Gnome Away From Home

Parker Memorial Park

2010-01-30T23:42:00.001-06:00

John and I were driving around Flour Bluff and came across Parker Memorial Park. In addition to the pool, tennis courts, Senior Center, and Pavilion, there is a walking path around perimeter of the park. The distance is about 500 ft. The actual distance was posted on a sign but I forgot it. I think it was like 483 ft. There is also a playground with some toys. Sharing the same parking lot is a Health Center and Police Station. This is probably a very safe park to visit. We only walk once around the park because the temperature, cold wind and light weight jacket made for a cold outing.

Memorial Park, Rockport, Tx

2009-10-03T17:05:00.002-05:00

We went to Rockport today. We stopped at Memorial Park. There were many small children playing soccer. The park has about two miles of walking/nature trails. The mosquitoes were pretty bad. Plus the heat and humidity made the walking conditions especially unpleasant. The park has basketball and tennis courts, playground areas, and an exercise circuit. If not for the mosquitoes I could have spent more time enjoying the nature trail area. I will remember this park and day long after my mosquito bites stop inching.

South Bluff Park

2009-09-20T14:35:00.000-05:00

We stopped off at South Bluff Park after Blucher Park. There are some very impressive brick and stone entrance and sidewalks in the park. We didn't stay very long because the mosquitoes were very hungry. There is a playground area with slides. Also saw a basketball court. I'm not sure how many but also saw some tennis courts. I guess you could say were just did an "eat an run". The mosquitoes ate us while we were running.

Blucher Park

2009-09-19T15:31:00.000-05:00

I saw on the news that the city had spent over 85 thousand dollars to renovate Blucher Park. We found the park but drove around trying to find a good spot to park. Eventually we decided to use the Channel 10 parking lot. Ours was the only car there. We saw several groups of people wandereing thru the park. Several of them had binoculars and cameras with large lenses. John and I were practically running thru the park to keep from being carried away by the hordes of hungry mosquitos.

I had used a repellent but had not applied it to my back. I can feel that is back is covered in bites.

We liked the park. It has many pleasant areas to view birds and nature. We just thought that we would visit the park again when the mosquito feeding season has ended.

Norma Urban Park

2009-07-25T23:33:00.000-05:00

We first visited here November 3, 2007. I took photograph of sign. I called it Marina. Since then the area has been named for Norma Urban. She was involved with the downtown public art projects.
I really love outdoor art. She died of breast cancer in March 2008.

Sherrill Park

2009-07-25T23:26:00.000-05:00

We rented a bicycle surrey and rode up and down sidewalk along the bayfront. I jumped out and went across the street to take photo of sign. I didn't wander around the park cuz John was waiting. It looks like maybe a couple of tables and one of those floating stone spheres. You can kinda see the black sphere off to the left.

Candlewood Park

2009-06-13T12:09:00.001-05:00

We spotted this park as we were driving down Williams Drive over in Corpus Christi. It is fairly large and has a lot of area to walk and fields to play. There is a basketball court and a play area. The climbing wall was very sturdy. It feels like even big people could enjoy it. There is also a covered picnic shelter.

Ropes

2009-05-30T14:26:00.002-05:00

There are a series of small parks along Ocean Drive and Shoreline in Corpus Christi. Ropes is one of those. The beach access isn't very easy. The parks have signs on the stairs leading down to the water warning users that the stairs are dangerous etc.

We didn't stay here very long. Several young women/girls arrived wearing bikinis. I think they were going to take pictures. It isn't really a park that I would go to sunbathe or swim.

It does have a nice picnic table with the view of the bay.

We left and drove down to Cole Park. There was a large crowd gathered for a skateboarding thing. People involved with the Corpus Dog Park group were also there. They are trying to raise money to build a dog park. The city is not helping with any of the finances. We miss the dog parks. Zip loved to go there and play.

And we were told as we were leaving Chris Tucker (actor in Rush Hour) was scheduled to be there. We didn't go back to see him. If it had been Jackie Chan maybe!!!

H E Butt Park

2009-05-02T17:33:00.002-05:00

We went to Corpus to go shopping etc. We checked out HEB Park. There were many people playing at the Tennis Center. I'm not sure if a tournament was taking place or if it is naturally busy.

On the other side of the parking lot was a swimming pool. It wasn't filled with water. You would think since it is officially summer they would have it opened. Other pools in the town have been opened.

The park also had a small play area with swings etc, two open racketball courts, basketball halfcourt, and sidewalks. We didn't look around very much because I found a baby bird that had fallen out of its nest. The other nestmates were perched around the nest. I placed it on a lower branch in the tree. Hopefully it will be able to hop up and over to the nest or maybe momma bird will find it. I'm not sure what kind of bird it is. I should have photographed it. It wasn't a bird I would have recognised like sparrow, grackle, or mockingbird.

May 11, 2009 The bird was a scissortail.

Collier Park

2009-04-04T16:20:00.001-05:00

We were driving over to find Hamlin Pharmacy. We missed the turn and was doubling back when we found this park.

