Watch the Video

The Water First

I went straight to the lake when I arrived. That’s just what I do.

It wasn’t a still, glassy afternoon — the water was moving, the sun was bright, and it was one of those genuinely beautiful Texas days where the light does something wonderful on the surface of a lake. I walked along the edge for a while, just taking it in. There were wildflowers scattered along the bank, and I stopped more than once just to look at them.

I didn’t need to be anywhere. I wasn’t trying to cover ground or check off features. I was just walking by the water at Lake Whitney State Park, and that was more than enough.

The Bridge

After the lake, I made my way to the Two Bridges Trail. I didn’t go far — I didn’t need to. I got to the first bridge and just stopped. Sat down. Got out my sketchbook.

There’s something about a bridge over water on a quiet afternoon that invites you to stay. So I did. I sketched the bridge — the way it sat there, simple and steady, with the light coming through the trees around it. It’s the kind of subject that rewards you for slowing down and really looking.

That’s what these park visits have become for me. Not a tour. Not a checklist. Just permission to slow down and pay attention.

The Practice of Slowing Down at Every Stage

What I keep learning, park by park, is that slowing down is not passive. It requires a decision. It requires showing up somewhere without your to-do list running in the background, without half your attention already somewhere else. Lake Whitney State Park did not slow me down — I brought the willingness to slow down, and the park gave me a beautiful place to do it.

That is what this entire series is really about. Not the parks as destinations, but the practice of tending to yourself well — choosing restoration, choosing presence, choosing the kind of care that compounds over time. At 69, I am less interested in doing more and more interested in doing the right things, slowly, with intention.

Slowing down is not something that happens to you. It is something you choose, again and again, until it becomes who you are.

Peppermint & Tea Tree Soap

I had my Peppermint & Tea Tree Soap with me that day — I’d used it before I left, and honestly, the peppermint stays with you. It’s refreshing in a way that felt exactly right for a sunny afternoon outdoors. I’ve been making that bar for a long time, originally just for myself, because peppermint and tea tree together has always been my idea of clean. Sharp and fresh and simple.

Out in the sunshine at Lake Whitney State Park, it made perfect sense.

The Best Thing I’ve Ever Done for Myself

I say this in the video, and I mean it: visiting these parks is one of the best things I have ever done for myself.

Not just this one. All of them. The whole project. There’s something that happens when you commit to showing up for yourself in nature, again and again, park after park. You start to remember what you actually need. You remember what quiet feels like. You remember that you’re part of something much larger and slower and more beautiful than whatever was sitting in your inbox that morning.

Lake Whitney State Park was stop 15 of 88. And on that sunny afternoon, walking the edge of that lake with wildflowers at my feet and a bridge to sketch and a bar of peppermint soap in my bag — I felt it again. That deep, settled feeling of doing exactly the right thing for yourself.

I hope you get to feel that too.

Practical Notes for Your Lake Whitney State Park Visit

[ IMAGE — Lake Whitney State Park Passport Stamp ]

Location: 433 FM 1244, Whitney, TX 76692

Day use hours: Typically 6 AM to 10 PM — confirm current hours at the Texas State Parks website before you go

Entrance fee: Standard Texas State Park day use fees apply; the Annual Pass is a worthwhile investment if you plan to visit several parks

Park highlight: The reservoir shoreline — take time to simply sit near the water and let the quiet settle

What to bring: Water, sunscreen, a journal or sketchbook, comfortable walking shoes, and something grounding for the close of your day

Best time to visit: Early morning or overcast days for the most still water and softest light; spring and fall are lovely for the shoreline

Worth noting: The lake views are peaceful even in off-season — sometimes the absence of crowds is the best condition of all

The Journey Continues

Next up is Fort Parker State Park for Episode 16. I’m already looking forward to seeing what it brings.

If you’ve been following along — thank you. This journey means more to me than I can easily say.

Frequently Asked Questions

Susan is documenting all 88 Texas State Parks on her YouTube channel. Subscribe to follow the journey, and visit [SusanSoapsAndMore.com] to explore her handcrafted natural skincare line.

More From the Texas State Parks Quest

Previous Park Episode: Daingerfield State Park

Texas State Park Journey

Susan’s Peppermint & Tea Tree Soap

Texas Parks & Wildlfe Website

I have wanted to visit Daingerfield State Park for a very long time. It has a reputation — people say it is one of the most beautiful parks in the entire Texas state park system. And standing there on that first morning, watching a pair of ducks take a bath at the edge of the water near the boat dock, I understood why.

I had only been there thirty minutes and I already knew it was worth every mile of the drive.

The Park They Say Is the Prettiest in Texas

There is something that happens when a place exceeds your expectations. You stop narrating it — even to yourself — and you just let it land.

The light at Daingerfield State Park comes through the trees in a way that makes you understand why photographers and painters keep returning here. It is not dramatic. It is not a postcard sunset or a wide-open horizon. It is quiet, filtered, green-gold, the kind of light that makes the ordinary look like it was arranged on purpose.

