Canon 60D - PhotoTrice

Wildflowers Pontotoc Texas

My favorite place to photograph wildflowers is the Hill Country of Central Texas. The bloom along highway 71 from Brady to Pontotoc can be spectacular. In good years flowers often stretch uninterrupted for fifty miles or more. Spring in the Hill Country is usually cool mornings and evenings with warm afternoons, perfect for visitors. Fair warning, on weekends the back roads can be busy places in the best viewing areas.

With wildflowers timing is everything. Texas is a very large geographical area encompassing multiple climate types and zones. In spring you can follow the wildflower bloom as it progresses across climate regions for several weeks. The State of Texas even operates a website to help you find the best areas to visit.

Who should we thank for all the Spring flowers? My pick is Lady Bird Johnson. She worked her whole life to make Texas a better and more beautiful place.

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Flame and Fire

Reenacting the Siege of the Alamo

The siege and fall of the Alamo in 1836 are touchstone events in the history of Texas. “Remember the Alamo!” Was a battle cry heard everywhere in Texas after the defenders were put to the sword. It is still heard today. Reenactments of the battle take place in late February and early March drawing thousands of visitors to Alamo Plaza in San Antonio. They tend to be elaborate affairs with dozens of participants in period dress and equipped with authentic weapons. The battle scenes can be quite noisy with cannon and rifle fire.

Pontotoc Texas

Northwest of Llano on state highway 71 is the small crossroads village of Pontotoc. It has a few inhabitants, a winery which is the sole major business and a group of spectacular ruins from the nineteenth century. Besides the ruins there are many other interesting artifacts in the area to see and photograph. Fortunately the current residents are tolerant of strangers poking around.

The major ruins in the village are of the San Fernando Academy founded in 1882. It was short lived as a private academy but continued as a public school until around 1927. The area prospered for a few years at the beginning of the twentieth century. Then in the late 1940s a fire which started in the local movie theatre destroyed most of the commercial buildings in the town. Pontotoc never recovered.

There are ruins of residential buildings constructed of beautiful native stone just a hundred yards from the academy. They may have been occupied by school staff members. Within a couple of miles there are also historic cemeteries that are worth exploring. On good years the spring wildflower bloom is spectacular for fifty miles or more around the village. In winter the rolling hills reveal the richness that enticed many settlers to this country.

Pontotoc is well off the tourist track so you have to make an effort to get there. Seeing the well preserved ruins is an interesting day trip.