Texas Forestry Museum

 

Texas Forestry Museum

December 26, 2010

We was on a mission to get a field guide about Texas trees and there was only one place I figured had one, The Forestry Museum. We have visited this museum on a couple of occasions before but they have some exhibits that rotate out. We figured while we was there getting the book we would give it a quick run through.

The kids get all excited about playing with Lincoln logs even though they have dozens at home. The museum did have a couple pieces that they didn’t have so they start telling me how they need this part and that part for their own collection.

 

They have some interactive things that intrigue the children's minds into further investigation. Many hinged information plaques hang in various stations so the kids can read what the forestry is all about.

We was impressed with how the wooden vase was crafted out of a tree stump and you could see the trees age rings on it. There was also a cute armadillo made from pine cones, and a carved wooden dagger.

A playground area that was made to resemble a paper making machine. Adam was the first to spot it but Anna didn’t take long to join him.

Adam loved the old cars and trucks. He spotted the green truck and said, “”Oh, now that is a sweet ride!” Upon seeing the jeep, “Hey dad, your mail jeep!” He asked why was there a tire on the side of the black car. I told him that was the spare, “But why is it here?” “Son, that is just how it was done back then.”

They climbed in the fire look out tower cab. I bet they would not have been so quick to jump in it had it been on it’s 100 foot high perch.

Austin looked at the old ox pulled log wagon, the yokes worn smooth from use.

Anna wanted to play mail lady at the “post office” exhibit but they had the back blocked where she couldn’t peek through the window.

The kids looked at the logging town replica and Austin decided he would want to live in the thick forest away from everyone. Gosh, he reminds me of myself.

It was just a quick trip but the kids seemed to enjoy it, and we got the book we wanted so mission accomplished!

A Gingy House and Cookies

 

 

A Gingy House and Cookies

December 25, 2010

The weather was not good for hiking like I had hoped. All the stores shut down for Christmas so we could not even go shopping on a rainy day. It was a perfect setting to spend some quality time with the kiddos.

Stewart took on the Gingerbread house decorating with the kids. Each claimed a side to decorate.

Fondue, icing, and candies, all became construction material. It took a little patience to get the icing “glue” to hold everything on.

Adam, using his excellent imagination, made a gumdrop Toadstool for the side of the house. He was very excited and proud of himself at how it turned out. Can you tell we enjoy nature?

Austin had the front, Anna-the red roof side, Adam-the yellow roof side, and Stewart-the backside. I think for our first ever gingerbread house it turned out very nice!

Next, we tackled the cookies we made last night. It warms my heart to see my kids enjoying themselves. Smiles all around was a good sign. We joked and laughed and had so much fun decorating cookies. 

 

Adam was working hard, you can tell by the tongue peeking out just a little bit. The one thing I have to warn people that may eat these cookies, there was a lot of finger licking going on.

Thank you Lord for allowing us to slow down today and stay home and just be with our family enjoying the simple things in life.

Beech Woods Ticks

 

Beech Woods Ticks

December 20, 2010

We left the Sundew Trail disappointed so we headed to another trail, Beech Wood Trail. When we pulled up, it looked ruff, like the trail time forgot. It was littered with pine straw and leaves, limbs and sticks. The sign to the trail had a “No Alcohol” sign on it. I thought, ”hmm, that is a first.” I have never saw a sign saying that before on a hiking trail, must have been a problem for the area. I didn’t really feel comfortable going hiking, guess I will learn to listen to my gut feeling. We had to walk .3 of a mile along a gated dirt road to get to the actual trail. The highlight along this road was we saw a possum scamper off into the bushes. We looked for him but he stayed hid from us.

Adam had to crawl on the gate to the road and climb a tree by the sign. I swear this child is part monkey. We walked to the trail and officially started our hike. The trail was not well maintained. Trees, blew over by past hurricanes, were barely removed from the trail and the path was littered with dead dry leaves and sticks. We had to walk a bit more to get to the part that started the loop. Once we arrived at the fork in the road we sat on the bench deciding if it was even worth going any farther.

Sitting there voting, I noticed a tick crawling on Stewart’s pant leg. I jump up, “Ugh, a tick!” I started looking over everyone. Anna had two on her and Adam had three on him. Austin and I was blessed not to have any on us. I pulled the ticks off their clothes, thankfully none was attached to their skin.

