Great photos! I think you've captured what is commonly called a "Digger bee," Anthophora spp. (Apidae).
These species dig nests in bare soil. This type of bee belongs to a larger group of bees that are generalist foragers but prefer plants in both the mint and the daisy families. They vary in size, but you can differentiate females by the long hairs on their hind legs (scopae) for carrying pollen and males by their unique, opal-like eyes that range in color from blue to bluish-green. Digger bees are found in Texas and California, as well as other parts of the southwestern U.S. and in Mexico.