Living High in Shangri La

On the Road to Shangri La

Leaving a few minutes early even....

Fair warning, this was a garden trip, therefore this is mainly a photo tour, but you know I can't keep my big mouth shut totally.

This time last year Pat and I had spent a week in Vicksburg, Mississippi and had planned on stopping in southern Louisiana for a couple of days and a day in Orange, Texas then meandering home.  Those plans were washed away by the most gigantic rainstorm we had ever had the privilege (choke) of driving in.  We cancelled our reservations and headed straight home at a snails pace down Interstate 10 hoping to keep tail lights of the car in front of us in our sight because we couldn't see anything else.  So we decided to make a quick trip to finish off our aborted trip last year.  The first stop was at Davy Dogwood Park in Palestine.  This actually added a good two or three hours to our trip, but they are so beautiful we thought it would be worth it.  WRONG.  The dogwoods had all bloomed out and we only saw a couple of trees still in bloom.  The drive through the park is lovely however.

We had not even hit the highway before we had to stop for a train...there is something about me and trains.  I am the world's largest train magnet!

On for our traditional breakfast - sausage biscuit for each of us, tea for me and coffee for her.  It is how we start most of our travels.

With the fast food economy and transportation issues settled we headed on down the road to Davy Dogwood.  As I said the drive is lovely and we did see a couple of blooms.  Just not enough for this bloom loving fool, guess we will have to try again next year.

Since we had spent so much time trying to see the dogwoods, we put off Shangri La until the next day and settled in for a good night's sleep instead.  OK OK, for a glass or two of wine and then a good night's sleep.  We needed it for the gardens...wow...

First stop was the butterfly house, led by our sweet volunteer Floy who went in with us, but then deserted us to get back to her official post.

There were several "babies" but most were way down in the foliage and hard to photograph.

Most of the butterflies were still in bed, but a few of the Zebras were fluttering around.

From the butterfly house we went into the orchid house.  Unfortunately, due to the flooding the past couple of weeks, the gardens had been closed (reopened the morning we were there) and the lizards dined on the butterflies in the orchid house. 

The Orchid House

Then it was off to see the grounds.

The place was over run with BUGS!

Actually it was an exhibit by David Rogers that is running from March 5 through May 28.  These ants were doing what ants do best, walking in single file looking for a picnic to crash.

His work is beautiful.

Before we stroll through the gardens, have a seat and let me tell you the garden's story.

The gardens are funded through the Nelda C. and H. J. Lutcher Stark Foundation.  H.J. Lutcher Stark developed the gardens 60 years ago.  His mission was to educate and enrich the lives of the people of southeast Texas.  I can't remember all the details (of course) but the gardens were closed for 50 years due to damage, probably by a hurricane.  Finally they decided to rebuild it and had the plans drawn up and then Hurricane Rita came along.  At least they hadn't started building, and when they did they were able to reopen the gardens in 2008 despite Hurricane Ike.

The garden sits on 252 acres and includes a beaver pond, a heronry with a bird blind, over 300 species of plants, and bat houses.   There are four sculpture rooms and 5 formal rooms.  And from personal observation I can tell you the whole 252 acres is immaculately kept.

So let's see some of those 300 species of plants.....

Wish I could tell you what all these pretty flowers were, but I just don't know.  I love them and admire them but totally ignorant as to names.  Well I do know an azalea when I see one, and the sign said the pretty pink blossoms on the branch are Mock Satsuma Orange trees.  Little bitty fellas.

To get to the Heronry you have to go under this guy....I can think of one friend that lives in Seattle that might want to scroll quickly by....love you Carmie!  In fact the file name is Carmies Nightmare.

Once you get past this body snatching carnivore and down the path, the manicured and formal gardens disappear and you are in another world.  Just as beautiful but a bit more untamed.

on down the path a bit and we started to see nests....

Not sure what was with the one on the bottom, he was passed out cold I guess, never moved.

Oh what I would have given for a good lonnnnng zoom lens, just not the price of one.

The bouncers of the Heronry.

