Next door to the Texas Prison Museum sits a noteworthy historical museum in its own right. The H.E.A.R.T.S. Veterans Museum (the acronym stands for Helping Every American Remember Through Serving) opened in 2009, and contains battle paraphernalia and personal mementos donated by veterans and their families, from the Civil War up to the current conflict in Afghanistan.

In addition to military gear, dress uniforms, flags, patches, and medals, the museum also displays letters written by soldiers to their loved ones, along with journals, and books written by military personnel documenting the horrors of war and bittersweet homecomings. I was impressed by the magnitude of the collection in a relatively small space. Both World War I and II displays seem extensive, even down to an unused schoolbook note pad from World War I. Women’s contributions in wartime, particularly World War II are represented with various W.A.C. uniforms and grooming accessories, and photos documenting factory work on the home front. Nearly as extensive is the section from the Vietnam War, which as a child I remember from TV news. Seeing the captured flags and other objects, among soldiers’ memoirs as told through letters and books was quite compelling.

Viewing this memorabilia and reading the personal histories of these soldiers gives me pause, as I consider the enormous sacrifices these men and women have made, especially as we observe Memorial Day.

Phlox, bluebonnets, and wild mustard near Ottine, by J. Griffis Smith

Thanks to a ground-parched autumn, Texas wildflowers have been less prolific this spring. However, guaranteed wildflower viewing can always be found in the pages of our April issue. And you can see all 20 of these images on enlarged prints, courtesy of Canon, for one week, May 2-8 at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center as part of National Wildflower Week in the McDermott Learning Center. Photos by James Volosin, Laurence Parent, Andy Sharp, Charles Carlson, Lance Varnell, and TH Photo Editor Griff Smith capture bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, coreopsis, phlox, verbena, and other flowers along Texas roadsides and trails.

While wildflower-display mainstays such as Llano, Burnet and Washington County are included in this year’s photo collection, the Ennis and Leakey areas also showed strong coverage. Last spring, while on assignment for another feature, Griff Smith discovered abundant and dazzling color along unpaved Cheapside Road in DeWitt County. Which goes to show, you never know where you might find a flash of spring flower-power in Texas, regardless of region or weather conditions.