Today we left Whitney, Texas. We were all glad to leave as we spent our entire time there, sick. It also rained most of the time. As we drove away, we saw a lot of neat areas that we missed. The rocky banks of Lake Whitney were so beautiful and filled us with regret that we weren’t able to explore the area.

We realized on the drive to our new destination that fall is finally over. It’s hard to believe that we’ve enjoyed the colorful leaves through the middle of December. Most of today’s drive was on county highways through the back country of Texas. We passed more ranches today—a lot more ranches. None of us have tired of them, however. Most of them are huge, with big gates at each entrance and long drive-ways leading up to incredibly beautiful and large homes. Some of them were so elaborate that we wondered if movie stars lived in them!

The deeper into Texas we drove we saw more palm trees, different varieties of cacti, and (finally!) more Texas Longhorns and Brahmas. The varieties of birds just keep getting more beautiful and more unique. What we didn’t have for color on the leaves, we made up for it with very green grass. It almost looked like spring. With all the rain we’ve had, it wasn’t very surprising.

We drove through several little towns that made us feel as if we stepped back into the time of gun-slingers, saloons, and wagon trains. The store fronts looked to be very old and were very Western. As we were about to approach one very small town Barry noticed a sign that said, “Crawford, Home of President George W. Bush.” It’s a good thing he didn’t blink or we would have missed the entire town. We also drove through a couple of smaller cities with very beautiful and western architecture. The detail on the buildings is amazing and everything is so…well…BIG!

When we got to our new park we finished up school for the week. As it happens, we are studying The Mexican War, Stephen Austin, Sam Houston, The Spanish Missions, the events leading up to the statehood of Texas, the Alamo, etc. Perfect timing as we will be visiting the very places where these people lived and the events happened.

Our cats have seen all kinds of wildlife on this trip. They are curious and seem to enjoy looking out at the different animals. When they see another cat, however, it is horrible! They go crazy. Our male cat starts screaming like a demon and goes after his sister kitty, not realizing who she is. She then starts howling like something from a horror movie. The park we are at has a lot of feral cats. Today has been interesting to say the least. I’m wondering if we will get any sleep tonight. Tomorrow, someone will have to be locked in the bathroom while we sight-see!

With all the sickness and crummy weather we’ve had lately, we decided to take a break and visit the city of Waco, Texas.

The drive to Waco was really quite beautiful. For much of the trip, trees that still had not lost their leaves lined both sides of the road. The leaves were a kind of orange/pink/yellowish color. It was very welcome against the tan colored brush and the gray skies.

Our first stop was the Dr. Pepper Museum. I’m not a huge fan of soda but I have to admit that while it was a bit overpriced, it was interesting. The girls laughed at the tabs that were once used to open pop cans but laughed even harder when they found out that Barry and I remembered using them. They also loved the advertising posters that were from the 80s. All I cold say was, “Yes, I used to dress just like that!” Eva got a bit confused when Barry told her that Dr. Pepper was a fountain drink. She thought there was a bubbler (drinking fountain for those of you not from Wisconsin) somewhere in the museum with soda instead of water! Before we left, we stopped by the real Soda Fountain for small Dr. Pepper floats. We wondered if Dr. Pepper from a fountain would taste different than it does from a can. It does!

Next, we went to the Waco Mammoth Site where the bones of several Columbian Mammoths have been found. Some bones have been taken to Baylor University to be studied and preserved but many are left exposed at the excavation site for visitors to see. Our guide was very knowledgeable and patiently answered the many questions we had. The terrain around the site is very interesting. Thankfully, she pointed out a lot of things to us that we would have missed. We really enjoyed this stop! It was the perfect compliment to the time we spent at Dinosaur Valley State Park about a week ago and to the paleontology badge Eva is working on through the National Parks Service. The site is currently pending approval to become a National Monument.

We drove by Baylor University and were very impressed by it’s beautiful, well kept campus. We all agreed that it is one of the most beautiful college campuses that we’ve ever seen. If it had been a nicer day, we may have walked around a bit.

Barry and I well remember all the media coverage of the Waco Massacre (The Branch Davidians, David Koresh) that took place nearly 20 years ago. He found the coordinates somewhere on Google so we drove by the site. There isn’t much there but it sparked enough curiosity amongst us that I turned on the computer and read some articles aloud on the way back to our campground.

