Fabric Shop

I love crafting and this year, one of my resolutions is to get back into it. There are two crafting stores I have been wanting to check out in order to get into the right crafting mindset and here's one of them. This little shop is called Lil' Bug and they were in the midst of moving some things around when I visited a couple of weeks ago. I really like the fabric they had on hand. The vibrant colors and beautiful designs made me just want to start sewing immediately. The selection is small, but the owner said she really wanted to focus on unique fabrics since you can get the usual fabrics at the local Wal-Mart.

Update 3/3/08: This store is located on King Street, very close to the Donut Palace, before you get to the intersection of Court & King Streets.

March Theme Day - Graffiti & Murals

This little market is on Kingsbury and though I have not been inside, we often pass it and enjoy looking at the mural. There are 144 City Photo Bloggers participating in the March Theme Day. Be sure to check them out, there's some great photos to be seen!

Last week I jumped the gun and posted a graffiti shot so you can check that out too if you wish.

Adelaide, Australia by Gordon, Albuquerque (NM), USA by Helen, Aliso Viejo (CA), USA by Rodney, American Fork (UT), USA by Annie, Anderson (SC), USA by Lessie, Arradon, France by Alice, Ashton under Lyne, UK by Pennine, Athens, Greece by Debbie, Auckland, New Zealand by Lachezar, Austin (TX), USA by LB, Bandung, Indonesia by Guntur Purwanto, Baziège, France by PaB, Belgrade, Serbia by BgdPic, Bellefonte (PA), USA by Barb-n-PA, Bicheno, Australia by Greg, Boston (MA), USA by Fenix, Boston (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Boston (MA), USA by Sarah, Whit, & Leyre, Brighton, UK by Harvey, Bucaramanga, Colombia by Fernando, Budapest, Hungary by Zannnie and Zsolt, Budapest, Hungary by Isadora, Buenos Aires, Argentina by Karine, Canterbury, UK by Rose, Cape Town, South Africa by Kerry-Anne, Chandler (AZ), USA by Melindaduff, Chateaubriant, France by Bergson, Cheltenham, UK by Marley, Chicago (IL), USA by U R us, Chicago (IL), USA by b.c., Christchurch, New Zealand by Michelle, Clearwater (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Clearwater Beach (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Cleveland (OH), USA by iBlowfish, Cologne, Germany by April11, Coral Gables (FL), USA by Jnstropic, Detroit (MI), USA by Taittems, Dunedin (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Durban, South Africa by CrazyCow, Evry, France by Olivier, Forks (WA), USA by Corinne, Glasgow, Scotland by Jackie, Greenville (SC), USA by Denton, Grenoble, France by Bleeding Orange, Guelph, Canada by Pat, Helsinki, Finland by Kaa, Hobart, Australia by Greg, Hyde, UK by Gerald, Inverness (IL), USA by Neva, Jackson (MS), USA by Halcyon, Jefferson City (MO), USA by Chinamom2005, Joplin (MO), USA by Victoria, Juneau (AK), USA by Gwyn, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by Edwin, Kyoto, Japan by Tadamine, Larchmont (NY), USA by Marie-Noyale, Le Guilvinec, France by ds2944, Lisbon, Portugal by Sailor Girl, Lisbon, Portugal by Jsaltao, Lodz, Poland by ritalounge, London, UK by Ham, London, UK by Mo, Mainz, Germany by JB, Maple Ridge, Canada by Susan, Mazatlan, Mexico by Kate, Melbourne, Australia by Mblamo, Melbourne, Australia by John, Memphis (TN), USA by SouthernHeart, Menton, France by Jilly, Mexico, Mexico by Poly, Mexico City, Mexico by Carraol, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Mitch, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Greg, Monte Carlo, Monaco by Jilly, Montréal, Canada by Douber, Moscow, Russia by Irina, Mumbai, India by MumbaiIteanu, Mumbai, India by Kunalbhatia, Naples (FL), USA by Isabella, Nashville (TN), USA by Chris, Nelson, New Zealand by Meg and Ben, New Orleans (LA), USA by steve buser, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK by Cassie & Chris, Niamey, Niger by Dinabee, Norwich, UK by Goddess888, Nottingham, UK by Gail's Man, Ocean Township (NJ), USA by Josy, Paris, France by Eric, Pasadena (CA), USA by Can8ianben, Pasadena (CA), USA by Petrea, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia by Murphy_jay, Pilisvörösvár, Hungary by Elise, Port Angeles (WA), USA by Jelvistar, Port Elizabeth, South Africa by Sam, Port Vila, Vanuatu by Mblamo, Prague, Czech Republic by Honza03, Quincy (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Radonvilliers, France by Deslilas, Riga, Latvia by Prokur, Rome, Italy by Giovanni, Rotterdam, Netherlands by Ineke, Saarbrücken, Germany by LadyDemeter, Saint Louis (MO), USA by Strangetastes, Saint Paul (MN), USA by Kate, Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation by Lark, San Antonio (TX), USA by Kramer, San Diego (CA), USA by Felicia, San Diego (CA), USA by Zentmrs, Santa Fe (NM), USA by Randem, Seattle (WA), USA by Kim, Seattle (WA), USA by Chuck, Seguin (TX), USA by Thien, Selma (AL), USA by RamblingRound, Sesimbra, Portugal by Aldeia, Setúbal, Portugal by Maria Elisa, Sharon (CT), USA by Jenny, Silver Spring (MD), USA by John, Singapore, Singapore by Keropok, Sofia, Bulgaria by Antonia, St Francis, South Africa by Sam, Stavanger, Norway by Tanty, Stayton (OR), USA by Celine, Stockholm, Sweden by Stromsjo, Subang Jaya, Malaysia by JC, Sydney, Australia by Sally, Székesfehérvár, Hungary by Teomo, Terre Haute (IN), USA by Zann, Terrell (TX), USA by Bstexas, Terrell (TX), USA by Jim K, The Hague, Netherlands by Lezard, Tokyo, Japan by Tadamine, Torun, Poland by Torun Observer, Toulouse, France by Julia, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina by Jazzy, Twin Cities (MN), USA by Slinger, Vienna, Austria by G_mirage2, Wailea (HI), USA by Kuanyin, Wassenaar, Netherlands by Rich, Wellington, New Zealand by Jeremyb, West Paris (ME), USA by crittoria, West Sacramento (CA), USA by Barbara, Weston (FL), USA by WestonDailyPhoto, Wrocław, Poland by Loompi, Yardley (PA), USA by Mrlynn,

