Essence of Texas - perfume and pretty pictures (Canyon, West: house, camping)

[TexasReb]

Good evening fellow Texans!

In one of those contemplative moods tonite...and got to wondering what are you all's Top Five list of things associated with Texas. As in, good scents and sights and unforgettable natural music? Since I asked first, I will go first (in no particular order):

1. The fresh resinous smell of the East Texas piney woods after a nice springtime rain shower. Especially at night.

2. The call of the coyotes on the praries. A sort of lonesome sound...

3. The natural fireworks of lightning bugs along a Texas creek bottom. Like stardust fallen to earth and come to life.

4. Grandmaws kitchen on a Sunday afternoon. Need I say more?

5 The full moon thru the East Texas pines. Georgia is a beautiful state...but our moon comes just as sweet and clear.... (EDIT: For some of the younger members who might miss it ...the reference is to the beautiful Ray Charles song, Georgia On My Mind!).

Y'all?

[TexasReb]

Add to list:

The rush of the winds of a "swamp cooler" at night! Nothing better to sleep by...

[Canine*Castle]

As always, a thought provoking thread from TexasReb.

1. the blossoming fruit trees and leaves budding already in March ... lovely ... a new beginning ... again and again ... beautiful

2. the most gorgeous sunrises that I've been viewing from my back door ... truly magnificently bright colors ~ God's painted handiwork

3. the brightest stars in the sky ~ sitting outside on a clear evening in the peace and quiet of my backyard absolutely in awe of the wonder of such beauty ~ The city folks just don't know what they're missing.

4. duplicate mention, but Mr. Moon ... He is often the brightest of orange and looks so close to us. I love that guy.

5. watching and listening to birds chirping ever so happily and watching the baby calves behind my property merrily romping in the pasture ~ one is all white, adorable

This is what Texas is about to me.

[love roses]

All of the above

And all of the stars visible on clear, cold nights.
The sound of Cicadas in the day or at night, crickets too.
Same kind of night sky, sitting on a jetty/full moon/listening to the waves hit the rocks/smell of the ocean (and for the nitpickers, Gulf)
The rainstorms. During a rainstorm, sitting by a window reading a good book (not doing that when there is lightning involved!)

[TexasGirl@Heart]

Y'all are making me homesick!

[Westerner92]

Great thread TexasReb!
Growing up in West Texas, I associate different things with Texas than many other people, I think. Here are mine.
- The wind bringing the wonderful smell of rain just before a long-awaited storm.
- The most beautiful sunsets setting over the plains and mesas.
- Barbecueing on the lakeside while the evening sun casts an orange glow on everything.
- Wildflowers blooming in the late spring in Palo Duro Canyon. Almost every color you can imagine is there.
- Again with the full moon and bright stars, except I think of them as at my great-grandparents farm, with the windmill turning and a cool moist breeze.

[Canine*Castle]

Originally Posted by TexasReb

Add to list:

The rush of the winds of a "swamp cooler" at night! Nothing better to sleep by...

Do you really have a swamp cooler where you live? I've only seen one of those in my life and that was when I lived in CA.

[lonestar2007]

The sweet smell of a cut hay field or lawn.

The sounds and smell of the surf at the coast.

The awesome sights of lightning in the sky when an electrical storm is in progress.

The lonesome sound of the wind howling during a blue northner.

The beautiful sunsets.

The sky at night regardless if it is lit up brightly with a big full moon or completely black with it's wide array of stars shining like millions of diamonds.

The clear deep blue Texas sky that seems to go on forever.

The sounds, sights and smells of a small town rodeo.

The far off whistle of a freight train rolling through.

The sweet smell of honeysuckle in full bloom.

A big, bright beautiful rainbow after a storm.

[TexasReb]

Originally Posted by Canine*Castle

Do you really have a swamp cooler where you live? I've only seen one of those in my life and that was when I lived in CA.

CC. We had one in the house we grew up in. On those hot summer nights we kids would sleep under them...with windows open too. I love those things...just the memory of them.

[TexasReb]

Oh man...

Y'all are all making me just get purely enthralled reading all the GREAT portraits! And descriptions.

One of the things I noticed though, that blends all into a nice Texas bit of memory, is the night-time skies!

On that subject...this really happened, y'all. No BS.

It was quite a few years ago. My kids were still my kiddos...and a bunch of us went out camping..them with their kids too. After the said kids went to sleep, we all sat on the tailgate of a pickup truck and drank beer. Some were around the campfire.

I never will forget it. It was one of those perfect Texas nights. A wind just enough to be pleasant and fresh, but the Big Picture was up above. One could just get lost looking up into the sky. So many millions and millions of stars in a crystal clear heaven that it was as if the Hand of God had dusted it with essence of pearl.

We all just got silent. Not planned, exactly. But we just did. Finally one guy said, "You know, men? They just don't make nights like this above the Mason-Dixon line"

True story.