It was certainly a very diverse day as we covered different time periods and very different aspects of history. We learned a lot, got away from the camper, saw more of beautiful Texas, and even got in a full day of school when we returned home.

Dr. Pepper Museum: http://www.drpeppermuseum.com/

Waco Mammoth Site: http://www.wacomammoth.org/

Growing up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin, I got very used to my Dad checking the weather several times each day. When the weather came on the TV or radio, we knew to be quiet. As an adult, I’ve always been in the habit of checking the weather every morning. Now that we are full-timing, we all check it several times each day. We don’t check it out of panic, but out of necessity. Our new home is more susceptible to wind, rain, hail, or other types of weather related damage. We check the wind speed each night before we go to bed. Our awning and screen room could be ripped apart in seconds which would be expensive to replace. A camper is not sufficient shelter during severe weather so every now and then we discuss with the girls our severe weather plan and what to do in different situations. We always make sure that we know the best place to shelter in every park in which we stay.

We’ve been through a few severe storms already. Once we bailed, and went to a Wal-Mart when a tornado was spotted close by. Wal-Marts aren’t tornado proof but one has a better chance there than in a trailer or campground bathroom. Most of the time we aren’t close enough, however, so the campground bathroom or laundry room has to do. Two of our daughters went through a very severe storm in Michigan that was unexpected and sudden. Fortunately, they kept their heads, did exactly as we said via the phone and made it to safety. Keeping them educated is essential.

Today has been one of those days in which we’ve had to check the weather several times as there has been a possibility of severe weather all day. We aren’t used to this area yet we know how bad their weather can be. The lightning alone is scarier than what we are used to in MI. Everyone knows about Texas tornadoes. The bottom line is that first we trust in the God who created the storm and who cares for us. Second we prepare as much as we can.

We still have nasty head colds but it seems like we are all much better. The weather hasn’t been conducive to doing much outside so we’ve been concentrating on school. I know the girls are ready to climb the walls but next week we’ll be in an area with a lot more to do and they won’t have as much school to do.

In my last blog post I wrote on our National Parks Service. It has been wonderful to have our girls attend lectures by NPS Rangers and to have them see firsthand areas of history, geography, and Science. Another tool we feel that is invaluable to their education on this trip is A History of US by Joy Hakim. We purposely brought the 10 volume set with us. Not only are they the core of our U.S. History course but we have referenced them again and again as we study the different places we have visited.

When our oldest was in 8th grade she was ready for a high school history credit. I decided to use Mrs. Hakim’s books. I was using a history textbook for the two younger girls. It was just ok and I found that I had to supplement it a lot either through additional books or the internet. Once when Jenna was sick, I helped her by reading A History of US aloud. The younger girls soon stopped what they were doing and came to sit with us. When I finished that day’s lesson, they asked me to keep reading! Mikayla was in 5th grade. Eva was in 1st grade. They asked so many questions and even mentioned it to their Dad that night at supper. I ditched the textbook right then and there and used A History of US for all three grades for the rest of the year and since.

Joy Hakim makes history come alive. She writes in a very conversational manner and presents history in a way that is memorable. It’s not watered down. It’s not white-washed or sugar-coated. It is, however, written in such a way that it appeals to and is understandable by all ages. Her books are entertaining and thought provoking. Instead of hiding from controversy, she presents all sides and then asks questions that make the reader decide for themselves. I highly—HIGHLY—recommend her books. If you love history, you will love and enjoy the books. If you’ve never liked history, you will come to love our history and long to learn more.

I’ll let you read about Joy and her books at the link below. You may have seen her PBS special.

http://www.joyhakim.com/

The last of us fell prey to this sickness so it was a pretty quiet day around here. I’m not sure what we have, but it’s got a good hold on us. Mikayla wanted to make her first camp cooking video but that’s going to have to wait until we are on the mend.

I’m often asked to name the favorite place we have visited so far. That is a very difficult question to answer. I can’t even say that we’ve liked one state over another. It’s all been so amazing. I would visit each state again and recommend any of the stops we have made.