My husband has pointed out, more than once, that I call every park my favorite. He is probably right. But there is a reason Daingerfield keeps coming up in conversations among people who have done what I am doing — visiting all 88 parks. It earns that reputation.

I am seeing so many pieces of Texas through visiting these parks that I never even knew were here.

Walking the Mountain View Trail

I brought my Insta360 out for a walk along the Mountain View Trail, there in Daingerfield State Park, which winds through some of the most beautiful wooded terrain in the park. I am still learning that camera system — still figuring out what it does best and where I need to pay more attention. But even imperfect footage of a place like this manages to capture something true.

There is a cactus tucked back off the trail, which surprised me. And those small purple wildflowers — I kept returning to them. They appear along the path like small punctuation marks in a sentence you did not expect to be so beautiful.

Sometimes the tiny things in nature are the best. I mean that literally. The smallest flower, the most ordinary-looking shrub — they reward you when you slow down long enough to actually look at them.

The Sketch: A Tiny Flower, Chosen on Purpose

When it came time to sketch, I did not choose the lake. I did not choose the sweeping view from the trail. I chose those little purple wildflowers.

This is something I have come to understand about my sketchbook practice: I sketch what stops me. Not what is most impressive, but what my eye keeps returning to. And it kept returning to those flowers — so small, so delicate, tucked in among all the leaves like they were keeping a secret.

Drawing something that small asks for a particular kind of presence. You cannot be thinking about what comes next. You have to be entirely in the details — the curve of the petal, the way it opens, the shadow underneath. By the time I finished, I had been fully present for longer than I usually manage on my own.

That is what the sketchbook is for. Not beauty. Not art. Presence.

A flower amongst all the leaves — a little special something. That was my reset for today. And honestly, it was enough.

Egyptian Rose Soap: Choosing What Resonates

I have a practice when I pack for a park visit: I think about the feeling of the place, and I bring a soap that feels like it belongs there.

Daingerfield State Park was supposed to be the most beautiful park in the system. So I packed our Egyptian Rose Soap — probably the prettiest soap we make, and certainly the most floral. Flowers are beautiful, and Daingerfield is beautiful. It was a simple pairing that made complete sense to me.

I made Egyptian Rose for myself first. I wanted something that felt like a small luxury — not in an indulgent way, but in the way that choosing something beautiful and intentional for yourself is a form of self-respect. The scent is full and rosy without being heavy. It is the kind of thing that turns a simple end-of-day cleanse into something that feels like a closing ritual.

At this stage of my life, I am more deliberate than I used to be about what I allow into my routines. Fewer things. Better things. Things that feel like care rather than obligation.

What the Small Things Are Teaching Me

I have been thinking about this since I left Daingerfield State Park. There is a particular lesson that keeps showing up on this journey — not in the dramatic panoramas or the famous views, but in the small details I almost walked past.

The ducks at the water’s edge. The cactus off the trail. The tiny purple flower I almost did not see.

I think the 88-park journey is teaching me to look more carefully. Not just at parks, but at everything. The things worth noticing are not always the things that announce themselves. Sometimes they are quiet and easy to miss, and they reward you only if you have slowed down enough to be paying attention.

That is what I want this series to be about, ultimately. Not the parks themselves — though they are extraordinary. But the practice of showing up slowly, looking carefully, and finding that it is enough.

Sometimes the tiny things in nature are the best.

The Quest: 88 Parks, One Practice

The Texas State Parks Passport gets a unique stamp at each of the 88 parks in the system. I am visiting every single one, and documenting what each stop teaches me — about nature, about tending to yourself well, and about what it means to age with intention rather than resistance.

Daingerfield State Park is stop 14 of 88. I have wanted to come here for a long time. It did not disappoint.

If you are in a similar season — looking for a reason to slow down, to look more carefully at the small things, and to tend to yourself well along the way — you are welcome to walk this with me.

Practical Notes for Your Daingerfield Visit

• Location: 455 Pete Cawthon Dr, Daingerfield, TX 75638
• Day use hours: Typically 8 AM to 10 PM — confirm current hours at the Texas State Parks website
• Entrance fee: Standard Texas State Park day use fees apply; the Annual Pass is worth it if you plan to visit multiple parks
• Park highlight: The lake and the wooded trails — the Cedar Ridge Trail is particularly beautiful
• What to bring: Water, comfortable walking shoes, a sketchbook if that is your thing, and something that grounds you for afterward
• Best time to visit: Fall for foliage color; spring for wildflowers along the trails
• Worth noting: Look for the small wildflowers along the trail — they are easy to miss and worth stopping for

FAQs

Daingerfield State Park is stop 14 of 88 on my Texas State Parks Quest. New episodes post every Friday. If this resonated with you, share it with someone else who is ready to start looking at the small things.

References

Texas State Parks Website

Susan Soaps & More — Egyptian Rose Soap

Some Days Don’t Go the Way You Planned — and That’s the Whole Point

I want to tell you about a park where nothing went quite the way I expected. And how it became one of my favorite visits so far.