Meeting up at the Hair Haus

Hair Haus Interior, originally uploaded by tgretchen.

Went and got a hair cut today though I snapped this shot several weeks ago when my friend Silvia was there. That's her with Audra, the owner of the shop.

Spring blooms

Though yesterday and today have been on the breezy side during the day and in the low 30s overnight (I think we actually might have hit 29F), it's actually been warming than average lately so that means lots of blooms around the area. Here's a shot of our redbud in the front yard. Personally, I am very pleased to see flowering plants and trees because that means good eating for the bees!

I posted this today because I saw a similar picture on Ioannina (Greece) Daily Photo, really liked it and was struck by the similarity of the photos.

Another a-frame in town

Another a-frame in town, originally uploaded by tgretchen.

Here's another a-frame I found in town. This one is located very near the coliseum and I liked the way it looked. I had posted my first a-frame back in 2006.

St. James Church

St. James Church, originally uploaded by tgretchen.

This is a church I love to drive by but the great thing is, you can actually see the steeple from many different angles around the area! It's lovely to see the beautiful copper among the treetops.

Update: The school was founded in 1872 and holds the distinction of having the “oldest building in the State of Texas continuously operated as a school.”

Mosheim Mansion

This was taken when I exited the Hair Haus through the back door. The Mosheim Mansion most recently served as the home to a business (but the owners did live there too, that's nice!) called Carter Memorial Co. but they have moved to another Seguin location now. According to a January 25 article in our paper, next up for the house is bed and breakfast -- our only one in town if it opens as expected in June of this year. The property is listed in the National Registry of Historical Places and as it transforms into our B&B, I will keep you posted. I hope they have an open house so I can get a peek inside. Now, if we can just get those power lines buried, as the are close to the square. That'd make for much nicer pictures!

Cool deck

This is one of the neatest houses in town I think. I love that tree deck out back! Not to mention all the green around the house as well as the white picket fence. Nice.

It appears I jumped the gun when I posted the graffiti shot. :) I totally forgot to check theme for March and guess what? The theme will be graffiti/wall mural. Luckily Mark and I know of two other options for this theme so be sure to check back on March 1 and not only will I have my own shot, you'll be able to visit over 100 other photo bloggers participating in the same theme event.

