Plant Sightings – Page 7 – The Hermits' Rest

Bonus Post: Camping Photos

I had a request to share some of the plants and scenery from camping at Lake Bob Sandlin State Park this weekend, since posting them on Facebook doesn’t reach many of you. It has been a pleasant weekend with lots of peace and quiet and not as much heat as there could have been.

I spent a lot of time looking at water reflecting in the lake.

I did find some new plants, though no new birds. There were 35 different species, including a Black-and-White Warbler and a Great Horned Owl making a high-pitched call I hadn’t heard before (I heard it two different days, so Merlin mustn’t be lying).

This pond reflection looks too perfect to be real!

Most of the weekend I hiked paths and walked around all the campgrounds. The piney woods has many different hardwoods, including hickory, many oaks, buckeyes (if that counts as a tree), sweetgum, Osage orange, and no doubt more. Plus loblolly pine and red cedar.

For the time of year, I saw many flowers, some quite beautiful. Some of my favorites bloom in the fall, of course, like false foxgloves and asters.

I saw deer and squirrels and even a toad. The deer were not pleased that I separated them, hence the action shot. I have no squirrel photos—the ones here aren’t very tame. There was armadillo and raccoon evidence, but no sightings.

Here are more random pictures I liked. Mostly it’s a lot of green stuff here, but that’s fine with me.

View from the best campsite in the park. Private lake access

Back home tomorrow. I could stay here much longer.

Book Report: The Tree Collectors

This is the book I needed right now. I needed sweet stories of people who love trees and are willing to go to great lengths to show that love. I also needed simple but beautiful watercolors of trees and the people who love them. The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession, by Amy Stewart (2024) gave me just what my fascism-weary brain needed—a beauty break.

First, the book is beautiful. Even the cover hiding underneath the dust jacket is a watercolor painting.

And the section headers are so fun that I just want to go try to make a painting like them. All the art is by Amy Stewart, including portraits of each of the people she profiles in the book (either their favorite plants) and all the other illustrations. (Oh yes, the headings are also in a fun font.)

This visual extravagance might be enough to enjoy, but the words in the book are very enjoyable and encouraging as well. It feels so good to read about people around the world who collect trees in many different ways, from embroidering holes in leaves to scientific DNA manipulation. There’s a lot in between, too.

Some of the people Stewart profiles seem so kind and dedicated that I just want to hug them. The best part is that she uses the words of the collectors themselves to explain their obsessions. I got a real kick out of the way an urban man with a checkered past described his passion for planting trees surreptitiously around neglected overpasses. His street vocabulary doesn’t diminish his love of trees and of beautifying his neighborhood.

No watercolors, but I used colored pencils to do this Autumn Buttercup from *Renaissance Botanical Coloring Book.*

The Tree Collectors would be a great gift for any tree-hugger you know. There are so many ways you could enjoy it and savor it over time. The chapters are short enough to read aloud before bed, but you’d have to show the photos. It would also be a fun book to leave in your guest bathroom for entertainment.

Small Concern, Big Happiness

I’ve enjoyed my day at Lake Bob Sandlin State Park, but before showing my endless photos, I wanted to share a concern I have. You see, starting last week I started getting significantly more hits on this blog site. Usually they stay about the same unless a pet dies or I say something controversial.

Not controversial: this view of an inlet.

I looked at the stats, and for the past week or so I’ve been getting more visitors from China than even the US. In today’s world, that concerns me. Am I being monitored because of my political spiritual stances that don’t jive with what our Corporate Overlords promote? Is my writing being mined for AI learning? (That would make me laugh, since I don’t think my informal prose will do anything helpful.)

Anyone else heard of this? Ideas?

Maybe posting red flowers is a good idea.

Now back to cheerful and bland nature stuff. This park is in a beautiful part of northeast Texas, so everywhere I went today was pleasant, even though the soundtrack of Blue Jays got a bit monotonous.

I found many plants that were new to me, and enjoyed exploring so much that when I came back to the campsite I had a weird feeling. I laughed when I realized it was happiness. I was relaxed and happy all day! That was much needed.

However, all the hiking and exploring today has me wiped out. I’m going to just share a few photos then go to bed. I’ll add bonus material for you and my new Chinese friends to enjoy tomorrow.

Buckeyes in seed pod. Yes, I know what it looks like.

Looking for Beauty and Kindness

I declared that today would be spent looking for beauty and kindness wherever I went. That started out early, since we wanted to leave for a camping weekend (at last) as early as possible.

I hit the ground running, trying to get to Tractor Supply right after they opened. Ha. The traffic gods had other plans and I got to wait a lot, which was okay—more time listening to NPR. And I did encounter kindness when the sweet worker who checked me out also loaded all my 50-pound horse and chicken food bags and the deceptively heavy salt. She said she was stronger than most of the men there.

There was much running around, sweating, and chore performance before we could leave, and Lee hurt his back hitching the Jeep to the motorhome. Yet, we survived and drove northeast for a long time, during which Lee was kind to a trucker who needed the lane we were in at a run-down gas station. The guy had a cool big rig—he was taking it to a truck show!