I came to Martin Creek Lake State Park the day after my birthday. I was hoping, as I usually am when I head to a park, for a few quiet moments — a place to sit, breathe, and make my sketch. Martin Creek is a beautiful park. The trees are full and generous with their shade. The lake is calm and green.

What it was not, at least on the day we arrived, was quiet.

There was a mower. Steadily doing its job. Very thoroughly.

Sometimes you have to move around a little. Adjust. Stay longer. Look again.

The Lily Pads Were Already Waiting

Close to the picnic area where Jerry and I sat eating our sack lunch, I noticed a large patch of lily pads along the lakeshore. I have now visited thirteen Texas State Parks, and these were the first lily pads I had seen on this entire journey. They caught my attention immediately.

I wanted to sketch them. But the mower was getting closer.

Martin Creek Lake State Park has something I had not encountered at any previous park: a small walking bridge that leads over to a little island with a day-use area, camping, and even a hiking trail. So I crossed over to the island, walked beneath the shade trees, and had almost settled on a clump of leaves to sketch when I heard it again.

The mower. Right on the other side of the water.

So I went back to my lily pads. And there they were — still waiting. Still lovely.

I sat down and did my sketch.

If it hadn’t been for the mower, I probably wouldn’t have ventured over to the little island — which turned out to be one of the most unique features of that park.

The Sketch: First Lily Pads of the Journey

I am certainly no Monet. But there is something about a subject you did not plan for that brings out a particular kind of attention.

I had not come to Martin Creek Lake State Park intending to sketch lily pads. I had not known they would be there. And yet the moment I saw them, something in me said: that is the one. The sketch from this park.

The pads themselves were generous — large, overlapping, unhurried. They did not mind the noise nearby. They were just doing what lily pads do: floating, opening toward the light, entirely unbothered.

I think I needed that particular lesson on that particular day.

A Birthday Soap and a Long-Overdue Treat

I brought my Orange Blossom & Sandalwood Soap to Martin Creek. Neroli — the essential oil at the heart of this soap — is one of my very favorite scents. I made this formulation years ago and eventually stopped producing it, because neroli is not an inexpensive oil to work with.

This year, I brought neroli back in for a new project. And somewhere along the way I decided that my birthday was a good enough reason to make this soap for myself again. A small, personal treat. The kind of thing I believe every woman in this season of life deserves to do without apology.

After a few hours in the East Texas heat — yes, it was warm — there is something restorative about a proper cleanse with something you trust. Something simple, made from ingredients you recognize, that works with your skin rather than against it. That is all I have ever wanted from a bar of soap. And it is what this one has always been.

What the Mower Taught Me

Here is what I have been sitting with since that visit.

Peace does not always arrive exactly the way we expect. Sometimes something interrupts our plans. Sometimes we have to move around a little — adjust, stay longer, look again. And in doing that, we end up seeing more than we would have otherwise.

If it had been a perfectly quiet park that day, I might have sketched the first thing I saw and moved on. I probably would not have crossed that little bridge. I would not have walked the island. I would not have come back to those lily pads with quite the same sense of appreciation.

The mower was not the problem. The mower was the teacher.

This is one of the quiet lessons I keep finding on this journey: tending to yourself well does not always look like perfect conditions. Sometimes it looks like adjusting gracefully when the conditions are not what you hoped for — and finding something beautiful anyway.

Peace doesn’t always arrive exactly the way we expect. Sometimes something interrupts our plans. And in adjusting, we end up seeing more than we would have otherwise.

The Quest: 88 Parks, One Practice

The Texas State Parks Passport gets a unique stamp at each of the 88 parks in the system. I am visiting every single one, and documenting what each stop teaches me — about nature, about tending to yourself well, and about what it means to age with intention rather than resistance.

Martin Creek Lake is stop 13 of 88. Which felt a little appropriate, since May 13th is my birthday.

Lake Bob Sandlin was stop twelve. Daingerfield State Park is next.

This is not a race. It is not a travel vlog. It is a practice of showing up for yourself — one park at a time. If you are in a similar season, looking for a way to reconnect with yourself and approach your life with more care and less urgency, you are welcome to walk this with me.

Practical Notes for Your Martin Creek Visit

• Location: 9515 FM 1716, Tatum, TX 75691
• Day use hours: Typically 6 AM to 10 PM — confirm current hours at the Texas State Parks website
• Entrance fee: Standard Texas State Park day use fees apply; the Annual Pass is worth it if you plan to visit multiple parks
• Park highlight: The walking bridge to the small island — cross it even if you do not plan to stay long
• What to bring: Water, sunscreen, a sketchbook if that is your thing, comfortable shoes, and something simple for after a warm afternoon outdoors
• Worth noting: The lily pads along the lakeshore near the picnic area — first ones I have seen in the entire 88-park journey
• Noise level: This is an active, well-maintained park — expect the sounds of a well-loved place

FAQs

Martin Creek Lake State Park is stop ___ of 88 on my Texas State Parks Quest. New episodes post every Friday. If this resonated with you, share it with someone else who is learning to find peace in unexpected places.

