IMPROMPTU ESCAPE

It had been a while since we'd hit the open road and headed to an unknown destination. Last Saturday afforded the opportunity for adding a county courthouse to the ever-growing file of Texas courthouses. This is the courthouse in Hillsboro, Texas - seat of Hill County. [Note: there are 250+ counties in Texas. At last count I had photos of 51 courthouses. That is only 20%! I don't imagine it will be any time soon that I get all 254 of them.]



Another 19th century architectural showcase.



Playing with foreground blur in a photo.

Then it was on to Lake Whitney. This is what we saw under the brush in the McGown area operated by the Corps of Engineers. Quite a few deer were visible despite the noon hour and the high temperatures.

This is the lake with the lowest water level due to drought in all of Texas at the present time. Lake Whitney is 12 feet low as of this writing. The yellow "pipes" are actually floating devices to indicate the safe swimming area when the lake level is much higher. The white things on the beach are buoys with 8 - 12 foot chains fastened to the dry beach. However, this is a beautiful lake. White rocks line the sandy shores. The water is clear and you can see the sandy bottom before the water becomes deep. Clear, blue lakes are not very prevalent in North Texas. The lake closest to Dallas is a murky green-brown at best with no underwater visibility.

This catfish was no doubt a tasty meal. Interesting how the skeleton is intact.

The beautiful sandy beach.

These stumps were not used to the drying rays of the sun. They are typically under many feet of water.

Many wild critters seem fascinated with these protrusions from the sand. Tracks of deer, raccoons, and coyotes wove in and out of the bleached wood.

Abbott, Texas.... birthplace of Willie Nelson. The small-town greeting on the prominently placed marquee conveys to the astute visitor the diminutive size of the town.

This grocery store proudly mentions Willie's name.

This is more for my boys than anything. This defunct department store in Corsicana, Texas displays their surname. (No relation to the previous owners is known).

Until the next adventure.....