Texas

By Lois Martin

26 Oct 2012

I was totally prepared to hate my upcoming work assignment, but as an aging geologist just beginning my late-in life-career, I felt fortunate to have the work. Therefore, when I found myself in the middle of south central Texas in late September for a 6 week job, a long ways from my home in the mountains of Montana, I was determined to find something, anything, that I could photograph on my days off to prove to myself, "this won't be so bad." Imagine my surprise when I found that flowers can bloom in the most unlikely places and the scant rainfall, when it does come, is followed by an explosion of color. There are miniature wildflowers that only show themselves during the heat of the day, then disappear as the temperature drops. There are so many varieties of cactus that I lost count, each has its own uniqueness. I tracked down the biggest bald cypress tree in Texas, it's girth measures over 460 inches, worthy of a snapshot or two. Within 100 miles I found several state parks: Lost Maples, Garner, Enchanted Rock, each one a treasure trove of photographic possibilities. So, all this being said, Texas, I apologize for misjudging you, you're not so bad, in fact, you are almost a pretty as Montana...