East Texas - Day-2

November 22, 2010 we started our trip heading further East.

1st Stop was Fort Bend County. This courthouse is also designed by the same architect that designed the Hays County Courthouse.

(#1 Fort Bend County Courthouse)


(Fort Bend County Courthouse)















(#1 Fort Bend County Courthouse - secured)















Today I was stopped by a very nice gentleman who wanted to know what "publication" I was with. He said he would be interested in picking one of the articles up when it was published. :) I explained that I was actually doing this for myself and that I may publish this one day, but haven't made that decision yet. He also shared with me that the inside of the Wharton County Courthouse was recently renovated on the inside, but he hasn't had a chance to take a tour yet.

(#2 Wharton County Courthouse)














(#2 Wharton County Courthouse - secured)















Although this is NOT one of the beautiful old courthouses I have previously posted, the drive during day-2 was great. We spent many hours driving on highway 6 which is right along the coast.

(#3 Matagorda County Courthouse)















(#3 Matagorda County Courthouse - secured)















Brazoria County is one of the unique counties that still have the original courthouse as well as a newer, modern courthouse. Initially I was sort of disappointed that we were getting just another square "modern" courthouse until I walked around the back of the new courthouse. That's when I saw the old one just sitting there. In addition to finding this, I also found a Time Capsule the town buried back in 1992 to be opened in 2042. So just in case you are interested in knowing what was placed in the capsule you can return in 2042 to watch them open it. :)

(#4 the Original Brazoria County Courthouse)















(#4 Brazoria County Courthouse)















(#4 Brazoria County Courthouse - secured)























(#4 Brazoria County Courthouse - Time Capsule)
















While in Bazoria County we also stopped to see the Stephen F. Austin statue. This thing is HUGE! First picture is by himself, but its pretty hard to get an idea just how big it really is so Steph and I took a picture in front of him in the second shot.

(Stephen F. Austin statue)





















(Stephen F. Austin with David and Stephanie)





















(yeah, you guessed it, he's not as tough as you think he is - Stephen F. Austin secured by Marvin the Martian)

Finally On The Road Again

So Steph and I have finally made it back on the road after almost a year. WOW!!!! What we have been missing! After the shock of losing every picture I had I sort of stopped taking any pictures all together until I could figure out what I was going to do. Now that I have my drive back and all of my pictures, its time to finish what we started.

So on with the show.

November 21, 2010 we started our trip heading East this time. We headed through Gonzales which we have, but I wanted to try and get a better picture.

(#1 Gonzales County Courthouse)





















Next stop was the Lavaca County Courthouse.

(#2 Lavaca County Courthouse)
















(#3 was supposed to be the Columbus County Courthouse but it was under construction so we skipped this one and moved on through.)



Next stop was the Austin County Courthouse. Although not one of the prettier designs, it has its own character. The original one burnt down (I forgot the year) and this one was erected in its place. I did however take pictures of the original jail. See below and imagine what the courthouse MIGHT have looked like.

(#4 Austin County Courthouse)















It seems that since Marvin was unsuccessful in blowing up the Earth so he could have a better view of Venus, he will have to settle for taking over the Earth one courthouse at a time. :)

...and now, without further delay, I would like to introduce my friend...Marvin.


(#4 Austin County Courthouse - secured by Marvin the Martian)














(Austin County Jail)















Next stop was the Washington County Courthouse.

(#5 Washington County Courthouse)















(#5 Washington County Courthouse - secured by Marvin the Martian)
















Next stop was the Waller County Courthouse.

(#5 Waller County Courthouse)














(#5 Waller County Courthouse - secured by Marvin the Martian)






















Next stop was the Washington County Courthouse. Again, not a pretty one, but has its own character.

(#6 Montgomery County Courthouse)














(#6 Montgomery County Courthouse - secured by Marvin the Martian)
















(#7 was supposed to be the Houston County Courthouse but it was under construction so we skipped this one and ended the trip for the day.)

Birthday Wish Come True!

