Travelogue #9 that goes with these pictures is available here: 2005 Trip Travelogue #9 Brenham, Round Top, Burton, Independence

North of Victoria, Texas post oaks become the predominant oak tree with the live oaks thinning out. This is a pic of post oaks with several live oaks on the left side. Note that the post oaks do not have leaves yet (this is March 21) while the live oaks are bright green.

We always stop by and take the Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory tour in Brenham. There is free ice cream upon completion of the tour.

You remember the old diddy about "two birds with one stone"?

How about two antiques with one click? Running and ducking.

Just north of Brenham, Texas is the crossroads hamlet of Independence. There isn't much left in Independence these days just an old country church and the remnants of the original buildings and campus of Baylor University.

Baylor University must have been an impressive structure back in 1846.

Blue Bonets and Indian Paintbrush are beginning to put on the show that this area is noted for. It is a few weeks early but there are some good splashes of color on the farm roads around Brenham. Blue bonets are blue while the Indian paintbrush is the reddish. When mixed the colors are really something.

We took some pics of old and impressive live oak trees today:

We were impressed by the huge limb on this live oak. That big limb just kept going and going. We could not get a better pic because of another tree in the way that was closer to us. The live oak tree on the right is one BIG oak tree. The trunk of this magnificent oak was only a fraction of the size of those "champion" live oak trees in Parks, Louisiana. Of course the crown on this tree is much more impressive.

Note how the limb on the right dips to the ground 60' or more from the trunk. The tree to the right has a big limb that bends to the ground and is coming at us.

We stopped to admire these Texas Longhorns. They have some impressive "clown stabbers" as they say in the rodeo circuit.

This is a gourd farm. Those round brown things you see on drying racks are gourds. The sign says they are open on Saturday mornings.

We took this information placque on Farm to Market Road 390 that runs east & west above Brenham from the small towns of Independence to Burton. Of course the La Bahia Road stretched much farther than that small section.

We came upon this small one lane tunnel on Farm to Market 390 the famed La Bahia Road. Not only was it one lane but it was only 10' 10" high. We could not get under this if we were in our motorhome. The Saturn fit just fine.

I saw this green tree frog when we were out walking in the wildflowers. He thought he was camouflaged.

Texans like to have big showy gates leading from the main road to their ranches. Some like to add decorations to these gates like some genteel city ladies decorate their door with wreaths, or a splash of color with a seasonal planting near the street or their mail box. Joyce and I studied this one but never did understand it. That is a roll of hay with 1/2 of a maniquin sticking up and a beagle with his head down in a hole. It must be a local thing.

Travelogue #9 that goes with these pictures is available here: 2005 Trip Travelogue #9 Brenham, Round Top, Burton, Independence

Until next week just remember how good life is.

Mike & Joyce Hendrix