Fall Camping Trip and RAIN!

Fall is my very favorite time of the year to go camping.  Last week we, along with our son were able to camp at one of our favorite places, San Augustine Park. This is the view from our trailer. 
 

 

When camping for a week in October it's not unusual to see a cool front come through bringing with it a little rain or even a thunderstorm.  But this time we had more than a little!!  In nearby Jasper they had 10" and I'm pretty sure we had about that same amount.  It rained and rained and rained - over 24 hours of rain!!  We had a canopy over our picnic table that kept us dry for a while.  Eventually we had to go into the camper.  No pretty sunset or campfire this evening! 

 

After things dried out we were able to get out and hike a little.  The woods were pretty with the leaves showing their beautiful

fall colors.

We were able to see a beautiful clear sky  most nights and Venus was so bright and pretty.  It was so bright that as it dropped lower in the horizon and the sky became darker it created a reflection on the water.  I wish I could have gotten that picture!

Into each life some rain must fall.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

We really did have a good time even with all the rain.  We caught enough fish for a fish fry and had a good campfire every night except one.  We heard owls and coyotes and saw two otters floating along the water's edge.

 

I have to admit though, it's good to be back home! 

I love camping but a week is about my limit.  

 

Happy Fall to You All! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Something to Smile About

Finally, a break in the weather to bring us a smile!  We have been near 100 degrees every day now for a while, but today it's cloudy and 79 with a few scattered showers around.  Just looking out the window it looks like a winter day!

Hummingbird Bush

We've been seeing a few hummingbirds lately.  They come here in August as they make their way back south.  They will be with us until about October when we first start having some cooler temperatures.  And they do love this bush!  I usually keep a couple of feeders hanging out on the deck also.



American Beauty Bush



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Right now it's party time for the Mocking Birds! They practically live in this bush every year when the berries mature, which isn't always a good thing for my deck and everything on it!

 

Duranta

 

"Welcome every morning with a smile.

Look on the new day as another special gift from your Creator, another golden opportunity to complete what you were unable to finish yesterday.

Be a self-starter. Let your first hour set the theme of success and positive action that is certain to echo through your entire day.

Today will never happen again. Don't waste it with a false start or no start at all.

You were not born to fail."

- Og Mandino -

Hoping your day brings you a smile also!
 

 

 

 

Summer Rain

We're getting a little rain this week - lots of clouds but just a little rain!

 

For several weeks now we've had so many thunderstorms come right to us and then fizzle out, bringing us just thunder, lightening, and a cool breeze.  This time of the year we'll gladly take any breeze we can get of course, but our plants sure do need the rain!

Well, this week we've been lucky and actually received some rainfall.

We've been babysitting our "grand dogs" the last two weeks. They'll be going back home on Monday. This is D.J., a lively little Jack Russel Terrier. She's a real sweetie!

And this is Jake, who will be 18 years old in November! He doesn't hear much and his vision isn't too great but he is still quite smart and knows how to get just what he wants from Grandma, like an extra treat or chicken broth on his food! He is a beautiful West Highland Terrier.

Hope you all have a nice weekend!

 

 

¹⁶ for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
¹⁷ He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.

 

Colossians 1:16-17   New Living Translation

The Beauty of Rain

We have had lots of rain in the past month and after the drought of last summer I won't be complaining at all about rain.  So far this summer our temperatures have not been too bad and with all the rain most of the East Texas lakes have come back to normal levels.  At the end of last summer everyone was predicting more dry years to come and that it would be 10 years before our lakes were back to normal. Just goes to prove that the predictions of doom and gloom don't always play out! 

Now I just hope and pray that the rest of the country can have some relief from the heat and drought soon!!

Last year Lake Sam Rayburn was 12 feet below normal as seen in the 3 following pictures.

This was taken in June of this year with water back to normal levels.   No more sandy beaches - the water comes all the way up into the grass. 

It is beautiful when it rains far away in the distance, the bright sun shining on the mound on which you stand, and only a few guerilla drops heralding the approach of the shower towards you. ~John Richard Vernon, "

The Beauty of Rain," 1863

Tropical Storm Lee and a Little Rain

We were lucky to be on the outskirts of Tropical Storm Lee and enjoyed having a break from the heat and also getting a whole day of steady rain. It was breezy and cool and just so nice to have rain finally, but we were sure hoping that it would spread out into the parts of Texas that are even dryer than we are. At least we have had a few days of rain this summer unlike most of Texas which is in a terrible drought condition.

After seeing this thermometer hit 100 + degrees several  days last week, this was such a relief!  One or two days we had 105 here on our deck.

How beautiful is the rain!
After the dust and the heat,
In the broad and fiery street,
In the narrow lane,
How beautiful is the rain!
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Rain in Summer