Brazos Bend State Park

See this is where we went to rival my sister's Switzerland trips.  Home of the American alligator.  Come on, gotta love it.

 The kids were even able to pet a baby alligator.  Although they were rather timid about it.

 Baby alligators are born with all 80 teeth.  Joy.

This is the outline of the largest alligator they've ever found in the park.  About 300-400 live in the park.  I made a very specific rule that all kids had to stay on the trails at all times.  

 Isabel is a trooper.  She seriously is one of our best hikers.  In fact she wanted to keep going with Leo when all the rest of us were done.

 Hello alligator, hanging out by the pier.

 Alligators are really creepy.  There's just no other word for them.

 Yes, this post is FULL of Spanish Moss photos.  You know, to rival the Swiss Alps.

 Can you see Ana and Sebastian in the tree?

 Here they are.

 Ana was so nice, by the time we arrived, it was later in the afternoon than we had planned and Sebastian was tired and she took care of him the whole time.  She was so nice!  I really was impressed.

 We wanted to join in the trend.

 Isabel and Elena complained about their shoes so much!!!  Both of them have rarely worn sneakers and both thought their shoes were too tight (they're not) but I guess it just feels different than sandals or "glass slippers" aka their Sunday shoes.

 Spooky Spanish moss.

 Really, Kayli, who would want  cows and goats when you could share the trail with alligators?!?!  Plus, the two kinds of Rattlesnakes AND Cottonmouths AND Copperheads.  All deadly poisonous.  I would definitely choose geocaching here any day.  Who wouldn't want to stick their hand into some dark hole to find a few trifles here????!?!?

 See--Ana being the man and packing Sebastian around the whole time.

 I think this bird wrangled with an alligator.

 Trooping along.  It didn't even seem that hot.  There was a nice breeze blowing and the sun was behind a cloud most of the time.  I'm sure it was only 80% humidity and 90 degrees.  No problem.

 You're lucky I'm posting this unflattering picture of me.  I seriously wouldn't have except I wanted to show how Orlando is true to his Sackett nature, out ready to ride the river (or the bayou anyway) at only two weeks old.

And notice climbing the Swiss Alps is nothing compared to climbing the observation tower, I mean that thing took effort, I was panting due to the change from our normal sea level elevation.  The kids hiked up and down several times in pursuit of rocks to throw from the top into the lake.

Makes you almost want to go for a swim, till you look closer and see the alligator and the coffee colored water.

Elena would never turn around and actually be in a photo.  The stinker.

Oh, this is my favorite picture of Ana of the entire day.  So cute!

Isabel with her cup full of rocks. This is unrelated, but Isabel when she prays, often says thank you that Mom had a baby and then she says, "bless mom that she can have lots of babies," and once she said, "bless mom that she can have eight more babies."  I'm going to stop asking her to pray.

Hee. Hee.

Anyone spot the alligator? That bird is obviously not concerned.

Nicolas stayed that way the entire walk, I mean hike--our long, difficult, strenuous hike around the lake with our gravel trails and flat, flat, flat swampland--certainly more challenging than climbing some goat trail in the alps.

The observation tower from a distance.

Yes, MORE Spanish moss.

And more of Ana and Sebastian.  She had him laughing so hard, it was adorable.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.... and we took the one that led back to our van, since we were really hungry.  After trekking around, we went to dinner at Olive Garden for a start-of-school treat.  It was a good day.
And a final parting shot of creepy Spanish moss and Cypress trees.  What could be more Southern?

How about a Texas longhorn?

Or a field of cotton?  I don't often forget how much in the "South" we are now, mostly because I think of the movie Steel Magnolias every time I see our Magnolia tree in the front yard.  That makes it hard to forget.  And didn't I convince you all that you'd rather come visit me in Texas than my sister in Switzerland???  I mean really...........