Have a great >week<>

Graffiti wall

I have been in Seguin about ten years now and have always been amazed by the fact that there is a noticeable absence of graffiti around town. That was nice. Then last week, I was driving home on Court Street and I spotted this wall and was really drawn to the bright colors of the wall. I liked it and kept checking for a good day to go back to snap a shot. My favorite feature is the city name is inlcuded. :)

Rosie's Pizza

This little pizza place opened a couple of years ago and seems to be doing well. I have always liked their pizza and you can't complain about the price. You can get a pepperoni pizza for just $6. Hard to believe and it's good, too! My nieces and nephew loved this place when they were visiting and we did pizza.

I also like the colors of their building and have waiting for a great time to take a shot. I was sitting at the stop light on my way back to work after lunch today when I saw this view and really like it that the water tower is in the background. Not to mention we had fantastic weather today. Lower 70F and crisp air. Cedar pollin is finally starting to let up a little. Hopefully it will be totally gone soon.

Breakfast Taco

If you have never had a breakfast taco, you are missing out. I can say this b/c before I moved here to Texas, I had never even HEARD of such a thing despite the fact that North Carolina has a real Hispanic presence!

In Seguin, the best place to have a b-taco is Las Palmas Cafe on Court Street. They are so delicious. We went there for breakfast this morning before work. It was a great treat.

Texas Pride

I thought this building is pretty cool looking. I had read about it in the paper some time ago and finally found it one day a couple of weeks ago. I recall the article mentioned that the owners of the building planned to hold a meeting with folks in the area so that they can get feedback from residents about what type of business they'd like to in their neighborhood. I think that is right neighborly of them. I mean, how many organizations, agencies or businesses do you know, that would even care what their neighbors think or bother to ask? I'll keep you posted on what business ends up in here.

Update 2/21/08: This is at the corner of 8th and W. New Braunfels (Hwy 78).

Railcar options

There is a lot of construction going on around town and I had to go down a street that I don't usually go down and was pleasantly surprised to spot this old railcar! The first thing that came to mind was how cool it would be if this was restored into a diner or something. I'm not one to have a vision of things normally so I thought it was something that I could see beyond the graffiti and poor condition.

Thank you all for your recent comments to the V-Day post. I really appreciate all the visits and your taking the time to leave a comment. I love reading them!

Sorry for the lack of posting again but the allergies have really just been beating me up almost -- every other day there seems to be a migraine on tap. Yuck. Better news is that Mark's last day at work was last Friday so we have been a little busy enjoying the festivities! We took a trip to Fredericksburg (TX) -- our first leisurely out-of-town trip in over a year and it was lovely to relax and enjoy driving around, in no particular hurry and not worrying about what work awaited our return or the phone ringing (which it DID! but luckily not an emergency). :)

Happy V-Day everyone!

I hope you all have a wonderful day. Been busy, busy with work and just trying to get more done at home so I can enjoy more crafting time like last night, when I furiously quilled little hearts for some friends today. Have you heard of quilling? The next time you are in a craft store, just check out the quilling section. I was amazed by the variety of papers and tools one can purchase for this cool craft. Amazing. I treated myself last year to one tube of paper and a small quilling pen (the blue tool you see) but really, you can use a paper cutter to cut regular paper and then use a pencil or skewer stick for the same effect. That's how we did it growing up! :)

Hello there

I'm back. Sorry for the lack of posts. My computer kicked off the new year by acting funny and moving like molasses. It was so frustrating. It just goes to show how much I have come to depend on the computer for things. Sigh. At any rate, I am back.

I have seen this big guy for a while now and I finally had a chance to pull over and snap a shot of him. He's in a small field that I pass everyday to and from work. I like his wavy fur.

Chúc mừng năm mới!

Happy new year everyone! Today's been a long, busy but very fun and happy day for the beginning of the Year of the Rat. My friends at work helped make the day fly by and we worked but managed to have plenty of fun. I took several Asian candies and cookies in and shared it with folks. Also shared some traditions b/c I think many of them didn't know much about Tet.

This picture of a lion dance is technically not shot in Seguin but since Mark and I are Seguinites, I hope you don't mind it too much. There just wasn't a lion dance in Seguin as far as I know. I have not been to a Tet celebration in years and we had a great time this evening as guests at the San Antonio Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce dinner and celebration! The evening kicked off with this dance of not one but three lions, that's rare. The costumes were great and the dancers managed well in a small space. The food was fabulous and companionship very enjoyable. There was singing of tradition Taiwanese songs, much laughter and wonderful door prizes. Mark and I won a very neat framed setting of several jade carvings.

