Real estate and other stuff

Last Sunday, I went to see the restored Sunken Gardens at Brackenridge Park. The gardens used to be one of my favorite places to go, but over the last few years they deteriorated and had to be closed. On March 8, they were reopened, and this was my first chance to go see them.

You enter them through a stone pagoda, from which you can see the walkways and the waterfall at the far end of the gardens across the ponds.

They are one of the most beautiful, romantic places in San Antonio--and they are free to visit, although once you've seen them, you'll probably want to make a donation for their continued restoration and upkeep.

Enjoy the show, and press the Details button at the end for more information!

Normally, I see the training jets from Randolph AFB swooping over Universal City and Live Oak, and they go a bit farther to the northeast over Schertz, too. The other afternoon, they came right over my house and I went racing outside and managed to get some shots of them from my back yard.

I know nothing about aircraft, but I really enjoy air shows and have fond memories of watching one in 2002 at Fairfield airfield from my father-in-law's back yard in the UK.

I wonder if the pilots can see me waving?

Here's what's blooming in our back yard so far:

Sprightly columbines that did nothing last year

Rampant dill, overwhelming the coriander and parsley. The swallowtail caterpillars love it

The three-year-old clematis vine, which suddenly produced the most and largest blooms in its life so far

Along with the flowers we want, we have plenty of weeds that we don't want. Pulling them keeps me busy and gets me out into the fresh, somewhat muggy, air. Plus, the hummingbirds are back already, at least a pair of them, so I've put out a feeder and it's emptying quickly. I love spring!