Campout at Enchanted Rock

Where: Enchanted Rock State Natural Area
Who: Group of 17 church friends (including me and Jason)
When: Spring Break 2009
What: Wilderness camping in desertous terrain
About: We arrived to find that the showers were not working due to the recent drought conditions Texas has been under. We were very surprised by this, and fortunately everyone decided we would "survive" and have a GREAT time anyway! The area where we pitched our tents was about a one mile hike from where we parked our cars. We headed down the Echo Canyon trail to get over to the Moss Lake Camping Area. We found a nice area with some trees and vegetation, and pitched our tents. The primitive camping areas have remarkably clean outhouses, however the one closest to us was a bit of a hike. When we first arrived at "the spot" where we thought our six tents would fit, we asked a couple guys at the boyscout encampment nearby--Where is the outhouse for this camping area? They pointed up and beyond their campsite--which seemed like they meant "oh, just right over there"--well it was a good little ways beyond "just over there". It wasn't tooo terribly bad, but last year when we camped in the primitive "Walnut Grove" camping area, the outhouse was a 1-minute walk...literally "just over there."

We enjoyed our time at Enchanted Rock, and would like to share just a few photos...to give the idea of what we did while we were there! Enjoy!
Our friend Sruti and the rest of the group climbing about 1/3 of the way of Enchanted Rock. Near this spot, we took a left to head down the Echo Canyon trail to our campsite at Moss Lake.

This group of giant boulders was not too far from our campsite--probably about 1/4 of a mile away.

Sunset was really beautiful near our campsite. These live-oak trees make a picturesque silhouette at dusk in the evening.

In the distance behind us, Enchanted Rock. This was our resting spot, because we needed a moment or two after climbing back out of Echo Canyon--with many small boulders to traverse.

This view was taken from the parking lot. It is the side of Enchanted Rock. To the right of this shot is the main part of the Rock.

Elvis and Jason on top of Enchanted Rock. In the foreground is a vernal pool which contains an ecosystem where fairy shrimp live.

Me and Jason on top of Enchanted Rock! It is a beautiful view from up there! We love this park! This camping trip was our third time to visit this park.

Our group descending the Rock after enjoying about an hour on the summit and exploring some rocks and boulders along the way.

Desertous scene with prickly pear cacti, a live oak in the background, and a Yucca Plant.

Jason getting out of our tent! Behind our little outdoor abode is the Hardy's and Felix's tents.

A Walk Through History: LBJ Ranch

Can you imagine trotting along this dirt road on a sleek black horse? I can feel my long bushy skirt and petticoat swishing along in the dust. I hear chickens clucking, horses snorting, and dogs barking over cornbread scraps. I see children playing in the grass beside the house, and Pa in the fields plowing long, rocky rows. Ma's in the kitchen boiling water for a bath, and the cat is curled up on a cow skin chair on the front porch. I love history, and this park is a great one for "living" history. No, there weren't any actors there in period costumes, and so I didn't really "see or feel" any of these things...but my imagination made them real.

Last month, we took a group of youth and young adults on a camping trip to Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. On the way to the park, we stopped at the Ranch of Former President LBJ's Grandfather. There were two horses eating in the fields, but they weren't snorting or trotting... They made the scene peaceful, tranquil, and a little more like the olden days.

Here's a photo of Jason and me with Alberta and Canray, two of the youth who came on our camping trip with us.

This view is of the barn, with quarters for hired help. Notice the stone wall on the right.

There were a few chickens clucking in the yard, but no cat sleeping on the cow skin chairs on the porch. This is a side view of the frontier home.

This tree is really a great one for photos and to climb on. It is a very old live oak tree--they are very common down here. We actually have one in our backyard at home.

Jason getting ready to step onto the back porch of the frontier home. Those two scrubby bushes are rosemary...umm they smell really good! --tastes good in Italian food, too!

Me and Jason sitting on a rustic, wooden bench on the back porch.

In the distance, behind Jason, you can see the frontier house on the left and the barn on the right. This part of the dirt road lead down to another barn where there were two long-horn cattle. One of the longhorns got a little agitated and tried to gouge his horn through the log fence. We all stood WAY back after that... (no worries, no one was in any danger)

Here's a nice shot of Jason, Alberta, Canray and Sruti looking down the original well. It was very deep and had some water in the bottom.

Click on this photo to enlarge it--then you can read all about it! It's pretty interesting history...

On our way back to the car, we decided to snap one more photo! Notice the log fence on the right...pretty cool!

Blooming Pink Jasmine in our Backyard

Photography: Houston Garden Center

Heading Out to the Houston Zoo

We were in downtown Houston on a beautiful day. . . so what better way to spend an afternoon . . . the ZOO! These three turtles decided to take advantage of the gorgeous sunshine,too!

I realy like giraffes, because I have always been tall so I can relate to them! In the middle of the photo is a "teenager" giraffe. We think that this is the same giraffe that had just been born last time we were at the zoo (about 4 years ago).

Behind me in this photo on the far left is a very small giraffe. Do you see him? He is the newest edition to the giraffe families at the Houston Zoo!

Here is a cute little baby elephant. He seemed to be a little camera shy. . . This little guy was playing with a plastic feeding or watering bin on the back side of his cage. We could hear it clicking and banging against the back poles and wires of his cage.

Asian Bear

This little kitty (can't remember what type he is) blended in very well with his cage. He was playing with some of the vegetation and trying to take a nap. Finally, he came out in the open where we could see his beautiful markings.

Here's a black panther. He reminded us of our cats at home, because they like to lay on their back with their paws spread out. This handsome guy was taking a nap in this position!

Watch out Jason!! That water fountain could be dangerous!!

Good monkey impression, Honey!!

This monkey has a baby monkey clinging to her side. If you look really close on her left side you can see the shape of the babies leg wrapped around her middle.

I have always liked Flamingoes! They are so pretty! The colors of their feathers are so bright and tropical!

Afternoon at Mercer Gardens