Greenbelt Hike - Dandelions

Easter Sunday afternoon I took the opportunity to go for a hike on one of my favoirte trails, the Barton Creek Greenbelt. The weather presented such a perfect day and with the recent rains creating a nice flow in the creek, I  knew there would be hundreds of people on the trail and swimming in the creek at the various swimmin' holes.

I was not disappointed in the crowds; however, the majority left the trails vacant so I was able to stroll slowly and stop whenever I wanted to photograph any sight that caught my eye.

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The field of dandelions was one sight that caught my eye, with the fluffy seed pods ready to disperse and create havoc in some conscientious gardener's yard.[[posterous-content:pid___1]]I have rarely seen so many dandelions in one spot and enjoyed the view they created.[[posterous-content:pid___2]]This many dandelions, combined with the common wild onion which are also plentiful in the area, would make for a good salad. I took an afternoon hike, so I had already eaten, but if I had planned it carefully, I could have had my very own vegan picnic with the wild plants I found.[[posterous-content:pid___3]]Not since I moved away from the farm, have I thought so much about the presence of wild foods around us.[[posterous-content:pid___4]]And not only is it nice to know that the wild foods are around us, they make for some beautiful sights in our outdoor adventures.

Percolating

Waiter. Waiter. Percolator.

I love coffee. I love tea.

I love the java jive and it loves me.

        Milton Drake & Ben Oakland

Due to the demise of my 20 year old Mr. Coffee, I used my old fashioned percolator coffee pot for the last two days. I had to dig around under the cabinets to find it, and because I grind my coffee so finely, I had to rig a paper filter for the basket, but after a little improvisation, I had a workable solution.

The coffee was really good.

Really. It was much better than I have had in a long time.

As I shopped for a new coffee maker, my search changed from only drip makers to include percolators of various kinds. After spending over an hour on Amazon reading various reviews and looking at the multitude of coffee makers available to the world today, I finally settled on a pot.

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And now I sit over the holiday weekend awaiting the delivery man coming on Tuesday. I ended up selecting a percolator type pot instead of the drip coffee and after the coffee I have had the last two days, I am very much looking forward to my Wednesday morning coffee.

Flowing with Change

Last weekend while doing my hike and taking pictures of the rushing water, I found myself captivated by some of the water as it rushed toward the waterfall. As it encountered a rise in the stone or some hidden obstacle that was higher than the rest of the stream bed, the water rose up and tumbled backward, as if it was trying to escape the waterfall.

 

The inevitable tumble over the cliff came regardless of the energy spent trying to flow upstream.

 

I sat for a while, transfixed, thinking that this water was so much like us when we are confronted with change. We fight with every bit of energy we have to avoid the change, but ultimately are swept along with it.

Several events this week kept bringing me back to the images of the water attempting to run backward. Some events could be managed, others had to be accepted, but all were going to be what they were.

Change has been. Change is. Change will be. 

Living through change wisely is my goal.

 

March 2012 Mckinney Falls 3 - Waterworks

I have done my first two posts without focusing on the namesake of McKinney Falls. I posted pictures of flowers growing in the park, but had nothing to show of the waterworks that give the park it's name. Onion creek, when flowing, provides some spectacular water effects as it flows down the park lands from the upper falls to the lower falls.

One shot from the upper falls.

The water beginning its journey from the upper falls to the lower falls.

The water about halfway between the upper and lower falls - directly below the historic rock shelter long used by native Americans.

Water going over some of the falls.

One of my OMG photos with the  colors captured in the water and the appearance that it is coming directly at the camera.

 

Another photo that just awed me. I enjoy those rare pictures that wow me now and then.

The lower falls.

An amazing photo of water coming together in one of the chutes leading to a waterfall. I love the texture and colors captured.

March 2012 McKinney Falls 2

I was playing with depth of focus on these three shots. The subject is the same, but the focus gradually changes from the far to the near.

This photo has the farthest focus.

Followed by this photo with a middle focus.

Finally this photo with the closest focus.

The blue flowers appear to be some kind of wild iris which were common across the park.

I am absolutely just an amateur photographer, but I love when something I am trying works out the way I want it to.

March 2012 McKinney Falls Wild Food

In today's world of the grocery store, I find a secret thrill when I find just how much I can eat off the land when I go on one of my hikes. The hike at McKinney Falls was especially fruitful.

