Rowlett, Texas Photography Club Meetup

Come join us each week at Noon on Fridays with the RTPC Weekly Photo Lunch Bunch.
A bunch of photo buffs ameture and pro alike, get together each week at different locations (usually suggested by a member), have lunch and talk photography. Sometimes we even go for a photo walk after. So please come join us this Friday at noon at Dalrock Diner, 6201 Dalrock Rd, Rowlett, TX 75088. Oh and don't forget to bring your camera.

For our May 2024 photo walk, we are heading south to the town of Hillsboro TX, county seat of Hill County. Yes, there is a courthouse there and I have already gotten photos of it for my "254 Texas County Courthouses Project" but it's a neat little town and will make a good destination. In researching, I found there is a really cool museum there - the Roadside America Museum so we will meet and start there. I can't find anything about cost to get in and I am going to assume it is actually still open! There are a lot of positive reviews for this place - check it out. Old cars, old roadside signs, basically mid-century Americana history.
If you want to carpool from Rowlett, meet at the Rowlett DART Station parking lot in the area near the corner of Martin and Industrial at 9:00 am. If you want to meet in Hillsboro, then plan on meeting in front of the Roadside America Museum at 212 E. Elm St. at about 10:30 am. It looks like there is plenty of parking in the area. After we tour the museum, we will spread out and shoot in the downtown Hillsboro area and eat lunch. Let's work out the timing once we are done with the museum. We may want to shoot and eat a late lunch or shoot for a while, eat lunch, and shoot some more. I've narrowed restaurant choices to either Frankie's Pasta and Pizza at 100 E. Elm St. or Branded Burger at 100 W. Elm St. They both have good reviews and are right in the downtown area. Since we may be eating a late lunch, eat a good breakfast and/or bring a snack.
Regular walk about lens will be fine for this outing.
IF we are up to it after we get through with Hillsboro, we'll run about 15 minutes down the road to Abbott TX, home of Willie Nelson and wander around for a bit.
Hope to see you at our May photo walk!

We will meet at the Rowlett DART station parking lot (northwest corner) and leave early 8:00 am, returning late afternoon. This will allow us to have the chance for wildlife spotting in the morning and early evening, while also having lots of options for birdwatching and photography.

There are some options that depend on the number of attendees, so more will be shared after we get a rough headcount. Please let me know if you plan on attending if at all possible, so I can make the appropriate arrangements.

This will involve some light hiking to visit ponds and bird blinds along marked trails. Recommend long slacks, hiking shoes, and a good sun hat. Be aware that there is the possibility of spotting snakes along the trails and of course mosquitos. Mosquito repellant and sunscreen are highly recommended.

For those that do not wish to do a lot of hiking, there is plenty to do with short walks, and an auto tour of the refuge. Those that wish to drive to the refuge alone can also have the freedom to come and go as they please.

Lunch plans and/or dinner plans will be forthcoming. Since this is my first planned outing, please feel free to make any suggestions.

Let's get out into the country and nature for a bit. I found this lovely place to visit (it's FREE) for a walk among gardens (not just lavender plants), butterflies, birds, rescue animals, etc. etc. Warning - this is a LAVENDER farm so if you hate lavender, are allergic to lavender, or have any other negativity toward lavender, you've been warned. I don't believe you have to wallow in it, but it is the primary business as there is a restaurant with lavender in some dishes and gift shop with lavender items. There is also a plant nursery (they sell many, many garden plants, not just lavender) so some of us might be tempted to cart some stuff home. It has great reviews as a wonderful and beautiful place to visit so let's go before it gets steaming hot. https://www.lavenderridgefarms.com/
For equipment, you might want to bring a longer lens if you have one for birds and butterflies, but a standard everyday lens will probably suffice.
Meet at the Rowlett DART station at 9:00 am in the parking area near the corner of Martin and Industrial if you want to carpool or caravan from Rowlett. If you want to meet there, the address is 2391 County Road 178; Gainesville TX; plan to be there about 10:30 am. WARNING - be sure and visit the website and see the information about mapping apps and make sure you make note of their instructions. Also, reviews noted that you may be traveling some on dusty country roads to get there so don't wash your vehicle before you go!
I am hoping people would like to eat at the cafe on site, but if too many people are negative toward the menu items, we can go into Gainesville for lunch somewhere - that's another lovely town.
I hope this sounds like something fun to do before the life-sucking summer heat gets going in full furnace blast so look forward to seeing you there.