References

Texas State Parks Website

Susan Soaps & More — Orange Blossom & Sandalwood Soap

Have you ever found yourself standing between two very different versions of your life — not sure which one you belong to, but somehow knowing that both of them are yours? That’s exactly where I was when I stepped into Lake Bob Sandlin State Park. On one side, the lush green canopy of East Texas pines reaching up toward the sky. On the other, an open savannah stretching wide and unhurried. And right in the middle of it all, a beautiful, quiet lake.

It felt like nature had built the perfect metaphor just for me.

Watch the Video

A Park That Holds Two Worlds at Once

Lake Bob Sandlin State Park sits at the meeting place of two ecosystems — the dense East Texas Piney Woods and an open grassland savannah — with a gorgeous lake threading them together. It’s the kind of place that takes you by surprise. You walk in expecting one thing and find yourself somewhere richer, more layered than you imagined.

For me, it mirrored something I’ve been working through in my own life. I have one foot in my e-commerce world — making soap, formulating skincare, running a small business that I love. And the other foot is slowly stepping into something quieter, more intentional. A slower pace. A more reflective life. These two versions of me don’t always feel like they fit together neatly. But standing at that lake, watching the pines meet the open savannah, I thought — maybe they don’t have to. Maybe it all just works.

The Brim Pond and a Book I Read Long Ago

One of the spots that stopped me in my tracks was what I think of as the brim pond. Trees leaning in. A big weathered log stretching across the water. The wind moving through the branches. The sun finally breaking through.

It pulled something up from deep in my memory — a book called Girl of the Limberlost. I read it years ago, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was walking inside the world of that story. There’s something about places like this — tucked away, full of green and quiet — that reaches back through time and finds the version of you who used to dream in those pages.

I sat down there and sketched. The log. The edge of the pond. The way the light was falling.

It was one of those moments I would have rushed through a few years ago. I’m glad I didn’t rush through it now.

The Sketch

The finished sketch captured those logs at the edge of the pond — the way they rested across the water as if they’d always belonged there. I always bring my sketchbook to the parks because drawing forces me to really see a place. You can’t sketch something you haven’t looked at carefully. And careful looking, it turns out, is a form of rest.

The Carrot Seed Complexion Bar

I brought my Carrot Seed Complexion Bar on this visit — not because it was planned, but because it lives in my bag the way good habits do. It’s one of those products that spans what I think of as the full story of skin: women in their twenties and thirties reach for it, and so do women like me in their sixties and beyond. It bridges the gap. It doesn’t ask you to be one age or another.

Which, honestly, felt exactly right for this park.

What Lake Bob Sandlin Reminded Me

You don’t have to have it all figured out. You don’t have to choose one ecosystem over the other. The pines and the savannah and the lake — they all coexist. They’ve been doing it for a long time. And so can we, navigating change, balancing different phases, holding the different parts of ourselves with a little more grace.

You just have to keep moving forward. Doing the best you can. It all works — you and it, together.

I believe in you. I believe in me.

FAQs About Lake Bob Sandlin State Park

Lake Bob Sandlin State Park is Park #12 in my journey to visit all 88 Texas State Parks. Follow along at Susan Soaps and More on YouTube and here on the blog.

When Quiet Is the Destination

I have been thinking a lot about quiet lately. Not silence exactly — but space. Space around your thoughts. Space around your body. The kind of space that you cannot manufacture indoors, no matter how many candles you light or how deeply you breathe.

I was ready for some of that. So on a Wednesday afternoon, I drove to Tyler State Park.

What met me there were tall trees — great big ones, the kind that make you feel appropriately small in the best possible way. East Texas has that effect. You step under the canopy and something in you just settles.

Sometimes the reset you have been waiting for is already a short drive away.

Watch This Episode

Rose Quintessential Body Oil and a Happy Coincidence

I brought my Rose Quintessential Body Oil to Tyler State Park, not because I had planned it particularly, but because rose is what I reach for when I need to come back to myself. It quiets something in me. It is one of those scents that does not demand anything — it just makes a little room.

It was only after I arrived that I remembered: Tyler is the Rose Capital of America. The city has been growing roses and sending them into the world for over a century.

Sometimes things just fit together. I did not plan the connection. It found me.

I brought rose because it helps me find quiet. And then I remembered — Tyler is the rose capital. Sometimes it all just fits together.

The Sketch: Sitting Still Long Enough to See

I found my spot and set up my chair. That is one of the things I have come to appreciate about this journey — the discipline of stopping. Not walking past a beautiful thing. Not photographing it from a distance. Sitting down and actually looking at it long enough to draw it.

Sketching asks that of you. It does not let you rush. The moment you try to hurry a sketch, you can see it in the lines. So you slow down, and the park teaches you patience the way it has always been teaching anyone willing to sit down inside it.

By the time I was finished, I was not thinking about anything else. That is the gift of it.

What a Wednesday Afternoon Taught Me About Resets

I used to think that a real reset required something significant. A trip. A destination. Time away that felt earned and far enough removed from regular life to actually count.

I do not believe that anymore.

A reset can be a Wednesday afternoon. It can be a park that is close enough to reach after lunch and still be home before dark. It can be the quiet under tall trees and a sketchbook and nothing more complicated than that.