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Today was a beautiful day so what did we do? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. It felt so good to take a break from school, chores, moving and even sight-seeing. Because of all the rain we had earlier in the week, we did a lot of school. So much that I think we all feel as if it’s been a few weeks since we’ve had a break.

Three out of the five of us have nasty head colds. We thought about going to a state park but that was as far as it went. The weather was warm enough for Barry to make the screen room his office so Mikayla and I took advantage of the extra space and started our Christmas baking.

Last year, we didn’t do any baking because we had just found out that Eva had to go completely gluten-free. Cooking everyday meals were overwhelming enough for me at that stage. This year, we feel ready to tackle our traditional baking. We made fudge and reindeer cookies. Mikayla is going to make a video tomorrow of some more of her baking in our little kitchen. We’ll post it on her sister’s blog.

The robins were back tonight. They chatter away as they come in but as soon as every last one of them has found a perch for the night, it is very quiet. Tomorrow morning they will be gone before we awaken. I think I have seen more robins in the last two days than I’ve seen in my entire life. They have been unexpected but very welcome guests!

We didn’t have far to drive today. It was nice not having to rush, pack a lunch or take school in the suburban. Driving through the back country to get to our new destination, we felt like we really saw Texas. The big ranches with their sparse land, gnarled trees and cacti were breathtaking. The land was quite hilly so there were times that we could see for miles. It’s so different from what we are used to that we felt like we were in a different country.

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After school, we walked the nature trail around the park at which we are staying. Named Tres Rios for the three rivers that border the resort, it has an abundance of beautiful water fowl that we don’t have in Michigan. There were also a lot of huge fish. The binoculars once again came in very handy but my anglers were wishing they had their poles!

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Dinosaur State Park, Glen Rose, Texas

The sun came out today!! It’s been awhile. Quite awhile. It’s been cold and rainy since we arrived in this part of Texas. It was so cold last night that our pipes froze. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for them to thaw out with the sun and the temperature rising to 46 degrees.

After we finished school, we headed out to hunt for dinosaurs. Dinosaur tracks that is and it was amazing! Dinosaur Valley State Park has an abundance of tracks from more than one specie of the huge animal. It really is unbelievable how big these creatures were. It’s quite the experience to look down into a riverbed and see not one but several tracks.

The park itself is beautiful and worth the trip. It was so nice to be outside that we hiked a lot more than we had planned. A lot of our hiking was along the riverbed. We commented more than once that it was nice to hike in weather that was still cold enough to keep us from being afraid of encountering any snakes! Two herds of deer were in the park today. One herd was rather large. They were only whitetails but they weren’t at all afraid of us. We kept our distance but were able to get a little closer to them than normal. Barry’s binoculars also came in handy.

The day was beautiful and educational! Perfect!

Dinosaur Valley State Park–http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/dinosaur_valley/

Dinosaur Track. About 8 of them that disappear under a ledge of rock. These tracks were about 10 feet apart showing the immense stride of this large animal.

The picture below is a footprint with Vibram soles

Sometimes, it’s really hard to find time to blog. The weather has been horrible so our focus has been on school. I like to get a little ahead when we can.

On Sunday, December 4, we visited a nice church in the area. We enjoyed it so much that we may make the drive back from our next location to visit it again next Sunday. After a long afternoon nap Barry surprised us with tickets to see The Muppets. It was a very cute movie for the girls and a trip down memory lane for Barry and me.

Monday and Tuesday weren’t much different from each other. The park we are currently at has a recreation room just a little ways from our site. It’s warm and we have it all to ourselves. The girls have enjoyed the foosball table and other games during their breaks. It’s really been nice to get out of the camper since it rained very hard Friday through Monday and was very cold and gray today. I’m sure that spending time in the rec room saved our sanity!

This afternoon we took a drive into Glen Rose. It’s an older town with a lot of history. Unfortunately, the town pretty much closes up this time of year except for the weekends. We still enjoyed walking around a bit. This area has a lot of petrified wood that is used for building houses, fountains and other structures. It’s very beautiful and unique.

This area has a lot of dinosaur footprints. It was really neat to see one footprint today that is built into the band shelter in Glen Rose. The weather is supposed to be nice tomorrow so we are planning on a ‘dinosaur hunt.’ This is very timely as Eva is earning her Jr. Ranger Paleontology Badge from the National Park Service.