In mid April of 2006 Mary Lou and spent two days in Fredericksburg, Texas on our way home from New Mexico. Why two days in Fredericksburg Texas? Well its almost 900 miles across Texas on I-10 from El Paso to the Louisiana border. If you want to drive to places favored by my wife and I in New Mexico and Arizona, then you have to go through Texas. Most people dread the long drive and see it as boring and tedious, sort of like reading this drivel. I decided when I retired to make the most of this time. I discovered Fredericksburg, a city in the hill country of Texas, after searching the Internet for places to stop on our way to and from the Southwest. There are a number of wineries with tours and tastings in Fredericksburg. (Not bad stuff after a long, or short, day's drive.) Fredericksburg is the home of Adm. Chester Nimitz a great Navy WW II hero and his namesake foundation runs the National Museum of the Pacific War there. Fredericksburg, named for Frederick the Great, was an German enclave whose original inhabitants were invited there by the Mexican government well before the Texas rebellion for independence. (The Mexicans were looking for some folks not as contentious as those damned Americans!) In addition to grapes for wine, the hill country farmers grow peaches and pecans in great quantities. What I liked the most, however, were the wildflowers grown at Wild Seed Farm, 200-acres dedicated to propagating and selling native wildflower products. Of course the German "Biergarten" and butterfly house at the farm didn't hurt either. Those butterflies can look downright psychedelic after a couple of local brews. Oh yeah, Fredericksburg has plenty of German restaurants, but after making one more futile attempt, I still do NOT like German food ( except for the fantastic apple strudel we bought at a small bakery on the west side of Fredericksburg.)
Some of the 200 acres of flowers at Wild Seed Farm.
More wild beauties.
Of course I had to include some Texas bluebonnets.
A variety of flowers in their show garden.
While these flowers above look like lupine, I believe they were listed as larkspur.
Lots of poppies for sale.
Large fields of flowers from which they sell the seeds.
Not sure how those few white flowers got into that field of blue.
Had to include this photo of a cat in a bird bath in another garden in that town.
The butterfly house had a decent display of butterflies ( a monarch and short tail swallowtail).
I believe that this is a queen butterfly.
Some type of orange fritillary.
Hmmm, I need to check my Audubon Butterfly book.
Another orange fritillary
Some of the 200 acres of flowers at Wild Seed Farm.
More wild beauties.
Of course I had to include some Texas bluebonnets.
A variety of flowers in their show garden.
While these flowers above look like lupine, I believe they were listed as larkspur.
Lots of poppies for sale.
Large fields of flowers from which they sell the seeds.
Not sure how those few white flowers got into that field of blue.
Had to include this photo of a cat in a bird bath in another garden in that town.
The butterfly house had a decent display of butterflies ( a monarch and short tail swallowtail). 
I believe that this is a queen butterfly.
Some type of orange fritillary.
Hmmm, I need to check my Audubon Butterfly book.
Another orange fritillary
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