This has been one of the nicest Tet I have had and I am glad to share some of my day here with you. Hope you all also had wonderful days as well. Good night.

Lucky flowers for the New Year

Well here it is, the eve of Tet. I am finishing up the last of cleaning chores after a long day of learning how to record training sessions at work (learned a LOT of new things today about training delivery methods, it's awesome) and then a long meeting at church.

This flower is called Bong Mai in Vietnamese. I don't know the English translation for it but it a symbol of good luck and it's always been difficult to find. I found this plant on our recent trip to Houston and it was full of beautiful blooms. It only has a few left now but at least it survived and seems to be thriving. After the new year, I'll have to ask my mom or sister where it should go next. Potted on a porch or in the ground, shade or sun? My sister is named after this bloom. You may have seen the name Mai here and there; it's not an uncommon Viet. name.

In preparation for tomorrow, here is some advice for those born in the Year of the Rat (from Suzanne White's The New Chinese Astrology):

Enjoy! This is your own personal year and you are going to have a whale of a time being happy, healthy and preposterous as ever...you'll be on top of the world...in this year, you should plan the next dozen years carefully.

To find your Chinese zodiac sign, visit this site or read about it on Wikipedia.

Nopalitos at HEB

Yesterday I went to our local grocery store (HEB) and saw these two ladies preparing these for sale. Nopal means cactus in Spanish and nopales is term for cactus stem. Nopalitos are the pads after they are prepared for cooking. These are from the prickly pear cactus.

Before I moved here, I didn't know these pretty cactus plants could also be eaten in tacos! I have tried a chicken taco before with nopalitos. It looks a little bit like sliced bell peppers but the taste is not the same. I'll have to try it again to refresh my memory since it's been a while.

Writing cards for the New Year

This evening I am feeling well again and realize I have lots to do to prepare the house for Tet this Thursday. At my previous job, I had plenty of holiday leave so I always knew that I could take a couple of days off to clean, shop, cook and so on. Starting my new job means no leave and preparations were to be made this past weekend but as you read, I spent most of it totally out of it with a throbbing head. I won't describe the rest of what the terrible cedar has done to so many of us around here.

I am hoping these cards will make it to their destinations on time! Mark and I wrote our well wishes to everyone and tomorrow they go in the mailbox. It was very hard to find Tet cards this year. Normally we've had good luck finding them in Hallmark, HEB and even Walgreen's stores. Not so this year in Seguin. Luckily my wonderful sister stopped by Saturday and shared her cards with me plus she also gave me some TLC. Thanks to Mark and Lan for taking such good care of me.

Cat in a House

I have been down and out with the allergies I'm afraid. Yesterday was the worst of it and I feel better today. At least good enough to post but I had to dig through some pictures to find one since I have't been out still.

One day on one of our walks, we passed by the Baxter-Fennell-Tips House. This is one of the small houses that is found on the perimeter of the main house. There were lots of cats in the area but I like little guy most. He just sat quietly watching us from his house.

Hope everyone has a good week. Tet is Thursday!

Volleyball night

A couple of nights ago, I went to the Seguin Activity Center where some friends were playing volleyball. It was hard to get a great shot b/c the lighting is challenging in the evening there. The flash can't do the job b/c of the distance but no flash was pushing it. I tried several manual settings but I still have a lot to learn. However, that said, I did find this one shot that I like. It looks like my friend Sonia could be playing basketball and not volleyball. I caught her at the right moment. Looks as if she just made a basket!

I am still fighting whatever it is I have -- can't tell if severe allergies or some bug going around that I have. All I know is I'm tired and the coughing is getting worse. :( So I have not been out and about too much for photo opportunities. Sorry. I'm now off to take the Theraflu and head to bed.

One last stop on our walk

Finally, after a walk from the house to the library, we circled around and stopped by the house of friends who have just moved here from California recently. They just got this new little puppy and we wanted to meet her. Her name is Gracie and they got her from the animal shelter. That is also where we got Smokey, our cat. They have a very clean facility and the animals are well cared for I think. I will try to make a visit there soon for a photo if possible.

How could you not love this face?

We passed this little cutie on our walk. I just love that face. I don't know if it is male or female but it was nice and never barked at us. It was just very watchful.

