From Where I Sit

By Pat Spilseth, Columnist

My world is blooming with color! Spring is sprouting blossoms of color throughout the country weeks earlier than normal. The grass is green; the lake is open; bulbs are budding. We’re thinking about turning off our furnace! Temperatures are almost balmy. Recent rain showers are easing the drought we’ve had and bringing color back into our Minnesota lives.

On the news several years ago in late March my husband and I saw alluring photos of the blooming cherry blossoms in D.C. Spontaneously we decided to fly to Washington, D.C., to see the blooming pink and white cherry blossoms and flowering magnolia trees. Tulips, hyacinths and daffodils bloomed with glorious color around the Jefferson Memorial and Washington Monument, the Memorial to the Second World War and the History Museum. Around the outdoor sculptures at the Hirschhorn Gallery and Sculpture Museum popped up more red tulips; inside, paintings by Frank Stella and Josef Albers provided brilliant color. Henri Moore’s reclining figures and Rodin’s torso sculptures were another feast for our eyes

Years ago, when I was visiting Luther College friends in Texas, I fell in love with the wildflowers blooming in the Hill Country of Texas, around San Antonio and Seguin. Each spring I’m motivated to seek colorful plants and their intoxicating aroma. Deciding to be spontaneous, and thankful for airline passes, Dave and I decided to get up at 4 a.m., a ghastly hour of the day, grab several cups of coffee and board a flight to Texas at 7:15 a.m. to fly to Dallas, then San Antonio. We drove to Seguin, Texas, to see fields abloom with Texas bluebonnets, the brilliant blue flowers of multitude blossoms. Fields adjoining the bluebonnets are filled with red Indian Paintbrush blossoms from the snapdragon family. Their scarlet-tipped blossoms almost hide the tiny, greenish-yellow flowers and their protruding pistils. 

It’s a breathtaking springtime scene. The Guadalupe River runs through the fields just outside of town where purple and blue Bird’s Foot violets and pink and fuchsia cyclamens bloom. Lush green landscapes of rolling hills, rivers and lakes beckon tourists, and fishermen are baiting their lines along the riverbanks. Roadsides create picturesque pastoral scenes as wildflowers pop up around fallen tree trunks and weathered buildings as well as pillared mansions throughout the Texas countryside. Our camera captured bluebells, paintbrush, cyclamen and poppies, preserving photo memories of our morning wandering the hills outside Seguin with our friends, the Quellos. The roadway scenes made me want to unearth my watercolor paints and brushes and try to capture these scenes on paper.

Double yellow petals with a button center create yellow Corn Marigolds, which are abundant along with the yellow mustard in the rolling fields. This is Hill Country, filled with sightseeing sites. San Antonio has the famous River Walk, the Alamo and the Spurs basketball arena. There’s also the  Lyndon B. Johnson Library and Museum as well as numerous historical museums, wineries, dude ranches and Texas colleges. Good food is everywhere, especially juicy steaks, BBQ and the tasty Tex-Mex variety of tortillas filled with cilantro, beef/chicken and tomatoes.   

Lady Bird Johnson spear-headed the promotion of Texas wildflowers which bloom along the interstate roads as well as country trails bordered by weathered posts and barbed wire fences. In 1982 Lady Bird and actress Helen Hayes founded the National Wildflower Research Center which promotes the beautification of nation’s cities and highways. Lady Bird’s nickname is “Johnny Appleseed” of wildflowers because she has promoted picturesque highways throughout Texas as well as influencing the beautification of many other states’ landscapes. 

Cowboys are a natural attraction in Texas, especially to us Midwesterners. Their tall torsos, loping gaits and huge Stetson hats, sharp toed boots, leather vests and creased blue jeans catch my eye every time a tall Texan passes by. Dave’s friend John Winslow is an authentic Texas cowboy as well as a fellow airline pilot. He tried to teach the “cool” factor to Dave. John even gave Dave a perfectly creased, faded pair of Wrangler jeans to accompany his starched white shirt, leather belt and large belt buckle. The only missing factors for this cool manly picture are proper cowboy boots and Stetson hat. Ah, well, Dave looks just fine to me in his sweatshirts and sweat pants.

Washington’s cherry blossoms and Texas wildflowers are eye candy to my parched winter soul. In Texas, spring produces entire fields of blooming spring flowers! It’s an amazing, delightful scene. This past week I’m so happy to discover blooming wildflowers in the neighborhood park across from our house in Minnesota. Tiny, delicate, purple, white and yellow violets are peeking through the dry leaves and patches of hepatica, trout lily and spring beauties are found throughout our neighborhood park. Spring’s blooming color is so welcome after a long winter. 

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To contact Pat, email: pat.spilseth@gmail.com.