We managed to make it to Lake Bob Sandlin State Park before the office closed, which felt miraculous considering the amount of slow-moving vehicles and construction delays we hit. You know a car is slow if we pass it!

We changed to a more level site, so we lost our lake view, but the piney woods are also lovely, and there are plenty of birds to enjoy.

Helping Lee because his back hurt made me end up sore from crawling in the ground and floor, but that’s what good spouses do for each other!

I found lots more beauty as I walked around the camping area after we were set up. There’s even a lot of beautyberry here, which speeds up one’s search for beauty!

I did find the lake and many woodland plants, so I believe I did what I set out to.

By focusing on good stuff, small annoyances like the bedroom slide and the leveling system not working seem insignificant. I’m just gonna go look at plants and listen to birds tomorrow. Yes.

Cheerful Moments

Ok! Cute things here we come! This morning I found where all the false foxgloves were hiding this year? And they were right next to a hawthorn tree with lots of fruit.

No matter how well I think I know the woods at the ranch, I keep finding new things. I ventured around to see what else I could find. There were many spiders!

After all that nature stuff it was time for our horse lessons. Both horses did their best. So did I, with much practice at riding with the reins in one hand and cantering. I have stopped gripping the saddle horn with a death grip. Progress.

You did good. So did you. Mmm, Apache, that diaper cream on your nose smells great.

Vicki and Drew definitely had their best lesson so far. Drew showed some of his good side, even with the precious foals racing around and distracting him.

The best thing was that Droodles walked around the round pen with very little drama. It shows he’s gaining confidence in Vicki! I’m very proud of their progress.

After I got home we had a lovely green chile stew made by my friend Martha. She, Mike, Lee and I had a wonderful conversation on the porch as the sun set.

Nothing but goodness.

Book Report: Braiding Sweetgrass

People who know me well may find it odd that I only just finished reading Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer (2015). After all, as I mentioned a couple of days ago, it’s a Suna kind of book.

Certainly, Kimmerer and I are kindred spirits, both of us seeing the natural world as a part of us, and humans as ones who should learn from nature. She has some real advantages over me in that she actually got to become a botanist and she was born into a Native American tradition. She gets to learn firsthand about things I can only read or hear stories about. I’m so glad she has shared her insights with other humans!

This is one of those books you read slowly, so you can let the ideas and images sink in and process the poetry, science, and memories within each chapter. The ideas of a giving society, generosity, and shared resources that she shares ease my worries and make it harder to believe that the Ayn Rand adherents of the world are going to prevail. There ARE ways to live that aren’t all me me me.

I’m very strongly drawn to the ideas of the various indigenous traditions Kimmerer shares, but I’m also very aware that they aren’t my traditions to assimilate and take over. She gently points out that she’s sharing examples, but it is up to people like me to make ourselves a part of the land we now steward, to make our own traditions, and to tell our own stories.

I noticed today that the Cedar Elms are putting out flower buds. Is this late? What is the tree telling me?It turns out they are late bloomers, but sometimes late summer rains can inspire a second bloom. I observed this before looking up the answer.

I’m up for this. I think people who feel attached to the life and land around them can show their gratitude to their adopted homes, enjoy the gifts they are given, and return the favors by caring for their neighbors.

Have you read this book? How has it affected you? I was already fairly entrenched in the mindset Braiding Sweetgrass promotes, but now I have more of a framework to go forward in. Your ideas are appreciated!

Regressing to Childhood?

Maybe. I was a bit too tired to do much after I finally finished a long work day, plus it was suddenly 100° outside after a break in the weather.

So I sat in my chair this evening and colored in my coloring book. It took me a few evenings to do this one, because I only do it when my hands get tired of crocheting.

Design, colored in markers and gel pens.

The design is from a book in a series a friend of mine writes, where she re-draws art to color, but also includes information on the source of the designs.

This is the book. Note the tasteful version of the image I did.

I have a couple of other books in Sugar’s series, too. She is a very fun jewelry designer and often teaches classes. I met her in the waiting room when each of our husbands was having oral surgery. Check out the series if you like adult coloring books.

I also find the bleed-through on the back fun to look at. The book contains blank pages to blot up excess ink.

I also got a coloring book by another friend’s daughter, which has lovely Art Deco and Art Nouveaux images, with lots of space. I may try different techniques on those. Once I get the motorhome opened up again, I’ll have access to my pencils and crayons.

I’m glad to have this throwback activity to ease my mind. I loved coloring when I was little. It’s one of the things that kept me quiet (along with reading, but I read too fast and often ran out of books). I often colored outside in my treehouse. I’m pretty much the exact same person I used to be, only less anxious.

Another Lee photo. He likes to crop them this way.

Time to conk out. Thanks for enjoying my activity.

Tonight I Chose Better

Better what? Better evening beverage. I grabbed one of Kathleen’s special drinks last night and enjoyed it. But it turns out to have secretly been an “energy drink.” Thus I got less sleep last night than I’d have preferred.

