Enjoy the adventures of one woman as she experiences the sites and sounds of Texas Forest Country. There's never a dull moment as each visit offers plenty to see and do, often with surprising twists!
Ode to the Swimming Hole
Oh, the good old summertime. The combination of blistering heat and sticky humidity calls for a full-body immersion. Since soaring fuel prices and higher than expected expenses forced us to re-think our travel plans this summer, we opted for a STAYCATION. You’ve heard the word - stay home and get to know the assets that surround you. A couple of my girlfriends and I decided to “get wet” - the old-fashioned way. First stop - Newton County. The lure and romance of the name ”Artesian Springs” had always captivated us, but we’d never taken the plunge or driven west close to the Louisiana line. Mistake! We should have splashed down sooner. It’s a cool blue, spring-fed lake in the midst of 100 acres nestled deep in the pines. My friends couldn’t decide if digging their toes in the white sand or swimming in the cool water was more fun. This is a full-fledged “resort” nestled among 10 chained lakes. There’s miniature golf, horseshoes, nature trails, camp sites, peddle boats, picnic tables and grills. One angler among us decided to set her hook and try to land a fish. None were biting that day! We headed home tired but totally “cool” after a full day splashing in the springs.
Closer to home and a tried and true favorite is Lake Tejas. In Texas-speak - Tejas means friendly and the folks who run this swimming hole that is owned by the Colmesneil Independent School District are friendly on steroids. Bring a towel, sunscreen and a picnic lunch, but you can rent an inner tube or float on site. The old fashioned diving platforms force you to dig deep to take that ever-challenging “leap of faith” into the lake below. The kids we saw at Lake Tejas that day especially loved “Wet Willie” - the 100 foot slide (we older gals felt a bit too senior for the slide!) Shaded picnic spots, volleyball and a sandy beach make Lake Tejas a great place to cool off in Texas Forest Country. The swimming hole’s open through Labor Day. If you miss it this summer, put it on your list next year. It’s cooling off at the most basic level - the way it was meant to be!
Lake Tejas
Highway 256 East
Colmesneil, TX 75938
(409) 837-2063
(409) 837-5757
Swimming open through Labor Day
Camping and RV Park open year around
Artesian Springs
RR 1 Box 670
Newton, TX 75966
(409) 379-8826
Got Country?
No one’s “got country” in Texas like Carthage. It’s home to the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame. I happened by the impressive museum that houses the famed Hallrecently. While I’ve been to Nashville to the WORLD’S Country Music Hall of Fame, I’d say our Texas version ranks right up there with it – all 13,000 square feet of it! You’ll find it in the heart of town at 300 W. Panola inside the Tex Ritter Museum.
The Hall of Fame was established in 1998 to celebrate the contributions of Texans to the country music profession. Each year new artists, producers, writers and collaborators—both living and deceased—are inducted. On Saturday, August 16th The Whites, Buck Owens and Mickey Newbury will join the ranks. You can get tickets to the event and to the “showcase” for new talent on Friday the 15th by calling the Panola County Chamber of Commerce at 903.693.6634. If you can’t make it to Carthage that weekend, be sure to visit the Museum on your next trip to Texas Forest Country. It’s open Monday through Saturday from 10-4. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children and seniors.
Fresh Off the Vine…or Bush or Tree!
‘Tis time to reap nature’s bounty! If you don’t grow your own, there are plenty of Texas Forest Country farmers who put the “home” back into homegrown. There’s no better place to savor summer’s offerings than the Angelina County Farmers’ Market in Lufkin. This is not your typical roadside produce stand or truck farm. The short drive into the Market transports you back in time. My recent visit reminded me of a Sunday afternoon outing with my grandparents. When you enter the arched gate, you immediately pass over a covered bridge, circle an awesome climbing tree, glimpse a gazebo and the Stumpery (that’s a Master Gardener project in a shady creekbed) before you pull up to a beautiful tree-shaded building that houses a series of independently-operated markets. There’s plenty of friendly competition between the growers to see who has the sweetest watermelons, the reddest tomatoes or the plumpest peas.
Although she’s no stranger to gardens, this is Connie Patton’s first year working at the Market. “I was raised on a farm. There’s nothing that passes through here that I don’t take home first to taste. That way when I meet the people, I can speak firsthand about the fruits and vegetables we sell.” Mary Curry’s been working different stands for a decade. Need a watermelon? Let Miss Mary thump it and pick it for you! She picked one for me that vanished as soon as we cut it. Mike and Leslie Kennerly of Kennerly Farms manage the Angelina County Farmer’s Market. They are also sellers along with Arnold Farms, Helm’s and Jacksonville Peaches and Tomatoes. Did I mention the clematis that climbs or the plumbago that greets you? Blooming things of all descriptions are also yours for the asking! Right on Loop 287 just passed the 69 South exit, it’s a lovely spot and worth the drive (even with gas at $4 a gallon)!
