West of Llano

Just to let you know, if this narrative should wander after awhile, it's probably because I'm multitasking - or trying to - writing the text for the post and trying to follow Overhaulin' on TV. The clue that I may have some difficulty with this is that they were getting ready to deliver a '65 Mustang and the next thing I noticed they were working on a 65 Volkswagen Bug.

Anyway, I got out on the road again Saturday on the off chance that there were still Bluebonnets out there and that perhaps I hadn't really missed the 2013 season after all.

Quesadillas at Denny's on my way out of town at 5:30. I was actually ahead of schedule even though I hadn't slept very well, so I got through Llano before sunrise -  my favorite time of day - and was ready by the time the sky was turning pink.

It always surprises me how quickly the colors change at sunrise and sunset. A minute or two after the first picture and there's not a trace of pink in the east.

Yeah, I'm liking this. Getting out of town early was well worth it. I planned my route last night and programmed the GPS - just over 460 miles - and a beautiful day for a drive

This whole set of images was taken at a single stop, alongside Texas Hwy 29 about halfway between Llano and Mason. And there were still, indeed, Bluebonnets out in the Hill Country. Not only that, they looked a lot better than those I'd seen the week before.

The sky at this first stop was great. I'd be on the road all day, and there's no way to tell how the rest of the day would turn out weather-wise, or Bluebonnet-wise for that matter. But it was all looking good at the start and I'd shoot whatever I was presented with in any case.

I was also looking forward to the post-processing because of the new tools I've been learning how to use in Lightroom and Photoshop. The learning curve isn't as steep as I'd expected, but it's really nice to know I'm still educable. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks???

I like the variety of brush in this pasture - it's really wild; really Texas. But I'd love to stop one of these days for pictures and find a few Longhorns willing to pose for me.

Meanwhile, at Foose's auto shop, they're delivering a '65 Impala to Carlos. . .