“OK, that is it, lets head back, try not to brush against anything.” I warned. Adam was getting to far ahead and I told him to wait for us, instead of standing there and waiting he would walk around in a circle. In his words, “If we keep moving they won’t get on us!” We decided the ticks must have been on the bench and when we sat down, they attacked us.

We “power walked” back to the Tahoe. I gave everyone a good once and twice over and found one more on Adam at his hair line, again not attached. We have never had a tick on us from any hike until this one and then to get seven, not even having walked a half mile was more than I could stand. From now on I will spray us thoroughly with Deep Woods Off before we go on anymore hiking trails.

At the trailhead of each trail there is a box with a sign-in sheet. I assume it is so they know who has visited,  there is always a question that asks, “What did you observe?” I wrote in big letters, “TICKS!”

Sundew Trail

 

Sundew Trail

December 20, 2010

It was a nice warm day to go traipsing around in the woods. We looked at the trails in the Big Thicket and this one we had not been on and was still open during hunting season, so we said, “Why Not.” My favorite trails are ones by the lakes, but this will have to do. It seems there is always more to see by the lake, I suppose because animals go to the water.

 

On the way there, I tell them about something I read on a web site that said because of the influx of hogs in the area, mountain lions are also making a come back. We went over what actions to take in case of an encounter with aggressive wild life. Of course the kids ask all kinds of questions keeping them occupied for the rest of the drive.

Once we arrived we looked around the trail head and Anna spotted a sign that had the corner broken off. “ Ahh, something took a bite out of the sign…ahhh!” “Oh Anna, don’t be so dramatic!” I scold. The kids are unusually quiet and subdued. We cross a pipeline road and all of a sudden we hear a large commotion of brush rustling and then out of the tree line burst three doe. I managed to get a picture of a brown streak. They were moving fast and low. It was really neat to see. Austin asked if we noticed the muscle tone on them. I say, “Nope, just saw the brown streak, I was too busy trying to get a picture.” Anna says, “Oh my goodness, I thought it was a tiger coming after us!” I correct her, “Mountain Lion.” If they were not nervous before, they were then.

After the deer excitement we all tried to keep quiet so maybe we could come upon another deer. The kids were not their usually silly selves on the trip. Adam tried to swing off of the picnic table on a branch but I stopped him before he did. The tree limb did not look sturdy enough to hold him. Austin looked at some plants and we spotted a couple of hard to identify mushrooms, and a funny green patch of plants in the midst of the brown grass.

 

The trail was about a mile of walking with very little to see. Adam found a stick he was using for his “gun” in case a mountain lion or hogs crossed our path. They had one info panel on the whole hike and it talked about a savanna. I suppose they consider the brown tall grassy area littered with pine trees was a savanna. The open area gave us another chase to look for deer, but there was none. Adam climbed only one tree on the whole walk.

 

Stewart spotted a Leaf-footed Bug, he claimed I almost stepped on. He was wondering what kinds of things lived under the boardwalk right before he spotted that little guy.

The trail guide booklet said that there was Pitcher Plants at the end of the hiking trail so we were looking hard for them when Austin spotted the Fly Agarics or Fly Amanita, best known as “Toadstool.” These are my favorite mushrooms, they are poisonous but beautiful and since I do not eat mushrooms I could care less. Finally we come across the Pitcher Plants, a nice size grouping of them was scattered amongst the weeds and grass.

Right before we returned to the trail head we saw this beautiful bush. It was booming with bright reds, oranges, yellows and greens. It made me think, “Burning Bush.” It is amazing how we humans can not even begin to compete with GOD’s artwork.

Sam Rayburn Dam

Sam Rayburn Dam

December 15, 2010

After Stewart came home from work, we decided to go for a walk. I was sick of being inside and needed some natural therapy. Not having much time to go very far we ended up going to the Sam Rayburn Dam, which was formerly McGee Bend Dam and my maiden name is McGee so of course I thought that was neat to find out.

Now the first thing I notice when I arrived was the lovely little sign that tells me the surface was hazardous for walking. Did that warning stop us? No, warning signs are for sissies.

Of course looking out over the water was not good enough for my bunch, they wanted to be next to the water. There were even signs that warned the water may rise suddenly, but onward we voyaged. My kids eagerly awaited a sudden rise in water, constantly asking me when will the water rise, and if it rises where will we go. My answer was simply, “Up!” It took us some fancy foot work to get down to the water level. Austin being the wonderful son as always, was right there to help steady mom on the descent. So clinging to each other and to a handy tree or two we managed to get down the cliff without any causalities.

