Seeking a Place under the Sun

This July is not like one in the previous year. This one is full of rain, thunderstorms, "cool" temperatures and low humidity. It was so really nice so I stopped complaining about the heat and summer weather in southern Texas. We went to explore a couple of new places, and we were not disappointed. It seems like  I'm getting used to being here... 

April is the month when I completely fell in love with the gardening. Now I can spend a few hours in a garden center just choosing one rose from a few types, correct soil for the flowers, compost, fertilizer and so on... April was a peaceful month full of flowers, blooming, taking care of the lawn... The everyday routine that makes you alive.

Our spring trip to San Antonio.

I desperately wanted to visit the Texas Hill Country during the winter to avoid the summer heat. We spent a long weekend in the Fredericksburg, a small German town with lots of wineries in its surrounding. After analyzing the trip I would make a plan a bit different - just one overnight stay instead of two. It is better to go first to Enchanted Rock early in the morning for hiking. Then we could go to Longhorn Caverns for a tour and after that, we could drive to Fredericksburg to enjoy the evening meal with German sausage with a beer or a Texas wine. After a night in a hotel, it would be nice to take a walk in the morning town, eat a branch and drive back home. Or if you are without children to take a tour to the wineries will be the pleasant ending of a weekend. This plan is about "back and forward", a lot of driving. But at least it is not about a waisting a time.

Finally the temperature dropped to 80F, the season of hurricane is already in progress with its heavy tropical rains. The summer has came to its logical end.

There is one more must-to-see destination in Texas. Be prepared to book the time in advance to visit Hamilton Pool.  It takes 3 hours of driving from Katy to reach the target. So plan the trip so you can go somewhere else after spending time in the pool. Woke up at 05.00 and went out at 05.45 to be at 09.00 am. Last steps... And my first impression ... What a heck! The pool is smallish, the place is undersized, everything is so gray and dark...  I felt myself frustrated and disappointed, because I had HUGE expectations.    The photos from the internet lied as usually - too much Photoshop. But after a while the sun came out and lit up the already crowded place so the picture/impression has changed.  I did swim for 5 minutes but sprang out from the pool when I saw in  water a turtle with a head above the water. Almost tame/pet catfish close to shore made my time in water more unpleasa...

What can you expect from the Texas weather in July? Just one more hot day ahead with two kids who are bored by sitting at home under air conditioner and doing nothing special. We had two options: a sea beach or some new place with cool water in a driving distance of a couple hours. The children voted for swimming in the cold water. So we went after the early breakfast towards Austin. It took us 3 hours of driving to get there.

As for me the most interesting places of Texas aren't located in Houston. They are situated between/near Austin and San Antonio. It means 3 hours of driving (one-way). - 3 hours? It's nothing. Nice distance. - my sister calms me down. - Good to know.

The biggest advantage for me being in Texas is the flora and fauna of this geographic location. As a person who lived all life on the northern part of the planet I'm impressed by the nature of this region. On the other hand the biggest issue for me is still the temperatures of summer time. The heat is not the enjoyable part of living in Houston area in period of May-September.

It is not the best idea to explore Houston city in the end of May/ beginning of June. The weather is like in hell, it is too hot to be outside. But I do not have any other opportunities because my Partner-in-Crime is pretty busy in a school and I have to wait for her school break/holiday.   

-  Let's go to the farm to pick blueberries. for an hour we are going to pick a couple of buckets. - So you are trying to say there is a plantation of blueberry in a forest? - Not a bilberry, but а blueberry. Not in a forest, but in a garden. - I have to see this!

Showers, changing cabins, places for picnic and grill, and most importantly - the lack of cars on the coastline -  this is the Galveston State Island Park. (Thanks to my friend who gave me the tip about this place). The sand is so dark, small/dusty so after swimming in the ocean, the swimsuits look very dirty, and grains of sand stick together with salt tightly to the body. Without a shower you can become a stalactite. So the presence of fresh water on the beach for me was one of the main factors. Because last year, we carried a gallon of water per person to rinse and even wash off a little salt from ourselves.

Our March looked like:

Our first road trip: 3 nights, 2000 miles. Long, smooth, wide, with lots of police (constables, sheriffs, police, some troopers) roads with dead animals (deer, rabbits, birds, raccoons, pigs). It's cold at night, and it is hot in the afternoon. Suddenly delicious water in public  places in Fort Stockton.