And because of my schedule, I was up with the sun.

And today was two long trainings plus other deep discussions. By the end of the day I was zonked, so I was sure to choose water this evening. Now I’m nice and sleepy.

I do want to share that early this morning while listening to birds I heard some kind of bellow in the trees, like a cough, sort of. I thought I imagined it, but it repeated, loudly. That’s when I noticed movement. It was a group of deer. That made sense, once I realized what it was. Mr Deer was alarmed at something! Not me. I was quiet and still.

During my zonked period late this afternoon, I was rewarded by getting to watch Mockingbirds feeding, mostly just hanging out with me. behind them, the rabbits threw caution to the wind and were merrily hopping over each other.

They were joined by some melodically chirping cardinals and flocks of Eastern Bluebirds overhead making their haunting cries. One flew over my head, but no poop happened.

I felt much more relaxed after that! And one final nature note: the Rio Grande rain lilies are blooming again. That’s the third time this summer. Yay for Saturday’s rain!

Yep, Everyone Is Interesting

It’s true, and the interesting stranger at the Portland Airport agrees. I had things to write about yesterday and plans to work on a blog on my way home. That didn’t happen, and it’s not a bad thing, because I was talking to interesting people, as I did the whole time I was in suburban Portland.

Look, kids, it’s Mount Hood! I did my sightseeing from the plane.

As many wise folks have pointed out before me, everyone has a story to tell. They also say it’s hard to feel animosity towards people when you can see what you have in common and know what they’ve been through. For example, one of my Uber drivers was forced to flee Peru, but he’s made a good life here. All the Uber drivers I had on my trip were interesting and taught me things, so I’m glad I had the chance to ride so often. I had some really fun times explaining that Texas isn’t all bad. One guy was shocked I managed to live in a small town and not be a Christian Fascist (or whatever they’re called these days).

This mountain had a smoke ring! My friend Alice thinks it’s Mount Jefferson.

The people I talked to at my workplace were also a fun bunch. Portland seems to be crawling with musicians! And many people had horses or once did. It was fun hanging out with young parents and learning how they do things today. Lots of creativity and/or multi-generational households to handle child care.

I had an oddly frank and open conversation about life with a random punk rocker disguised as a businessman in the airport, as I mentioned above. He was a bit scattered, in a good way, and we found we had much in common. That’s what brought me back to everyone being interesting if you talk to them. So I just continued being friendly and talked to a fellow worried about his large dog traveling in the cargo hold, and I made the flight attendant so happy by asking her about her beautiful silver bracelet she was wearing, which happened to be made by a Hawaiian artist. The flight attendant was beaming as she told me how much she loved it.

Sweet stories from random people keep me hoping we can pull our society back together. Humans are not all mean and hateful like the media so often says they are.

Enough of that. I did want to share that I got to see some Oregon plants and hear some birds yesterday by taking a lunch walk. I found an area where there’s a big effort being made to restore native plants, on property the company I consult for seems to own. The plants were surrounded by two things. One was the ever-present wild blackberries. I ate a lot, since there weren’t right on the roadside and covered with automotive residues.

The other thing I saw were rows of gnarled old trees, which look like they’d been cut down to stumps but we’re trying to come back, fighting through ivy and berries. I couldn’t tell what they were, but I figured they were something that was once harvested. When I finally got to upload photos to iNaturalist, it turned out they were hazelnut trees! Before Tualatin got industrialized, it must have grown nuts. Cool.

There was also a small forest remnant next to the offices, with a short path running through it. I enjoyed seeing the ferns, evergreens, and native maples (among others).

After seeing a California Jay, another new one on my list, I felt satisfied that I’d seen at least a little nature. Then my ride to the airport, a really nice man very much like me, took us through downtown to save time, so I got a bonus tour. Yay for avoiding the crowded interstate!

There, I’m caught up, back with my animals and humans, and ready for what’s next. After some sleep!

Are There Birds in Oregon?

I’m sure there are birds in this state, but I have not been able to put myself into places where birds are. Still, by wandering around the hotel this morning and searching for a neighborhood after work, I found a few, plus a new one, Vaux’s Swift.

Mostly I heard Lesser Goldfinches, Black-capped Chickadees, House Finches, and Crows. Not the plethora I’d hoped for, but I haven’t made it to any nature sights in Oregon and probably won’t since I leave tomorrow and it will be rainy. Oh well! I did see some plants!

This apple tree was bending down from its beautiful crop.

There are wild blackberries everywhere. I guess I’d never go hungry this time of year.

I did enjoy looking around at big trees and colorful flowers, though I’m in a noisy area both at work and where I’m staying. Good thing this wasn’t a sight/seeing trip!

The work part of the day was great, and there was a fun lunch with the people from the company I contract for. They gave us all nice, soft sweatshirts, too. The people part of this visit has been just great. It’s so empowering to work with people who feel like they’re working as a team to make interesting cutting-edge things.

I do need to go home and tell Drew to treat Vicki better, so I’m looking forward to getting on that plane tomorrow afternoon!