The pool was opened and being used. We just wished we had brought our swim suits. The park has a big child size climbing wall. This park must be a favorite for birthday parties. We saw three different tables decorated complete with pinatas.

Hans and Pat Suter Wildlife Refuge

2009-04-04T15:53:00.001-05:00

This is another park that it mentioned in Birding Corpus Christi book. The book warns that the park is prone to break ins. There are numerous signs stating that the area is "Under Surveillance". On one side is a boardwalk beside a freshwater channel that is the effluent from the wastewater treatment plant. It flows into Oso Bay. We saw dozens of white pelicans grouped together. There were many smaller bird "fishing" along the shore. Some birds were so small I wondered if they might have been "chicks".

We walked over to the trail that leads thru the park. It is a pleasant walk. We saw a very red bird but not sure if it was a cardinal. There were many lizards racing along the path. At the other end of the trail I actually was able to hang from the monkey bars. I think I could have hung longer if I'd been wearing some gloves.

Paris

2009-03-27T15:25:00.002-05:00

My niece Kristi went to Paris.

West Guth

2009-03-20T21:39:00.002-05:00

In honor of the first day of spring, we went to West Guth park in Corpus Christi, which is located just off of I-37 between Carbon Plant Road and Rand Morgan Road. Never could find the carbon plant. The park has a duck pond with some noisy and aggressive inhabitants, a nice concrete walking trail, a disc golf course, numerous picnic areas, a swimming pool (public), a pavilion, a senior center and plenty of open space. The duck pond has a bridge on the east side that crosses over to an area bordered by a public school. This particular bridge was guarded by a battalion of feisty geese but we managed to cross over without major goose attack. There are also numerous rolling hills to walk, run or crawl up. The trail itself also has hills to present a varied walking/running challenge.

Lake Findley

2009-03-07T11:05:00.002-06:00

For our 12th anniversary we decided to drive over to Alice, Texas and see the sights. My bird watching book suggested we check out Lake Findley. It also said we needed to get a permit from city hall before going out to the lake. We found city hall but it was closed. It was Saturday so it wasn't very surprising. Across the street was the police department. We walked over there but were unable to find anyone either. But fortunately there was a garage sale going on in the city hall parking lot. John and I wander over to some of the people working at the sale and asked them about the permit. A local woman said she had never heard about needing a permit so we were able to drive out to the park without a permit. Of course we checked out the junk. They were selling anything for a quarter. We managed to find five dollars worth of 25 cent stuff. John was pleased with a bunch of CDs he found.
We drove out to the lake. It has a levy around it so you cant see it as you drive up. It is the water reservoir for the city. There are several large picnic benches. There are many cypress trees that are a pleasant change from the usual mesquite. You can canoe on the lake. We watched a group with a small boat preparing to launch out on a voyage. We liked the place and felt it was worthy of a return visit.
For lunch we ate at Danny's. It was a Mexican food restaurant. John and I had the enchilada lunch special for only $3.99 (a lotta food for little $$$). We spent 20 buck and that included a generous tip for our waitress.

City Beach

2009-01-24T23:57:00.000-06:00

We drove over to the beach. The sign said the sand conditions were poor so we did not want to drive very far on the beach. Because it was so cold and windy very few people were out. We walked a little along the shoreline. I saw quite afew shells etc. I didn't gather anything which is very unusual for me. I was concerned because of the beach parking permit requirement. We didn't have one and didn't want to get a ticket. I think the cold weather probably would keep the permit enforcement patrols to a minimum but we didn't want to risk it. We didn't stay very long. Next time we will get a permit and explore the beach.

Community Park

2009-01-24T23:40:00.002-06:00

We drove over to Port Aransas to visit some of the parks. The first one we stopped at was the Community Park. There is a 1.1 mile walking/jogging trail. Along the front part of the trail are many exercise stations. The back half of the trail goes thru a birding area with a couple of observation area. This is one of the best maintained parks we've been to in South Texas. It was a cold day and very few people were out. A woman walking her dog was concerned about some teenage boys. She thought they had guns. They did have paintball guns. Also there is a skateboard park and a heated swimming pool.

Paradise Pond

2009-01-24T00:59:00.000-06:00

This is the last park we visited before leaving Port Aransas. It is very difficult to find. There aren't any signs on the street. It isn't a very large park. The park is sandwiched between houses and businesses. There is a raised boardwalk leading you thru a wooded area. Three observation areas are positioned along the boardwalk. They look out over an open area. Currently the area was dry but according to the signs during some seasons it is a water/lake area.

Indian Point

2008-12-27T16:44:00.002-06:00

Indian Point Park and Sunset Lake park are connected together. We parked at Sunset Lake and walked over to Indian Point Park. Creepy bit of history, A mass grave for dead from the storm of 1919 were buried in the park, (bodies have been moved to a cemetary now) There are two boardwalks and a large fishing pier. Admission is a $1 per person/pole. We did not go out on the pier even though no one was present to take our money.
We saw a couple of dolphins out in the water. Looked like Flipper and a friend.

