When the pastures are green in the springtime

    And the birds are singing their sonnets,

    You may look to the hills and the valleys

    And they’re covered with lovely Bluebonnets.  ~Julia Booth and Lora Crockett

Each year folks in New England look forward to the vibrant orange, red, yellow and purples that color the countryside by the turning of the leaves of the sugar filled maples. In the Ozarks, people can hardly wait for the explosion of pink and white when the dogwoods blossom.  And here in the LoneStarState, we look forward to the “sea of blue” carpet that covers our fields and rolling hills when the bluebonnet blooms in the spring.

Thought to resemble a lady’s bonnet, the flower, Lupinus texensis, is commonly called the bluebonnet and it was adopted as the state flower of Texas on March 7, 1901 in a bill signed by Governor Joseph Sayers.  Fields painted blue by the wildflower have become a spring trademark in Texas making a drive through Central Texas and the Hill Country  in April a spectacular sight.   

The Westside Wanderers, members of Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Dallas, boarded vans Wednesday morning to travel the Bluebonnet Trail and behold the beauty of the Texas landscape produced by the native flower.

First stop was at the Convention and VisitorsCenter in Ennis, Texas where we picked up a Bluebonnet Trail map showing our drivers the route to take to see the most beautiful blooms. Ennis was designated the “Official Texas Bluebonnet City” by the state legislature in 1997.  The Ennis Garden Club drives the trails to check the bloom status each week starting in April. The Club then reports to the Ennis Convention and Visitors Bureau about the latest status of the bluebonnets so that visitors can be well informed where the best flowers are on the trails at the time of their visit.

Following the map, we drove through the countryside enjoying breathtaking views of brilliant blue color, stopping to take photos of the magnificent flowers and of each other in them. 

The “oohing and aahing” had worked up an appetite so we returned to the heart of Ennis where we had reservations at the charming Wildflower Café. 

The tearoom style restaurant was voted “best of the best” by the Ennis newspaper.  We had heard it was good and it didn’t disappoint. We even enjoyed a private dining room for our group..

The restaurant’s signature chicken salad and their famous “wildflower” gelatin salad were superb. After lunch we browsed the shops adjacent to the restaurant and waked around the historic town square before heading back to Dallas and Central Christian Church.

Central is located at 4711 Westside Dr., just off Mockingbird Lane.  Founded in 1863, it has the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating Protestant church in the city.

Central is not just a Sunday kind of church, but an active lifestyle— a place where you can find your niche, serve God and the community and make friends that last a lifetime. 

It is home to a dog park, a rehabilitation day program for adults with disabilities and will host a free drama camp taught by the DallasSummerMusicalAcademy this summer.

Come for a visit and see what you think.  Sunday worship is at 11 a.m.  All are welcome.

.