There were wild onions everywhere I looked. I'm not certain that I would want a diet consisting of all onion, but there were plenty to be found.

I did not pull the onion, somone had done that before I came along, still the wild onions are fairly substatial in size.

The prickly pear proved to be one of the most beneficial of the food plants I saw today with many putting on bulbs for the pear which is a useful fruit in many ways.

The prickly pear leaf also makes a good food. These future nopales are just taking off in the spring weather. While the pear is only ripe in season, the nopales are available year-round, though they are much better while young  and tender. 

Another common and edible food was the dandelion. While they are a nightmare in my garden, they are a delight in my salad.

March 2012 McKinney Falls 1

This post includes a few of my favorite shots from my hike at McKinney Falls State Park in Austin. It is only a few minutes from my house and just miles from downtown Austin, yet in that place one has no idea that an urban area is nearby.

I was thrilled at how this shot of wild onion blossoms turned out.

 And this shot of a bluebonnet just blew me away with its brilliance.

 These yellow flowers (probably a weed) were taller than me. They created for a nerve-wracking experience as I walked through them. I spent the day looking for snakes, but found none. I was certain as I made my way through these plants that I would surely hear the rattle of an unseen snake.

 I also enjoyed the bluebonnets against the stone jutting out from the ground.

Whenever I need a mental health break or a quiet time waliking away from the crowds, I make my way over to the park and spend a couple hours with my camera in the quiet.

Pesky Critters

After putting up the fence, I felt fairly confident that my garden was protected from the dogs for the year. How could I imagine that it only fueled their destructive imagination?

The last thing I did in the garden was to refill my large pots with soil and plant some flowers. The pots are 18" - 24" high, so they are high above the ground

I went out today to find that the dogs had dug in EVERY ONE of the pots - even though I placed tomato cages (most of the flowers are climbing plants) in each of them.

Apparently that was not enough to keep them from digging, I had to take the next step and make a cap of chicken wire over each of the pots. At least now they cannot dig, I just have to find a way to keep them from climbing up inside and sleeping there.

I have a few ideas about what I can do and am confident at least one of them will work. I remain confident that I am smarter than my dogs though lately there is scant evidence to that effect.

Mostly Green Gardener

While working in the long neglected weed field also known as my back yard, I wondered at what point I would stop pulling and just pull out a sprayer filled with Roundup.

It almost happened at the start of the second day when the aches in the long unused muscles made every move a painful endeavor.

It almost happened when I pulled a handful of weeds that, as it turns out, were growing in a fire ant bed. 

Despite the aches and burning blisters, I managed to avoid the chemical option for this round of weeding; however, I will likely resort to the spray when my schedule returns to normal.

In my garden I endeavor to keep it as green as possible from an environmental perspective. I mulch, compost and plant many perennials. I have managed to maintain herbs for years.

I do what I can.

But sometimes reality creeps in and I resort to chemical assistance to control weeds and the fire ants. Working more than full time and daily tasks of living alone limit the time I can honestly dedicate to work in the yard. I do not use anything chemical around the edible plants, but I will in the rest of the yard and will to control the fire ants – they deserve annihilation and I am only too happy to do my part in it.

Still, it troubles me when I resort to any type of chemical assistance with the yard. I want to be as environmentally friendly, so I do limit the amount that I use to prevent any making it into runoff or otherwise becoming a pollutant. I also do not want to make the ground so toxic, nothing will grow in the space (nevertheless, the idea of salting the area I have covered with rocks has crossed my mind – hey, it is natural, but a threat to groundwater).

For the foreseeable future I am thinking it will be a sore back with an occasional sore hand from the spray bottle of Roundup and I will continue to be a mostly green gardener.

 

Moonflower Season

One of my favorite parts of spring is when the moonflowers start to bloom. I always make my way out to the garden in the evening or early morning to see the blossoms as they close during the day.

One can see when I flower is about to open as it is emerging from the green sheeth below. It folds back up to this position during the day and will reopen for a couple nights.

And in the late evening, all night, and early morning the flower opens. These are large blooms about 4" across and the brilliant white at night attacts moths and other nighttime pollenators.

Without the pistil and stigma inthe middle, the flower could almost pass for a sand dollar with the various marking and veins.

Currently the plant is only putting out a flower every few days, but as it is a large established bush that survived the winter, within a few weeks it will be putting on as many as forty blooms a night, creating a canopy of white covering the entire bush.