Hi Everybody!
Please come in as we have quite an agenda for tonight! what a Trip I have planned for you tonight!!! Around the World several times in less than 30 minutes. You will be enjoying a Road Trip to the Texas Countryside to see the bluebonnet photostudy. The next trip will be revealed as we finish the Road Trip!!! Enjoy.
And off we go:
The Bluebonnet, State flower of Texas
Lupinus texensis
Family: Fabaceae
Common Names: ~Buffalo Clover~ ~Wolf flower~
The Texas State Flower is the Bluebonnet. Named for its color and resemblance to a woman's sunbonnet, the bluebonnet became the official state flower of Texas on March 7, 1901. It can be found in fields and along the roadsides throughout central and south Texas.
The Mexicans refer to it as ~el conejo,~ the Spanish word for it is ~Jackrabbit.~
There is a tale from the Comanche Nation that explains how this beautiful flower was gifted to the Comanche, yet it is also a fine tribute to a people who knew the meaning of self-sacrifice and survival. There was a little girl, She-Who-Is-Alone, whose heart is as big as Texas and whose spirit is as beautiful as the bluebonnet.
She-Who-Is-Alone lived with the Comanche. Their land was suffering from a drought an no matter what the dancers did, there were still no rains. The shaman told the people that the Great Spirits believed that the people had become too selfish and for the rains to return, the Comanche had to offer a burnt sacrifice to the Great Spirits, of their most valued possession. The people wanted to give the offering but each one was sure that his bow or her blanket was not what the Great Spirits wanted. She-Who-Is-Alone knew exactly that the Great Spirits expected the doll she loved so dearly. That night after everyone went to sleep, she went to the fire and offered her doll as a sacrifice. When the ashes cooled, she scattered them to the four corners of the earth. When the tribe arose the next morning, the hillside was covered with blue flowers, a sign of forgiveness from the Great Spirits. As they offered their thanks, the rains came and healed the earth.
Indians wove fascinating folk tales around them. The early-day Spanish priests gathered the seeds and grew them around their missions. This practice gave rise to the myth that the padres had brought the plant from Spain, but this is not true since the two predominant species of bluebonnets are found growing naturally only in Texas and at no other location in the world. Historian Jack Maguire wrote, that "The bluebonnet is to Texas what the shamrock is to Ireland, the cherry blossom to Japan, the lily to France, the rose to England and the tulip to Holland."
The Texas Legislature adopted several resolutions relating to bluebonnets. ~Bluebonnets,~ written by Julia D. Booth and Lora C. Crockett, became the State Flower Song on March 21, 1933. The Chappell Hill Bluebonnet Festival was named the official bluebonnet festival in Texas on May 7, 1997. That same day, the Legislature declared Ennis as the official Bluebonnet Trail of Texas and named it the Bluebonnet City of Texas.
A pink bluebonnet, is a symbol for the struggle to survive and a memory of those who died so that Texas could be free.
http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/flowers/b.htmlFamily: Fabaceae
Common Names: ~Buffalo Clover~ ~Wolf flower~
The Texas State Flower is the Bluebonnet. Named for its color and resemblance to a woman's sunbonnet, the bluebonnet became the official state flower of Texas on March 7, 1901. It can be found in fields and along the roadsides throughout central and south Texas.
The Mexicans refer to it as ~el conejo,~ the Spanish word for it is ~Jackrabbit.~
There is a tale from the Comanche Nation that explains how this beautiful flower was gifted to the Comanche, yet it is also a fine tribute to a people who knew the meaning of self-sacrifice and survival. There was a little girl, She-Who-Is-Alone, whose heart is as big as Texas and whose spirit is as beautiful as the bluebonnet.