On the path to the Heronry we spotted another of David Roger's creations.  He was peeking over the bushes at us.

Being the mighty bug hunters we are (and because the path led that way) we rounded the corner and got to see the full Monty.   I cropped out his head to show you the gorgeous work Mr. Rogers does.

Back to the formal gardens and out of the wild.

Lines can be as beautiful as blooms, here is proof.

Azaleas, of course, we are in the south.  Yards, gardens, roadways were ablaze with every color of Azalea known to man.

RUN!!!!!   This is an Assassin Bug...he will bite you in the assassin!

A hidden treasure

Two of my favorite things, new growth and backlighting.

The terraced gardens are filled with these antique sugar kettles that Mr. Stark collected.  They were originally used on plantations for the evaporation of cane juice and the crystallization of sugar.

With my unnatural fear of "legless lizards" this guy gave me a start as he was scratching around in the undergrowth.  Was sure a relief when I saw it was feathered with two legs!

Shangria La Gardens is not just a beautiful place to wander around, it is also a learning experience for the children of the area.  There is a special place for them to plant crops (which are donated to local food banks), build bugs, and otherwise interact with nature.  Someone that works in the children's area does have a sense of humor.  It is Mr. McGregor's garden, made up of several small garden plots, and even has a scarecrow.

and....if the scarecrow doesn't quite do the job then the scarelizard will take over.  Nobody, but nobody gets past the scarelizard.

Time to hit the road, past some more of David Roger's work, metal sculptures, and a long stand of trees all in a row.

There were milk crates set up with different sized pinecones and other materials, all picked up on the grounds.  Pat is holding one of the pinecones used for the body of the bug, or maybe for a bug with a fat head...or wherever your imagination might take you.

Run Carmie Run!!!!

On the way to Louisiana....following Pat's favorite truck on the highway.

This guy was changing lanes, accelerating and decelerating, and those horrible flashing tail lights.

Just for you my friend. 

Off to work on the next segment of our trip.

Spring is right around the corner.....

Spring is around the corner.....

at least at the Ladybird Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas

On this beautiful day, we grabbed Pat's two little cousins (ages 5 and 8) and headed towards the wildflower center.  It wasn't crowded, the sun was shining, there was a nice breeze and the early bloomers were showing their colors.  New growth, which I love, was evident and I didn't want the day to end.

Before we even got started, the 8 year old noticed a yellow flower with a bee on it in her front yard.  So of course I had to take a picture of it.   So here in all its glory is the first flower we saw today.

After admiring, discussing, and making sure everyone was aware of the flower with the bee on it we finally got loaded and headed out to find more flowers.

Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center

Athena greeted us at the entrance.  She has nested here for the past eight years (I think that is correct).  We were afraid we were too early in the year to see her, but there she was.  I thought it very neat that they had a card table set up with binoculars for you to use to get a better look at her.  They were also there to be sure we were respectful and kept the noise level down so not to disturb her.   I had to wonder if she had a secret service agent assigned to her as befitting the First Owl.

Once inside the entrance way we stopped by the pool and falls to see if the turtles were about...

The last time we were here there were tons of little turtles sunning themselves, swimming from one rock to another, enjoying the beautiful day.  Today we didn't see any....and then there he was!!!

He was the only one we saw, and I'm beginning to wonder if his Edward Scissorhands' feet had anything to do with the absence of others.  Definitely in need of a manicure.  He was there when we walked in and he was there when we walked out...the hare has nothing to worry about here.

The girls immediately wanted to check out the Lynda Robb Tower and up we went, and up we went, and up we went....puff puff puff, pant pant pant, puff puff puff.  Getting to the top was well worth it for the view it afforded.  We need to go up there when everything is in bloom it has to be gorgeous.

 There was a stop along the way to catch your breath and take in some of the view...ok ok, the view is nice, but the catching the breath is biggest bonus for the first landing.

Some cactus growing on the ledge at the top.  The one above was about the size of a mini cupcake; the one on the right is a pile about 5 inches tall.

The view from the top...

