Mineola Nature Preserve

Earlier, I shared about our trip to the Quitman Arboretum, the tour of the Historic Stinson House, and the Medicinal Herb 101 class that was held at the Arboretum in June. After a morning in Quitman with my sister-in-law and niece, we decided to go to Mineola for lunch and they wanted to take me to the Mineola Nature Preserve.

 Now, I've seen the signs when going to Mineola or occasionally an event advertised on facebook that was being held there, although I had never been or realized what an awesome place this was. Wowee, y'all! The Mineola Nature Preserve is nearly 3,000 acres and free to the public (although I believe camping and horseback activities do require a fee).

 A pavilion sits high on the hill overlooking the area. The breeze is blowing and it was very comfortable to sit at the picnic tables and the swing, even though it was in the mid 90's. A amphitheater is located by the pavilion and star gazing events are held there - Jeff would love to go to that one night!

We started down a walking trail and past through the Master Gardener's area. I can only imagine what it would have looked like just a few weeks ago with everything in full bloom! I appreciated that their were markers to identify the plants.

 They showed me the sun dial, then we continued down the path to one of the ponds were families were fishing (catch and release) and saw a few ducks. It was all so peaceful.

 Next we headed down the hill on the Johnnie Bendy Trail. Paths were all very well maintained. The open fields were recently mowed and the walking path wove down the hill towards towards a more wooded area. The preserve goes all the way to the Sabine River, but we didn't walk that far. I believe they said about 2 1/2 miles to the river and we weren't prepared to be gone that long.

 We past a few more ponds and sloughs, with "watch for alligator'' signs!

 Down the trails, different trees were identified and observation decks were created at different points.

Then we came upon a bridge crossing and it was one of the most visually stimulating areas! An abandoned railroad trestle can be seen in the water. There were so many layers of foliage and textures galore. For an artist, photographer, and nature enthusiast, I was in love!  From the bridge we saw 2 snakes in the water below, turtles everywhere, and the white crane crisscrossed the area several times, along with several birds and butterflies. No, we didn't see any alligators, but that would have been awesome to photograph in the swamp! The clouds and sky were just perfect for the day! Brenna is involved with the 4-H photography program and together the two of us took lots of pictures!

It was a great relaxing afternoon! I can't wait to go back and take Jeff with me while wearing appropriate shoes, taking both my camera lenses, and plenty of drinks and snacks for a long hike through the preserve! On our way out, we were able to see the herd of Longhorn Cattle and the Buffalo that reside on the property (although we didn't stop to get a picture of them.)

All day, I was amazed at the Quitman Arboretum and the Mineola Nature Preserve. Until just recently, I didn't know either existed and they are both within 30 miles of our home! The three of us decided that we needed to start making more outings together and exploring little day trips and events around East Texas more often.

(We were a little sweaty from our hike back up the hill to the truck! Next time I'll have my hair up and water to take with me!)

Here's a Facebook post from the Mineola Nature Preserve showing their newly updated maps. 

Red Trucks and Birds

You may recall me saying "All I want for Christmas is a vintage truck..."

Well, my sweet sister-in-law and family got me one for Christmas! Only this red truck is a bird house and feeder! I hung it from the gazebo and filled the bed up with bird seed. Seems as if the birds finally discovered it while I was eating my lunch yesterday! I looked out the window to find a mockingbird perched on the truck, so of course that meant I had to get my camera out! 

I'm not sure what this first little bird is (can anyone help me out?) I knew if I went out the door, it would scare him away, so I shot through the glass door.

I called this one "You looking at me?"

 Our "screen door" is missing its screen. I was able to raise the glass and still stay in the house to get a few more pictures, so I wouldn't scare the birds away. I was able to catch the mockingbird's picture this way.

 I got the stink eye for telling her she was "an over-sized load!"

Love all of the birds expressions! I had fun watching them for a few minutes and capturing a few pictures, before I got back to work. The tree limbs around the yard added to the blurred effects on the pictures.

They just about emptied the truck bed this afternoon, so it looks like I need to load her up again soon! There was several more birds in the yard this afternoon and their was a line to take a turn in the red truck! It'll be fun to see the activity and maybe I'll get a cardinal picture.  Hopefully this spring, we can also get pictures of someone nesting in the cab of the truck.

Do you feed the birds? It's been a while since we've put out seed in a feeder, although judging by the bird population, they have been finding things to eat and shelter in our yard. 

Sunset and Storms

This happened this evening! Thought it was pretty cool to capture the storm clouds to the east and the sunset to the west.

 Photos taken with my phone, no edits, standing on the back of the truck in our driveway! We didn't get any rain - we were the blue spot in the middle. 

Cedar Wax Wings

Last week, on one of my many trips outside, I noticed a huge flock of pretty birds in the variegated bush in the yard. It was a grab your big girl camera and zoom lense moment! We later determined they were cedar wax wing birds and they stopped in to completely remove all the berries off this bush / tree in the yard. 

