Spring Hummingbird Migration 2013

Denny says the best bird-watching in the Texas Hill Country is just outside our windows.  

He may be right.  2013 has been one of the busiest hummingbird migrations in our nearly-seven years of Hill Country living.

A couple of young Rufous hummingbirds spent the winter here. Technically they're not spring migrants but this peekaboo picture was too much fun to withhold. This is the third year we've seen Rufous hummers overwintering here.  They leave as the first spring migrants appear in March.

The earliest migrants are usually male Black-chins arriving in ones and twos.

Next come the Ruby-throated males, then females of both species.  The birds are said to migrate individually but often arrive here in clumps, perhaps a result of weather events. 

During the height of migration the birds will consume about a quart of sugar-water a day from our four feeders.  

Spring flowers, plus a water source and thickets help attract the birds.  

Dependable year-round feeders are the last piece of the puzzle but an important one.  During drought years when wildflowers are scarce, or years with cold spells when the birds need fast fuel, feeders fill the gap.

Female Black-chinned

Time helps too.  Ruby-throated hummingbirds, and probably other species, return to places where they found food and shelter in prior migrations. Amazing that such a tiny brain can store geographic data for flights of hundreds of miles.

Migration flow through our part of the Hill Country is down to a trickle now. But competition for an early morning bath at the waterfall will last all summer.

Copyright 2009-2013 Kathleen Scott, for Hill Country Mysteries. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Granbury Tornadoes, May 15, 2013

Granbury's 19th Century Courthouse

I've been thinking of writing an article about the wonderful 'G' towns of Texas, particularly Granbury, Glen Rose and Galveston.  

Nothing against Garland, Georgetown or any of the other G's, but the first three have a hold on my imagination with colorful stories and fine historical buildings, fun activities, good eateries and a special sense of place.  In fact, I like the towns so much I've written articles about all three (links above).

Granbury's historic square.  Many of the structures were built from local stone or brick.

But I hadn't planned on writing this.

Last week, tornadoes tore through Granbury, killing six, sending maybe 50 to the hospital and destroying about 100 homes.

 Photo by G. J. McCarthy for The Dallas Morning News.

Somehow the loss is more poignant in a town of only 8,000 souls, small enough that people know each other; or if they don't, they know second/ third-hand stories.  

Having the sky bury people is the stuff of nightmares.



Today I'm thankful the people I met are safe, the heart of town still stands and help has been swift.

For anyone who wants to help residents get back on their feet, donations may be made to the Red Cross.

Copyright 2009-2013 Kathleen Scott, for Hill Country Mysteries. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Art of Albuquerque

Albuquerque:  A desert-dwelling community split by a a river oasis, stretching to red-hued mountains.

With that geography, I shouldn't have been surprised at Albuquerque's unique energy.  "Quirky Albuquerque," or "ABQ" as the town is known to air traffic controllers and locals, is a stew of old and new.

When I visited recently, I expected history and culture, good eats and interesting sights.  And found it all.  But most astonishing was the public art. Murals and mosaics covering industrial buildings, edging parking lots and decorating shops.  Turns out, ABQ has over 700 public artworks in the municipal collection--more than most cities twice the size.


On a short downtown walk, we discovered art of philosophy,

art of color and joy,

and art with a message.

Funded by a 1% sales tax voted in by residents.  Which makes them all artists, in a way.

Copyright 2009-2013 Kathleen Scott, for Hill Country Mysteries. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Some Mysteries Come to You

We travel to find the unexpected...sometimes it's just outside our front door.

Ernest takes his supervisory responsibilities seriously.  He monitors my work and the yard simultaneously from his post in a basket on my desk.

One morning last week he bolted up from a dead sleep, streaking toward the kitchen windows, a high thin hunting whine trailing behind.  

I followed to see this:

Fox. In full morning sun about 20 feet from the kitchen windows.  

We haven't seen him/her in ages, due to our repentance for the sin of leaving Purina dog chow out on the rocks for him/her.  

That practice brought not only five lovely foxes to the feeding rocks just after dark each evening, but a nightly cast of raccoons, possums and skunks.  Many mornings I awoke to the smell of angry skunk.

The night I opened the door to the sight of a dozen skunks jousting for position, I repented.

As I said, that was some time back.  So why was Fox in my front yard in broad daylight when he/she is a night person?

Look closely, see if you can find the answer in this picture:

Fox is on clean-up duty.  

We put peanuts-in-the-shell out for the scrubjays in the morning. By nightfall, the jays, titmice, squirrels, deer, etc. have finished them off.  

Fox is just beating the crowd to brunch. 

Copyright 2009-2013 Kathleen Scott, for Hill Country Mysteries. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Heidi Loewen's Art

Heidi Loewen's studio full of color and light, 315 Johnson Street in Santa Fe. 

 
I was sorting pictures from New Mexico this morning...there are more than 2,000 from last month's two week trip.

Only a few will ever see print but pictures help me recreate an experience in words, a different kind of art. 

One of my favorite experiences was joining Heidi Loewen in her studio/gallery in Santa Fe.  Denny and I spent a morning with her learning about making porcelain vessels.  

That morning was more than just playing in clay; it was an exploration. Heidi's first rule for students is, "Speak kindly of your work."  The idea was like turning on a light bulb of possibility; freedom to create without fear of failure.

A few of our raw vessels from that morning.




In another couple of months, Heidi will ship our glazed and finished pieces, with an invisible cargo of happy memories.

Copyright 2009-2013 Kathleen Scott, for Hill Country Mysteries. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

To the Moon and Back

Hard to believe it's been so long since I wrote about our (short-lived) bluebonnet season.   

Now Hill Country roadsides are blanket-flower red and gold.   


