Red December

The cedar sage has finally stopped producing flowers.  I didn't see a single bloom this weekend.  And many of the leaves were turning purple.

The flame leaf sumac is stunningly beautiful. The red oaks, too - they are truly red now. Even the green grasses are turning red.  Christmas colors.

Not, however, Christmas temperatures. I put up my decorations this weekend - the ceiling fan was on, and I was wearing shorts and drinking cold beer.  Ug. Just ug.  Forget a white christmas.  I'd settle for a sweater christmas.

There's a new yellow flower that's just bloomed along the road. No pic yet, but I wanted to mention that it showed up in late November.  It's a much paler yellow than the yellow-orange of the golden eye/crown beard. More like a tall buttercup.  And I only see it along the road - not in the forest, even the open places that get more light.

Speaking of open places - the understory is noticeably cleared out.  Leaves have fallen off shrubs and vines.  Flower stalks and grass leaves are dying off.  All the inland sea oats have fallen to the ground - Little V seeds - and no longer catch the sun, the way they did in October (pic).  And vistas are opening up.  I can stop on the lake path several times and still spy the heron fishing.

And I can see the hill doesn't descend smoothly - the balcones part of the Balcones Escarpment is visible now.  Ah - I see now that 10 feet off the path, there's a 10 foot drop.  I'm beginning to see the contour lines - Ah!  That levels's the 600 foot line!