Fun Photos

 With all the stress in life right now, I needed some peace and serenity. 

Photos taken in Helen's Garden, League City, TX in 2015.

For more photos visit Image-in-ing and Wordless Wednesday.

Yuccas are not Cacti

 

Who knew?  The Yucca plant is often called a cactus but it isn't one.  Here's more than you probably ever wanted to know about yucca. (There were some yucca plants in my Fun Photos post from yesterday.)

1.  Yuccas are a type of flowering succulent.

2.  They are also evergreen, perennial shrubs or trees.

3.  There are at least 40 species of succulents.

How to grow Yucca, Better Homes and Gardens

4.  Yucca are known for their spiky, sword-like leaves.

5.  People sometimes mistake them for palms, which they are not.

6.  They grow in full sun on dry soil.

The tall part of the plant is the bloom of Yucca Whipplei

7.  Many yucca species are native to southern North America .

8.  It can take years for a yucca to bloom for the first time.

9.  The blossom stalk grows from the center of the yucca.

10. Some yucca blossoms reach up to 12 feet tall.

artifical Yucca plant

11. Yucca, agave, and cacti are all types of succulents.

12. Yucca blossoms are usually bell-shaped and white (or off-white) in color.

13. Yucca hold water in their leaves, stems, and roots which is why it can survive in drought-like conditions.

BONUS - You can actually purchase seeds  , starter plants, and (if you're like me and don't have a green thumb, artificial yuccas plants.

For more fun, visit Thursday Thirteen!

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Fun Photos

 These are some photos from White Rock Lake Park in Dallas.  There is a marina, a rowing club, picnic areas, hiking, biking, a dog park, and oodles of trees and trails.  And it was a beautiful day!

Love these gorgeous trees!

Can you see the rowers?

For more fun photos check out Image-in-ing and Wordless Wednesday.

Fun Photos

 Double rainbows!  I wonder if there is a lephrachaun with a pot of gold at the end of each of these rainbows?

For more fun photos visit Image-in-ing and Wordless Wednesday.

Beautiful Moon

I'm linking up with Wordless Wednesday and Image-in-ing.

copyright DLA

This photo was captured by my husband at Goose Island State Park
near Rockport-Fulton, Texas in March of this year.

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Wordless Wednesday

Pictures from League City Park this weekend.

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

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Wordless Wednesday

I love this photo - another one taken by my student who visited South Africa recently.

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R & R

Wow! What a relaxing weekend, up until the night before we came home when I got sick. But that doesn't change the fact that my husband and I got away from it all and enjoyed each other's company for an entire weekend - away from the noise, away from traffic, away from phones, away from computers, and away from all the stresses of life. Yes, all of them.

My dh and I went to the Texas Hill Country Friday and came back Sunday. We rented an adorable cottage with a bedroom/living room/kitchen, and jacuzzi on the porch. It was so peaceful! We stayed in the town of Wimberley, but we also visited Dripping Springs, Driftwood (where I actually found a winery that makes a wine I like, not being a big fan of wine and all), Canyon Lake, and San Marcos, all beautiful scenery.

We climbed Mout Baldy, a mountain of prayer, and caught a pretty sunset. We also visited Hamilton's Pool, which is not a pool at all, but fresh water from the icy Perdenales River. I wonder why they call it that? It's a nature preserve. We hiked about a quarter mile to this glorious lagoon surrounded by a cave and a 45 foot waterfall. It was awesome. The water was muy frio, but we braved it and swam. Wonderful! (The picture doesn't do it justice. It is much larger than it appears, and you can barely see part of the cave in the background and on the left.) We also ate a variety of barbecue items from The Salt Lick, which has been featured on the Travel Channel. But most of all, we enjoyed some quality time with each other. Of course, we saw deer running freely, and there were a lot of shops, but we didn't spend too much time there. We just relished in the sheer beauty of our surroundings, the kind of beauty that makes it impossible to deny that God made all of these wonders. It was just so nice to NOT have to be anywhere at any certain time. We got to enjoy eachother.