Since my last post, I've been researching, photographing, writing and dreaming travel articles.  Beaches, desert, art, history, massage, regional margaritas and more.  Yes it's a disparate list.  That's what I love about travel. 

My last article in print told the story of resilient people who turned hurricane destruction into statements of hope, and sometimes humor.   "Storm's trees tuned into art in Galveston."

Galveston is one of my favorite Texas towns.  After our first visit, Denny and I agreed we'd move there if we weren't allergic to hurricanes.

We've been a lot of places and I've written a bunch of articles since then. I haven't been good at juggling a Hill Country Mysteries focus with writing articles so I think I'm going to begin taking you along on my adventures.  You'll taste more than the Texas Hill Country but still get a Hill Country flavor. Might be the best of both worlds. 

Copyright 2009-2013 Kathleen Scott, for Hill Country Mysteries. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Texas Hill Country Springtime Blues

By March, winter-weary folks in northern climes look for crocus breaking a crust of snow. 

But here in the Texas Hill Country, if we had rain the winter before, bluebonnets rise from the hardscrabble hills like proof of hope.

Bluebonnets growing from a caliche slope near New Braunfels. 

April 9, 2010.

We head to the country for roadside revelry among carpets of wildflower blue.  The flowers are all the more precious because we don't know when they will grow again.

See the photographer and sweetheart at the top of the ridge? 
March 18, 2012

This year, Spring 2013, is an off-year for flowers in the Hill Country.  We've had only a few meaningful rains from last fall into this March.  In fact, if rainfall doesn't inch up, we're on target for another Chihuahua Desert summer.

So we squint as we drive, exclaiming at roadside patches where a few blue survivors brave the dust.  Life is short, we celebrate when we can.

Copyright 2009-2013 Kathleen Scott, for Hill Country Mysteries. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

A Texas Wine-Country Escape

My last newspaper travel article was about a small town and pastoral valley in California's Sonoma wine country.  Beautiful scenery, great wine, makes me thirsty to think about it.  

And reminds me of a Texas wine region a lot closer to home. Yes, there are Texas vintners making wine well worth drinking. Wine-lovers cruising Fredericksburg Wine Road 290 find multiple wineries and tasting rooms pouring Texas-made wines that make a person glad to lift a glass.

But a wine region isn't complete without lodging and dining.  And Fredericksburg offers unique dining and hundreds of B&B's.  Among my favorites is Rose Hill Manor, a sophisticated country lodging.

The rooms are large, appealing and quiet; the porch rockers face a miles-long view of the Hill Country; and a boardwalk leads next-door to Pedernales Cellars, a seriously-good winery making award-winning varietals.

If I time it right, I can watch a glowing sunset from my table at Austin's, the restaurant at Rose Hill Manor, while I savor a seasonally-inspired dish like  Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto with Pistachio, Truffle and Pancetta.  

Hedonism in the Hill Country.

Copyright 2009-2013 Kathleen Scott, for Hill Country Mysteries. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Hearty Lentil Stew

We all find our own comfort.  This toothsome stew is one of my cold-weather favorites. A few minutes prep, about 35 minutes on the stove, and Denny and I sit down to steaming bowls of delicious goodness.  

Did I mention healthy?  Three things to love: the dish is low-fat, the brown rice and lentil combo forms a complete protein without the addition of meat,  and it adds fiber to the diet.  Works for folks on gluten-free diets too. 

The easy part is cooking the rice and lentils together.  The secret is choosing lentils and rice that need the same cook time.  I favor green lentils and Texas Best Organic Brown Jasmine Rice, with a cooking time of about 30-35 minutes, purchased at HEB, the national grocery store of Texas. If you aren't fortunate enough to live in Texas, check your store for another brand with a similar cooking time.

Hearty Lentil Stew
Serves 6-8

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock** 
~ 2 tsp Herbes de Provence, or a mix of dried rosemary, thyme and sage
~ 1 tsp kosher salt
~1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup green lentils, rinsed
1 cup brown jasmine rice or whatever rice you like that cooks in about 35 minutes
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
4 oz. baby portobella mushrooms, washed & sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 chopped roasted red pepper

Directions:
Bring the stock to a boil in a 4 quart sauce-pot over medium-high heat.  Add salt, pepper, herbs, lentils and rice.  Stir well.  After the mix returns to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and set the timer for 35 minutes.

While the lentils and rice simmer, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet.  When hot, add the onion and green pepper, sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt and cook until soft.  Add the mushrooms and cook until they've begun to release liquid.  Turn down the heat and add the garlic, stir until fragrant then remove from heat and cover.

Check the lentils and rice when the timer goes off.  If either is not tender, stir and replace the lid for a few minutes. It's OK if the liquid isn't all absorbed.  

When rice and lentils are tender, remove from heat and add the vegetables and any accumulated juices.  Add the roasted red pepper.  Mix well and serve.

Like most stews, this is better the second day.

**A few words about chicken stock: If you don't have homemade on hand, buy for flavor--it deepens the dish. I do a chicken/turkey-stock project about 4 times a year and freeze in 1 cup jars. No salt, so I can add as needed to any dish.  The cups only take a few minutes to thaw in the microwave.  

But stock-making is another post...  

Copyright 2009-2013 Kathleen Scott, for Hill Country Mysteries. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Happy Resolutions

I believe in resolutions.  At least the do-able ones.  

I will lose five pounds in January.  I know I can, I've done it at least three times this year, the same five pounds.  
 
I'll write.  
 
And I'll keep this annual resolution, at which I've been spectacularly successful:  

To Make New Mistakes Next Year
  

Feel free to take that one for yourself.
  
Copyright 2009-2013 Kathleen Scott, for Hill Country Mysteries. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.