Sunset Lake Park

2008-12-27T16:36:00.002-06:00

We drove over to Portland for the day. Sunset Lake park has a jogging and bike trail along the shoreline. We saw four pink spoonbills. Three were together as a group and when we returned to the car the fourth on was visible from the parking area. Many people were fishing along the shore. I even saw one guy fly fishing. Only time I've seen it is on the movie, A River Runs Thru It.

Bentsen Rio Grande State Park

2008-12-25T18:38:00.004-06:00

We drove to the valley today to visit this park. It is a good place to bird watch. We saw lots of birds. The best was seeing three javelinas, an armadillo, and a big black snake. I was surprised to see the snake. I thought they were hibernating for the winter. This snake was laying out in the sunny part of the path. At first glance it looked like a stick.
We decided to walk around the park rather than rent a bicycle. We didn't see all of the park. According to my pedometer, I walked almost five miles. We plan to return to the park again and next time we will rent bikes.

St. Andrews

2008-12-13T18:29:00.001-06:00

We were looking for a short cut thru a back street over in Corpus and came across this park. There is a playground with toys. One looks like a ship. There is a large open field that several people were playing fetch with their dogs. One guy was walking three weiner dogs. There is also a tennis court.

Labonte Park

2008-07-13T17:41:00.000-05:00

The park is located in Nueces county. It is along the river. We walked down to the dam. It is an area that keeps the salt water from the bay from going up river.

Doddridge Park

2008-04-02T17:30:00.000-05:00

The park is along Ocean Drive/Shoreline in Corpus Christi. It is a great place to just sit and feel the breeze and look out at the water.

Flato Park

2008-03-02T17:36:00.001-06:00

The park is located in Kleberg county. It has a covered picnic area, a playground, and basketball court. I also found a homemade pipe hidden in a tree.

Hazel Bazemore Park

2008-02-22T17:24:00.000-06:00

The park is located in Nueces county. It has several places for bird watching. There are a series of trails. It has many picnic tables that are along the river. It looks like a good place to go fishing.

Dick Kleberg Park

2007-11-04T13:36:00.001-06:00

We saw several types of birds in the park. Even saw a cardinal, John's clan animal. We walked on the path by the water and noticed a sign that an alligator had been seen in the water. We didn't see it but thought we saw Bigfoot by the Lion. LOL It was very quiet and peaceful in the park. The anchor is still in the park. The airplane and firetruck are gone. The tennis courts have been converted to a skate park but looks to need serious repair. Otherwise everything seems to be the same.

Marina

2007-11-03T10:06:00.000-05:00

We walked around on the T Head and thought we would ride on the boat but were told that they only go out if there are 30 passengers. The lady said counting us there were two people interested so far.

Selena

2007-11-03T10:03:00.000-05:00

We also saw Selena. I thought her statue was in the middle of the street. So I was surprised to see her on the T head.

"The Nina"

2007-11-03T09:58:00.000-05:00

We walked around on the T heads and spotted a ship from Columbus' fleet. John was ready to stage a protest, but we had other things to do.

Artesian Park

2007-11-03T09:54:00.000-05:00

Another small park in Corpus Christi. It located across the street from the newspaper. John could hear the presses running.

Cole Park

2007-11-03T09:21:00.000-05:00

Saturday we visited Corpus Christi and drove along the bayfront. Cole Park has an elaborate wooden structure for the kids to play on. It large enough for big people too. The view of the water is fantastic. Cole park is one of many parks running along Ocean Drive/Shoreline.

Amistad Park

2007-10-28T20:47:00.001-05:00

We went again over to Bishop to check out another small park. This one has a walking trail around the perimeter. There is a field with one football goal, a volley ball net, and a backstop. There are three basketball courts with goals and new nets on the other side of the park. The playground toys appear to be new.

Bishop City Park

2007-10-21T20:27:00.000-05:00

We decided to check out the parks over in Bishop. This one is on Business 77. It is quite nice for a small town. There are baseball, and basketball fields. There are several nice playground toys. The park needs some care. It looks like the last time anything new was added was in the last century. There is a very nice nature trail with bird viewing areas. The trail had just been mowed and there was still areas with very tall grass. I guess unusually wet summer could account for the really tall grass and unkept look of the park.

Los Hermanos Flores Park

2007-10-07T20:34:00.000-05:00

We have moved to Kingsville. There are fewer parks in Kleberg county and will not take too long to visit them all. This park has a basketball court, several toys, swings and jungle gyms for kids to play on. It also has several lions. I have always liked the lion water fountain. As a child I worried that it might bite me while I drank. LOL

Kenedy Park

2007-10-07T20:02:00.000-05:00

This is a small park on the corner of Kenedy and 14th. It needed to have someone come and mow it. The grass was very high. The landscaping needed to be tended to also. The park looks almost like an overgrown lot.