Woodpecker

Also spotted on our walk was this cool woodpecker. I normally don't take my camera with me when we go walking but I'm glad I did this time. I was busy looking for the cardinal I heard but Mark spotted this little guy. He looks a little different from the woodpecker we normally spot in our back yard. I enjoyed watching him busily check out different trees.

Colorful tree decorations

We made time to go for a walk today since it was actually really nice outside. Mild, in the low 60s, and partly cloudy. This was in a yard we pass on our route. I think it's very festive and it's nice to see them. Makes me smile.

We saw lots of great things on our walk so I may be posting more of what we saw the next couple of days. Hope you all have a great week.

Tet Preparations

Tet is the Vietnamese word for Lunar New Year, which will be on Thursday, February 7, this year. The day and date changes each year according to the lunar calendar. Most people just call this holiday Chinese New Year. Today my sister and I drove about 3 hours to get to the shops in Houston, which is due east of Seguin. It's the only place where we can find things such as the special yellow flower, Mai, that you see in between the golden mums. These flowers are considered good luck flowers, especially if they are in bloom as the new year rolls in. We stocked up on tons of cookies, candies and decorations. We also had some great Viet. food while we shopped. And of course I had my favorite drink, frozen mocha pearl tea. Mmmm...

I'm pretty tired now with all the driving but it was worth it. The festive atmosphere of the shops was what we needed to get us in the right frame of mind for Tet. Throngs of people pushed carts through the doors of the Hong Kong Market on Bellaire and we were thrilled really to be among this craziness. It gave us a chance to recall memories of all the celebrations our parents took us to when we were younger. In the Raleigh (NC) area where we grew up, there was always big Tet celebrations where the Vietnamese community would come together to eat, sing, perform traditional skits and dances, pass out gifts to the kids (usually the red envelopes filled with lucky money) and celebrate together. It was nice to think about those times again with Lan. Last year I also posted about Tet on February 18.

Another soggy day

Lately all we've had is drizzly, cold days. Today's no different. It's been so gloomy and wet, I have not really been out and about. Just to work and then home. This is on Kingsbury just before you get to the Water Park Experts company on the left and Texas Lutheran University on the right. I do like that old Chevy truck in front of me.

Farewell trees

I don't know when exactly the trees were chopped down but we went to take papers to recycling and saw many trees were gone from this nearby facility that the school is using for administrative offices or something like that. It used to be very nice to walk by the trees but perhaps they were sick and needed to be taken out. I'm hoping that was the case. Otherwise, I don't know why you chopped down any trees. You can see my feet in the shot, just wanted to show you how big the trunk was next to my size 7 feet. :)

I also shot other photos of the trunks. I liked them so much for some reason so I took several shots. You can check them out and let me know your favorite if you wish. Have a great Thursday. By the way, we just got back from the Spurs/Lakers game and I'm pushing to get this posted in time for it to count as Wednesday! :) Spurs won. Yah!

1 Close up in color
2 Wide shot in black and white
3 Close up in black and white
4 Side view close up in black and white

Digging a big hole

My friend gave me a ride back to work after we dropped off my car for a state inspection. As we drove by these workers, we were impressed by the sheer size of that drill! Being the great friend she is, she immediately offered to do another drive by so I could snap a shot. My husband is just as nice. I think they are psychic or they are beginning to see things and think, "photo blog..." :)

This drill shot reminds me that Mark and I once hired someone to help us dig some holes for the deck in the back of the house. After digging over 25 holes 20+ inches deep for our fence, we were ready to have some help with the rocky ground. Though our guy's drill was smaller than this in the photo, he assured us it could take it b/c it's tough and sturdy. Well, we felt really bad b/c it broke. That's how rocky some areas can be around here. In the end, we finished digging the rest of the holes. I'll have to find a picture of that project.

MLK Banquet

This past Saturday night, we attended the Banquet and we had quite a treat. Instead of the dinner theatre format typically used in the past, there was dinner and music this year. The choir was FABULOUS.

This is only a portion of the Huston-Tillotson University Concert Choir and we were blown away by how wonderful the kids were. We imagine that had the entire choir made the trip from Austin, they would have blown the roof off the coliseum (per Mark and I agree). The "choir is comprised of voice and instrumental music majors as well as students who sing fo rthe sheer love of performing the standard choral concert repertoire at a very high level," as stated in the program.

