South Llano River State Park

Every year in mid-August I try to catch the Perseids meteor shower. It’s easy to plan for, the peak lasts a few nights, and it’s comfortable to stay up all night in the summer. It’s a rewarding experience, especially if you can get away from the city lights, because you can see shooting stars that glow or sparkle across the sky.

This year has been difficult and I wasn’t sure about travel, but I finally decided that camping would be safe and I put it out there to some friends to see if anyone wanted to join me for a couple nights.

I chose South Llano River State Park because I’d never been, it has swimming (which would make the 100-degree afternoons bearable), and it’s a dark sky park (with almost no light pollution, the milky way is clearly visible at night).

We had excellent viewing of Perseids, including some stunning shooting stars that made us all go “Wow!” and the water was the perfect temperature to sit in all afternoon. But the best part was just getting out of my house and spending time with friends.

The South Llano River.
The light around sunset was gorgeous and it melted into a spectacular night sky.
I noticed lots of dried flowers along the trails and made a mental note to come back in the spring.
Deer moved silently in brush around us. I also saw a jackrabbit, bats, lizards, and lots of armadillos.
Giant pecan trees provided much-appreciated shade.
My friend spotted this beautiful (and toxic) flower called Snow On The Mountain.
We spent hours just digging around in the smooth rocks of this shallow area, building walls that would soon topple. There’s something about these “pointless” activities that feels like an antidote to stress.

The park is much larger than the areas we saw, with lots of trails that I’m itching to explore, so I’ll definitely be returning when it’s a little cooler.

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WHAT’S BRINGING ME JOY

Watching Tesla coil music videos by Arc Attack.

Retro-fabulous art by Lou Brooks, now available as shirts, stickers, and more (I want it all!).

Watching The One I Love on Netflix. Part suspenseful-thriller, part romantic comedy, part science-fiction; I had so much fun with this weird film.

Working on a new painting of Saguaro National Park. I’ve been wanting to paint those giant cacti since I was a kid! I still can’t believe I finally saw them in person (on my trip to Havasu Falls).