Do you have a favorite place in Texas Forest Country that you love to buy fresh fruits and veggies? Share away!
2107 South Medford Dr.
Open Daily (Monday through Friday 8 am to 6 pm;
Saturday 8 am to 5 pm; Sunday 10 am to 4 pm)
(936) 632-2605
Fields of Gold…and Orange and Pink!
WOW! Fields of color caught my eye this week as I was driving west of Center in Shelby County. On closer inspection, I discovered the bursts of gold were day lilies at Jack Carpenter’s Day Lily Farm. Breathtaking! Dazzling! Jack’s the grower behind the “scapes"—that’s the word to describe the stem these flowers bloom from. He’s a hybridizer. He takes this lily and that lily and makes a new more incredible one. It’s child’s play - when you consider that Jack crossed his first two lilies in sixth grade. His grandmother gave him the plants. When they bloomed in eighth grade he was hooked. Walk the four acres under cultivation and let Jack dig up some lilies from his pool of about 300,000! You can buy them and take them home! Visiting just one field of gold wasn’t enough for me. I had to check out a mother-daughter endeavor in Angelina County. It’s Lillie Lu’s Garden on Landrum Road in Lufkin. Delightful. Seeing is believing this piece of paradise. These early summer cultivars are at their peak! By mid June they’ll start to wilt like the rest of us!
So hightail it to one of these farms or visit any of a number of growers in Texas Forest Country!
The Day Lily Farm
7725 Hwy 7 West
(12 miles west of Center)
Open May 15 through June 15
Hours: 9:30 am to 1:30 pm
936.598.7556
Lillielu’s Garden
580 Landrum Road
Lufkin, Texas
Open May 20 through June 20
936.404.2211
Where’s your favorite day lily farm? Weed out the best and share your comments below!
Awash in Hope and Oats
Curiosity recently spurred a day trip to San Augustine. Spring roared in like a lion this year, flooding a number of homes and businesses in the historic community. I wanted to see how the folks were faring. A quick survey showed the Chamber’s “log cabin” will be out of operation ‘til June, but the town is alive and well and has lots to offer.
On Harrison Street, a block off the Courthouse Square I stumbled upon Pinto Pony. Sammye Morgan Johnson, her brother Mike Malone and her husband Tom recently revitalized her Daddy’s old newspaper building and started a business they hope will provide an economic stimulus for their beloved hometown. Their recipe for success - a corporate gift business with a crunch! Yes, they’re cookie makers. Step aside Mrs. Fields or Famous Amos - the Pinto Pony has just galloped into cyberspace. Johnson quips, “The internet levels the playing field. We have just as much a chance at being successful as any merchant in Dallas or Houston. The difference is we’re living where we want to live and we’re contributing to our hometown’s economy.” Pinto Pony’s hallmark is cookies made with heart healthy oats with zero trans fat. The recipe comes from Tom’s Grandma Maude Mitchell of Whitewright. As a matter of fact, Sammye says Tom courted her with cookies 44 years ago. The Johnsons did plenty of research before settling on a variation of Grandma’s recipe. They found most “mail order” cookies were undercooked and gooey. Theirs are crispy and crunchy. I can attest to that. They sell them from their storefront location and package them beautifully in varying quantities and themes (El Camino Trail, Forest Trail, Lunker ) for their mail order and corporate business. I ordered three to ship while I was there! Even the regional television station sniffed out the story - On May 20th, the Pinto Pony will be featured on KTRE-TV’s 99 Things to Do or Eat in Texas Forest Country.
Let me assure you that The Pinto Pony’s not the only storefront drawing folks to San Augustine. Bogart’s on Broadway has an incredible inventory of antiques. Heartstrings Florist, Red Dirt and Roses, Yesterday’s Treasures, and the Wax Wagon (candles and scents!) offer a great variety for lookers. A don’t miss is the San Augustine Drug Store. I sat myself down at the soda fountain and was treated to a grapefruit high ball! If you let them know you’re new to town they welcome you with this concoction based on a 100-year-old recipe. Now that’s hospitality - in the midst of recovery from a rocky start to spring. Mosey over to San Augustine in far East Texas Forest Country. It’s a visit that will make you realize what community is all about.