This talented group has performed for President George Bush at the opening of the Texas State Museum, at Lady Bird Johnson's funeral and for President Jimmy Carter. They will travel to St. Thomas US Virgin Islands this February! Since they are located in Austin, we hope to have an opportunity to go up there to hear them again some time this year.

Thank you everyone for your funny comments about the squirrels. I really enjoyed reading them and got plenty of chuckles in as well. Remember if you have any requests to see about-town shots of Seguin, just let me know.

Squirreling around

Last week was very cold, rainy or overcast...dark. This weekend? Beautiful. This morning we woke to bright blue, clear skies and we're all taking advantage of the sun. Spotted these two little squirrels coming out together for breakfast. We have dozens and dozens of squirrels around here. Sometimes they are cute and sometimes I find them pesky b/c they take over things, knocking over our insulators, tearing around the yard, hissing at me and sometimes Smokey. They don't always like to share the yard. :)




I want to thank J.C. of Subang Jaya, Jim of Terrell and Southern Heart of Memphis for honoring me with a You Make My Day Award! It is such a great surprise and adds to my happiness about continuing to keep up with the blog again. :)

The award rules say: "Give the award to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blogland. Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get the award several times."

I have learned so much about blogging, photography and the kindness and sensitivity that still exists in people and this makes me very happy. Through the daily photo blogs, I not only get to revisit places I have been but also places I have yet to see and know. I also make new friends along the way. My ten picks follows, though many other destinations also come to mind!

Please visit them and see for yourself how beautiful their photos and writings are -- I think you will enjoy the daily photo community.

Jilly of Menton
Abe of Brookville
Keropok Man of Singapore
Edwin S. of Kuala Lumpur
Nathalie of Avignon
Joy of Norwich
Dot of Georgia
Annie of Little Rock
Lynette of Portland
Mitch of Minneapolis
Jenny of Sharon

Peach blossoms

Thank you everyone for sending your well wishes regarding my cedar fever. I am all better now thanks to the doctor's visit and the rain that washed down much of the pollin floating around.

Last week when Mark and I were out, he pointed out these peach blossoms. Pretty, but with a cold snap, they may not make it to spring. That happens when you have flip flop weather. It's beautiful and sunny so some things might start budding and then you get hit with below freezing weather and the new growth doesn't always survive.

Right now it is about 35F but with the wind chill, it feels like 29F. Pretty cold for around here. We're going to get Chinese food tonight. Some soup sounds good to ward off the damp cold.

Persimmon

This little tree is in the same garden as the scallions from last week. I loved the look of it despite the tinge of sadness in the drying fruit. I believe those are persimmons (which I love). I couldn't get closer as I don't know the garden owner.

The little tree makes me think of Charlie Brown's Christmas tree. Which makes me want to make this persimmon tree my honorary Lunar New Year tree. February 7 will be the first day of the new year for many Asian communities, families and individuals. We will be celebrating the year of the rat (or mouse, if you prefer). If you are Vietnamese, you call Lunar New Year, Tet.

There is typically not a lot of Tet festivities going on in Seguin -- not in public anyway. But Mark and I usually do the house up in preparation. For now, I would like to point you to a few other Daily Photo Blogs I enjoy visiting -- Subang Jaya, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. These, in particular, are in Asian countries so you can get a glimpse of what other people do to prepare for New Year's Day. Me? I must start cleaning house!

Staring at the honey pot...

What does a honey pot have to do with my lack of posting? Well, the cedar pollin has been out in full force and I had done well in avoiding "cedar fever" but then it hit me hard Sunday and I was simply too out of it to post. This morning, my head pressure was much better but I was so tired, I just sat at the kitchen table and I barely break my gazing at the honey pot. I really like the bee. We have a little collection of these little pots. Now, if only our sweet little bees will produce some honey for US this coming year! :)

Anyway, cedar fever is a big thing around here. I had never heard of it before moving here but the pollin can really make people's lives quite miserable. Itchy eyes, scratchy throats, cough, slight fever, a head that is so full of pressure that even sleep doesn't provide relief. Sound fun?

Happy birthday!

Today is Mark's birthday...happy birthday honey! I love finding cool wrapping paper for people I adore though what you see is actually not wrapping paper. These are pages from discarded atlases that I have saved. I love wrapping special presents with them. And now that we are all exploring more of the world through these photo blogs, I thought it was appropriate to post this. Another reason the paper makes me happy? It reminds me of all my DP buddies!