Thompson Park

2007-10-07T19:07:00.000-05:00

The last of the three parks we visited on Sunday. We didn't wander around because of the number of people. I just took picture and left. There are many toys for kids to play on and a basketball court.

The Cabin

2007-10-01T19:27:00.000-05:00

The family has relocated to south Texas. Here is a picture of the rustic garage apartment I'm living in for awhile. I didn't get a chance to visit all the parks in the Houston area. I will now be checking out the what is in Kingsville/Corpus Christi area.

Collins Park

2007-09-04T09:24:00.000-05:00

We stopped by at this park just to take the photo. It is just down the street from mom's new apartment. It has many toys on the playground. I think it has one of the tallest slides that I've seen. We will have to come to this park again when we come back to Houston for visits.

HEB Kid Fit Park

2007-07-29T17:34:00.000-05:00

This is a new exercise area in Nottingham park. There are several sizes of equipment for young kids and adults. There is a small climbing wall. I even climbed up a couple of "steps". I was happy to realize I could do it.

There is John sitting on the curb around the climbing wall. The gnome is blocking the wall.

Fry Road Park

2007-07-22T15:04:00.000-05:00

We were on our way back home and I noticed this park on the Key Map. the park is near Saums and Fry. It is a very nice park. There is a small walking trail, play ground toys, restrooms, and lots of parking for a pocket park.

Katy City Park

2007-07-22T14:59:00.000-05:00

This park is next to Mary Jo Peckham park. You can see John in the background over by the restrooms. The park is ok but Peckham park is much nicer. The park has playground toys, baseball and a dog park.

Bill Archer dog park

2007-07-15T15:35:00.000-05:00

We decided to check out this new dog park. We did not bring Zip with us. It has been too rainy. There was so much water/puddles we could not walk around the whole park. It is very large. The website said 17 acres. There are two sections for small and large dogs. Zip would have to go to the large dog part. There are water hose with spray nozzles to clean your dog after playing. John used them to clean his muddy (dogs) feet.

My new gnome is from Donna, a Swapbot friend. He has traveled all the way from British Columbia, Canada.

Bigfoot Post Office

2007-07-06T13:45:00.000-05:00

Stopped off at Bigfoot on the way to Pearsall. There was a small park across the street but didn't see a sign.

Southdown Park

2007-06-10T19:47:00.000-05:00

We drove over to Pearland today and visited Southdown Park. I want to call it Sundown park. It has a Water Splash park but currently it is closed for repairs. Apparently the pine bark mulch clogs the pipes etc. I like the recessed water park area. It allows a little privacy.

Next to the park is an enclosed Bark Park for dogs. There are some agility equipment. We noticed most of the dogs were just sniffing each other rather than running around.

There is a a sidewalk weaving around the park. There are exercise stations scattered along the pathway. The city has also landscaped many areas along the walk. The park has many covered picnic tables, a large pavilion area, and a event center.

Dow Elementary

2007-05-27T15:05:00.001-05:00

The school in the background is being renovated. It looks like it will be made into townhouses/loft apartments. I don't imagine this park will be here much longer just looking at the changes occuring in this neighborhood.

In front of the "school" is an unusual Virgin sculpture made out of aluminum cans.

Tony Marron Park

2007-03-03T19:42:00.000-06:00

The last park of the day. We just came upon it without planning to visit. There is a trail running along the bayou. We did not walk on it but it appears to go for quite a ways. The playground had very new equipment. I liked the small climbing wall. We need to return again to this park and check out the fountain/splash? park. It wasn't operating today but it looks to be a really interesting design.

Fox Park

2007-03-03T19:29:00.000-06:00

John was parked in the street and I hurriedly took the picture. This park is just a small grassy space. It is barely larger than the sign.

Eastwood Park

2007-03-03T19:21:00.000-06:00

A small park that I just took a picture of the sign.

John T. Mason Park

2007-03-03T18:51:00.000-06:00

Park of the month for March

The park is over 100 acres and is divided into three areas. We did not visit the part across 75th street. A lot of construction is taking place in this park. Some of the projects are a lighted soccer field and a series of trails along Brays bayou. The park currently has a pool, disc golf course, indoor basketball, soccer fields, tennis courts, and community center.

When all the work is completed this will be a fantastic place to visit again.

Wright Bembry Park

2007-02-25T15:18:00.000-06:00

The last park we visited today. It is a very small one (pocket park size). This neighborhood is rapidly changing. On one side of the park was a street with older small homes and on the other side were brand new homes being built. I imagine if we were to return later this year the both blocks will be rebuilt with all new homes.

Halbert Park

2007-02-25T15:12:00.000-06:00

Just took photo of sign. We did not walk around this park. It has a basketball court. You can see a couple of people playing in the background. There was also a small playground area. But it doesn't really have a parking area. Another reason we didn't linger.

