Today was the second volunteer day of the Gathering. FAIL. Well, I'll qualify that; I did sleep and feel a little better, clouds were still going by in the far east, and it was cooler just like yesterday morning, but there was no way I was going to stick around for another day of this heat. Even the prospect of some cloud cover over us did not alter my decision to head on home and start the second stage of the trip from there instead of here. I was done with this heat. I packed up and headed home today. Before I did that, though, I stuck around long enough to talk to one of the participants who told me about these horses belonging to some of the owners. It was funny hearing them make a "puh-puh" sound when they ate. I had never noticed it before, but that was in the stillness of the morning. I grabbed my camera so you could see these large-framed horses,
construction going on,
and the castle entry way I saw yesterday. I noticed the clothes hanging off the castle entry way. This time, the occupants were smart enough to hang some sort of "no vacancy" sign.
A short castle structure was being built beyond the castle entry way.
Before I left, I texted my hostess, who is one of the vendors. She is a VERY nice lady, a down-to-earth person. We just sat on the loading area behind one of the booths and talked for a while. About this time, the winds started picking up, right on cue this time.
This is a bit of a "mini-reflection" on the past two days at Sherwood, like the jeep, which I've had for under a month still, and things I've seen along the way. This was a good time to shake the jeep down to see how it handles on the highway and on the dirt roads. Loads of fun! The jeep likes to be run at a slower speed for gas mileage and safety. Slowing down has allowed me to see things that would be hard to see at 75-plus. I saw rivers where I had not been able to see before, and I found the San Bernard river devoid of its water under I-10 west of Houston. I saw things beside the freeway that I hadn't noticed before, including a billboard saying, "We sue lawyers" and a number underneath. I saw a group of people riding in a horse and covered wagon down the access road. On the minor highways, I could see very large clouds of light-colored dust in open fields forming as the winds whipped through the area. It's been dry for so long, it's like a fine talcum powder which floats in the air for a while before settling, and it gets into everything! I love the jeep for its handling on the highway, and the dirt driving is fun! I hope I get a little respect on the highway, now that my jeep is dirty.
Waiting for me in Houston were lower temperatures and clouds everywhere, but no rain. I relaxed and rested for the next day's drive, which placed me at Lake Catherine State Park, to the west of Little Rock, AR in the late afternoon.
