I am heading out to Austin in an hour or so.
My good friend Cathy Elaine is going on a Road Trip of her own. She found some people in Austin who are going to Sedona, Arizona who needed traveling buddies to lessen the cost of gasoline. So I am taking her to Austin so she can go on her trip of soul searching.
I asked her when she was planning on coming back, and she simply replied, "Whenever the trip is over." She is going to post her experiences on her blog and I will be providing you the links to it. But for now I am getting ready to go to Austin. My son Jaferaly is going with me to keep me company on my way back home and for us to spend some quality time together.
The plan is to drop Cathy and head back home, but who knows........
I'll check in with you on the flip side.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Wow! What a day trip
The park is located off I-45 just south of
Nestled among the tall trees is a lake surrounded by picnic cabins and camping sites. There is a 25 mile long and winding trail that weaves through the forest providing you with not only an opportunity to hike but a serene and beautiful way to connect with nature.
The lake provides a chance to get out there and do some fishing. There are canoes, kayaks and row boats that you can rent to just relax and enjoy the breeze amidst the water that is cool and serene. You can use the built in BBQ pits to enjoy a good picnic lunch.
I drove up there Friday to reconnect with nature and do some soul searching and grounding with the Source. Even though I didn’t have much time, it seems I never do, the trip was well worth the rejuvenation and recharging of the batteries, and there was an added surprise there in store for me which I never would have imagined.
When we got there, we found a group of people preparing for an event. I learned that they are having a foot race on Saturday. It is an annual event. There are runners in 50 miles and 100 miles categories. A 100 miles trek on foot? Yup. Wow! That is like running four marathons. Too bad I won’t be able to attend the event this year.
But that wasn’t the real surprise. As we were talking to the organizers trying to gather more information, someone said hey we ordered pizza and we need someone to go pick them up from town. Before I knew it, my partner volunteered our services for the job. The lady said, “Oh really? You don’t mind? Thank you so much.” And handed us a credit card and gave us directions on how to find the Pizza Hut in
I am always thrilled to be of service, and the opportunities always show up, but it was refreshing to see people trusting total strangers with their credit card. I know, in today’s cynical world, we are told never to do that and it is foolish to do that, but it reinforced my belief that people are generally good and there are more people who feel that way.
When I thanked the lady for trusting us with her credit card, she just shrugged and said, “I’d rather do that than living the other way around.” What a genuine way to live.
Take a day off and head on north. You will be glad when you come back, I promise you.
For more info:
Huntsville State Park : 936-295-5644 Website
Rocky Raccoon Trail Hike: Website
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Connecting with Nature
It had been two weeks since my last excursion, so I decided I will head out for a few hours and see what I find. My friend Cathy Elaine had told me about a park she had found in The Woodlands, just north of Houston.
So, yesterday I headed out to The Woodlands to explore the Shadow Bend Park. When I got there it was just past noon. I had my camera with me, and I intended to take some pictures, but the overhead sun does not make for good lighting, so I decided to wait a little while. I rolled the window down, tilted the seat back and stretched out in the front seat under a tall tree. The shade and the breeze were heavenly. I dozed off in a few minutes and dreamed about waves and waves of Bluebonnets everywhere. I was thinking, I must tell Cathy about these flowers. I was driving through them trying not to get into the flowers, but they were everywhere.
Eventually, I was awakened by the sounds of children and parents. It appears that there is an elementary school somewhere in the shadows of the park and the school was let out. Realizing that I had been napping for over two hours, and it will be a while before the kids are all gone, I decided to head back home and visit the park another day. As I drove out, I felt exhilarated. I didn't realize that simply being in the Nature can have such an effect on a person. Now I know why I always went to parks when I was stressed. :-)
So this morning I headed back to the Shadow Bend Park with my camera in the tow. As I started strolling through the park on the walking trail, I was amazed by a sight I never thought I would ever see, elementary school children in Texas playing Cricket. That's right Cricket. It turns out that they have a teacher who is from Britain, who decided to teach the children, in her words, "a real sport." That was a great way to start my trek into the park.
