can't do that ... how about fifteen?" I replied.  "No way ... how about ten?" she shot back.  Sold, sold, and sold!   

  

Off we went to lunch at the Leaning Pear, where Don had Cuban pulled pork and I indulged in fish tacos with poblano rice that had just enough heat to leave a nice buzz on the tongue. After dropping our stuff off at the house, we headed on to the bank, where we were promptly approved for a 1.9% car loan and walked out with a "dealer's check." We killed a little more time shopping at Half Price Books and Hobby Lobby (which had no whale print flannel, alas) ... then on to Marshall's, where I picked up a couple of bathing suits.  All the while, we were waiting for a call from the manager at San Marcos Toyota, who had promised to get us a Tacoma regular cab from another dealership in Austin. And waited.  And waited.   

Turns out, the dealership in Austin wouldn't send down the truck we wanted, so the local dealership sent someone all the way to Corpus Christi to drive a Tacoma back to San Marcos. Which turned out to be a good move on their part, as you can see.  
  

The newest member of the Ackert family.  First assignment?  Taking us to Hays County BarBQ for brisket.