2018 Bob Woodward Park South

On November 18, JoAnn went over to the Bob Woodward city park. The park has a pavilion, playground, restrooms, fishing pier, sand volleyball court, and hard surface trails. The sky was clear but the temperature was 51 degrees.

Here is JoAnn sitting at a picnic table on the pier.

The pavilion in  the park is quite large. There were a few people walking in the park today.

The small lake has a fountain.

Panorama of the shoreline. There were a lot of ducks out on the water.

2018 Daingerfield State Park

In November, 2018 JoAnn and I went to Daingerfield State Park in east Texas to see the fall colors of the hill country. We have previously been to the park and enjoy it due to being serene and colorful.

JoAnn at the entrance of the park. Although the day was sunny, the temperature was only 49 degrees.

Daingerfield Lake. No one was swimming but there were boaters on the lake.

JoAnn at the lake shore.

Some trees had turned color. However, most trees in the park were evergreens.

JoAnn at the ramp leading down into the water. Folks go down the stairs leading into the water and swim out to the platform.

Area is quite scenic. There is a small store in the park and restrooms.Camping is available.

Small inlet on the lake. Note the picnic tables. Overall, it was a fun trip despite the cold weather.

The lake is home for several ducks. One of them came over to take at look at us. They're quite friendly.

Canoes can be rented for a bit of leisure on the lake.

Shoreline. We had a good time despite the cold weather. It was fun!

2018 Woolaroc & Keystone State Park

Woolaroc stands for "wood", "water", and "rock". It is a collection of paintings some of which were done by Frederic Remington, Charles M. Russel, William R. Leigh, Thomas Moran and others. 

Also in the collection are more contemporary artists such as Wilson Harley, John Clymer, Clark Hulings, and others. 

Much of this collection was personally acquired by Frank Phillips (founder of Phillips Petroleum aka Phillips 66) and has been enhanced by donations from other members of the Phillips family.

The collection also includes pieces of sculpture by western artists including Remington and Russell. The collection is located on his ranch in Oklahoma which has since been turned into a protected area and museum. In addition, there are exotic animals from all over the world which roam these lands freely. In October 2018, JoAnn and I had a chance to visit Woolaroc and also Keystone State Park as part of a very lately celebrated 30th wedding anniversary.

 The visit was outstanding. We will always remember our trip.






Woolaroc

This sign in on the road going into the ranch. There is a strong Indian influence in the collection and the ranch.

This is Frank Phillips and his wife's home on the property and is very large and spacious. 

Different animal species range freely all over the ranch land now donated to the state. Very interesting to see each animal in the "wild".

Joann with Duayne who is married to Joann's daughter Janet. They drove us out to see the area. This is the front of the museum.

Authentic Indian pottery is part of the collection.

Original model of Lincoln sitting in his chair. Used for the model in Washington, DC.

One of the main rooms in the museum. Note the variety of pieces in the collection. There are several rooms such as this.

Indian dress.

There are dozens of hand made statues in the collection all bearing a western theme.

Another room.

Actual head dress worn by local Indians in the area. 

Another statue hand made by an artist.

Amazing collection of animals. The animals actually lived on the ranch and died a natural death and then were preserved.

Replica of an Indian village. The figures are hand carved from wood. 

The view from the front porch of Frank's house. Astonishing. 








Keystone State Park

JoAnn at Keystone.

Floating Docks.

Keystone Lake. Windy and cold.

Keystone Dam

Eisenhower State Park TX

The park is located in Grayson County TX and is 423.1 acres in size. It was opened to the public in 1958 and named after Dwight D. Eisenhower who was born in Dennison, TX. The park is open throughout the year and offers opportunities for picnicking, hiking, fishing, boating, and water skiing among other sports. 

Here is JoAnn at the park entrance. The weather was quite nice with warm temperatures.

We have parked at a marina on an small arm of the lake. Boat docks can be seen in the background. Not many people were out today.

At another spot on the lake is the gas station and grocery store for the boaters.

Panorama of shore and lake.

Telephoto view of the lake from the pier across from the gas station. On the other shore is Oklahoma.

Panorama of small inlet with dock houses.





Here is JoAnn sitting at the entrance of the yacht club which is located within the park.

Travertine Nature Center, OK

On August 3, JoAnn and I traveled to the Travertine Nature Center located within the Chickasaw National Recreation Area. The recreation area has many places to visit including streams, falls, swimming areas, and bison. Our time was limited so we only traveled to the nature center.

Upon entering the area, we first encountered Bear Falls. Here is JoAnn at the falls. The area has several streams which have falls such as shown.

This part of the stream above Bear Falls. The water is clear and tranquil.











Bear Falls from another angle.

JoAnn at the front of the nature center. The architecture was designed in a Frank Loyd Wright sense.

Part of the interior of the nature center. The center contains exhibits and a 100-seat auditorium in which lectures are given.

The center is so long one end had to be built over a stream bed

The next and last stop was at Little Niagara Falls

This part of the stream below Niagara is exceptionally clear

We didn't have time to look at everything but as the map indicates,
there is a lot to see here.