Proctor Plaza Park

2007-02-25T15:03:00.000-06:00

This is a tiny park in a historic Heights neighborhood. There is a covered basketball court that does not have any hoops or backboards. I don't think many people play basketball over here. Several yuppie type families with young children were the only people at the park. It also has a walkway around the park and some tennis courts.

Montie Beach Park

2007-02-25T14:46:00.000-06:00

The wet weather has kept us from gnoming. Today is a beautiful day. First stop is Montie Beach park. Not a sign of any type of water so don't know where the beach is. :)
There is a small hill by the playground. John says the park is much improved from the olden days. Today an organized group of men were playing soccer. There is also a baseball field.
A 5/8th mile walking trail goes around the perimeter of the park.

Pocket park 12005 Kimberly

2007-02-11T07:48:00.000-06:00

Just a sign and some stakes marking a fence to be installed. It was kinda hard to find. Kimberly dead ends every other block. Easiest way to get there is to turn south at Memorial City Mall. I guess it would have been easier too if we'd used my new Key map.

Eldridge Park

2007-01-28T18:36:00.000-06:00

It has been quite awhile since we have gone gnoming. I guess the "holidaze" and the "icicling" and the wet weather have kept us house bound. I guess getting my trusty canine companion, Zip may have also contributed. I'm still getting familiar with him. I also need to "train" him to walk better on a leash. Right now he isn't the best at following me as a pack leader.

Eldridge park is located in Sugar Land. The park has a bunch of soccer fields. There are two brick buildings. Looks like one could be use for parties, weddings etc. The other is an outdoor picnic type one. (maybe a concession stand?) On Sunday it looked like it was being used as a meeting area for an Asian Church. Along the side of the buildings was a small playground area.

There is a 0.4 of a mile paved trail around a pond with a spray fountain. We walked the loop five times to complete 2 miles. There was a large compass rose embedded in the sidewalk. It is located next to a pier. There were a number of ducks sitting around that we joked about possible being made into Peking Duck if they weren't careful. It was kinda cold, windy, and muddy so we didn't go to the farthest areas of the park. It looked like all that was at the back was more soccer fields.

Meyer Park

2006-12-03T13:11:00.000-06:00

We stopped off at this park after visiting my brother's for Christmas. It was sooo cold maybe not that cold just very windy. The park is on both sides of the road. We wandered around on the South side of the park. Several people playing soccer and their dogs were the majority of visitors. Quite afew birds were in pond on the east side. We saw three Nutria running and swimming.

We plan to return again and explore both sides more thoroughly.

Emancipation Park

2006-11-24T14:07:00.000-06:00

Emancipation Park is not far from Baldwin park but in a very different neighborhood. We drove by a pool. We didn't walk around this park. John used the portapotty while I quickly took this picture. Several homeless people were sitting around this park with their shopping carts beside them.

Baldwin Park

2006-11-24T13:51:00.000-06:00

November park of the month. The city has really made many improvements. John says this used to be a real bum's hangout. There is a gravel path around the edge of the park. A gazebo like structure with welcome written in many languages is in the middle of the park. The playground is only two toys for very small kids. But the park has about four "dogie bag" dispensers located along the paths. The best feature of the park are the trees. Huge old oaks cover the entire park in a wonderful shade. One particularly old tree almost looks and feels like it might reach out and grasp you in its woody fingers.

Taylor park

2006-11-18T16:10:00.000-06:00

This is the November park of the month according to the city's website. It is fairly isolated. Perfect place to dump stuff like about a dozen old tires. The park has about a mile of trails wandering around the park. Several bird blinds are scattered around. If the mosquitoes weren't so bad I might have been tempted to stay and see if I could spot some birds.

After windy Wednesday, the city really needs to send out people to clear the trails of all the limbs and branches.

We liked the park. I am sure we will return again to visit and watch birds.

Bell Park

2006-10-29T17:28:00.000-06:00

With the time change we were early every where we went today. Decided to stop off at Bell park just because it wasn't closed. It is a small park with a very attractive water feature (pond, waterfall, fountain, a couple of bridges over the water). The benches are made from concrete but have been molded to a very smooth curves that make the attractive. There is also a statue of Christopher Columbus in the park. Not sure why he is here. He seems to be pointing at something in the bushes. (No telling what that could be since this park is in Montrose)
It is a pleasant place to sit in the shade and listen to the sound of water.

Sam Houston

2006-10-22T19:33:00.000-05:00

We had been walking for quite awhile. By this time John needed to find the little boys room. I spotted a blue BFI portapotty across the bayou so we walked over there. When we got there I noticed the sign for Sam Houston Park. While John was inside I walk over a took this picture. I see by the sign this park was acquired in 1899.

John said the potty was too full to use. So we had to hurry back to the car and find some other place.

Sesquicentennial Park

2006-10-22T19:28:00.000-05:00

This was the best sign I could locate for Sesquicentennial park. I'm sure there is a typical green or brown city park sign but I didn't see it today. There were lots of tiles along a wall with images from Houston. (from old to modern)

Art park

2006-10-22T19:22:00.000-05:00

This area has changed so much. Ten years ago none of these trails were down here. It is a little noisy with the traffic noise. You can see all the elevated freeways in the background.

