From Alabama to Texas!

After our visit in LuLu's ("crazy sista" of Jimmy Buffet - see my post from yesterday) we were heading towards Mobile Alabama and crossing soon the border over to Mississippi

This is the welcome sign at the Tourist Information Center

And in Mississippi are the Magnolias blooming already

The main attraction here was a trainer that was used since the 1960's. Also the astronauts from Apollo 13 were trained in this capsule.

This is now the Lunar Lander

Fred Haise was one of the astronauts of the mission of Apollo 13 and he was a local guy from the region here in Mississippi

This is the moment before we crossed over the bridge and also over the famous Mississippi River in Baton Rouge in Louisiana

View down to the "good old Mississippi", captured out of the car

Always take also a look back! This is the skyline of Baton Rouge, LA

The oil industrial area of Lake Charles, LA

We were driving also trough heavy swampy areas

And arrived at the border to Texas

Friendly welcome signs everywhere!

Hi my friends,

Thank you for all your kind comments to my last post and for visiting my blog. I do appreciate your words and your loyal visits.

We are arrived now in Texas, not to long ago. Only some miles behind the border at I-10 we have found a nice little campground. I'm pretty happy for that, then last night we spent a night on a Truck Stop again and it was raining like crazy and not so friendly looking around us. It was the first time on our trip that I felt a little bit insecure. But we "survived" the night well and we were driving almost the whole day long - to Texas. What I need now is a real Texas hat, right...? :)

We don't know just now what we will do and where we wanna go tomorrow. Maybe down to the Gulf shores to Galveston and Port Aransas to enjoy the beaches and to watch the wildlife. Who knows.... we will see...

Stay tuned and see you soon again with new pictures.
Susanne and David

Wednesday Flowers

The Magnolias are still blooming

Maybe I should start a new series here on my blog "Wednesday Flowers" - other peoples do their "Wordless Wednesday's" or Friday's Sky Watch" or you name it...You know what I'm talking about, all those mass oriented blog-plays.

Or, I can do also a kind of a "Wish List" and you tell me the subjects that I should do photographing on my blog. It should be for every week another subject and I'll give you a back link to your blog. How good sounds that?

Well then, let's the race starts just NOW and HERE and some when in the next days soon I'll show you the results here on my blog - if any one is interested anyway....

Magnolia Grandiflora

It is so wonderful to see all the magnificent blossoms of the blooming Magnolia trees.

Read what Wiki has to say to the Magnolia tree

Magnolia grandiflora, commonly known as the Southern magnolia or bull bay, is a magnolia native to the southeastern United States, from coastal Virginia south to central Florida, and west to East Texas. It is a medium to large tree 20-30 m tall with a striking appearance, both in leaf and in bloom.

The leaves are evergreen, simple and broadly ovate, 12-20 cm long and 6-12 cm broad, with smooth margins. They are dark green, stiff and leathery, and often scurfy underneath with yellow-brown pubescence. They will bronze, blotch, and burn in severe winters at the northern limits of cultivation, but most still cling until they are replaced by new foliage in the spring. In climates where the ground freezes, winter sun appears to do more damage than the cold itself. In the northern hemisphere the south side of the tree will experience more leaf damage than the north side of the tree. Two extremes are known, with leaves white underneath and with leaves brown underneath. The brown varieties are claimed to be more cold-hardy than the white varieties, but this does not appear to be proven as yet.

The large, showy, citronella-scented flowers are white, up to 30 cm across and fragrant, with 6-12 petals with a waxy texture, emerging from the tips of twigs on mature trees in late spring.

The Magnolia

The Magnolia
by Mary McNeil Fenollosa

O flowers of the garden, of skilled and human care,
Sweet heliotrope, and violet, and orchid frail and fair,
Pour out your love to happier hearts; the woodland flowers for me,
The pallid, creamy blossoms of the dark magnolia tree!

I close my eyes; my soul lifts up to float with their perfume,
And dull the body lying in this narrow city room.
Again I am a happy child. I leap and joy to see
The great curved petals wavering slip from out the gleaming tree.

As holy grail, or pearl inwrought, or carven ivory cup,
They stand on bronze and emerald bough, and brim their sweetness up;
And underneath a happy child! --- O days that used to be!
In distant land, the flowers still stand upon the dark green tree.

Spring Flowers

I can't get enough to see from all these wonderful blooming trees and Magnolias!

Five Signs of Springtime

What a pretty contrast

Magnolia buds everywhere

We call these pretty signs of spring "snow bells"

First Dandelions

Yesterday's nice weather tempted many people out of their houses - we too.

Strolling up and down the streets and the small picturesque lanes in Down Town, I found these five remarkable signs of springtime. If it stays this way from now on, the whole city will be a sea of blooming flowers and trees.

I'm so excited to have a seasonal change for once - which I never had in Key West's eternal summer time!