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. 

Spring on the Backroads

Come ride the backroads with me for a few minutes. It's spring and the rural landscape is showing out!

We may not have many Texas bluebonnets in our area, but the Indian Paintbrushes have been beautiful this season. We are happy to see our field of paintbrushes thicker than ever this year. 

Wisteria and red clover growing along the fence line.

I've loved this little rustic shed for a while and always intended to stop and photograph it. Last weekend I carried my big girl camera along with me, snapping photos on the dirt road. The dogwood was blooming by the shed, so this time I stopped. 

Spring green, is there a prettier color after a long winter? 

These steers looked at me like what are you doing taking our picture? Part of my trip was rainy and drizzly, but I've decided we must look for the beauty in our everyday life. Beautiful things are everywhere, not just at location x, y, or z. One person would see a patch of yellow weeds below, while another sees a field of wildflowers. 

More wisteria. 

Dogwood trees are one of my favorite spring blooming trees. 

Our sweet girl loves to travel along with us. She's definitely a back road girl. She prefers 20-25 mph, with the window half down and the wind in her face. My camera was in the seat and I looked over and had to snap a picture! On Instagram, I said this picture had four of my favorite things: dirt roads and pickup trucks, puppy dogs and fields of wildflowers. 

Thanks for traveling along with me. I hope you are enjoying spring in your parts. 

A Spring Garden Tour

 

 

 

It's been a while since I shared pictures from my yard and garden, so I thought I would show you around for a few miutes. Almost all of my plants are in rusty, recycled, repurposed containers.

 

 

From vintage bed pans, chicken wateres and rusty water jugs, elevated on an old crock pot bowl...

to more rusty chicken feeders...

Our kitty cat loves to sit on the gazebo rail among the roses. The old chair holds a big pot of oregano. I love being able to go out and pick fresh herbs from the yard.

 

 

A yucca bloom.

A tiny little spider warts.

The prickly pear cactus is blooming too.

 

The view from my front door.

My green onions growing in a trash can! I seldom buy green onions at the store (usually at Christmas time for cooking), but when I do, I never throw any part of them away. I used the tops of the onion in my tortilla rollup recipe and then  I planted the bottom part in this old trash can and look at them now.

 

I'll try to share more garden pics soon! All these pictures where taken with my iPhone - does anyone know of a good blogger app? I email my pics to blogger, then have to edit and create my post on computer...

 

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

What I Love about Spring

It has been a long time since I joined the Brenda Photo Challenge, but I decided to participate this week with What I Love about Spring! All pictures were taken this week. Spring is my favorite time of year, although the last few mornings we are have had winter like weather and upper 30's at night.

 

 

 

An International square hay baler and Indian Paintbrushes on our property.

 

Wildflowers along the highway.

 

 

Lizards and plants in my yard and spending time sitting in my gazebo and enjoying working in my flower beds.

 

These are just a few of my favorite spring things!

 

 

Celebrating Being in FOLK with a Magazine Giveaway!

I am still excited about my pictures and submission being in FOLK Magazine! I learned about FOLK through Donna from Funky Junk Interiors and saw their call for Southern stories, pictures, and travels for their Summer issue (issue V) on Facebook.

We had travelled to the Ennis (Texas) Bluebonnet Trails last year and had previously shared the pictures here on my blog and with some of my Facebook friends. Several people encouraged me to submit my pictures to magazines, so when I saw the call in February, I started typing and submitted my pictures and story. Ben, the Editor of FOLK, emailed me almost immediately saying he loved my piece! All kinds of squealing and jumping up and down commenced at that point, as it had always been a dream to have something published. At this point, I only told my husband and kept the secret for 2 1/2 months. I was scared something would happen, my pictures wouldn't make the cut, or something crazy like that...so I didn't tell anyone. I never expected to have my first submission to be accepted by a magazine.

I watched my mailbox with anticipation. I was off  work the day the first magazine came. I ran back from the mailbox like a kid, ripped open the package, and opened the magazine to where I thought my article was. It wasn't there...My two page submission had been moved from the original location that I saw in the proof, but I found it near the back of the magazine instead. At this point there was lots more squealing and excitement when I saw my pictures in a national magazine! The very first time I submitted a story and pictures, I got published! It was a dream come true and a check on my bucket list!

I purchased additional copies of FOLK for some of my friends and family and will be giving away one copy right here to YOU, my blog friends! You are the ones who have supported me with all of your sweet comments and words of encouragement when I share my pictures, projects, and stories, so I want to give back to you. All you have to do is be a Gypsy Farm Girl follower (Blog, Twitter, Pinterest, or all 3) and leave a comment here, telling me you would like to win a copy of FOLK Magazine. I'll pick a lucky winner next weekend.

Please note the Giveaway is for one copy of ISSUE V of FOLK Magazine and is sponsored by ME. I will mail the magazine to USA residents only. The magazine is available at Barnes and Nobles or you can check the FOLK blog for independent bookstores near you.

Our sweet dog, Trixie even made it into FOLK!

12 Creative Junk Flower Containers

My yard has a rustic, junk yard theme this year, using recycled items for creative flower containers. I have shared several of my junk planters this spring and wanted to give an update on the flowers and share some new planters. Donna from Funky Junk Interiors is hosting a garden themed linkup this weekend with the opportunity to win a subscription to FOLK magazine, so I thought now would be a great time to share 12 of my creative flower containers.

While using this style chicken feeder for a light fixture has been popular recently, I planted flowers in mine! I honestly never though this shallow container would hold up to the east Texas heat, but it has done really well and become one of my favorite containers in the whole yard.

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 This wheelbarrow holds a whole flock of hens and chicks! Do you see the chicken feeder hanging from the rose arbor?

 The rustic bottomless bucket is still growing good and the petunias have really taken over the wash tub. I originally had planted ranuculas in with the petunias, but they didn't hold up very well.

 My nepthytis seems to like living under the gazebo in this trash ditch rescued water jug.

The pansies occupy this old crock, but I feel as if the June heat will soon over take them.

The springeri is nestled in this old Gulf can and the water jug and watering can holds spider plants. An old rusty popcorn tin holds the aloe plant.

 The spider warts are blooming in the mornings and the oregano is harvested occasionally from this washing machine tub that is hiding a plastic pot.

I rearranged things this week and moved this English Ivy to the gym locker basket on the old vintage bicycle. I'm excited to see the zinnias and cosmos blooming beside the bicycle.

I am glad I went with a junk theme this year in my yard. I like seeing all the rusty containers much better that a bunch of plastic or styrofoam pots, plus they cost much less than purchasing new planters!