Buffalo Bayou Walk

2006-10-22T19:14:00.000-05:00

This trail is along both sides of the bayou. There are several places were you can launch a canoe. Also painted on the sidewalk is painted with blue and white stipes with a poem about blue. The word blue and then a word that goes with it like blue plate blue print blue moon etc. Pretty cool!

Mozolo Disc Golf Course

2006-10-22T19:07:00.000-05:00

Drove around the downtown area. It was easy to do on a Sunday morning. The weather was beautiful. A cold front came thru and it was very pleasant walking. We didn't bring any money. I spent all my change yesterday. We looked around for a parking place without a meter. Found a spot very close to this Disc golf course. There were several animals made from rebar nearby. We walked down to the trail along the bayou.

Schwartz Park

2006-10-21T16:57:00.000-05:00

This park is located along side Landrum Middle school. It almost looks like it is a part of the school campus. There is a swimming pool, basketball court, and baseball field. The road that runs along the side of the park is a dead end. I imagine that some silly stuff could go on back there late at night.

Freed Park

2006-10-21T16:38:00.000-05:00

When we arrived we noticed several men starting to play soccer in a large open area on the side of the park. There was a vegetable garden in another open area. I didn't walk over to look because the ground was still muddy from all the rain we have had. There is also a cummunity center. The other part of this park is filled with nice old trees and also has a very shady walking trail around the perimeter. The city is adding some new playground equipment. With all the apartments in the area, this will be very enjoyable for the neighborhood children.

Jack Brooks Park

2006-10-14T06:24:00.000-05:00

We went to Jack Brooks Park to participate in a 5k walk with the Houston Happy Hikers. Last week we had lots and lots of rain so the trails were muddy. This meant that the walk was on the roads in the park. I told John to just think of them as really wide paved trails. The course was a bit confusing. One checkpoint was unmanned so we punched our own card. John ate several pieces of candy since no one was there to tell him "only one piece".
We will have to return to this park again when it is dry. It is near the dog track. So maybe we can check out the dog races also.

Grady Park

2006-10-01T18:19:00.000-05:00

Found this park over by Chimney Rock and San Felipe. There is several tennis courts, a walking trail, and some basketball courts. The basketball courts are at the back and on the other side of a fence that makes me wonder if maybe the are part of the other property. You can see all the orange plastic fencing in the picture. It looks like there will be some playground equipment maybe?
We will have to return later to see the progress. It is a nice little park.

Lake Houston State Park

2006-09-02T14:37:00.000-05:00

Took the new gnome out on a trip to Lake Houston State Park. We got an early start and arrived around 8:00am. There was still dew on the ground and lots of spiderwebs glittened in the sunshine. Very few people were out and about. (one guy on a bicycle, and later two people with their hiking poles) Seeing the poles reminded us that we should have brought ours. The trail wasn't too uneven or hilly to even need the poles. We wandered along a hike/bike trail. It was starting to get warm so we thought we would go back. We came across the equestrian trail and decided to follow it back to parking area. It has not been used as much as the other trails. The plants have grown over the trail more and the spiders webs are all over the trails. At one point John invented the Spider Dance. He had a HUGE Banana spider crawling on him. He is asking me to get it off his back. All I could do is stand back in terror and utter "It's on you" over and over again. Other than the creepy spiders we saw a deer, a squirrel, lots of little lizards, cardinals, and a really noisy barking dog. As we were leaving we saw a couple launching a canoe under the bridge into Peach creek. It looked like fun. We need to do this sometime.

Lake Houston Park

2006-09-02T13:00:00.000-05:00

We didn't actually go to Lake Houston State Park. Last week the park became a Houston city park. The state park sign was still there so a photographed both. We have been to the state park a couple of times before. It has lots of hiking, biking & equestrian trails. There are camping and cabins for overnight stays. We have not camped here but want to in the future. Very quiet. A great place to go to get away from it all. Only saw eleven people the whole time we were in park. That is probably a busy day because of the holiday weekend.

Freshmeadow Park

2006-08-13T19:27:00.000-05:00

This park is a really busy place today. There were many people playing and watching soccer. There were merchants selling all kinds of refreshments. I think one was even selling pork rinds. Didn't really notice too much about the park because of all the activity. Just jumped out and took photo.

Haden Park

2006-08-13T19:12:00.000-05:00

I found a quarter on the ground in this park!!! It was in the playground area. The parks has some picnic tables and a .3 mile walking trail. It has some very tall pine trees. Unfortunately the park is a hang out for quite alot of men. They were sitting under the trees. I didn't see them drinking. I think they could have been day laborers waiting for a job.

Hegwig Park

2006-08-04T16:10:00.000-05:00

The park is small and tucked beneath many tall pine trees. I don't think there is any part of this park that isn't in the shade. It gives the park a very woodsy feel. Many of the toys are for young children. Also found out that Hedwig is a woman's first name.

