Once again, the weather forecasters seemed to agree we would have a wet weekend, with 80 percent coverage in some areas. What they couldn’t agree on was the timing. Clearly, other campers were deterred by the dire warnings. But we pressed ahead, knowing that being holed up in Cloud 9 would be as good or better…
We spent our second consecutive July weekend at Loyd Park discussing the political news, walking our doggies, and enjoying grilled foods. Colleagues have asked how we can go camping in triple-digit temperatures, and the answer is simple: The temperatures are just as hot at home. With the major parties’ political conventions now over, the contest…
We spent the weekend at our favorite backyard campground, Loyd Park, a place we’ve visited at least once a month for almost a year. There is a certain calm here that is restorative. As we like to say, a little Loyd goes a long way. When we arrived on Thursday evening, many in Britain were…
We returned to Cedar Hill State Park, after nearly a yearlong absence, to enjoy a lakeside site on the Coyote Crossing camping loop. The mid-June temps soared into the upper 90s, prompting heat advisories and indoor activities. The sites in this loop are relatively shallow, so most occupants were tent campers. We noticed several tents…
One thing that stood out for us this weekend was the array of songs we heard from a variety of birds. The forest was filled with a symphony of song. Of course, it’s a sign of spring, as males use their songs to attract females in their mating ritual. Regardless of the purpose, the effect…
We planned to visit Jon’s mother in the St. Louis area for his birthday weekend, but a bedbug infestation forced us to postpone our visit. Still, we used our vacation days for a long weekend at our favorite backyard park. The weekend weather forecast called for a major rain event. Fortunately, the rain held off…
With so many area parks closed due to flooding, finding a place for weekend camping is a challenge. Thankfully, we discovered Loyd Park, a campground managed by the City of Grand Prairie. We hesitated to try a “city” park for a number of reasons. First, city budgets aren’t generous when it comes to parks and…
The view of Joe Pool Lake from our weekend perch was enhanced by the sound of waves lapping against the shore. Earlier in the weekend, winds of up to 30 miles per hour contributed to the formation of white caps, proving that even an otherwise placid body of water can be churned into a frenzy.…
If you’ve never seen one before, we’d like to introduce you to the ironclad beetle, a little visitor to our campsite. We had never seen one before today, but we were intrigued when we saw Baxter sniffing it as it lay on our pad. It was absolutely motionless, despite Baxter’s inspection, so we thought it…
Garinns on the Go 