Views of the Neighborhood – Flora

~ John W. Howell

Today, we are cruising the neighborhood to see what kind of summer blooms are available. We are catered by ABA of Austin. Our entertainment is The Cowsills.

Menu

Texas Peach Biscuit – peach compote, whipped cream
Avocado Toast – pomegranate, preserved lemon, mint
Khachapuri – baked egg, cremini mushroom, graviera, green onion
Açaí Bowl – blueberry, banana, pomegranate, dukkah, coconut, mint
Short Rib Shakshuka – local eggs, spicy harissa, graviera, roasted potato
Kefta & Eggs – lamb & beef kefta, fried eggs, tzatziki, lemon dill rice
Shawarma-Spiced Skirt Steak & Egg – fried eggs, crispy potato, tzatziki
Jerusalem Bagel & Smoked Salmon Spread – sumac red onion, tomato, caper, labneh
Kebabs – served with basmati rice, Grilled Mushroom, date, sherry vinaigrette, zhoug
Grilled Chicken – yogurt marinade, sweet pepper, zhoug
Lamb & Beef Kefta -lemon, olive oil, tzatziki
Grilled Salmon – sweet pepper, red onion, zhoug
Beef Tenderloin – bell pepper, cippolini onion, zhoug
Picture of an old time school bus
The bus is waiting.
Our first bloom is a beautiful red Crape Myrtle.
Next, we have Mexican Bird of Paradise and white Angel’s Trumpet
A lovely example of Mexican Sage in bloom. A signal rain is coming.
Checking on the mom and baby in our yard. (I know not flower blooms but blooms of another kind.)
A gigantic pink Crape Myrtle.
Another lovely red Crape Myrtle.
A Century plant (Agave Americana) with it’s one and only bloom before dying.
A Crape Myrtle that has a purple hue.
More Mexican Bird of Paradise.
Prairie Verbena.
Cactus flower.
More sage.
Mexican Birds of Paradise.
Blackfoot Daisy.
Well, that is the tour today.  Time to relax and enjoy the food and music. I hope you have a terrific week.

84 thoughts on “Views of the Neighborhood – Flora”

  2. John, thank you for the beautiful Sunday morning view of God’s handiwork. The menu was very interesting, but I’m sticking with my usual: country ham and sausage gravy biscuit. 🐳

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    1. That sounds delicious, too. I remember some of those Southern breakfasts, featuring country ham, red-eye gravy, grits, and eggs. Don’t forget the alligator appetizers later in the day. 😊

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      1. John, what wonderful memories we have. It was just you, the Captain, and me. I still miss the Captain, and he will always hold a special place in my heart. What a remarkable man and friend he was. Do you remember the night you had to perform a stand-up routine for Ruth Wolfgang? It seems like you always got the toughest assignments. Thank you for helping create so many special memories together.🐳

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        1. I do remember that. I got the Tampa Bay Triangle Award for that stunt. I loved the Captain, too. We had many fun times with him, me, and Mr. Gin. He even barfed on my shoes one night. I kept in touch with him. until he died.

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    2. Jim, Since your last comment came in anonymously, you might not see my reply. i am repreating it here. “I do remember that. I got the Tampa Bay Triangle Award for that stunt. I loved the Captain, too. We had many fun times with him, me, and Mr. Gin. He even barfed on my shoes one night. I kept in touch with him. until he died.”

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  8. Dear John
    Well maintained small gardens in front of the houses. Beautiful.
    We don’t like the deer in our garden as they eat our tulips and other blooming flowers.
    Wishing you a happy week
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. As you can imagine, we don’t plant anything that the deer might like. All our delicious plants are behind the fence. The deer herd has been here long before people moved in, so they are considered the primary residents, and we are the guests. Wishing the F4oC a wonderful week. 😊

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  10. John, heartfelt thanks for posting something pleasant and beautiful. I made the mistake of taking an online look at the world during my wake-up time, and lost the will to get out of bed. Your lovely post has as put me back on track. Hugs.

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    1. I’m so glad you are back on track, Teagan. There is plenty of ugly out there, but lots of beauty too. I guess the idea is to focus on the beauty and keep the heart full. Hugs and thanks for letting me know you liked the post.

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  11. Very nice tour. I wish we had some of the plants up here in Chicago. We do have some variety but yours are nicer – I think. Who is the expert? You or Molly ?

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  18. Such a gorgeous visual banquet served up from your neighborhood! We loved it (even though I know some people are not fans of crape myrtle trees-I’m always blown away by their beautiful appearance-since I don’t have to manage their tendency to sucker). Happy Sunday.

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  19. Imma have the Khachapuri and the Texas Peach Biscuit por favor, and gracias.

    As for the flora, all so good and a wonderful respite for the eyes. The Crape Myrtles are such an elegant feast. And then you supply a song to cap this bumper crop? It’s winning time all around!

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  22. Beautiful blooms, John, thank you!

    Nature is the best artist.

    So, I’ll take a bouquet of Deer blooms please!

    Funny, but I didn’t see any in the pic. What colour are they? Do they grow on a bush? Annuals? Do they last for days in a vase of water?

    Well whatever! If they are named for deer, they must be gorgeous!

    Have a great week!

    🌸🦌 🌺🦌 🌼🦌

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  25. Lovely tour, John. I was happy to see this post because of the horrible flooding some of your fellow Texans have been experiencing.

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