The terrain changed when we got far into Texas. instead of mixed forest and rolling hills in La., it was flat open prarie with large green pastures. We are out of Southern Yellow Pine timber country now. Having driven through a thousand miles of it once again, it occurs to me that cultivated timberland is actually a poor excuse for forest. The trees are densely planted, often in rows. Mature longleaf yellow pine trees are beautiful, tall, with a spreading canopy, sometimes 30" in diameter. But trees are cut for timber when they are still only 10-12" thick. And when an area is clear-cut harvested, what's left behind looks even worse than the aftermath of a forest fire. We all need 2x4's, but it ain't pretty.
A thunderstorm came through at 1 a.m. Wednesday night, and Sandy gave Gracie a dispensation from the rule that our bed is off-limits when we are sleeping. She snuggled with us for a couple of hours, then went willingly back to her bed when the storm had passed.
Thursday morning we took a short hike on the park's nature trail, which looped through hardwood forest and "pocket prarie" remnant of the primeval grasslands. The trail was wet, but Gracie was in heaven. We'd planned to canoe in the afternoon- the park is on a very large reservoir lake- but it rained intermittently. And besides, it was cloudy and chilly. So the afternoon was spent on housekeeping, reading, and naps. in the evening, rain started in earnest.
I somehow lost a french press coffee mug yesterday, so I'm learning how to make "cowboy coffee": stirred into boiling water.
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