Cameron Park is one of my favorite places in Waco.
It's the second-biggest city park in the United States after Central Park in New York City, and home to miles of hiking and cycling trails, the Brazos and Bosque rivers, a zoo, playgrounds, and much more. I spent a lot of time at Cameron Park back in university when I would go there for running class, mountain biking class (one of my favorite classes of my whole college career), and for general recration.
One of the most stunning parts of the park is Lover's Leap, an area high up in the limestone cliffs above the flowing Bosque River where you can see for miles around.
My wife and I were visiting Cameron Park the other day with a close couple friend of ours, and we saw a sign pointing towards "Miss Nellie's Pretty Place", a part of the park I hadn't noticed before. It turns out that Miss Nellie's Pretty Place is a special ecological project dedicated to native wildflowers!
It appeared to be absolutely covered in the iconic blue blanket of Texas bluebonnets - a sight I've dearly missed, and one which is far more impressive here in Hill Country than in North Texas where I grew up.
Every year for a few weeks in springtime, Lupinus texensis, the most iconic symbol of the Lone Star State, blooms across the hills of Texas. This wildflower is delicate, fleeting, and beautiful. Seeing it makes me feel like I'm home.
I hope you enjoy these photos of bluebonnets which I took at Miss Nellie's Pretty Place.
Besides bluebonnets, there were also a number of Indian paintbrushes (the bluebonnet's best friend) - also known as "prairie fire", which also blooms at this time of year.
It makes me so happy to have gotten to see the bluebonnets in full bloom this year. Little things like this make me realize how much I miss Texas sometimes. No matter where I live or how long I stay abroad, Texas will always really be home.
Vast fields of azure,
Texas bluebonnets embrace
Spring's warm, gentle touch.
No comments:
Post a Comment