Westchase Park

2006-07-30T15:45:00.000-05:00

This is the fourth park of the day we set out to find. One was missing I guess gone. I have an old map. Another was under construction. This one was adjacent to Sneed elementary school. It looks like it is also used as a school playground if you look at the times it is open (pen). We visited on a Sunday.

Noticed that one of the cars parked along the street had been burglarized. While I was taking photo the owner came out and discovered his broken window.

Harwin Park

2006-07-30T15:28:00.000-05:00

Something really stinks in the garbage can.

We were the only people at the park despite all the cars in the parking lot. Looks like this is overflow parking for the church across the street.

The park has a small play area with some toys. There is one riding toy that is a duckhead. It is kinda weird cuz to play on it the rider sits on the face/bill.

The park also has a walking trail. The city is naturally landscaping around the path. In time this will make a very scenic place to walk.

Carverdale

2006-07-29T14:47:00.000-05:00

The second park of the morning. This one has no place to park. If you drive off the paved road you will probably need a tow truck to get you back on the road. Not much here either. There is a futuristic fenced backstop. Kinda neat looking. But how much fun is a backstop. We didn't walk around here either. We were afraid to park. Dicided to drive on to a third park. Fresh Meadows. We didn't even stop there. We saw quite a few young people that looked to be partying. And I don't mean a Sponge Bob pinata party. Just didn't seem like a good time to stop even for just a photo of the sign.

Independence

2006-07-29T14:40:00.000-05:00

This park has a covered basketball court, a playground area, bathrooms and a large open area. Today many adults were playing soccer. We didn't walk around the park because of all the people playing soccer. The park seems forgotten. Across the street is a vacant building with quite alot of graffiti.

Boone Road

2006-07-24T14:41:00.000-05:00

It looked like it was gonna rain. We got here at the same time the ole city Honey dipper truck was working. The park has some playground toys and a covered picnic/gazebo. The tables were occupied with several people sleeping. Must have a late check out time cuz they were still in their sleeping bags. We walked the one mile trail. There were several people running. This park has a very large area. It has the potential to be a very nice place. It is also very close to the Hong Kong market. Another really fun destination.

Zube Park

2006-07-15T19:33:00.000-05:00

One day a month they have free train rides in the park. We went to ride the trains. It was very hot. There were many people waiting to ride. Lots of children. (Lance and Miles were most annoying.) Where is Super Nanny when you need her. Be Good, Be Good

Also a group of bike riders were loading up to leave as we sat under a shady picnic table on the play area on the other side of the park.

Alief Amity Park

2006-07-13T13:37:00.000-05:00

Decided to go to park early in the morning. The grass was still wet with dew. The park has a very cute gazebo. It appears to be a pre-fabricated type. It is made of metal instead of the wooden ones in the other parks. This park has lots of picnic tables and a number of them are covered. There are several horseshoe pitching courts, a covered basketball court, and a very small playground with two swings and a slide. It would be nicer if it had a walking path. My shoes/toes got wet from the dew as I walked across the grass.

Memorial park

2006-07-09T15:22:00.000-05:00

We walked around the Seymore something exer- trail. I think it is 3 miles in length. I was looking for a sign to photograph. I found several with the golf course and even one for a croquet course. There were even people playing croquet. It was a very warm and muggy day. Thankfully it didn't rain on us. It did rain quite alot later. I brought my new camera in hopes of using it. Didn't get much of a chance. This picture was taken with old trusty.

WC in Uppsala next to cathedral

2006-06-26T19:47:00.000-05:00

This is a good place to go in Uppsala. Stopped off there after I went through the cathedral.

Snöberget Naturreservat

2006-06-22T19:39:00.000-05:00

Walked down to this area from Astrid's summer home in Niemisel. Someone had left a stick behind the outhouse so I decided to use it to walk along the trail. I didn't get too far down the path until every mosquito in the country swarmed me. I decided I really didn't need to see what was further down the way and turned back.

Artic Circle

2006-06-20T19:33:00.000-05:00

On the way to Jokkmokk crossed the artic circle. Saw about 10 reindeer walking on the road. I bought a firestarter that was made with a reindeer antler. It really works. I found some flint on the ground outside my door right here in Houston. pretty cool!

Gammelstad Kyrkstad Luleå

2006-06-19T19:24:00.000-05:00

Gammelstad Kyrkstad is a church town. It is a town that people only lived in for Sunday services or other religious days. There are hundreds of tiny houses.

Royal Palace Sweden

2006-06-08T19:18:00.000-05:00

Went to Stockholm to see the old city. Saw the changing of the guards. I bought some souvenirs and ate lunch at an Italian restaurant. They had the thinnest pizza I've ever seen.

