Being a Local Tourist

Funny, how many of us will travel 2 hours one way to attend an event for the day but never quite get around to seeing the attractions within minutes of our home.  Several weeks ago, we decided spur of the moment to go watch the San Jacinto battle re-enactment (Sam Houston vs Santa Anna) near the actual battle site.  The weather was typical for a Texas spring -- humid, on/off rain - with some storms around, very warm, insects all awake from winter and mud.  But it was this environment that we hoped would keep some people at home - and we were right.  Wearing old shoes and comfortable clothes we hiked through the muck to watch this (free!) event - and didn't regret our decision.  

Those cannons were loud!! even from a distance - no cannon balls shot - just powder.

It was interesting to see what the spectators were doing closer to the cannons - obviously many holding their ears - saw one woman on her cell phone! 

These poor teenagers -- they were truly suffering -- probably because of their parents' interest in history.  But they'll have great memories to tell their kids.  They were tough though - walking through all that mud, muck, grass barefooted - living history at its best.

The battle began and the Mexican army began losing soldiers to the Texian Army's bullets.

A victory for Sam Houston's and Texas wins its independence from Mexico.

And of course a victory lap!


If you live in the Houston area and have never visited this area - you should.  The actual site of the battle ground has markers explaining what happened at that spot.  The Battleship Texas is docked there as well.  I wouldn't suggest an August visit -- that ship gets hot really fast in the Texas sun. There's also the Lynchburg Ferry to ride that has its own history.

Weekend Rewind

Although I'm a day late with my weekend rewind, I think everyone will still enjoy some of the landscape images.  I took several (lots), so it took me a while to go through and chose a few to add to my blog post.  The weekend was a girl's weekend - my daughter & I took a road trip to visit my sister - several hours away (also the last real trip before school starts).  Once we got there, the three of us got in the car and drove even further - thought about jumping the state line in one area just because we were that close to it. 

Our first stop was Caddo Lake State Park.  I wanted to check out the campground and see the beautiful cypress trees in the sloughs.

Many of the park roads were one way and several were quite steep (for this flatlander), but the trees were beautiful and the park was very quiet.

We wanted to go on the pontoon boat tour, but couldn't quite figure out what time the next tour was.... wonder if they even remembered that sign was up there?  Thank goodness there was a white board with tour times and prices listed. 

We had some time before the next tour, so we ate our picnic lunch and looked around a little.  You can see the pontoon boat at the end of the pier.  The cove around the pier was very scenic.  I think I took nearly half of my keeper shots from this area.

I was able to sit in the very front of the boat (not many people want the sun beating down on them), so this was the view leaving the cove.  Although some of the vegetation on the water (giant salvia, hyacinth) are very invasive (some can create critical situations) - they sure do add to the photographic image.  The water was very still and dark and we were lucky to miss the rain that was in the forecast.

We made our way back to boat road "C" - we saw several people fishing and a few canoes - more lovely cypress trees, herons, blooming hyacinths, and even a water snake (swimming along the shore).  This was not an interpretive tour, but it was still nice to just see parts of the lake.  There are other tours but this is the only one that leaves from within the state park.

There were some very interesting tree knee formations - cypress trees have "knees" - I'm not an expert, so I don't know if this formation is a sign of water levels/drought or if it is just formed by chance.  The knees I usually see are much shorter (just tall enough to stumble over) and are spaced out around the tree like you would expect roots to be. 

The butterflies and dragonflies seemed unusually friendly in this park (maybe they are remembering the term Tejas - thought to mean friend).  This snout butterfly wouldn't leave my daughter's bracelet; when he finally did a dragonfly landed on her shoes and stayed there (maybe he was hitching a ride).

The next day we took another boat ride up the Sabine River - some parts of this river form the natural boundary between Texas and Louisiana.  Again the river was very calm - water like glass.  We were out before the other boaters (aka crazy people) and only disturbed the herons and sunbathing turtles.  Nothing unusual to see, but was still a nice boat ride. 

A lot of images with this post, but I did see a lot of beautiful scenery - Caddo Lake has a very interesting history and the state park was one that the CCC was involved in, but didn't get a chance to build as many structures as in other parks.  It is still a beautiful place to visit - the park staff said October is a very busy time - visitors come to see the fall colors.  They also have a great park store - books about the CCC, the state park system, wildlife management areas, and others that I haven't seen anywhere else. My sister and I had fun browsing the books (we are such nerds!!), and I managed to only buy two (this time). 

Hope everyone recovered from their weekend.  The school routine is almost here and in this household we are fighting it every step of the way - we love our summertime togetherness. 

For more information on Caddo Lake State park, visit their website at http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/caddo-lake

For more information on the CCC and Texas state parks, visit this website. 

Nature Center

Blue Crab

American Alligator

Corn Snake

My son & I (along with a group) visited a nearby nature center/wetlands area.  I've always enjoyed visiting these kinds of places and this one was not a disappointment.  A lot of hard work went into their museum area, including live exhibits of a fish pond (complete with alligators), box turtles, snakes (all non-venomous), just to name a few.  There were beautiful murals and touch boxes - many things to touch, experience, and all very nicely done.  Since it was chilly, dreary, & windy all of our activities were inside, but the staff really did a good job - alternatng between classroom work & hands-on exercises in the museum.  I hope to go back one day and walk the trails of this nature center - it is esturary, salt water, marsh type environments, different from some of the freshwater ponds/creeks that I usually visit.