Beautiful sky above

Our sky's been just gorgeous lately and the weather has been very beautiful. I thought I would post this now since next week is suppose to bring in a cold front that will hopefully bring some much needed rain to ease our drought conditions.

Yesterday, my new friend Dan from McKinney (TX) tagged me! McKinney is about 4.5 hours north of Seguin and I have not been there yet but if I go, I will of course look for Dan!

I've never been tagged on the blog before so here we go. This game of tag goes like this, When it comes to New Year’s Resolutions we seem to fall into four categories: 1) quite serious about them, 2) flippant about them, 3) pressured to do them, or 4) do not do them. So, the purpose of this game of tag is to let us know which category you are in. I will give mine, then tag 3 other sites to do the same thing.

Hmm...as with most things, when you are in a position where you have to select just one "thing," you realize things are never as clear cut as you hoped. But if I have to choose, I would say I am in the 2nd category. I try not to set unrealistic goals, or resolutions. And I think I set goals at different times of the year. Why wait until January 1? That said, I did decide in November that I would work on things that I enjoy but have pushed aside b/c of work and just taking care of things around the house. That means more knitting, reading, leisure cooking and beading. And if possible, I'm going to try sewing b/c I have been thinking and reading about it for about a year now. I think I'm ready.

Okay, so now I'm going to tag some friends. Please be sure to check out Annie of Little Rock (AR), Web OJ of Kuwait and Edwin S of Kuala Lumpur. You can learn so much about other places near and far with just three clicks. There are some amazing pictures and comments on other daily photo blogs so I hope you will have fun!

Winter Garden

On Ireland Drive, there is a wonderful garden that has something growing throughout the year. Mark and I always enjoy seeing what's there whenever we drive by and we like the way the garden plots are contained in neat rectangles. Right now, there are some scallions growing. I love scallions. I have seen a few other gardens around town as well. We hope to start a little one ourselves this year.

Hanging out

UPDATED 10-Jan-08

Thank you Keith!

KeithAlanK said...

That's a Turkish Gecko in case anyone's interested. Also called the Mediterranean Gecko, they started out in the USA as stowaways on cargo ships who brought them to port in Mobile Alabama and other cities around 1830, and have spread northward and across the south ever since. Eventually they will rule the world, one moth at a time.

It has been a little busy lately so I was looking through my photos to see if there was anything I haven't shared yet when I saw this guy. I had totally forgotten that I had snapped him and meant to share him. This is the bathroom window, looking out to the back deck where the light was on. He was no doubt trying to catch dinner as little bugs were hanging out by the light. Plus he kind of went along with the theme of my last post.

ET & UFOs

This sign alone is one thing. But if you pair it with the yellow sign on the other side of the road, it takes on another dimension. :)

Click on the picture for a bigger shot so you can see the yellow sign.

Updated January 8:
Sorry, it pointed to my Flickr and if you don't have an account or are not logged in, you do not get the option to view "All Sizes." Try to click on this link for the big picture. If it's still not big enough, use the resizing button that will appear on the image if you roll your mouse over it. Hope it works for you. Let me know if it does not.

Bees buzzing about

Today it got up to 78F degrees. It was a beautiful day though I did turn on the ceiling fans due to the warmth inside the house. :)

Our bees are doing well. They have been out and about, gathering up as much pollen as they can find, which is not much right now since there aren't many blooms to be had. We do have a couple of plants with little flowers and a rosemary bush still flowering also so they are gathering from there. I'm sure they're enjoying this more than the cold we have had lately.

Just a note, there is an opening about 1 inch in the bottom box but it is on the right side so you can't see it in this shot. Just wanted you to know the bees can get in and out just fine.

River Drive

This is River Drive along the Guadalupe River in Starcke Park. On the left is the golf course. On the other side of the river, there are some very pretty houses with big yards and paths down to the river. There's one for sale I think so I'll try and snap some pics that aren't intrusive.

After each flood (esp. since the big one in 1998, it seems we have flooding issues every other year almost), more of the road was eroded and for a long period of time, this drive was closed for safety reasons. I believe it was last year, maybe year and a half ago, that the city had the funds to rebuild the banks so that it was safe for vehicles to once again cruise along there. I'm really glad b/c it's quite beautiful.

Sunrise

Today I had plans to post my last shot of our visit to Starcke Park but I just had to do this one instead. I was saying goodbye to Mark this morning as he left for SA at about 7:10am and I loved the sky I saw! I also visited Mitch in Minneapolis and was happily surprised by his post today so be sure to check his site. :)

Earlier this week, PaB asked if the name Seguin was of French derivation. Our city’s name was originally Walnut Springs but was later changed to Seguin in honor of Juan N. Seguin, who had been a colonel in the Texas Calvary at San Jacinto .

