Dinosaur Valley State Park

Camping has become a passion.  Just tonight, I made reservations for yet another outing at a Texas state park.  But that is an entry for another day.

Last week, we went to Dinosaur Valley State Park, which is a truly unique park.  Countless centuries ago dinosaurs walked the lands around the Puluxy River near present-day Glen Rose, Texas.  They left tracks and footprints that became preserved and you can see today (at least, when the water is low).  Glen Rose is proud of their dino-history.  If proof is needed, the life-size dinosaur models should bear witness!

 















This was our first time camping at Dinosaur Valley, although we have day-tripped it to hike the backcountry trails such as the one to Wildcat Hollow/Falls.  The campground is shaded and relatively small, and some of the sites short, but we lucked out with good neighbors around site #43.  The bath house was close as was the playground.  It was a cozy little corner of the park.

For days I had been watching the weather and the river levels, concerned that the high water would make hiking difficult and track-viewing impossible.  The worry about the tracks was well-founded in that the rushing water concealed the dino-prints.  The trails, however, with a bit of wading, were open for business.  

The Buckeye Trail, which meandered along Buckeye Creek, was a highlight in that part of the trail was the creek.  

The water was inches deep all along this part of the trail.

Several grottos and falls could be seen

The loop off of Buckeye Trail

Sadie found a crawfish!

All told, we put in several miles, backtracking from time to time due to missed (or non-existent) trail markers.  The park-provided map was handy to keep our bearings.

Upon crossing the Puluxy again, Sadie lost her hiking stick to the swift waters.  Wading it was fun however, and we returned with Wee Fergus for a splash!

Dinosaur Valley has become a favorite of ours, and not only a destination to be checked off.  We will be back with a strong recommendation for campers of varied interests to explore a small Texas treasure.

The overlook on Cedar Ridge

F. M. Small - Civil War Veteran.

In the search for our family's past it has become quite evident that we are deeply southern.  In the hunt for those that came before I have found, thus far, no soldiers in the Union armies during the War Between The States.  One ancestor seemed to be a unionist who wanted no part of it, but his story I will try to relate at another time.

One of the family branches that has been told of quite often at gatherings and reunions was Ferguson Montgomery Small's.  

F.M.Small, Susan Ann (Montgomery) Small, and J.S. Small, their son.

F.M.Small was born in Amite County, Mississippi on September 10, 1829.  His father was Samual Small, who was a member of the 1st Mississippi Infantry, Co. B, in the Mexican-American War.  He was wounded at Saltillo and buried in Monterrey.  F.M. was a carpenter and farmer and provided for his family with his trade.  His wife was Susan Ann Montgomery.  She was born in 1826.  Together they had a large family of thirteen children. 

When the War Between the States broke out in 1861, F.M., like many of the men in Mississippi enlisted.  His unit was the 39th Mississippi Infantry, Company H (nicknamed the "Dixie Guards.").  Records indicate that he was captured at Port Hudson in 1863, yet testimony by compatriots was that he served a full three years in the Confederate army.  

After the war, F.M. returned home to a burned-out farm, and by the time of his death in 1906, the family was in Sherman, Texas.  His wife survived him by many years and lived to collect his soldier's pension.  Susan's genealogy is known further back than F.M.'s.  In fact, her line of ancestry goes back to the colonial period in Baltimore, Maryland.  

Not long before her death in her mid-90s, Susan Ann Small published the following in a farm and ranch paper:

I am writing to thank the Dear Friends who remembered me with so many letters and cards.  I surely did enjoy them.  I will say to those who want to know something about me that I was born June 21, 1826, and was reared in Amite County Mississippi.  My maiden name is Montgomery.  I came to Texas in 1871.  I am the mother of Thirteen children, six of whom are living.  I have seventy-two grandchildren, and one hundred-sixty great-grandchildren and I now live with my children.  I have been a member of the Church fifty-nine years.  I know that I shall soon pass over the River and I hope to meet all of you good Christians in the home prepared over there.

The following poem was written by Susan Ann:

My life is a wearisome journey.

I'm tired of the dust and the heat

The rays of the sun bat upon me, 

The briars are piercing my feet.

But the City to which I am going

Will the toils of the road seem sweet

When I get to the end of the way.

Memory Lane

When I was a kid we had a camper.  In fact, growing up we had two - one was a 30' Dutchman Camper and the other a 30' Four Winds.  In those two RV's I can remember quite a few cool adventures.  We went to Yellowstone one summer where we camped at the Fishing Bridge campground.  Lake Fairfield State Park and Oak Park on Navarro Mills (a Corps of Engineers lake) were frequent favorites.  One I recall we went to Palo Duro Canyon.  A recent visit with my dad has led me to realize that there are some other destinations that I have forgotten, not because they were boring or mundane, but because my own life has since gotten in the way.