Brazos Bend State Park - 2011 Drought

Brazos Bend State Park is close enough for a day trip, one that I try to enjoy as often as I can.  I visited a few weeks ago just to see how the park was handling the drought.  Shocked and saddened don't even begin to explain my initial reactions when I walked around Creekfield Lake (the paved path leading to the observatory) - it was reduced to a puddle.  There were alligator tracks leading to it - clearly the alligators were still around, but very few birds (and fewer species) were still fishing, wading in the remaining stagnant water.  The marsh side of Creekfield Lake wasn't in any better shape - those beautiful cattails, drying up, burned brown by the hot sun with nothing but cracked dirt trails around them.  Even the cypress trees are showing their stress in their brown leaves.  I was fortunate to be able to chat with a park volunteer who told me the small pump they have to bring water into Creekfield Lake just isn't enough to keep up, so they were no longer even trying - whatever happens, happens.  I can't help but wonder about the bullfrogs that you hear at dusk talking to each other.  The volunteer also said he expects it to take a few years for the bird and insect populations to recover -- birds won't come when there isn't water.  Here's a few shots of how Creekfield Lake looked on that day.

alligator tracks lead to the puddle that once was Creekfield Lake

A few remaining herons wade in the shallow water

marsh side of Creekfield lake - cattails burned & dried by hot sun

I also visited the 40 acre lake area - since there is more water here, there are also a LOT of alligators in close proximity to each other.  That day everyone seemed to be behaving themselves & the gators were easily visible in the shallow water.  My sister commented that the lake looked like an abandoned swamp.  On the west side of lake (with the sloughs), duckweed has covered the surface entirely, giving everything a deceptive healthy green color.  There were several gators here as well, but well hidden in the muck.  A few moorhens were fussing and a very few herons were fishing.  The lake level is down here as well since the park decided to no longer use the pump to maintain the water level.  The sloughs were dry and cracked.  It was easy to see where the gators were coming/going to the water - their tracks/slides easily visible in the preserved mud.

duckweed covers portions of the 40 acre lake

alligators are still there

sloughs along 40 acre lake are dried up, vegetation burned by heat/sun

alligator tracks/slides through what was the slough to 40 acre lake

It is very tempting to go off the paths & walk around in the dried up areas, but there are more reasons not too - alligators (there are over 500 of them in this park), habitat destruction (the drought won't last forever), bullfrogs and others than are hidden from view can easily be stepped on not to mention the snakes - although not always seen - be assured they are still there as well. Besides walking off the designated paths is a big break in the park rules.

Our area is forecasted to have some break in the current weather pattern in the coming days, so I plan to go back to look around and see what is still there as well as observe any changes in the fauna that I hear/see - do they really believe the weather is going to change? 

Weather Changes

Wow - we actually received measurable rain yesterday - officially 0.90 inches (UPDATE:  official total ended up at 1.26 inches) - which brings our August total to: (drumroll)....... 0.97 (UPDATE:  1.33 inches)... not much of a dent in our drought (UPDATE:  at least we did get 1/3rd of our average rainfall for this month).  But I walked around outside just to see if the rain had any affect on the outside world.  The most obvious & first change was the remaining green grass grew at least an inch overnight and the burned, dying grass is at least a little softer.  A hummingbird was flying around and there were a couple (2 exactly) new flowers blooming - both pink (wonder if that means anything).  The native passion flower is still struggling to survive much less bloom, but the lizards are still out & about.  I also noticed a few more flying insects (wasps, grasshoppers) venturing out.  Further out in the yard, where it isn't as protected, the wide cracks are no where near closing up (left my slipper in the picture for perspective). 

Here are a few quick pictures I took a minute ago - it is hard to spend much time in 99 degree heat (w/heat index of 104)... I'm really hoping fall will be better - if not at least wetter.

pink pentas finally bloom

dwarf humminbird bush hanging in there

native passionflower still struggling

sensitive brier - wildflower

lizard or anole - love his hands

crack in yard

Hot Hot Hot

Yes - we continue to experience record breaking temperatures and drought.  I know I've posted several times about our weather, but I along with many others are just surprised that the pattern continues with no real break seen in the future.  Just to give you an idea:

August 21 - August 29  our temperatures will range in the upper 90s - mostly 99 & 98 and mid to upper 70s for the night, but we do have a few chances of rain - only 30% (better than the 0% we see most days).  In fact today we had 3 alerts:  1 heat advisory & 2 air quality alerts - crazy stuff.
Our historical averages for these same dates are lower 90s (would feel chilly) during the day and lower 70s for night (wow winter). 
The .07 inches of rain we've received so far this month hasn't added much to our total rainfall (historical average 3.84 inches for August).

