My Home Ground – Finding Texas in the Everyday Places Where Our Journey Began

HOME GROUND

This is where our Texas journey started - our first Texan home was located in the Sterling Ridge Village of The Woodlands. We lived here for over 20 years; longer than anywhere we'd lived over three continents, even as kids. We've moved now, but only about 7 miles! The triangular pond in this shot has been the location for countless hundreds of images of animals, insects, trees, plants, sky and water. Our move to Texas was originally intended to be a 'posting', but it quickly became our home.

Aerial view of Sterling Ridge in The Woodlands, showing the large containment pond and nearby shopping areas.

Our original “home ground” in Sterling Ridge

From this immediate Home Ground, our Texan world expanded into northwest and downtown Houston for work. Further exploration widened our stomping ground to include nearby towns and villages, stretching from Houston to Conroe, Montgomery, Magnolia, Tomball and out toward Cypress and Katy.

Still water on Bedias Lake reflecting trees along the shoreline.

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This is Bedias Lake in the George Mitchell Nature Preserve. The lake is always beautiful but it's during late Fall that the reflections and colors can really look spectacular.

Click on the image to explore more of our favorite, most peaceful hangouts!

Click the Bluebird to see more

The Woodlands abounds in wildlife and the areas around the ponds and lakes attract all sorts of bird life - from passerenes to waterfowl to raptors. It really is a birdwatchers paradise!

This pretty little fellow is an Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis).

Click on him to see more of the birds we find here.

Cardinal Meadowhawk dragonfly resting on a stalk of grass.

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Beautiful dragonflies abound in Texas and The Woodlands is no exception. We've identified at least 33 different species around the Sterling Ridge pond alone.

This brilliant red showoff is a male Cardinal Meadowhawk (Sympetrum illotum).

Click on the Meadowhawk to see more species.

Aerial view of downtown The Woodlands, with the Waterway and the mall area visible.

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This is the downtown area of The Woodlands that has become such a landmark for us over the years. The Woodlands Mall is adjacent to Interstate 45 along with all the other attractions: Market Street, the Waterway, Lake Woodlands and all the excellent restaurants, cinemas and entertainments you can imagine.

Click on the image to see where our journey of exploration took us to next.