Okay, so I have been dying for a chance to actually take some real pictures of Hawks. (I would love to take pictures of Eagles, but there just aren't that many around here.) Anyway, so we went to mom & dad's for my birthday and while we were sitting on the back porch I heard a Hawk crying out. (An adult Red Shouldered Hawk to be exact...thanks Marlo.) So like any good photog would do I grabbed my camera and went running to the woods. :) I get out there and believe it or not he is still crying out so I knew he was calling to another Hawk. Sure enough, I hear the other one about 100 yards deeper in the trees...but getting closer. I look up, not prepared for a picture and 10 feet above me he comes flying over head. I was so frustrated and at the same time in shock because he was so close to me. About that time I hear the original one I heard first cry out again and he's in the tree just in front of me. Didn't fly off. I hoisted the camera, applied "most" of my skills to the settings and began shooting. The more I shot the more he got agitated until flew away. All of this happened in about 2-minutes. I haven't tried to clean them up or anything, or even crop them so you can see the Hawk clearer...yet. The in flight shots are not very clear (thus the reason for saying "most" of my skills) but they are okay. (Remember I had 2 minutes to take the tree shots and then he launched, which I was unprepared for.)

Anyway, after he flew away he went to another tree where I was able to get a few more shots before he left for good. Either way, for me it was a SUPER FANTASTIC day that I have been waiting for for a LONG time. Can't wait till next time. ;)

#1...My initial sighting.

#2...he took off after about 10 clicks of my shutter. :)


#3...On his way by.


#4...Just over my head.


#5...In his new location but still within my reach. ;)


I have others that I need to clean up of some hummingbirds as well, but I will save those for another day when I clean up my hawk pictures.

Hope you enjoy them as much as I did taking them.

So we've come to an end...for now

Well, it was a week of 1,000 miles and 1,000 pictures. 7 days full of great memories, history and wonderful sites in Texas. We really hated to see it end, so we have decided that we are going to try and continue our Texas travels one weekend a month if we can. After all, if I want to get all the Courthouses in Texas I will have to get out of town. ;) So without further delay, on to the final day of travel...

First stop, Johnson City. This is the county seat for Blanco County. (If you will remember from earlier in our travels, I took pictures of the Courthouse in Blanco, but it was no longer the county seat. It had moved to Johnson City after just 4-years in Blanco. (#1 & #2 below)

#1


#2


After Johnson City we headed Marble Falls where we had dinner at the River City Grill overlooking the river. It was truly beautiful there, but unfortunately I didn't pull out the camera. :( (I know, its a miracle.)

Now on to Burnet where I really enjoyed the historic district. The Burnet County Courthouse was honestly pretty boring, but on the list none-the-less. :) (#3,4 & 5 below)

#3


#4


#5


And on to the last Courthouse of our vacation...Llano County. Truly beautiful! Great one to end the trip with. (#6, 7, & 8 below)

#6


#7


#8


So to finish it off we stopped at Krause Springs in Spicewood Springs. What a totally awesome place to take a dip in the springs. Beautiful area, just wish I would have taken my tripod down to the river with me. Oh well, I did get a couple of pictures to share at the river and up in the gardens. (#9, 10 & 11 below)

#9


#10


#11


If you have been one of the followers this week, I hope you enjoyed the travels. Check back from time to time as I will probably be adding new images from our trips. There were so many pictures to sift through for display and many I want to edit and re-post.

Keeping Near Our Roots

So Wednesday we stayed closer to home and toured around the Austin area. First stop was the Zilker Botanical Gardens. Due to the drought I would give it a 75% rating, but when everything is in bloom I bet that place is amazing! I am REALLY looking forward to going back when we finally get some rain. (Any photographers reading this should consider taking family pictures there. Even now its still really pretty as you will see.

On the way in there were some beautiful Water Lilly's in a pond just outside the gate. (Picture #1 is from that pond...and yeah, I'm having it printed.)

#1


Continuing down the trails we were serenaded by this funny little Eastern Bewick's Wren. He posed and sang (#2 below) for about 3 minutes while I sat and changed my lenses out. :)

#2


So moving forward we saw many spectacular photo opportunities, but I will only post a few. (#3, 4 & 5)

#3


#4


#5


So after we left the Zilker Gardens we moved on to the Texas State Cemetery. I know this sounds odd, but the grounds are absolutely beautiful and perfect for pictures. :) Steph and I took a few pictures for fun. (#6 & #7)

#6


#7


Since we have been taking pictures of beautiful chuches we couldn't forget to visit St. Mary's in Austin. Talk about a wonderful show of craftsmanship! Absolutely gorgeous! (I also decided to remove the business building in one of the pictures to show its full beauty. (#8, 9, 10 & 11)

#8


#9


#10


#11


And now on to the main reason for the trip to Austin. Here is the Travis County Courthouse. This is certainly not one of the prettiest on our trips this week, but one on the list none the less. :) (#12 & #13)

#12


#13