 

The banks were very rocky and Adam loved chunking the rocks into the water to make a big splash. While he was climbing up and around the rocky ledges he found a couple feathers. With feathers in hand he flaps his “wings” and says, “I believe I can fly!” I correct him, “I believe you will fall! Please be careful.”

  

A stage was imagined from the smooth ledge they scaled and Adam did a little dance resembling "The Twist" then Anna did her super model strut across it. Up, around, over, and through the kids climbed all over GOD’s natural playground. Once again asking if the dam will open so the water will rise. Adam goes into a dramatic “slow motion” run pretending to escape a impending flood. I tell them again I do not think the dam will open up.

We find so much peace and joy as we hike, truly some of the happiest moments. I have to say that the scenery is beautiful on the far side of the water. The orange and yellow leaves of fall hanging on to their color, made a lovely setting for the picture.

A lone bird sat atop a fallen tree as the sun was getting low it looked very surreal and majestic.

 

We carefully ascended the rocky banks and left that side of the dam to drive over to the other side where the small park area was.

We walked through the pines that were standing on the point by the lake side of the dam. It was quiet windy. Anna and Adam found a bird nest that must have been blown out of a pine tree. Adam loved the big pine cones that littered the ground.

 

The tall grass reminded Anna of the Little House on the Prairie books. She tells me she loves that time period. Adam liked to roll around in the grasses too, wind whipping through his frazzled hair.

Stewart and I stayed on the hilltop while the kids walked down to the lake shore. The hill was more than I felt like tackling after the rocks we climbed on the other side.

 

The hill was prefect for rolling down. I told Adam he might not want to try it in summersault form. I told them to lay on their sides and roll down it.I remember as a child rolling down the side of an old sawdust pile that was left from a saw mill that was behind our house. Rolling down this hill was not near as dirty. I found it funny that my kids had never rolled down a hill before but they seemed to really enjoy it because the did it over and over. They would get going to fast and have to stop themselves.

They tried roll racing down the hill. Anna had a head start so Adam just rolled up the hill while she rolled all the way down. Adam got to the top before she got to the bottom and declares, “I win!” Anna disagrees with him. Adam says, ‘Yeah I did, you didn’t say which way we were rolling.”

Anna used her over shirt as a “hang glider” and run down the hill with it flapping behind her. She did not want to share her fun with her little brother so they decided to foot race. She told him, “ If I get there first, I win, and if you lose, that’s ok too!” I laughed and laughed at that. I said, “Sweety, that is a little one sided isn’t it?”

 

Wearing down, we sat on the bench at the top of the hill. The littler kids crawled around on the concrete beams and lounged in the “V”. Adam suspended himself between the two beams and declared, “I am a bridge!”

 

As carefree and active as my children are, I know GOD must have HIS hand on them protecting them and keeping them safe. Thank you LORD for being our protector.

Neither Wind Nor Cold...

Neither Wind Nor Cold...

December 12, 2010

We woke up Sunday Morning to the wind blowing like crazy and the temperature's high only reaching the 50 degree mark but we still wanted to go on a hike. We knew it was too cold for a long walk so we decided to go to Martin Dies Jr State Park and walk the small Island Trail. This trail had a couple of bridges taking us across water, which is always a high-light on a hike. 

Stewart bought me a new camera because my old one was starting to show signs of unreliability. I had the new camera in tow and he had the older one so he could get some pictures of me with the family. The kids also brought their little cameras and apparently took up moms bad habit of trying to document everything in pictures. So we ended up with a bunch of pictures of us taking pictures of each other but we had a good time doing it.

Adam picked up a Sweet-Gum ball. I said, "A porcupine egg!!" He didn't fall for it. It was much more fun when they were little to pick on them, now they are just too smart. Austin wore his compass ring, but we soon figured out it was not all that accurate, good thing I carry the map of the park "religiously" since the Kirby hike.

Adam shoots up the first tree that looks good to climb for his photo-opp. Stewart takes a picture of me taking a picture of Adam with his foot stuck in the tree. It was all fun and games climbing that tree until he got stuck, then the panic flashed on his face for a brief minute but big brother saved him and helped him dismount the tree onto his shoulders.

Anna not to be outdone by her little brother, tried swinging from a fallen tree but her dismount was not as graceful. Thankfully nothing was hurt but her pride.

Stewart and I joked with each other taking each others pictures but that got old fast.