The Mountain Laurel in the bottom left corner was just one of many blooming in the wildflower center but also along the roadways and in the subdivisions.  Their blooms are just gorgeous, I think.

After admiring the view we headed over to the Luci and Ian Turpin Family Garden.  This is a beautiful 5 acre tract, within the wildflower center, designed for families and children of all ages.  There are statues of coyotes, rabbits, frogs and whatever to pet and play around;  beautiful grassy areas to run off some steam while Mom can still keep an eye on you; water fun including a waterfall you can walk behind; giant bird nests; tepee building; and a peekaboo fence that has a hidden duck pond behind it.  A lot of thought went into the Family Garden and judging from the giggles and squeals we heard those thoughts paid off.

Playing behind the waterfall and looking at the petroglyphs painted on the walls.  What secrets do they hold?  If we could only decipher them.  Oh well, there is always a tree to climb while we think about those secrets....

She did do a beautifully executed dismount complete with hands in the air (encouraged by both Pat and I).  We decided that the two of us were sillier than the two of them.  Can't argue with it.....but we have fun.

After the dismount we headed over to check out the giant bird nests.  There were three or four of them, but only one had eggs.  I think it was finally decided that the eggs contained nothing less than a dinosaur.

You can see a bit of the cedar wall behind the weeds on the left.  In the wall are several "peek holes" for the kids to look through.  I peeked through one and saw this sweet little duck pond.

Lots of pretty rocks making a mountain in the Family Garden with plants stuck here and there. 

The area above the waterfall would be a wonderful climbing area, unfortunately there are signs posted everywhere that read "No Climbing".  Poo...what's a little blood or a splint or two when you could have soooo much fun climbing up those rocks?

Whew that worked up a real thirst, so back to the front for a quick vending machine stop, a quick rest and we were off to the lonnnnnnnng hike to the swings.  We told the girls it was a ten mile hike in and a ten mile hike out...evil laugh.   There was a lot of new growth, some early blooms, and of course the swings.

Some of the things we saw on the way to the swings....

Bluebonnets are popping up all over the place, along side the roadways, by the pathways, in gardens...it is a magical time of year in Central Texas, and we never ever get tired of seeing them bloom.









Loved the blooms by the bird nest in the photo below.  Made me wonder if mama bird was decorating her home getting ready to start a family.

 

Just one of the many examples of new growth.  I guess it is a psychological thing but I just love new growth.

 Along with the beauty is the fascination of Mother Nature.  This tree was uprooted but held on and sank those roots right back in the ground and kept on growing.  You can see the torn up ground behind and along side of it.  This damage to the ground is thanks to some feral hogs.  Watch for the announcement of fresh pulled pork sandwiches on the cafe menu!!!

The trunk fascinated me, with the gnarly lines and grains and knobs and stuffs....just love it.  Then that one silly plant growing from it.  Love it!!!!!

Anyone know what the red plant is?  I think it is so petty.




I liked the contrast of the harsh cacti with the delicate pink flowers growing around them.

Other than Bluebonnets, nothing is prettier in Spring than a Redbud tree in bloom. 

We did find some fun stuff too....

Like monsters living in trees.....

 And the location of next season's Survivor - Survivor Austin

And a rock that looked like a skull .... maybe the tree monster had something to do with this, or maybe it was Edward Scissorhands the Turtle!!!!!

The girls finally made it to the swings and amid squeals and laughter and "look at me's" they spent an enjoyable twenty minutes of just being kids.  Loved watching them play and interact with each other.

The adults sat on the porch swing style swings under the trees enjoying the day.  













The trees offered us shade and coolness on a very warm day.  The view was peaceful and not at all dramatic...just a lovely place to sit and relax.

More to see along the pathways.....

To soon it was time to head on out, with a quick stop at the gift shop of course.

The flowers and trees were so much prettier than the pavement and orange cones along Mopac.  However, MoPac did lead us to Taco Cabana for a quick dinner before we parted ways and I headed home to my Marti girl.

It was a wonderful day!!!!!