Patterson Road in Addicks Reservoir under water again after last week's heavy rains (March 13, 2016 photos)

It typically happens several times a year, and the road that runs East-West through the flood-control reservoir gets closed to traffic. What's less common is that drivers take a chance when the water level is rising after heavy rains and end up in the ditch, or get swept away before the closure. Happened last year; just happened again, as the above photo attests.

Pasture at Houston Farm & Ranch Club

at Bear Creek Park 

Gate of Houston Farm & Ranch Club on Patterson Road

This area is at a higher elevation and was not affected by the flooding 

Vintage fire truck out on pasture 

Addicks reservoir is federal territory - Fire arms restriction 

Bear Creek Pioneers Park under water (May 31, 2015 photos of flooding in Addicks Reservoir)

Bear Creek Pioneers Park is closed because of flooding again, but

this time the water level is considerably higher than on

the last few occasions the park was closed for the same reason.

A pick-up truck did not make it out and was abandoned 

on Patterson Road at the corner with Bear Creek Drive

near Houston Farm & Ranch Club grounds

War Memorial Drive in Addicks Reservoir flooded 

Looking East from Highway 6 at Patterson Road
Houston Farm and Ranch Club gate on the left

Bear Creek Park entrance at Eldridge (Sunday 5/31/2015)
War Memorial Drive and adjoining parking lots and sports fields inundated 

All Souls' Day - Time to Remember the Ancestors

Historic grave sites in Eldridge / Addicks / Bear Creek Area 

Graves of German settler families in Cullen Park

Beeler Family graves on Enclave Pkwy
in what is now a Harris County pocket park

Beeler Pocket Park with historic grave sites 

Koch-Schmidt Cemetery in Addicks Reservoir
near Groeschke Road

Grave markers at Koch-Schmidt Cemetery
alongside hike-bike trial in Cullen Park 

Addicks Methodist Church cemetery on Highway 6 at
Patterson Road / Bear Creek Pioneers Park 

Old Oaks towering over German grave sites of German settlers
 in Bear Creek Area  

Early Voting under way at Bear Creek Community Center for Nov 2014 General Elections

and campaign signs "adorning" the way there 

What else is around that location, besides campaign signs?

Houston Farm & Ranch Club 

Old Fire Engine parked on Longhorn grazing grounds 

Abercrombie Drive at Patterson Rd - Street Name Signs

Grazing Cattle near Houston Farm & Ranch Club 

German cemetery on Highway 6 at Bear Creek Park
Addicks Methodist Church 

Patterson Road at Highway 6 - Turn here to get
Bear Creek Community Center, Houston Farm & Ranch Club,
and Bear Creek Pioneers Park

Houston Farm and Ranch Club at Patterson Road off SH-6

The Houston Farm and Ranch Club participates each year in the Downtown Parade that kicks off Rodeo Season. This photos are from the 2014 parade.

Gate to Houston Farm & Ranch Club grounds and facilities on Patterson Rd
off Highway 

Old fire engine parked in meadow

Old Red Fire Engine on display in field at Bear Creek Park - Addicks Reservoir

This historic red fire truck has been parked in the pasture at

Houston Farm and Ranch Club on Patterson Road

Abercrombie Drive at Patterson Road - Bear Creek Community Center and Houston Farm and Ranch Club

Cullen Park Trail Head at Highway 6 and Patterson - Signalized intersection with pedestrian and bicycle crossing

Trail head at SH6 - Signs provides distance information for facilities at Cullen Park Phase 4
near West Houston Airport

Directions posted for turn onto Patterson Road to get to Bear Creek Community Center,
Houston Farm and Ranch Club, and Bear Creek Pioneers Park 

Signalized intersection with long phase for crossing multi-lane Highway 6 on foot and on bike,
with count-down display showing time remaining for crossing the highway

White Spiderlily spotted in Barker Reservoir

Came across the first spider lily of the year on Noble Road Trail in George Bush Park yesterday, March 5. Same place as last year.  Even had a spider on it -- one with translucent legs. See third picture (macro shot from underneath the flower against the sky) below.    

 White Spider Lily (Amaryllidaceae family)

This plant likes the wetlands (marshes and ditches) and is a pretty rare wildflower in our area, though native. I have seen one North of Patterson Rd in Addicks Reservoir too. Scientific name: Hymenocallis floridana (Raf.) Morton (Florida spiderlily).

Spiderlily with spider on it

 Noble Road Trail in George Bush Park in early March

Eldridge at Katy Freeway Prime Office Space Development - Ground broken (construction pics)

Construction work (earth-moving and utilities installation work, to be more specific) has commenced on Energy Corridor office building development project that will bring to the West-Houston sub-market more than half a million rentable square feet of premium office space at the SW corner of North Eldridge Parkway and Katy Freeway. <-- Follow link to prior blog post with on-location pics of project site. 

This stretch of Eldridge Pkwy just North of Memorial Drive recently saw completion of a road widening road project (additional lanes added), and further road improvements are being implemented on the North side of Interstate 10 on the stretch that runs through the Addicks Reservoir wilderness and connects to Patterson Road, War Memorial Drive (Bear Creek Pioneers Park), and Clay Road, which has proven to be extremely dangerous and accident-prone, especially in wet conditions at night.  

CBRE Leasing Agent sign and rendition (computer-generated image)
of new office building being erected
at N. Eldridge Pkwy South of  I-10 Katy Fwy inbound feeder road