It was very soothing standing on the shores of the lake letting the wind blow against my face.

Austin lopped on me, he is a very loving young man, but I think at that point he was just trying to stay warm.

Anna hopped on the bench and danced down the "runway" for a little while. She is such a beautiful free spirit when it is just us, if others are around she is very shy.

Anna did this crazy little walk. I am not sure what she was playing but I am certain it all made since in her mind and she thought she was quiet funny, so did I. (No Austin was not going to whack me with his walking stick, he was just propping it on his shoulder.)

Stewart hid behind a tree to sneak and take a picture of me, I told him, "OK, now your just being creepy! I feel like I am being stalked."

We made it out to the point of the island, we took advantage of the wind break these two big oak trees were providing. Adam took some pictures of Anna hunkered down in the nook the roots created. She was saying, "Brrrrr!"

Adam is doing his best to look innocent, but mom knows the mischief that lies within that little boy.

Anna is disappointed that the vine was not good for swinging, I am sure the don't want to fall again.

Adam saw that people had carved their name into the bench so he bounds over and "sat" on all of them. All around the bench he plopped his rear, "squashing" all of the people. Only in the mind of Adam did that make a good game, but it provided me with a good laugh. Once he was done "squashing" them with his rear, he got up on the bench and stomped on the names, until sister thought that was boring and wanted to play "Queen of the bench" and gave Adam a hearty shove.

It was quiet beautiful out there. The trees were brilliant oranges, reds and yellows. Spanish moss blew wistfully through the tree tops. The sun's rays broke through the branches and danced playfully on the lake. We just stood and took it all in. Thanking our creator for all the awesome things he gave us for our pleasure, things in nature that has not changed for thousands of years, simply because GOD is unchanging.

We found a tree that must have been blown down when Hurricane Rita came through the area. All the kids had to take a turn at walking up it. Adam made it the farthest and had to show off with his "surfer dude" stance, but on his way down he slipped and fell. Like his sister, only his pride felt the pain.

Anna didn't make it very far at all, I believe she was a little less ambitious than the boys.

Austin thought if little brother could do it then surely so could he. But he did not make it to far when his hiking stick slipped out of his hand and he froze and let out a little "Ahhh!" I am sure he was thinking, "Now what?" Sister took no time at all to steal his stick from where it landed on the ground, so Austin gave up and got down to go get it back.

My kids find some of the silliest ways to entertain themselves but I would not have it any other way. They have vivid imaginations. 

Adam finds a pit left by the roots of a blown over tree, immediately it turns into a fox hole and he has his "rocket launcher" locked and loaded. (Maybe I should cut down on the History lessons about the wars.)

A "Bark" cell phone (wonder if that would sale) ... from the looks of it, he must have been bored with the conversation.

Anna riding her "horse", I assume she was stopping the "horse" at this point.

I am not sure what to think about my silly kids sometimes.

Adam is always having himself a great time, whether he is wearing moss for hair, surfing fallen trees, rocking it out of tree stumps, or putting "ear covers" on to help stay warm, in his words, "I have to cover as much as I can, it's COLD!" He is Adam, party of one!

Anna found a hull of a tree and announces,"I could make a boat out of this!" I believe she was remembering the Heritage Village trip, because there was a boat that was carved out of a tree trunk there.

Austin is not near as animated as the little ones, he takes his hikes serious. The scientist comes out in him when we are in the woods, not the comic.

We get to the end of the Island Trail and I am cold and tired and ready to go but the kids beg me to just walk up the big bridge before we go, so alas I give in. The wind was even more fierce out in the open.

Austin gazed out across the water, counting the cranes along the far shore.

Anna leans way over the rail to look into the water below. I remind her if she falls in, that there are alligators in this park. She stopped leaning so far.

One last picture of him taking a picture of me. The wind used my hair to disguised me well.

Oh Little Town of Bethlehem

Oh Little Town of Bethlehem

December 11, 2010

A local church puts on an exhibit that takes you a step back in time to Bethlehem. I have studied a lot of Jewish traditions and getting to visit a reenactment of the Bethlehem of 2000 years ago is a big treat for me. My mother and my Sis "BD" and her kids "B" and "L" came with us.

Kids at the Bethlehem Sign and posing with the kings.

 Having the kings wandering around the place is neat and all, but in reality it is one of those things that is just not accurately portrayed in the world. The kings didn't visit baby Jesus in the stable, they visited the "young child" in a house (Matthew 2:11). 

