Road Trip

We are back from a very short road trip down to Louisiana. We had planned a different route this time that took us through northeastern Texas, along some state and U.S. highways.

What a wonderful plan that turned out to be.

The wildflowers in that part of Texas were in full bloom. When I lived in Texas years ago, I fell in love with the fields of bluebonnets and paintbrush. These roadsides, however, were covered with Queen Anne's lace, Gaillardia (blanket flower), Coreopsis, and coneflowers. Every time we rounded a curve, I found myself saying out loud, "This is so beautiful!"

The only problem? There was no safe place to pull over and take pictures!

The back roads were busy. It might have been because there was a LOT of road construction on the interstates- all the way through Kansas and Oklahoma, we had periodic one-lane stretches of highway. I suspect many travelers decided to take the back roads instead. Anyhow, that made it impossible to stop. I was so disappointed... but this is where being an artist is an advantage. Those roadsides are now etched into my brain. I can see the ranch fences, the fields of longhorn cattle, the ditches covered in flowers. I know the flowers, because I have sketchbooks full of them.

I also know that I will have to paint them. Soon, before the memory fades.

It was also a spectacular drive for birding. We saw bluebirds flying over Kansas wheat fields. We saw a rice field near Crowley, LA, with a bunch of egrets- and a Roseate Spoonbill mixed in. And we saw a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher streak across a Texas state highway.

So, if you have to travel this summer across this great country of ours, I urge you to slow down. Take the back roads. Enjoy the view. Savor the things that make each state unique and beautiful. And cherish the memories.

Coming soon- some of the visual memories, I am sure. The Polyphemus moth painting is being varnished in my studio. On to the wildflowers!