A Tallulah-Palooza Halloween

Have a fun and spooky Halloween!

Orange Loveliness

 We're in the process of completely redoing the back garden (photos will follow very soon), and this plant is one on my list (only in purple, not yellow). It's lantana...

...and look what it attracts. Not only this lovely, but 4 or 5 different species of butterflies. Soon, winged ones, soon!

Garage Door Decor

Ooh, FANCY!

Tallulah-Palooza Friday

 Tallulah Mae can't decide on her Halloween costume.
Grumpy old man?
Maybe not...

 

Princess Diana?

                                                                      Boston Terrier?

                                                           Yoga instructor?

                                                     Sister Mary Margaret Tallulah Mae?

                                            Cutest dog in the universe? I vote for that!!!

Late October Fireworks

The Australian flame tree in our backyard...it was planted from a seed by the house's previous owner, and it it now taller than the house. From my bedroom window I can see hummingbirds visiting each bell-shaped flower.

Before...

 This is an artwork on the outside wall of a bar called The Alibi--it's part of a worldwide project called Before I Die. It's a giant chalkboard with chalk provided so that anyone can write their own wish/want/plan/yearning.

Thought provoking...

Deep in the Heart of Texas: The End

 Cows! Lots of them...

 Including a cow-raffe...check out the giant black cow on the right. She too caused us to do a U-turn--B. thought it was a statue the first time. Turns out she is a Brangus (Brahmin/Angus hybrid). These pix don't do her size justice...

 Baby cow...awww (giving me the stink eye!).

 The bull, really giving me the stink eye! I did not get too close for obvious reasons!

 This was their backdrop...

 A dark photo, but it shows cows with accompanying cattle egret. We saw lots and lots of them.

 A cute dog.

 Meet Holmes and Watson, a wolfhound and small terrier duo. Darling.

 This shih-tzu is having its hair blown back by a fan, just like a supermodel. And goats!!! No comment, just GOATS!!!

And lastly: how long has it been since you've stayed in a hotel/motel where they still but the "sanitized" paper across the toilet? Quaint!

Thus ends the Texas road trip. Loads of fun had by all!

Deep in the Heart of Texas: On the Road

 On back roads back to Dallas...a giant gun.

 Fields of cotton, with an oil pump in the background.

 Hearne, Texas. We were on a "highway" along which were a Sonic Drive-In, CVS, all the same places every town seems to have. And out of the corner of my eye, as we drove by, I saw something that caused us to do a U-turn.

 Hearne's Main Street. Deserted and mostly boarded up. This picture doesn't do it justice: it was so eerie, like a stage set.

 City Cafe, since 1914. But no more...

 The drugstore seemed to be the only business still open.

 The last picture show...this was once the Queen Theater.

 Wow.

 The door reads "Hotel and Cafe."

And then, along the train tracks, this wall, obviously from some long-gone structure. The whole thing gave me goosebumps (and made me quite sad, too). A quote from Wikipedia about Hearne helps to explain the derelict downtown:

"On New Years' Eve 1990, the Wal-Mart in Hearne closed. Merchants in downtown Hearne by that time had already folded their businesses, being unable to compete with Wal-Mart. As a result, Hearne was the subject of media coverage because its residents had few places at which they could shop. Employee theft was also rampant at Wal-Mart. The Hearne outlet was at the time the only Wal-Mart in the nation to have operated at a loss. After closure, the store was converted into the current Hearne High School."

Tomorrow: the end of the Texas saga...

Tallulah-Palooza Friday

Behold the rare and lovely Tallulahvarius cello: it makes beautiful music, but it doesn't seem to quite fit in the case.

Deep in the Heart of Texas: Round Top, Day Four

 

{BLOGGER! DRIVING ME CRAZY!} Above, the Carmine (pronounced "Car-meen" Dance Hall. More antiques. 

Also above: Lunch, sold by the {German name} supporters of preserving the dance hall. Once again, I had beans and potatoes. And pie. Chess pie, this time. Pretty yum.

I can't seem to put text anywhere but here--argh! 

Below: a sawmill...who knew they still existed?

 Lickskillet Days (?!) in Fayetteville. Fun fact: we were in Fayette County, which shares a name with the county in which Lexington, Kentucky, is located--my hometown!

 More cool signage...

 The Fayetteville Courthouse (I think)...note the "air conditioning" provided by the building being up on blocks; we saw many buildings with that feature.

 It was indeed a general store...we bought ice cream. Of course.

Rusty tractors, always a good photo op!

Last day in this part of Texas...

Deep in the Heart of Texas: Round Top, Day Three

 We began the day with a visit to this Masonic cemetery, dating from 1853. Lots of Civil War soldiers buried here--Confederate soldiers, mostly.

 I love old cemeteries...so peaceful.

 Lots of tombstones with hands...

 And as always in old cemeteries, quite a few graves of babies or small children.

 Next we took a tour of the Blue Bell ice cream factory. Love factory tours, love ice cream--a win-win! They gave each of us a big old scoop at the end of the tour.

On to Marburger Farm, one of the venues for which the Round Top Antique Fair is most famous. A nice show...all under tents, and well organized. {Blogger, WHY won't you let me center this photo?!}

 I loved this sign (painted metal)...hard to get home on the plane, though...

And a pimento cheese sandwich, another of my favorite things (and you NEVER find home-made pimento cheese in Southern California). Yum!