My parents sold those campers when we started doing Living Histories and reenacting as a family, yet in the back of my mind, I wanted to RV again.  So last summer, after a tour of the west that took us to Fort Robinson, Nebraska, the Badlands National Park, the Rocky Mountains National Park and other interesting places in a tent - with two nights fighting prairie winds - we began to shop.  We decided upon our first camper when we visited Gibbs Outdoors in Valley Mills.  We were very impressed with the family-owned dealership. 



Back in the 1990s, we all traveled together to parks and campgrounds, and grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, and cousins all enjoyed each other's company over a game of dominos, bikes without helmets, or a campfire.  It is my fervent hope that we can one day create something akin to this once more.

Return to Pearl!

As mentioned before, Pearl, Texas, has a monthly Bluegrass jam!!!

We returned in June, and had a great time as always!

      Lemon Horsemint                     New scooter, anyone!!!

We have recently found a new passion - RVing!  And we love our 2018 Aspen Trail camper.  Our home for the weekend!!!

Of course, you go to Pearl for the music.  Many went to the concerts, but I stayed with the Jamming!

It is a little event, but a great one!  We cannot wait to go back!

Texas Scottish Festival 2019

This is a great event. Full of fun-loving men, women, and children proud of their Scottish heritage. Dozens of Clan tents representing Scottish families were present and their coveners always ready with a friendly word, a helpful bit of advice, or family history.  As a card-carrying member of Clan Fraser Society of North America my friend, Jason, and I set up a tent for Clan Fraser this year.  However, due to a death in his family, Jason had to leave.  My responsibilities were to be divided between assisting my wife's Lilla Rose booth, keeping an eye on Sadie, and the clan tent.  If you came by and no one was there I offer apologies!

Our humble Fraser Tent

As for the event, a highlight for me is the calling of the clans - for you Outlander fans you saw a version of this in Season 4.  It is a Friday night tradition with kilted and tartan-clad Scots marching with their banners ready to shout out their clan mottos (Je Suis Prest, in my case).  It was a joy to take part!

Saturday morning saw rain but that did n't stop the people from coming out. Music performances at several stages could be readily found.  Many fine vendors could be found as well (hand-made jewelry, kilt sellers, food trucks, hand-made moccasins, etc). For the kids, the bounce houses were a hit.

And don't forget the games!

Wee Fergus found a friend!!!

Sadie and Fergus playing

We broke down the Fraser tent Sunday morning because Jason was taking his camp down due to the ongoing events there, and I could not keep up with the equipment - almost all his.  So we moved our sign-in sheets and Sept plaque to the Clan Wallace/Leslie (I have Wallace kin too!) tent and spent a good part of the afternoon visiting and receiving advice from the Leslie's.

The vendor across the way is a Fraser, too!

After the closing of the day, we ate at El Fenix in Burleson and toasted to a busy but successful weekend!

Sherman Celtic Festival (March 23-24, 2019)

For the third year in a row Sherman, Texas, played host to a successful and much admired Celtic festival.

Participants in Celtic festivals are an interesting lot.  We are kilted and proud of our Irish, Scottish, and Welsh roots.  Tartans of all colors, patterns, and stylings are everywhere and the bagpipes certainly stir the blood.

Image source online.

This year the festival was two days long rather than a single Saturday.  The weather was certainly not ideal, but that did not stop the kilted Celts from showing their family pride.  With several mainstages (on named for the late, great Jed Marum) the music could not be beaten this year.  

From Viking warrior demonstrations and the Highland games to phenomenal vendors and a new venue, the Sherman Celtic Festival continues to grow and improve each year.  A few pictures are below:

Southwestern Regional Rendezvous, 2019.

For years we are have done Civil War, or WBTS, reenacting.  We still do, but as with most living historians, we have begun to cast a wider net.

For about the last year, we have been attending the odd mountain man rendezvous.  For the first time ever, this spring we attending a weeklong campout.  The event was called the Southwestern Regional Rendezvous, or SWRR.

This year the event was held in Aquilla, near Hillsboro, Texas.

Spanning over a week, the SWRR travels around to different sites each spring, and typically falls on Spring Break for many schools.

Rifle and pistol shoots of pre-1840 black powder weapons is always a highlight, but so is the knife and 'hawk throws.

Fire starting

Practicing throwing the tomahawk

A little archery practice in too!

The Highlands Games was a particular highlight

Stones Throw

Tossin' the wee caber!

A Highland laird and his fair lady!

There were also activities for the kids:

Dipping candles.

Mining for treasures in the sand pit in The Commons - those clothes will never be the same again!

A particular highlight for me, however, was the music!  Jamming took place somewhere just about every night!  Great friends and fun!

At the end of the day, however, it was an escape pure and simple.  We look forward to next year's SWRR in Henderson, Texas.