That is what I am finding in the parks. Not transformation — tending. Small, consistent acts of showing up for yourself in a place that asks nothing of you except your presence.

The reset I needed was not far away. It was just outside — waiting on a Wednesday afternoon.

What Nature Does for Your Skin — and Your Energy

There is something measurable that happens when you step into a quiet outdoor space. Even the simple act of being under trees — what researchers sometimes call forest bathing — has been shown to lower cortisol, slow the heart rate, and reduce systemic inflammation.

That matters for your skin. Chronic stress is one of the more underappreciated contributors to dull skin, accelerated aging, and sensitivity. When we genuinely slow down, we give our bodies a chance to repair rather than react.

Inside-out health is not a wellness trend. It is the quiet foundation of aging well. And Texas State Parks, it turns out, are very good medicine.

The Quest: 88 Parks, One Practice

The Texas State Parks Passport gets a unique stamp at each of the 88 parks in the system. I am visiting every single one, and documenting what each stop teaches me — about nature, about tending to yourself well, and about what it means to age with intention rather than resistance.

Tyler State Park is stop 11 of 88. This is not a race. It is not a travel vlog. It is a practice of showing up for yourself, one park at a time.

If you are in a similar season — looking for a way to reconnect with yourself and approach your life with more care and less urgency — you are welcome to walk this with me.

Practical Notes for Your Tyler State Park Visit

Location: 789 Park Road 16, Tyler, TX 75706

Day use hours: Typically 7 AM to 10 PM — confirm current hours at the Texas State Parks website

Entrance fee: Standard Texas State Park day use fees apply; the Annual Pass is worth it if you plan to visit multiple parks

Park highlight: The tall pine and hardwood canopy — take time to sit under it rather than just walk through it

What to bring: Water, a journal or sketchbook, comfortable shoes, something grounding for after — your skin will thank you

Best time to visit: Weekday afternoons are quieter; spring and fall for the most comfortable temperatures under the canopy

Worth noting: Tyler is the Rose Capital of America — the city itself is worth exploring before or after your park visit

FAQs

Tyler State Park is stop 11 of 88 on my Texas State Parks Quest. New episodes post every Friday. If this resonated with you, share it with someone else who is ready to find their own quiet.

References

Texas State Parks Website

Susan Soaps & More — Rose Quintessential Body Oil

I Didn’t Even Know This Place Existed

There is a version of rest that is sitting on a couch. And then there is this.

I am at Fort Boggy State Park — a small, quiet park in Leon County named for Boggy Creek, the slow-moving body of water that winds through it. I did not know this place existed until I began my quest to visit all 88 Texas State Parks. And that is something I keep thinking about: how many good, quiet things are out there that I simply never made room for.

The day I visited, there were a few kids playing nearby. A handful of other visitors passing through. The kind of scene that settles you without making a sound. It was exactly what I needed.

This is the kind of rest that actually stays with you.

A Park Worth Finding

Fort Boggy is small by Texas standards — but there is something about a small park that asks less of you. You do not have to decide where to go. You do not have to cover ground. You can simply arrive and be somewhere.

The lake trail is short and easy, and I found myself slowing down even further than I expected to. The water moves slowly here. The trees stand close. The light comes through in pieces. It has the feeling of a place that does not need to announce itself.

The best parks do not ask you to be impressed. They just ask you to be present.

Why I Sketch — And It Has Nothing to Do With Being Good

I brought my sketchbook to Fort Boggy State Park, as I bring it to every park on this journey. And I want to say something about that, because I think people assume sketching is about artistic ability.

It is not. Not for me.

I sketch because it takes me out of my head for a few minutes. That is the entire reason. When I am looking closely enough at something to draw it — really looking, studying the way the light falls or the way a branch curves — I am not thinking about anything else. Not the to-do list. Not the week ahead. Not the noise.

The sketchbook is one of the most practical tools I own for tending to myself well. It does not require talent. It requires attention. And attention, it turns out, is the thing that rest is actually made of.

The sketches from all 88 parks will eventually illustrate a book I am writing about this journey. So every time I open that sketchbook at a new park, I am building something too.

I don’t sketch because I’m good at it. I sketch because it takes me out of my head for a few minutes — and I love doing it.

What Quiet Does for You — Inside and Out

There is something that happens in your body when you step into a place like Fort Boggy. Even if you cannot name it, you feel it within the first few minutes.

That shift is not just poetic. Chronic stress keeps cortisol elevated, and cortisol is one of the quieter contributors to dull skin, inflammation, and accelerated aging. When we genuinely stop — not just slow our scrolling, but actually stop — we give our bodies a chance to lower that cortisol and begin the kind of repair that cannot happen when we are always in motion.

Inside-out health is the quiet foundation of aging well. And small, unhurried parks like Fort Boggy turn out to be very good medicine.

What I Brought — and Why

I brought one of my Chocolate Mint Soap to Fort Boggy. The fresh, clean scent of mint just seemed right here. It was one of the first scents I made and still a favorite. A smooth silky soap with the scent of mint and a hint of chocolate from the loads of cocoa butter in the bar. — I wanted something simple that worked with the kind of day I was having, not against it.