In the next hour and half, as I walked along the trail in that embodied the name Shadow Bend, I met and photographed a cardinal, a Blue Jay, and several squirrels. I have always loved squirrels. they are so curious, and friendly and active. I am hoping I will be able to upload some pictures soon. It all depends on how good they turn out. After all, it has been ages since I have used my trusty Minolta XG-1. :-)
As I watched the squirrels hop, run and jump around in the shadows, I remembered Wild Bill, about whom I wrote last time. Wild Bill had told me about the Squirrel dumplings he had served for game dinner sampler he had organized at his restaurant. I guess loved the squirrels in a different way. Now I know some of you may cringe at the thought of someone actually cooking squirrels, and I can understand how you feel, but I have come to accept that people have different tastes and in different parts of the world people eat different things. It is just part of the tapestry we call human race.
As I left the park, I was thinking about getting the film developed (yes, I still use film), and a voice from within suggested I go to the Wal-Mart there in The Woodlands, but I decided to go to the one closer to my daughter's school, since I would be picking her up soon. When I got Wal-Mart, I was told that their photo processing machine was broke and was being repaired, and that the repairman didn't have the part needed so he has gone to get it. One of these days I will learn to heed to that inner voice. :-)
So, yesterday I headed out to The Woodlands to explore the Shadow Bend Park. When I got there it was just past noon. I had my camera with me, and I intended to take some pictures, but the overhead sun does not make for good lighting, so I decided to wait a little while. I rolled the window down, tilted the seat back and stretched out in the front seat under a tall tree. The shade and the breeze were heavenly. I dozed off in a few minutes and dreamed about waves and waves of Bluebonnets everywhere. I was thinking, I must tell Cathy about these flowers. I was driving through them trying not to get into the flowers, but they were everywhere.
Eventually, I was awakened by the sounds of children and parents. It appears that there is an elementary school somewhere in the shadows of the park and the school was let out. Realizing that I had been napping for over two hours, and it will be a while before the kids are all gone, I decided to head back home and visit the park another day. As I drove out, I felt exhilarated. I didn't realize that simply being in the Nature can have such an effect on a person. Now I know why I always went to parks when I was stressed. :-)
So this morning I headed back to the Shadow Bend Park with my camera in the tow. As I started strolling through the park on the walking trail, I was amazed by a sight I never thought I would ever see, elementary school children in Texas playing Cricket. That's right Cricket. It turns out that they have a teacher who is from Britain, who decided to teach the children, in her words, "a real sport." That was a great way to start my trek into the park.
In the next hour and half, as I walked along the trail in that embodied the name Shadow Bend, I met and photographed a cardinal, a Blue Jay, and several squirrels. I have always loved squirrels. they are so curious, and friendly and active. I am hoping I will be able to upload some pictures soon. It all depends on how good they turn out. After all, it has been ages since I have used my trusty Minolta XG-1. :-)
As I watched the squirrels hop, run and jump around in the shadows, I remembered Wild Bill, about whom I wrote last time. Wild Bill had told me about the Squirrel dumplings he had served for game dinner sampler he had organized at his restaurant. I guess loved the squirrels in a different way. Now I know some of you may cringe at the thought of someone actually cooking squirrels, and I can understand how you feel, but I have come to accept that people have different tastes and in different parts of the world people eat different things. It is just part of the tapestry we call human race.
As I left the park, I was thinking about getting the film developed (yes, I still use film), and a voice from within suggested I go to the Wal-Mart there in The Woodlands, but I decided to go to the one closer to my daughter's school, since I would be picking her up soon. When I got Wal-Mart, I was told that their photo processing machine was broke and was being repaired, and that the repairman didn't have the part needed so he has gone to get it. One of these days I will learn to heed to that inner voice. :-)
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