At times, there was several dozen birds in the tree and several more waiting their turn in nearby trees. 

About 12-13 years ago, I planted this bush, from a small one gallon pot and now it stands about 15+ feet tall and has a huge canopy. There was a sweet lady who we went to church with and she had one on her yard and I just loved it and had to plant one for myself. It reminds me of variegated pittosporum, although I think it's got another name. I'm glad the tree can be beneficial to the wildlife and I was able to capture a few shots of their visit. 

To me they are pretty and have such unusual markings, the mask on the eyes, the red drops on the wings and the tip of the tail feathers looked like it has been dipped in yellow paint.

I'm glad I was able to pause a few minutes and enjoy watching them and capture the moment. 

2015 Best Nine on Instagram

Everyone on Instagram was doing it, so I had to join in the #2015BestNine! No, I wouldn't jump off a bridge if all my friends did, but this was not life threatening, so I had too! 

2015bestnine.com takes your top 9 most liked pictures on Instagram and forms a collage of them. It seems like all my Instagram peeps like dream catchers, turquoise, Miss Gussie the Glamper, sweet baby calves and rustic gardening as much as I do! 

Thanks for all the love this year! If you're not already following on Instagram, what's the hold up?!? It's my favorite place to hang out! Find me @gypsyfarmgirl or the link above. 

I'm having fun looking back at 2015 and dreaming about the new year to come! What wild and crazy dreams do you have for 2016?

Fireworks!

Thanks to several of our neighbors, we were able to photograph 3 separate fireworks shows from our yard tonight! Last night, we watched two t38/f5 jet airplanes as they made several loops just west of our house, as they were stalling before their appearance at the airshow in town. We didn't leave home and still had a good 4th! 

Notice a few tree limbs? 

I was anticipating the neighbors fireworks, so earlier in the day, I got my camera battery charged, set my manual settings and found my tripod. 

We sat outside and watched the sunset this evening. This was the view from our driveway, with just a couple minor edits. (Taken with my phone.) When I heard the first firecrackers, I went inside and grabbed my camera. 

I was excited to catch a few good shots, since it wasn't a continuos show and I didn't know which direction to focus on. 

Through the pines - this was the farthest away and what was visible over the pine trees in the distance. Kind of like a Christmas tree topper!  

Hoping you all had a wonderful weekend! 

Watercolors

I'm in the middle of a big wedding order and I've been playing with some of my pictures while making roses. The waterlogue app turns your photo into water color pictures. Here are a few of my favorites from my late night working. 

The first picture was taken in my yard yesterday, while the next two are some oldies I found on my iPad. 

I love the Texas Bluebonnets in the spring! This was from our trip to the Ennis a Bluebonnet Trails a few years ago. This kind of makes me want to channel my inner kid and get put the water color set from elementary days. But hey, with the app, I can multitask with work and play at the same time! 

Hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend! 

Snow day

This week has been cold, icy, and snowy. I try to keep things positive here on my blog, but really, I just want to shout it out for the world to hear: I HATE SNOW. There, I said it! 

Yes, it can make for some pretty pictures, but in reality, its really more of big head ache. Our flowers and trees had already started blooming and showing signs of an early spring in Texas, then we had ice on Monday, followed by snow on Wednesday. 

There's always worrying will be have power. Thankfully this time, we kept our electricity, but the generator is on stand by, with water drawn up in ever pitcher and bucket to be had. We have our own water well, so no power equals no water, plus there's the job of keeping the well from freezing up. Last year, we were out for 3 cold days, so we do have a generator and an electric heater large enough to heat a room this year. 

The farm animals always need more feed and attention during the bad weather, so there's no staying in the warm house when the weather is unpleasant and the weathermen tells everyone to stay inside. I'm tired of bulky jackets and too many layers of clothes. I've got random gloves scattered everywhere and when I have cold feet, I'm just grumpy. The toes on my right foot, seem to go nearly numb every time I get outside, even while wearing wool socks and insulated boots. I truly do not know how everyone living up north handles this weather. I want to move south now and we only got a few days of this mess. I can not even imagine negative temperatures. I got in the shower a few days ago and thought there was a hole in the tub. I didn't realize how cold my toes were (I had on 2 pair of socks + fleece lined boots) and I couldn't feel the tub, It was a rather strange feeling. 

This is the reality of snow - spinning tires in the muddy snow, while trying to feed cows, then having to be pulled back up the hill with the tractor. Fun times...Not! 

In Texas, a little bit of winter precip shuts almost everything down, I had several orders that needed to go out in the mail yesterday. Thankfully my mail lady was able to make her route. She said it was tough going at times, but she made it! 

Then there have been frozen gate locks, slick steps that needed clearing, trucks that take much longer to warm, while covered in snow, the pile of wet and muddy clothes that need washing...

I could go on, but I'll stop here. At least we get a few pretty pictures from the snow! 

Thanks for letting me rant! I promise to have a happier post next time. So do you love snow or hate it? (I promise we can still be friends if you love it!)