After a few hours outdoors in Texas air, the wind and the dry and the season all registering on your skin, a proper cleanse with something gentle and grounded is not a luxury. It is the same kind of maintenance I give everything else I want to keep in good condition.

My approach to skincare has shifted a great deal as I have gotten older. I do not believe aging is something I need to fight anymore. I think it is something I tend to and support — with fewer, better things. Formulations rooted in nature. Products that feel like care, not correction. That is what every bar I make is built around. And it is what this whole journey is built around too.

The Kind of Rest That Stays

I have been thinking about what Fort Boggy State Park gave me on that visit. It was not a dramatic experience. There was no big view or signature landscape. It was a slow creek, a short trail, a few quiet hours with a sketchbook.

And yet I left feeling genuinely rested. Not tired-person-on-a-couch rested. Actually rested. The kind that comes from being somewhere instead of just passing through it.

That is what I keep learning on this quest. The parks that ask the least of you sometimes give you the most.

There’s a version of rest that’s sitting on a couch. And then there’s this.

The Quest: 88 Parks, One Practice

The Texas State Parks Passport gets a unique stamp at each of the 88 parks in the system. I am visiting every single one, and documenting what each stop teaches me — about nature, about tending to yourself well, and about what it means to age with intention rather than resistance.

Fort Boggy State Park is stop 10 of 88. It is the kind of stop that reminds me why I started.

If you are in a similar season — looking for a way to slow down and approach your days with more care and less urgency — you are welcome to walk this with me.

Practical Notes for Your Fort Boggy State Park Visit

•  Location: 4994 TX-OSR, Centerville, TX 75833 (Leon County)

•  Day use hours: Typically 8 AM to 10 PM — confirm current hours at the Texas State Parks website

•  Entrance fee: Standard Texas State Park day use fees apply; the Annual Pass is worth it if you are visiting multiple parks

•  Park highlight: Boggy Creek and the lake trail — slow-moving water, close trees, very quiet atmosphere

•  What to bring: Water, sunscreen, a journal or sketchbook, comfortable walking shoes

•  Best time to visit: Weekday mornings or overcast days; spring and fall offer the most comfortable conditions

•  Worth noting: This is a smaller, lesser-known park — which is part of what makes it special

FAQs

Fort Boggy State Park is stop ___ of 88 on my Texas State Parks Quest. New episodes post every Thursday. If this resonated with you, share it with someone who is ready to rest in a way that actually stays with them.

References

Texas State Parks Website

Susan Soaps & More

Chocolate Mint Soap

When the Best Trips Are the Ones You Don’t Plan

I want to tell you something I have been thinking about since the moment I pulled into Sea Rim State Park completely unannounced — at least to myself. This kind of day is one I wish I had more of — experiencing a reset you didn’t plan! It can bring you so much Joy.

We had been in Galveston the day before, and that morning I realized I had forgotten to film a segment I needed. After I finished filming and we were getting ready to leave, I commented to Jerry that I always love visiting these parks. I wish we could go visit another one right now.

He looked at me and said, “You’ve been wanting to see Sea Rim. Let’s go.”

“Right now?” I asked.

“Why not?”

So we did. No stopping back our hotel room. No planning. We just drove over two hours from Galveston to Sea Rim State Park, near Sabine Pass, close to Port Arthur and Beaumont. I had ever been to that corner of Texas, even though I am a native Texan. And what we found there was exactly what I didn’t know I needed.

I’m so glad you’re here. Grab something warm, and come walk the boardwalk with me.

Sea Rim State Park: Not What I Expected

I’ll be honest — Sea Rim is not what I expected. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but it surprised me in the best way.

What you find there is a series of boardwalks stretching out over marsh and coastal wetland terrain, right on the Gulf Coast. At one shelter stop, I could see multiple paths branching off in different directions — one to the left, another to the right, each leading somewhere quiet and unexpected. It felt less like a park you march through and more like a place that invites you to wander.

And the wildlife is very present. Multiple signs remind you to watch for alligators. I didn’t see any that day, but I kept an eye out. A fish jumped near the boardwalk. The air had that heavy, coastal quality that I find either exhausting or grounding depending on the day — and that day, it was grounding. I saw some herons in the low marshy water while walking out on one of the boardwalks.

A Spontaneous Decision and What It Taught Me

There is something worth saying here about what it means to actually rest. Experiencing a reset you didn’t plan can be truly liberating.

We spend a lot of time trying to plan our way into peace. We put the vacation on the calendar. We schedule the quiet weekend. And sometimes that works. But what happened at Sea Rim reminded me that there is another kind of reset — the kind that happens when you listen to the quiet impulse that says: just go.

A few hours after leaving Galveston, I was walking a coastal boardwalk I had never seen before, watching the light move over the marsh, and feeling genuinely lighter. Not because I had done everything right. Because I had let myself be spontaneous for one afternoon.