What’s your favorite cookie or soda fountain concoction? I’d love to know! Just enter a comment below.
Music Mecca
Have you ever been to Crockett? If you haven’t, follow the sound of music and you’ll find this “upbeat” town in Houston County. I happened by during their 2nd Annual Country Western Swing Music Festival in mid April. For those of you who are too young to remember Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, let me explain. Western Swing developed in Texas and Oklahoma in the 1930’s and was enormously popular in the 40’s. It was the kind of music you danced to on Saturday nights - a little jazz, country, and big band swing mixed with the sounds of the Southwest. The Swing Fest line-up was impressive. I tapped my foot to Clyde Brewer and the River Road Boys on Friday the 18th. It’s such an intergenerational form of entertainment. Grandsons were dancing with their grandmas, and toddlers were swinging in their dads’ arms.
Rest assured—all types of music can be heard year ‘round here. Crockett’s Camp Street Cafe is known for live music on the weekends. It’s 1930s juke-joint atmosphere recalls the days when the blues were born on Camp Street, and Lightnin’ Hopkins began to develop his style. Call 936.544.8656 for a schedule. The Pineywoods Fine Arts Association brings in national acts throughout its season and don’t miss the free Summer Nights performances - call 936.544.4276 for a list of events. The first Saturday of each month means it’s time for the Dennis Ivey Texas Opry! He was one of the featured bands at the Swing Festival. Down the road in Kennard you’ll find the Wright Family and their Auto Dulcimer and Shaped Note Singing. Plus—Salmon Lake has a Blue Grass Festival and there’s even the Wilma Foote Organ Club. If you can’t find some music you like in Houston County...then shame on you!
Where do you like to hear great music in the Texas Forest Country? Share your favorites by clicking on the comments link below.
Wheeling and Wildflowering Around Texas Forest Country
Whoever said the wildflowers were wilted this spring hasn’t traveled the back roads of East Texas. With my bike on the rack, gas in my car, and water in my bottle, I took off to find them. It wasn’t hard. Leaving Garrison on FM 95, I struck out for the “oldest town in Texas"—Nacogdoches. From my bike, I caught some incredible views of Indian paintbrush and Mexican hat flower. When my legs gave out, I plopped myself down in the midst of them - loving the fact that Lady Bird Johnson cared enough to beautify our Texas roadways. Same day, about the same time, a friend was making his way on FM 1475 from Huntington to Lufkin. He came upon an exotic game ranch. From the road he reported seeing elk and deer grazing near the creek. A site to behold, I’m sure. For my town friends, there’s an excellent bike trail at Lufkin’s Kit McConnico Park. The Lost Arrow Trail is a project of DETTRAC - a non profit group committed to making nature accessible to all! With its bridges and deep woods, you feel completely removed from civilization - yet it’s a city park! The last time I biked it, a doe and two fawns ambled by - unruffled by my presence. For me, riding is an ongoing sensory experience. There’s always something different to see as new views unfold—even riding the same routes.
Try cycling in Texas Forest Country. You’ll be glad you did!
What are your favorite spring activites? I’d love to hear about them. Share them by leaving a comment below.
The Nose Knows (when it’s Spring!)
You can smell ‘em before you see ‘em. I’m talking about the honeysuckle-like flowers that recently drew me to the Wild Azalea Canyon in Newton County - and it is wild (don’t try it without closed toe, sturdy shoes!) The canyon, nestled on CR 1414, breaks out in flowers mid-March through early April. These flowers are spindly and delicate—not really what you’d expect in the thick o’ the woods. Though the trail is primitive, it’s passable. Bring water if you go exploring, and pack out what you pack in. As my friends in Newton County say, “Don’t carry out the azaleas.” By the way, the azaleas aren’t azaleas at all. They’re from the honeysuckle family—hence the incredible fragrance.
Speaking of...I followed my nose to the Jasper County Courthouse Square on March 15th for the 20th Annual Azalea Festival. Is there any more picturesque place to gather on a Saturday in spring? I don’t think so. The azaleas were just bursting with color - a profusion of pink, fuchsia, salmon and red. There was just enough bridal wreath and wisteria to break up the riot of color! Jasper truly rolls out the flowered red carpet for this festival to end all festivals. The friendly folks of Jasper also used the showy weekend to unveil their latest blossom—The Jasper County Historical Museum on the square. I’ll save it for a future visit.