Mary Beth:

That part of NE Texas is Piney Woods country --- with some hardwoods to boot; mostly gum (sweetgum, blackgum), and hickory, and lots of oak (red, white, black, pin), magnolia (incredible flowers), mimosa (hummingbirds love these); also holly, mayhaw, chinquipin (if you can find it!), tickletongue (another old rarity!), scuppernong, mustang grape, muscadine, black walnut, and the ever popular pecan.

If you can't find a shady place to hang your hammock, well then, ya jest aint a-trying!

If you are a hiker, be sure to take good boots. This part of God's Country is home to many different kinds of snakes, some of which don't take kindly to being stepped on.

Years ago, you couldn't even look at a tree without getting covered with ticks; but then the fire ants came along. The first thing they did was to eat up all the ticks; now ticks are scarce. You probably don't want to mess with the fire ants either --- they are aptly named (for their bites!).

And while the afternoons can be viciously hot, the evenings can be equally gorgeous. Many areas away from the beaten path still have lots of glow-worms and fire-flys. And while is too late for the Blueberry season, the Watermelon and Peach seasons will be jest hitting stride. Hickory-smoked pit barbeque, fried catfish, blackeye peas (or purple hulls or cream peas), hush puppies, red onions, fresh-made tree-ripened peach ice cream. Damn, I'm starting my diet right now!

Pickett