That matters at every stage of life. Especially this one. Would I have gotten to Sea Rim. Yes, certainly as some point as I am working through my quest of all 88 Texas State Parks. But it wouldn’t have been this day. And this day was just perfect!

Don’t box yourself in with planning every event or worrying about every contingincy. Go with the flow sometimes a get the benefits from a reset you didn’t plan!

The Boardwalks and the Branching Paths

One of the things that made Sea Rim feel distinct was the layout of those boardwalks. It is not a single loop or a straightforward trail. There are options — shelters, branches, different directions you can take depending on what you feel like exploring.

I stopped at one shelter mid-walk and just looked out. In the distance I could see another shelter, another stretch of boardwalk, another path going somewhere I hadn’t been yet. And I thought: this is what choosing your own path actually looks like. Not one dramatic fork in the road. Just a series of gentle choices, one after another, each one taking you somewhere you wouldn’t have gone if you hadn’t moved in the first place.

I find a lot of my thinking about this season of life in moments exactly like that one.

What Your Skin Is Telling You After a Coastal Day

Coastal air is a particular kind of exposure. The humidity, the salt, the wind — your skin registers all of it, even when you don’t.

After a few hours on those boardwalks, I wanted something simple and grounding for my skin. Something that worked with what my body had just been through rather than against it. That is the philosophy behind everything I make: fewer things, better chosen, rooted in nature.

So when I got back to our hotel room, I took a shower and used my Frankincense & Myrrh Body Oil. Aaahh!

What we put on our skin matters. And so does the intention behind it. A product that was made to support your body — not correct it, not fight the signs of living — is a different kind of thing entirely. That shift in perspective is part of what this whole series is built around.

Practical Notes for Your Sea Rim Visit

• Location: Sea Rim State Park, near Sabine Pass, TX — close to Port Arthur and Beaumont
• Day use hours: Typically 8 AM to 10 PM — confirm current hours at the Texas State Parks website
• Entrance fee: Standard Texas State Park day use fees apply; the Annual Pass is worth it if you plan to visit multiple parks
• Park highlight: The boardwalk system over coastal wetlands — take time to explore the branching paths rather than rushing one direction
• What to bring: Water, sunscreen, insect repellent, comfortable shoes, and a little extra patience — the alligator signs are real
• Best time to visit: Early morning or overcast days; fall and winter are ideal for the heat and humidity
• Worth noting: The multiple paths and shelters make this feel more like an exploration than a single trail — give yourself time to wander

FAQs

Sea Rim State Park is stop ___ of 88 on my Texas State Parks Quest. New episodes post every Thursday. If this resonated with you, share it with someone who could use a good unplanned afternoon.

References

Texas State Parks Website

Susan Soaps & More

Watch the Visit

Before you read on, pull up a chair and come along for the visit. The video captures things words can’t quite hold — the stillness of that wetland pond, the moment I spotted the alligator, the quick sketch before the park closed. Sheldon Lake State Park is worth the visual. Press play and then keep reading.

This One Surprised Me

I want to be honest with you: I did not know quite what to expect from Sheldon Lake State Park. It does not have camping. There’s no entrance fee. It closes at five o’clock. On paper, it reads like the smallest stop on this journey.

But that is the thing about these parks. Every single one is different. And Sheldon Lake taught me something I keep learning over and over: the places you approach with low expectations are often the ones that leave the deepest impression.

I saw an alligator. Right there, less than the prescribed thirty feet from where I was standing, on the grass at the edge of the lake. Just sunning itself. Unhurried. Completely unbothered. Just living its life at the edge of the water.

How about that.

An Environmental Learning Center, Not a Destination Park — And That’s Exactly the Point

Sheldon Lake State Park functions more as an environmental education center than a traditional state park. They host school groups, nature programs, children’s events. The ecosystems here — the wetland ponds, the managed habitats — feel intentional in a way that’s different from a park built around a lake or a forest.

Jerry and I were essentially the only ones there the afternoon we visited. We arrived close to quarter till four, which gave us just over an hour before the five o’clock closing. The highway noise from behind the tree line reminds you that you are deep inside the Houston metro area. And yet.

And the green grass stretched out in front of me under the trees. And the water was still with the afternoon sun shining on it. The gravel paths beckoned. And for a stretch of time, none of the noise behind us mattered at all.

The places you approach with low expectations are often the ones that leave the deepest impression.

The Sketch: A Quick One, and Still Worth Every Minute

I will be straightforward — this was not a leisurely sketching afternoon. With the park closing at five and our late arrival, I pulled out my pens and kept it moving. A quick sketch of the wetland pond. Simple lines. Not my most elaborate work from this journey.

But here’s what I have come to understand about the sketchbook practice: it is not about the quality of the finished drawing. It is about the act of stopping, looking, and committing to seeing a place on its own terms. Even a quick sketch asks you to be present in a way that just walking through doesn’t.

I scribbled that wetland pond with its surround of flat rocks and green plants, and by the time I closed the sketchbook, I felt the particular kind of quiet that only comes from having truly looked at something.

The sketches from all 88 parks will eventually illustrate a book I am writing about this journey. A quick sketch still belongs in that book. It still counts.

