I'm so very sorry that I didn't get to meet up with several people that I wanted to. Garden trips aren't really for husbands. I just loved Texas and we got to see so many beautify sights!
Of course I fell in love with many plants. The humidity was enough to kill us so we couldn't walk around very much. I only got a few oleander cuttings. I couldn't believe how beautiful all the color of the oleander were1 i loved Galveston Island and the history was very interesting. were was that in our history books!?!
We did most o the normal history stuff there. I loved the LBJ ranch and found it very interesting.
It was amazing how helpful and friendly people were.We could still see the terrible devastation of Katrina.My heart aches for all those people that lost their beautiful homes.
I still have tons of work to do to get cough up. I fell in love with vereral plants at the Moody Garden. I have to send them a photo to have them identify a tree that love
I loved the Rangoon creeper and found out that several people are able to grow them here too.
The humidity almost did us in
I had never seen so many beautiful colors of oleander as I saw in Texas.
Mikckye
This message was edited Oct 1, 2010 11:35 PM
visti to Texas
If you grew up here you would have taken Texas history in school and learned a bit of Galveston's history. But when one goes deeper into the history of individual portions of Texas the pieces of the historical puzzle really begin to pull themselves together. Being a native Texan I'm probably a bit biased but for myself Texas, having at one time been a separate country from the USA, has the most interesting individual history of all the states. If you haven't seen the 2004 version of the movie "The Alamo" with Dennis Quaid I suggest you do. Great movie and a 1000 times more historically accurate than the old John Wayne version (which I loved as a kid). The more recent movie doesn't end at the Alamo but continues on through the Battle of San Jacinto where Texas won its independence. When you were at my home you could have been standing near one of the Texian's encampments before the Battle of San Jacinto which was just on the other side of town. The place where the famous words were shouted, "Remember the Alamo!"
Actually it was hurricane Ike that ripped through and destroyed much of our area. Broadway street, the divided main thoroughfare through Galveston, was lined with 100's of old oak trees before Ike. It was beautiful. They're all gone now. The storm surge that flooded the island with feet of saltwater was too much for the trees and the salt killed almost all of them. When the trees were cut down much of the wood was collected by local artisans to use in their works or planks were made for the reconstruction of some historical sites. The destruction to numerous old historical Victorian homes was also a great tragedy. Many of them had survived the Great Storm of 1900 or were rebuilt shortly after the storm.
I'm glad you found the people here helpful and friendly. And you hit the nail on the head. The name Texas means friends. It came from the Caddo Indian word for friends, "teyshas." This word was translated by the Spanish explorers as Teyas or Tejas.
You could post a picture of the tree here and someone might possibly identify it for you.
Sorry but I had to chuckle when I read your late night/early morning post. You must have been so worn out. You didn't even spell your own name right! :D
Steve S
GF, I thought you didn't come this far south until I read an earlier comment by Steve.
I still have your plant, the Mexican oleander. It's getting cool enough to mail it now!
Wish I had known you changed your mind & came on down, I would have met up with ya'll somewhere down here!
Well, maybe next time!
I had a friend here in April from Mesa, AZ and she had issues with the humidity even then and it wasnt near what it was going to be..lol... my first summer here from Apache Junction I thought I would died ..coming from AZ where 10% humidity was considered high to TX was a shock to the system.. but you get used to it just like you do to the heat in AZ. I do know from personal experience that 100 degrees in AZ is a lot more comfortable than 100 degrees in east TX..lol. youer not wringing wet all the time like you are here..lol.
Smockette,
It was more of an issue that we didn't have a lot of time and my husband is not into plants. It's probably safe to send me the plants now. It's gotten cooler. We had rain and even large hail and the humidity index is up to 39%.
I really hope that we can get the chance to come back to Texas. It was so beautiful and so many beautiful oleanders to get!
Mickey
Beyond plants, there are a number of us that would have enjoyed a cross country-mini-RU.
I'm sure we could have kept your DH occupied with whatever avocation he enjoys, too.
Another Texan from Arizona. When I lived in Phx. there were days well over 100 and around 120 some days. The heat index runs about the same here and have seen days of 105. Streets don't melt and no shattered rear windows or cooking on the sidewalk.
The lizards don't carry sticks.
My skin and nose like the humidy. The only time I get chapped skin or a dry bloody nose is when I visit Az.
I was just wondering about a traveling RU. Sounds like it went well. Did you make any stops in NM?
Dane
Hi, Dane. I totally agree with you about our humidity. Can't say I love it at times but I'll take it over hot, dry air which has the same effect on my skin and nose. One plus for the humidity is that it's a natural moisturizer for the skin. Keeps us much younger looking than dry air. :)
In Mickey's defense, when she was here we had a couple of days of rain before her arrival. That pushed the humidity level up pretty high and I understand how that could exponentially effect someone not use to daytime levels above 25%. Still, I'll take that over dry. Our plants here thrive on it, too.
One question. Please explain "The lizards don't carry sticks." I'm lost on that one.
Steve S
The lizards in AZ carry sticks. When their feet get hot, they stick the stick in the ground and climb on to cool their feet.
Oldie but goodie
Thanks! Now is that a fact or an old wives tale? ;)
I have never seen a lizard ever carry a stick and I live out of the city in the desert. We have some pretty big lizards too.
dmtom,
Yes we made several stops in New Mexico. I was able to get a few beautiful cuttings of oleander there too.
I wish that we had had so much more time. It was so wonderful but we had to get back and my cat goes nuts when I'm gone and hides in the closet the whole time. It's a little hard on the plants too having someone else taking care of them.
Mickey