The kids always love the animals. Anna says, "Come here sweet pony, you should let me love you and pet you and ..." The pony was totally occupied with eating it's grain and did not pay attention to the kids what so ever. Anna said she wanted to climb the fence and jump on its back, I reminded her that her legs was to long and the pony was to short. She said she didn't care, but she resisted the urge.

The "townspeople" was holding a large Boer goat for people to pet. Of course I couldn't resist an animal to scratch on. Stewart said he thought, " No...she won't touch the stinky goat..she knows better.....", then yep, I touched the goat. I honestly thought, "Surely they would not bring an "intact" goat up for people to love on!" but alas, they did and now my hand smelt like a rutty ol' billy goat. Thankfully they posted the ladies with "healing oils" to be the next on the route. Stewart let them rub so peppermint oil on his hand. As soon as I discovered the oil smelt good I rubbed my stinky hand on Stewart's peppermint hand to help with my goat smell. It helped greatly for me, but unfortunately some of my goaty smell rubbed off as the peppermint was transferred. Stewart was not happy about that at all.

I believe the synagogue was my favorite part. The "Rabbi" there was very informative, so much that I forgot to take pictures of it but I did snap one of Austin while we listened. The man talked about how different the meaning of words were from Hebrew to Greek. For example the word "on" to us means like a cup sitting "on" a table, but to the Jewish people "on" means fully committed. He said unless we knew some of the history of the Bible times that we can not fully understand the meaning of the Bible. I was so pleased, that is exactly what I have been telling people. He spoke of the "Shema" and I tried to talk Anna into saying the Shema in Hebrew but she was to shy.

My sis asked me why do the Jewish people write God like G-D. I explain to her that they reverence HIM so much they do not write his name for fear of writing it wrong and having to destroy it or writing it in vain. It makes me think how far away we are compared to them. When people say "Oh My God" all the time about every little thing. We have no reverence for or fear of, GOD.

We walked past the "Inn" that had "no room" and got to pet a donkey that didn't bite, unlike mine, who does.
We stopped at the carpenter shop where he explained the tools used and gave Adam a shaving from a stool he was making. I am not sure if Adam was thinking it was silly to have a piece of wood or if the smell of the cedar was what caused the face he made in that picture.

We walked on around  to the yarn dying booth and Anna and Adam dyed a piece, being careful not to get the pomegranate juice on their cloths.

A couple years ago when we came to Bethlehem, we was intrigued by "finger-weaving" so much that when we returned home I had to look it up and we all learned to finger-weave. Adam took a keen interest in it so we took a picture beside the booth.

Next we visited the potter's wheel. Adam and Anna take a turn at trying to mold it into something. Watching it makes me think of the scripture:
 Isa 64:8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.


If only we would be more like the clay, to just accept the firm guidance of our master's hand, who only wants to mold us into something beautiful, worthy of being the vessel to hold the Holy Ghost and the anointings HE bestows on us.

The music shop family played us a little tune that was actually quiet good and gave each kid a flute to take home. Austin looks at me like, "Are you serious? Something noisy?" Adam takes the "rocker" pose as he blows on his flute. They were told real quick by me that they are not going to be blowing it while we were at Bethlehem.

We were getting close to the "pinkie dance" circle, I jokingly ask Austin if he was going to pinkie dance. The look was the answer to my question.

Anna checked out the feel of the grains. The little girls in the booth was talking amongst themselves when one of them did the common " Oh My God!" saying. Quickly they tried to cover it up by saying, "God has blessed us with the baby Jesus..." I said, "Now you know, real Hebrew children would not have said that." The looked at me like, "Ut oh." I just smiled, and moved on.

We peek through the window and look at the wedding party. My mom pointed out the Menorah in the middle of the table. Anna says, "They are supposed to set it in the window for all to see."
"I know, but they don't know that, sweety," was my reply.

Anna was to shy when we first arrived to do the pinkie dance. I asked her once again before we left if she wanted to. She said, "Yeah, I am in the mood now!" I asked "L" if she was going to, "If Anna will, I will." So off they went, dragging Adam along.

I left Bethlehem feeling more close and connected this year than in years past. I know it is from all I have learned and studied and my beliefs that makes me feel a since of community.

When we returned home, my two little kids pulled out their Jewish costumes and played "Bethlehem". It makes my heart smile to see that they too, hold our beliefs dear. Anna repeated to Adam what she heard tonight, " Shalom, have you traveled far to Bethlehem?"