No disasters, near misses, or rampaging religions, just a simple eight-hour walk in the woods by my house.


The owner lives in New York City. Sucks to be him.


A small tributary...


...leading to Spring Creek.


Sand with no human tracks but mine.


A bit of lunch then four hours attemping to carve a spoon (not shown!).


And a snack for later.


An abandoned oil well. I have no idea how deep that water but I couldn't touch bottom of a pervious one with a six-foot stick.

So, not exactly Hawaii or Idaho. But considering it's five minutes out my front door I consider myself one lucky SOB.

-Blast

VERY nice! Thank you for sharing your day. I have a coffee-table photo book of Texas, and it looks like a great place to explore.

What kind of tall trees are those along the watercourse?

Sue

It looks like you have some useful terrai at your doorstep.

Susan,

Texas has every type of terrain except for really tall mountains (uh, and glaciers). It really is beatiful.

The trees are a mix of loblolly pines, sweet gums, maples, assorted oaks, laurels, river birch, beech, and Hercules' Club (aka toothache tree).

-Blast

Oops, to clarify for Susan: The tall trees are loblolly pines. They grow straight and tall then end up as telephone poles...

-Blast

Very nice Blast.

I bet if you had used some of the explosives that you are named after, you might have cut the spoon making time down a little bit.

You would have automatically made a whole bunch of tooth picks too.

I was using the burning technique to hollow out the spoon's depression. Normally one would use a small, glowing ember for this.

Trying to find the proper amount/distribution of potassium nitrate to do the same thing took a long time...still not quite there. I may need to spend more time in the woods experimenting.

-Blast

Great pics...I love TX, but have never had a chance to do much hiking there. Mostly driving to/away from supercells when out storm chasing, which I've done 6 of the past 8 years. We always seem to end up in TX at some point, and we always love driving through hill country. Had the best steak dinner I've ever eaten in San Angelo.

...but it will be nicer when the leaves come out.

#1, 2, 3 & 4 Son beating me up the hill:

"Smoke 'em if you got 'em!"

Nice tribe you have there! Four sons? I may come knocking when my girls reach dating age.

-Blast

Thanks. Five, actually. Its part of my plot to take over the world. The six month old, mom, and I scouted the area the week before while the others were are Grandma's.

They'll be allowed to date when they turn 30, unless of course they've chosen a vocation in the priesthood or monastic life.

Aloha Tom,

I second what Blast said about you having a nice tribe. I thought it, then ended up reading Blast's post. I guess great minds think alike.

Blast has two girls, I have two girls...you are almost covered especially since I don't want my girls to date until their 20's after they have successfully built and run at least one business. My oldest, six next month, already has her first business in place.

30?! I'm thinking more like 40-45ish! Basically when I'll be too old to shoot straight.

-Blast

Aloha & Blast, I must say that I've been somewhat envious of your nice, sweet, cute GIRLS. I suspect that I was born with two Y-chromosomes in my DNA and no X's.

Stupid people ask me "Are you going to try for a girl?" WHAT DO YOU THINK I'VE BEEN DOING ALL THIS TIME? As Yoda says: "Do, or do not - there is no try."

If you guys can scare up one more girl between you, we can arrange marriages for all of them.

I also have 2.5 children of which the 2.0 are girls. We have been telling them since they were little girls that we wanted them to be 15, barefoot, pregnant, and out of the house. It worked, the oldest (severely handicapped) is in college and working on her second novel while living at home and the youngest is away at college, studying to get into pre-med, and has gone as far as wearing a "promise ring" with a hazy date planned another 4-5 years into the future. We used reverse psychology and it worked well with these two girls.

Now about that 0.5, I don't think it will work, but we'll figure out something!

Have you potty trained yet? If not, don't!!!! When they start dating, they'll never be out for very long!

Also, stop having their birthdays and they'll stay their present ages forever more.

I tried both tactics without success, but maybe you're smart enough to figure out how to make it work!!!!

As far as having a girl, don't forget mine are imports. If you want a girl I know a place with 50,000+ of them waiting for parents...

Walking into the Chinese orphanage and seeing row after row of gorgeous little babies...it'll haunt me for life.

-Blast

I betcha you wanted to take them all.

Yes, and leave all my money behind for the next batch I knew was going to end up there. DD1 was with us and she still crys when she thinks of the "sad baby place".

*Urk* I need happy thoughts now.

-Blast

Happy Thoughts:

Just remember the story of the starfish (Starfish Story) and remember you made a difference in the life of your two daughters.

Pete

Yes, that's a happy thought. The only question in my case is who is the starfish, my daughters or me? A good arguement could be made either way... I know if I ever need to call upon pure willpower to survive the thought of them will get me through. I'd walk through fire for them (uh, perhaps a bad example ).

-Blast, one of the lucky ones.

I would venture to say it is not exclusive, but mutual. You and your wife as parents and your two daughters are each other’s starfish. I have no doubt that they have rescued you, by providing great purpose in life and that you have rescued them, by offering your love and devotion. At some point in our lives, each of us is a starfish and at others points, the starfish saver.

Pete

and if the starfish story doesn't help, you can always try blowing something up.

Unfortunately, the company I work for frowns on that sort of thing...meanwhile, I'm surrounded by all sorts of fammable fluids, kaboomable gases, and powders labeled "Warning: Strong Oxidizer". Talk about exerting willpower...

-Blast

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made me smile