She-Who-Is-Alone lived with the Comanche. Their land was suffering from a drought an no matter what the dancers did, there were still no rains. The shaman told the people that the Great Spirits believed that the people had become too selfish and for the rains to return, the Comanche had to offer a burnt sacrifice to the Great Spirits, of their most valued possession. The people wanted to give the offering but each one was sure that his bow or her blanket was not what the Great Spirits wanted. She-Who-Is-Alone knew exactly that the Great Spirits expected the doll she loved so dearly. That night after everyone went to sleep, she went to the fire and offered her doll as a sacrifice. When the ashes cooled, she scattered them to the four corners of the earth. When the tribe arose the next morning, the hillside was covered with blue flowers, a sign of forgiveness from the Great Spirits. As they offered their thanks, the rains came and healed the earth.
Indians wove fascinating folk tales around them. The early-day Spanish priests gathered the seeds and grew them around their missions. This practice gave rise to the myth that the padres had brought the plant from Spain, but this is not true since the two predominant species of bluebonnets are found growing naturally only in Texas and at no other location in the world. Historian Jack Maguire wrote, that "The bluebonnet is to Texas what the shamrock is to Ireland, the cherry blossom to Japan, the lily to France, the rose to England and the tulip to Holland."
The Texas Legislature adopted several resolutions relating to bluebonnets. ~Bluebonnets,~ written by Julia D. Booth and Lora C. Crockett, became the State Flower Song on March 21, 1933. The Chappell Hill Bluebonnet Festival was named the official bluebonnet festival in Texas on May 7, 1997. That same day, the Legislature declared Ennis as the official Bluebonnet Trail of Texas and named it the Bluebonnet City of Texas.
A pink bluebonnet, is a symbol for the struggle to survive and a memory of those who died so that Texas could be free.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/flowers/bluebonnet/bluebonnetstory.html
Hope You enjoyed the road trip to look at the bluebonnets. Millions of people come every year to see these wonderful wild flowers. These flowers were from last spring. The new ones for this year will be ready in April.
Now for trip number 2: We are going to the beach and take a little cruise!!!! Please begin walking to the boat and I will meet you there. Look, who is that over there??? (push play on next vid to see)!
WOW- that guy was really cool. It is just amazing what people are doing in this world!
Okay, here is our boat. All aboard, we are going to Greece!!!!!!!
Here we go to Greece!
That was Fun! Now for a fast trip around the World several times on the ISS (International Space Station). Please enter the Rocket and get ready to blast off. Countdown from 10 and then push Play when you are ready to go:
Everybody still here? We made it to the ISS. Let's look the the auroras impacting Earth! (Push Play on last vid)
You have arrived safely back at your desk! I hope you enjoyed your trips tonight! We are so lucky to have all this information available to see the things we love. The information is available because many people picked up a camera and recorded all that we have seen tonight, including the astronaut. The camera is available because many people are building such advanced devices for light recording. We can see all of this because many people develop the hardware and software of computers. The computers can communicate across the world and beyond due to the internet. You are here, because I am sitting here typing this post! Human interaction and sharing knowledge has literally put the world at our fingertips! Our life is centered around the creativity of People, not facts. Remember in schooling your children, that yes, they must study and learn to advance. Do not forget that they must also play. Do what you can to stimulate creativity and applaud it. Our greatest solutions are yet to come to our greatest problems. We are all responsible for our Earth because we all live here. We can make many things better. If I could advise you of one thing, it would be to turnoff the T V and STOP the amount of advertising bombing our brains. It is my goal to never see or hear another commercial. This is my mind. I am tired of letting these intruders in to fill up my memory with junk. I choose to fill my mind with beauty of our Earth and the people. What are you choosing for yourself?? Anyone can make a difference in this World, but not usually from the couch watching TV. You can not complain about how things are until you are prepared to make a commitment to be part of the solution. What would you like to get involved in? I sure would like to hear your ideas!
If you choose to leave a comment, please know that you will not see it on the post right after you post it. It comes to my desk first for approval. Just had to guard us from any unwanted comments!!
I am also on Google+ so you are welcome to share with me there.
Sweet Dreams to all. The trip wore me out!!!
....this is brendasue signing off from Rainbow Creek!
O+O
Thank you for the tour BrendaSue!
ReplyDeleteenjoy your blog very much. each one better than the last, which doesn't seem possible. love them all. keep it up my friend. many thumbs up. :)
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