Late summer at Lake Livingston.  The water is very warm so the fishing is not impressive.  Catfish are the only thing biting and then only the little ones that aren’t hook savy yet.  It is a little action and better than nothing but we have thrown them all back.  Watching the big waders has been fun, Great Blue Heron, Night Heron, and egrets all mill along the shore of the bay here in camp.  We have seen eagles and osprey soaring overhead and have heard screech and barred owls in the night.  Several does and their fawns call the park home and wander among the campgrounds during the evening and early morning.  Overall it is plenty warm here; make that miserable, sticky hot.  We have had a streak with “feels like” temperatures well into the 100s so enjoyable outdoor time is limited to early morning and evening.  Our air conditioning is getting a workout!

One good thing about all this moisture in the air, sunsets are lovely nearly every night. 

Wildlife at Big Thicket.  Up before sunrise we get in a hike at the Big Sandy Unit of Big Thicket National Preserve.  The trail winds through thickly forested bottomland along Big sandy Creek. We catch glimpses of deer as they move through open glades.  We come upon a huge group of feral hogs that includes lots of babies, many a cute spotted black and white, that alternately scurry and freeze as they sense us near them.  Before long we hear the mommy huffing and sending out staccato grunts to call them her way.  Off they run.  They are awfully cute but we know they cause tons of damage as they root up everything in these wild areas.  The numbers of deer and pigs pale in comparison to those of the most prevalent beasties here, spiders.  Oh my gosh they are everywhere and they are really big. Their webs are spectacular to look at but sticky, creepy and annoying when we get caught up in them.  Throw in a handful of little bitty snakes and it adds up to an interesting but not real relaxing walk.  We meet a local trail crew as we were finishing up.  Their advice, “If you are going to hike more in the area be on the lookout for rattlesnakes.  There are big ones around here.”   Hmm…