September - our historical average temperatures should range in the mid to high 80s for day and right at 70 degrees for nighttime.  September is also our big rain month - averaging 7.12 inches -- which coincides with our most active time of hurricane season.

We continue to have high pressure over our region that does bring us beautifully clear days, but the combination of the heat and dryness/drought only make our temperatures stay high.  Sadly most everyone in the area hopes for a tropical storm or even category 1 hurricane, just for the rain. Unfortunately these high pressure systems also steer all rain-bearing tropical systems away.  Trees are dying, farmers are selling off their cattle because there isn't always hay available to feed them. 

I recently drove to a local state park where the drought is even more evident - their marshes/ponds have become puddles, the birds for the most part have left, there are only a few insects (mostly robber flies), nothing like you'd expect to see.  The park staff said it could take a few years for the birds to return in full force as well as the insects.  Their trees are also stressed & turning brown, and although they expect to lose a few oaks, most of the trees are expected to survive.  They gave no prediction how long it would take for the park to recover as a whole - refilling marshes & ponds, etc. 

I've posted a picture of a ladybug (lady beetle - which ever you call them) because this is something we haven't seen this year.  Nothing green for the aphids to eat, no aphids, no ladybugs.  We usually have a colony in our backyard during the summer & we enjoy watching their life cycle, but we haven't seen anything (not even mosquitoes).  I just hope we get some relief - real relief, not just enough rain to make mud & a mess, but some to make a dent in our deficit.

Interestingly there are madatory water restrictions going into place in many cities that addresses water usage during certain times.  We don't usually water our yard (cost too much), but we have had to water our house -- waiting for the ground under the house to crack open wide enough to swallow our house or at least our foundation.  So far so good, but we need help fast.

My Backyard

I wish I could blame the hot dry weather for the state of my backyard, but I have to admit I had something to do with it as well -- or rather the lack of my involvement had an impact.  Since the hurricane a few years ago, parts of the backyard have become wildish areas.  But on the positive side, critters, insects, etc. have been spotted that I don't usually see.  On the negative side, dewberry plants are trying to take over too (and winning in some places - darn those things are hard to kill).  I took a quick walk around the yard this morning just to see if anything was alive & moving about.  I was surprised at what I found - a couple of green anoles (they are always around), a blooming soft green eyes (officially a native wildflower, not a "weed"), a few cicada skins (empty & dry) and a few new blooms on my lemon tree - and not to leave out - a few mosquitoes (guess that whopping .45 inches of rain this week really perked everything up.  Here are a few pictures from my morning walk.

soft green eyes

green anole



cicada skin

lemon tree bloom

Let's Talk About the Weather

Yes, I'm talking about the weather again. although usually talking about the weather is what people do to make small talk or old-timers do to pass the time of day.  However, around my state/region it is serious - seriously dry and hot.  Areas/counties are now in what is classified as an exceptional drought (one that occurs about every 50-100 years).  We have received 1/10th of the precipitation that we should have by this time of year which equals to over 10 inches behind.  Mix in a long period of high pressure and we've got hot and dry.  One local news source compared the area to the Sahara Desert - saying our actual rainfall amounts have been about the same.  Here are some stats:

June
average rainfall amount:  5.35 inches
actual rainfall received:     .90 inches
highest temperature:          100 degrees - on June 5th (when it is technically still the spring season)

July
average rainfall amount:  4.78 inches
actual rainfall received:    1.47 inches (as of this posting)
highest temperature:           98 degrees - (guess all that extra rain cooled us down a bit)

My kids & I actually spent some time out in the rain this week - was kind of a different feeling getting wet outside instead of just in the shower.

Here are a couple of pictures showing the effects of the drought - one is the grass in my backyard (I don't usually water my yard especially when water rationing could become a reality) and the other is a dried up horse pond... interesting that the ever-present, invasive chinese tallow tree survives despite the dry, cracked dirt. 

Texas Drought/Fire Weather

Usually in Texas we are more concerned with heat and hurricanes, however lately we've had to be on the lookout for wildfires (more so in some regions than others).  It was really sad to read TPWD's report on the fires at Possum Kingdom burning 90% of the park acreage. Although on the bright side (if there is one), it will be interesting to watch what comes about after the fires have cooled and the nutrients filter down into the soil.  Some ecosystems need fire to thrive, and I hope that Possum Kingdom's wilderness areas can benefit and recover quickly. 
Texas certainly needs rain.  Here's a link to the current burn bans by county in Texas  http://tfsfrp.tamu.edu/wildfires/DecBan.png and as you can see very few counties are currently without a burn ban.   I always check this site before we go camping as it does affect what kind of fire (and if) we are allowed. 
Speaking of camping, we made a quick weekend trip last month to Lake Texana state park (under a burn ban) and the lake really shows how far Texas is behind on rain.  I don't think I've ever seen this lake as low as it was.  We were only allowed charcoal burning in the bar-b-que pits for cooking, nothing else.  Another note about Lake Texana - a good portion of their campsites (water/electricity side) are under construction (re-working water lines), so if you plan to go there soon - make a reservation. 
Here's a picture of Lake Texana in March.