Cullinan Park

2006-05-27T12:49:00.000-05:00

Cullinan Parks has a series of boardwalk, pier and tower that allows visitor to view nature and wildlife. John and I saw an Anhinga. It looked like it was injured at first. It was standing with its wings outspread. Later it was on the water I thought it looked like Loch Ness monster with only its head and neck above water.
There are also miles of trails and paths winding thru the park. We have wandered back there when we were geocaching. There is a covered area with several tables.

Moody Park

2006-05-21T15:59:00.000-05:00

John had weekend off so we went adventuring. Stopped off at Moody Park. According to John many things have been improved. The pool was absolutely nasty. I don't see how they can possibly have it ready for kids to swim when school gets out in a week. The park has a very nice walking trail and play areas. One of the nicest areas is a row of huge trees. It was so shady and had a very nice breeze. The city really should put in more benches to allow folks to enjoy it. One thing I noticed most people in the park were men. As we were leaving some families began to arrive. John says it has been a place for homeless and drunks. Really large statue of a Vaquero is also in the park. It has been painted different colors. It looks a little creepy to me. Guess you get used to a bronze or marble sculpture and something different really stands out.

Cullen Park

2006-05-07T21:34:00.000-05:00

You can't really see the name on the sign. Someone needs to touch up the paint. This is a favorite park. It has miles of trails. It even connects up to Bear Creek.

Today we saw a snake. Not sure what type. It was not a rattlesnake.

Everything was wet because of the rain yesterday. There was a picnic for a car dealership. They had set up tents and a moon walk. We watched a man fly some large remote controlled airplanes.

There are some playground areas and picnic sites. Across the street is a water park, soccer fields, baseball, and a velodrome for bike racing. John and I actually rode on the track with our bikes. They had an open house one time when we were over there. One of the volunteers allowed us to ride on the track if we wanted. Some evening we need to go out and watch the bike races.

Candlelight Park

2006-04-16T17:56:00.000-05:00

The last of the three parks for Easter. This one was also quite crowded. I used to play here as a child when I visited my aunt. I remember it had a rocket that you could climb up and slide down. No rocket remains today though. Nice walking trail and the typical playground toys. There is also a community center where if I wanted it appears I could learn to dance hip hop.

Jaycee Park

2006-04-16T17:51:00.000-05:00

This was a park that John would visit many years ago. It was quite busy today. Not alot of thing at the park. It has some picnic tables and a couple of baseball diamonds. We didn't stay here either. Just a quick picture and off on our way to the next location.

W. 11th Street Park

2006-04-16T17:36:00.000-05:00

We were just driving by and spotted this wooded park. There are several benches and a place with wild flowers growing. It doesn't have a good place to park. I just took this photo while John kept the car running.
July 29, 2006 Found an Audubon website about this park. It tells about the trails and wildlife in the park. Guess we need to go back and wander around on the trails.

Lost Creek Park

2006-04-03T17:31:00.000-05:00

We walked from Oyster Creek park over to Lost Creek park. They were mowing the soccer fields. The smell of cut grass is like perfume to John. There is a playground area with toys that are good for small children.

Oyster Creek Park

2006-04-03T17:26:00.000-05:00

Beautiful park locted in Fort Bend county and Sugar Land. It has a very picturesque fountain, waterfall and pond area. There are many walking trails along the creek. We even saw a big ole alligator in the creek.

Francklow Park

2006-04-02T22:29:00.000-05:00

Park is located near Briar Forest and Toll road. There is a half mile walking trail surounded a heavily forested park. Tucked away inside the park are benches and a gazebo. If you didn't hear the sounds of traffic you might imagine you were out in a forest somewhere.

Jesse H. Jones

2006-03-12T21:10:00.000-06:00

Jones Park is a large park with many different attractions. They have canoeing and fishing. A pioneer and Indian village are also in the park. I really liked the boardwalk area thru the Cypress swamp. Today the cardinals were all over. We must have seen about 20. The nature center had a neat stamps to identify animal tracks.

Waldemar Park

2006-03-11T18:56:00.000-06:00

A small park located between Wilcrest and Kirkwood and Westheimer and Briar Forest. I t only has one toy on the playground but it is a uniquely shaped climbing structure. It almost looks like modern art sculpture. A multicolored sidewalk adds to the artistic feel of the park. A gazebo and walking path around the edge of the park are other features. We thought that the city may be in the process of working on park. We will have to check back on the park. It is on the way to Half Price Books.

Agnes Moffitt

2006-02-04T16:54:00.000-06:00

Stopped off at Agnes Moffitt park. We used to call it elephant park because there was a small elephant sculpture on the playground. But it is no longer there so the name doesn't work anymore. Today the park was full of disc golf guys. Plus plenty of pooches. Didn't see any dogs catching frisbees but who knows?

Arthur Storey Park

2006-02-01T15:23:00.000-06:00

This park is on the west side off the Sam Houston Tollroad. It has a large playground area with toys for children. You can also walk a very long way on the paths and even further if you go down and walk along the Brays bayou. I really love the benches and tables. They are made from cement but look like old wooden benches. A cool detail that is fun. There is also a Tai chi workout area.