Monday, April 7, 2008

lets make this a running list of things to think about

1. This a great place to do a little walking in the woods. The parameter of the property is about a mile. It's a lot of fun to explore. Wear good shoes.

2. There are two main types of cacti, prickly pear and jumping. Prickly pear is no real problem because it's so big that you see it but jumping or, as Jimmie calls it, devil cactus is hard to see. If you're a city slicker ask us to show it to you, it'll make you plenty sore if you blindly walk into it.

3. That weekend there will be no moon so it'll be more important than ever to bring flashlights. There will be light in the main area but if you venture out you'll need a light.

4. Show your kids the fire ant mounds, Everybody needs to look down and make sure you're not stopping to stand in a big pile of them. It's not like we've overrun with hills but they are there.

5. There will be mosquitoes so bring some spray. It's never been a terrible problem in the past, not any more than being outside in your own backyard, but come prepared to handle it.

6. If you have an old guitar you might want to bring that instead of your fanciest one.

add other thoughts in the comments

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

can we bring our dog? And I noticed you didn't mention snakes. Is that not a problem?

Jimmie Bell Whipple said...

We've lived here for almost 15 years and only found 2 rattlesnakes. When there's lots of activity they tend to leave the area. If you bring a dog, it needs to be well behaved because there will be other dogs and lots of kids around. We're not gonna make you keep dogs on leash unless there's a problem. If you're worried about your dog getting snakebit then you can get a vaccination from your vet or not bring the dog or just keep it on a leash.
Keep in mind - this is a rustic setting. Pretty rustic and definitely uncivilized.
Be prepared.

Anonymous said...

walmart has a good selection of tents
this one man tent is $19

Anonymous said...

that link didn't go where I thought it would and I don't know how to edit a comment. the one is halfway down the page. a simple tent is fast to setup

Anonymous said...

Jimmie?
What the heck is Jumping Cactus? I thought only those darn crickets jumped!

Karen

Jimmie Bell Whipple said...

We just call it that, because if you bump against it small sections fall off and stick with you. Each piece can root and start a new plant.
It's a beast. Lots of big thorns that hurt but tons of tiny thorns that you can't even see with a magnifying glass, you just feel them.
I've heard that the best way to remove those small thorns is with duct tape or hair removal wax.
I've spent many many hours eliminating this cacti from the Woodzie site. You're unlikely to encounter it in the cleared areas, but it's all over in the woods and fields.
Here's a link:
http://uvalde.tamu.edu/herbarium/cyle.htm