Spring has sprung in Texas, y’all. After a chilly, wet winter across most of the Lone Star State, trees are now budding and flowers are full swing into the stage of bloom.

But it won’t last long.

Spring will give way to summer when the livin’ will be plenty easy, but also plenty h-o-t.

So, just in case you weren’t already aware, the window is will soon be closing on the season for a few of our Texas-loves, my friends.

Make Plans Now to See the Azaleas in Tyler Next Spring

If you’re catching on to this Over Fifty intentional adventure mindset, you’re probably planning ahead anyway. I mean, as Texans, we know it takes a lifetime to see everything on our Texas bucket lists, do we not?

Therefore, we Texans know how plan in advance AND we know how to go with the flow.

But when it comes to the Tyler azaleas, the best time to plan to see them next spring is really right about now.

Here’s a Little of That Azalea Action

My dear man sure knows how to delight this wife of his.

On a recent Saturday morning, he suggested we zip on over from Dallas to Tyler, Texas because he had heard the azaleas were in their prime.

What? You’re offering to swing through Starbucks and hit the road for some East Texas adventure, without my having mentioned it first???

Oh, what a guy is that sweet guy of mine.

Having a GPS on our phones helps things, though. (Can I hear an amen?)

When Mike knows he can just plug in an address and let some other woman do the talking, he is one very happy driver. No hunting around. No stopping to ask for directions, nor getting miserably lost.

Bless his heart. I certainly can’t blame him for that.

I mean, a fella can only take so many years of listening to his atlas-holding wife give directions from the passenger seat, for crying out loud.

Well, enough of that. Let’s get back to the sights and sounds on Tyler’s Azalea Trail.

Actually, there’s a whole lot more sight than sound. This whole experience is a pretty quiet one. After all, who would want to spoil all this delicate beauty by blaring 70’s music out the sunroof?

Like Lady Bird Johnson with her bluebonnets, a guy named Maurice Shamburger also made quite a floral impact upon his own beloved part of the state.

From Shamburger’s successful test garden to boxcar loads of azaleas shipped in from Georgia, Tyler’s beautification project has provided a unique identity to this East Texas city.

What started in 1960 with 60 homes now consists of two trails, 10 miles, more than 75 homes, and at least 100,000 visitors every year.

We’ll Do it Differently Next Year

Since I had to hurry to get my face on that morning,  I didn’t have time to research our little Saturday morning excursion like I would have liked.  This trip was 100 percent spontaneous, which means we went, we saw, but we didn’t necessarily conquer.

Therefore, since we know now what we shoulda known then (from post-trip Googling and such), we plan to do a couple of things differently next year.

We Needed More Time

Next year, we’ll grab those lattes a little earlier and arrive in Tyler a little sooner.

We had dinner plans to get back for on Saturday night, which we wouldn’t have missed for all the azaleas on the planet, but next year, we’ll free up the entire day.

Because, like meandering through an exhibit of fine art, Tyler’s Azalea Trail is best experienced slowly, with time for individual interpretation.

And the taking of lots of pictures.

We’ll Go When the Belles are There

Next year, we’ll plan to see the Azalea Belles dressed in their pastel-colored Southern gowns as part of the opening ceremonies.

Don’t they look like the epitome of East Texas romance and feminine charm with those white gloves and parasols?

Photo courtesy www.tylertexasonline.com

We’ll Walk Part of the Way

The day we were there was an uncharacteristically cold one, so everyone stayed in their cars for a drive through.

Next year, if the weather is nice, we’ll stroll down a few sidewalks for closer views of all the tree leaves, tulip bulbs and azalea blossoms.

We’ll Eat Somewhere New

Since we were in a little bit of a hustle-mode, our lunch was a quick one at Rudy’s. I love Rudy’s (and a lot of other barbecue), but when we’re seeing something new, we typically eat somewhere we’ve never been.

So, next year, we might try Sola Bread Co. I’ve heard the pizza and bread are amazing.

I’m all about pizza and bread, you know.

Yes, I know we’re supposed to be eating all.the.protein, so I’ve been putting a little more butter on my bread. LOL

So, what do you think, my friends? Are you ready to make plans?

Encouraging everyday intentional adventure,

PS: Need more florally inspired adventure? Here’s a post you might also enjoy.