Cats, rivers and scenic lookouts

I've decided to combine days 2&3 into one post, because Saturday I did not really do anything at all. Which was quite nice I might add, after such a crazy day Friday it was nice to sleep in and relax. My afternoon considered of grocery shopping (the debate between Walmart or HEB continues), checking out the airport (so many glider trailers already there!) and getting my temporary membership at the country club (it has a pool, need I say more?). Pretty exciting stuff. Oh actually my excitement for the day walking out of the country club and hearing something rustling in the bushes, and here you are trained to be afraid of everything low to the gourd that moves, because chances are it bites. So while I am in the middle of panicking, it runs out of the buses and comes right at me! It was a cat. A little tiny black and white stripped cat. Panic moment over, and now I just feel silly. The cat was actually quite adorable and purred like a little airplane the minute I started petting it. Appropriate right?

Sunday however turned into a bit of an adventure. Edward decided that since I had never been to Garner State Park that we had to go see it. I didn't quite know what I was expecting, but it was definitely not this. Not only is the park absolutely massive, but it is packed full of people camping, swimming in the river, hiking the trails and picnicking in the sand. We hiked up a bit to a rock ledge and it turned out to have an amazing view of the rolling hills of west texas.

The hill did go much higher, but in that heat I have to say I was a wuss and decided not to go any higher. It really hits you when you start doing any physical exercise that your body does need that adjustment period to get used to coping with the extreme heat. After that we went dow to the river and did some exploring. While the was water this year (last year all the river beds were empty), it was not very deep, maybe was it deep in the middle, so most people just grab a tube and float down the river with friends for the afternoon. It looked like so much fun! It actually reminded me exactly of the "lazy rivers" that they  always have at water parks, only this one was really and incredibly picturesque.

We wandered around here for a bit, taking time to dip out feet in for a bit and man was that ever refreshing! I just wish I had had a bathing suit because it definitely would have felt nice to flop into the water after being in the sun for so long. After that we headed started to head home when Edward remembered there was another place with a lazy river like this nearby that usually wasn't as crowded. Turns out that a lot of other people knew about it too, it was even more crowded then the other one! So we decided to call it day and make our way home, taking a few detours on the way to catch come photos of the hills. I'm having a bit of a love affair with my new camera (Canon Rebel T3i for those of you wondering) and so any time I see a new light of angle to shoot I just can't resist. There's still so many settings I don't know about, so much to learn! So many pictures to take. A late dinner and a few episodes of River Monsters later (really creepy critters but once you start watching you totally get hooked) I was exhausted. I don't think I've slept as well as I do here in a very long time, something about the way the heat makes you sleep like a baby is just wonderful.