The family name did indeed originate in France, where an ancestor left Paris in 1654 and sailed to the New World. You can read more about the city’s namesake by visiting our Convention & Visitors Bureau page.

Way back on September 12, 2006, I posted about our Juan Seguin statue down on the square. There was an anonymous request to see a shot of Juan Seguin’s burial site and I have been there a few times but I still don’t have a photograph which I feel does justice to it so when I do get one, I will post it.

Lone golfer

Before the postings for the new year, I mentioned we had go to Starcke Park and I took several pictures I wanted to show you. Here's another one. The golf course is very nice, sprinkled with mature pecan trees. Right now the trees are bare and the grass is brown but that's to be expected, though there is still a beauty to it in my opinion. This part of the course runs along the Guadalupe River (where my back is as I shoot this picture). I'll go back when things are in bloom; it's quite pretty. You can rent carts, bring your own or walk it, as this gentleman is doing here. It's good exercise. When my husband worked with the City of Seguin, he had to oversee the course at one point and so he took up golfing. I went with him and we walked it once and had a great, relaxing time. I enjoyed it much more than anticipated but we haven't the time for it these days. It really eats into your day to do 18 holes, or even 9.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This is my favorite post from 2007. I like it because a bluebonnet is so unique to Texas and I just love seeing them bloom each year I’ve lived here. Before I moved here, I never realized how beautiful a blue flower could be. Now the bluebonnet stops me every time I see it, whether it is a single bloom as it is here or in a field among thousands.

For our January 2008 Theme Day, there are 118 other city bloggers participating so be sure to take a little trip around the world!

Paris, France - London, England - Hyde, UK - West Sacramento (CA), USA - Grenoble, France - Stockholm, Sweden - Riga, Latvia - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Manila, Philippines - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Weston (FL), USA - Prague, Czech Republic - New Orleans (LA), USA - Wichita (KS), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - San Francisco (CA), USA - Hobart (Tasmania), Australia - Greenville (SC), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Mainz, Germany - Melbourne, Australia - Portland (OR), USA - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Toulouse, France - Naples (FL), USA - Jakarta, Indonesia - Brussels, Belgium - Stayton (OR), USA - Selma (AL), USA - Mexico City, Mexico - Ocean Township (NJ), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Toruń, Poland - Fort Lauderdale (FL), USA - Budapest, Hungary - Baziège, France - Nashville (TN), USA - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Chicago (IL), USA - Prescott (AZ), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Nottingham, UK - Moscow, Russia - Philadelphia (PA), USA - Evry, France - Trujillo, Peru - Arlington (VA), USA - Denpasar, Indonesia - American Fork (UT), USA - Seattle (WA), USA - Chandler (AZ), USA - Coral Gables (FL), USA - Montpellier, France - Joplin (MO), USA - Pilisvörösvár, Hungary - Crystal Lake (IL), USA - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Boston (MA), USA - Torun, Poland - New York City (NY), USA - Dunedin (FL), USA - Quincy (MA), USA - Stavanger, Norway - Chateaubriant, France - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Jackson (MS), USA - Wailea (HI), USA - Port Elizabeth, South Africa - Budapest, Hungary - Austin (TX), USA - Montréal (QC), Canada - Cypress (TX), USA - Bicheno, Australia - Wrocław, Poland - Brookville (OH), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Nelson, New Zealand - Cheltenham, UK - Wellington, New Zealand - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Mumbai (Maharashtra), India - London, UK - Haninge, Sweden - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Arradon, France - Jefferson City (MO), USA - Orlando (FL), USA - Mumbai, India - Terrell (TX), USA - Bogor, Indonesia - Delta (CO), USA - Radonvilliers, France - Saigon, Vietnam - San Diego (CA), USA - Adelaide (SA), Australia - Belgrade, Serbia - Auckland, New Zealand - Seguin (TX), USA - Inverness (IL), USA - Oslo, Norway - Singapore, Singapore - Las Vegas (NV), USA - New York City (NY), USA - Anderson (SC), USA - Torino, Italy - Susanville (CA), USA - San Diego (CA), USA - Sharon (CT), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Port Vila, Vanuatu - Memphis (Tennessee), USA