Kate's America

                Lake Conroe was our first campground in Texas, located about an hour from Houston.  This campground was really big, and reminded me of Thousand Trails Orlando (see my post November's Adventures [and December's]).  We met friends there, and played several times together while at Lake Conroe.                   Tuesday's weather was warm, so we went hiking on the Lone Star Trail.  This trail was really long, so we only did part of it.  Mia spotted a tiny black and blue-striped snake on the trail, and we ate a picnic lunch of peanut butter sandwiches and spicy chili lime chips (I love those chips, even though they burn my mouth up).  The trail went by Lake Conroe, and Mia and I had fun climbing on the logs that dipped down into the water.  After that, we drove to the Sam Houston Statue Visitor Center, to take pictures of the 67 foot statue of Sam Houston, Texas's first governor.  The shop offered local goods like jelly and candles, and the visitor's cent

                               On Wednesday, January 5, we went to Flat Island Preserve for some hiking. The trails were great, with lovely views of trees hanging over the path.  We packed a picnic lunch and ate on the kayak launch, the swamp all around us.  We got in several miles of hiking that day, and the weather was great: not too hot, and not too cold.   The boardwalk to the kayak launch               Thursday was grocery day, so we went out to Trader Joes and Whole Foods, some of our favorite grocery stores.  While at Trader Joes, one of the workers told us about Sprouts, a store sort of like a smaller Whole Foods.  We checked it out, and were pleased at the vegan options they offered.  When we got back home, we unpacked the groceries and then our friends the Hendricks came over for a little while.  Their mom brought Mia and I adorable dresses and a new shirt for me, and brought my parents lots of other stuff.  It was a very nice and thoughtful thing to do, and we were really gr