Even a quick sketch asks you to be present in a way that just walking through doesn’t.

What Happens When You Step Outside — Even Briefly

There is a measurable thing that happens when you step into a natural space, even an imperfect one. Even one with highway noise. Even one you only visit for an hour.

Cortisol — the stress hormone that contributes to inflammation, dull skin, and the general wearing-down feeling that accumulates over a lifetime of busy days — responds to time in nature. Not dramatically. Not in an hour. But the body notices. The nervous system begins to settle.

I could feel my blood pressure drop just standing beside that wetland pond. That is not poetic license. That is a real, physical thing I have come to recognize over the course of this journey. And it is worth a lot. It really is.

Almond Oatmeal Soap: What I Carried and Why

I brought my Almond Oatmeal Soap to Sheldon Lake State Park. The reason is a simple one: it has always been a favorite with kids. My son loved it when he was younger — the mild scent, the gentle lather, the way it never felt like it was doing anything harsh to his skin.

An environmental learning center that works with children felt like exactly the right place for this particular bar. There is something grounding about a soap that has been trusted by the people you love most. It is not a complicated reason. It doesn’t need to be.

My approach to what I put on my skin — and what I make for others — has always come from that same instinct. Fewer ingredients. Nothing that stresses the skin. Things that feel like care rather than correction. A bar of soap should feel like it belongs in a place like this: uncomplicated, natural, honest.

You Just Never Know

That is the line I keep coming back to from this visit. You just never know.

You do not know what a park will look like until you get there. You do not know if the light will be right or the water will be still or an alligator will be sunning itself right by the path. You do not know if an hour will be enough.

But I have learned on this journey that showing up is almost always enough. The parks give you something. They give you the thing you needed, not always the thing you expected. And that is a lesson I am trying to carry into the rest of my life, too — into how I tend to my skin, how I spend my days, how I approach this season of life.

You show up. The rest follows.

The Quest: 88 Parks, One Practice

The Texas State Parks Passport gets a unique stamp at each of the 88 parks in the system. I am visiting every single one, documenting what each stop teaches me about nature, about tending to yourself well, and about what it means to age with intention rather than resistance.

Sheldon Lake is stop 8 of 88. Next, we are heading to Sea Rim State Park. Come along.

New episodes post every Friday. If this resonates with you, share it with someone who is ready to show up for themselves.

Practical Notes for Your Sheldon Lake Visit

• Location: 14140 Garrett Road, Houston, TX 77044
• Day use hours: Open daily; closes at 5:00 PM — plan accordingly
• Entrance fee: Free — no cost to visit
• Park highlight: The wetland pond ecosystems and the wildlife that come with them — keep your eyes open
• What to bring: Water, comfortable walking shoes, a sketchbook if that is your thing, and patience — the wildlife appears on its own schedule
• Wildlife note: Alligators are present — stay at least 30 feet away and enjoy them from a respectful distance
• Best time to visit: Weekday mornings before any scheduled programs; early spring and fall for cooler temperatures
• Worth noting: It is closer to Houston than almost any other park on this journey — a genuine escape that does not require a full day

FAQs

References

Texas State Parks Website

Susan Soaps & More — Almond Oatmeal Soap

Texas State Park Journey Posts Page

Previous Park Visit – Stop #7 Galveston Island SP

I’ve Been Here Before — Just Not Like This

I’ve been to Galveston Island many times over the years. Growing up in Corpus Christi, being near the water has always felt like home. And at just about a four-hour drive, it is an easy getaway by Texas standards — especially with access to a timeshare right on the beach, complete with a full kitchen.

So yes, the island is familiar to me. I’ve even passed the entrance to Galveston Island State Park more times than I can count.

But this was the first time I actually stopped to explore it — and I had no idea what I’d been missing on the bay side of the island.

It is peaceful in a way that surprises you. Quiet, calm, and full of simple beauty. The kind of place where you can slow down, notice the wildlife, and just listen to the gentle sounds of nature.

Watch the full episode below — then keep reading for more from this visit.

Not the Beach You’re Expecting

I know what you’re probably thinking: why is Susan not on the beach?

I made my way to the beach side too — and I still love it. But what I wanted to bring to you is the part of Galveston Island that most people drive right past. The bay side. The part that is still wild and a little unexplored.

This is the side with ponds and birds and sea oats and marsh grasses. It is open and unhurried in a way that felt immediately different from the more familiar stretch of Galveston I’ve always known. I saw people kayaking, fishing, camping, and others simply wandering the trails or taking in the view from the observation deck — just like I did.

And after I visited the beach, I came back with a new appreciation for just how quiet that bay side really was.

“There’s something special about discovering the slightly wilder, quieter side of a place you thought you already knew.”

Resetting Isn’t Complicated — But It Does Take Intention

That is something I have been thinking about a lot lately. Resetting your energy is not complicated. But it does require intention. It does require, to some degree, taking action and choosing to be somewhere that is going to help you do that.

For me, that means coming out to a state park. There may be other people around — but most of them are quietly seeking the same thing. Lots of birds, open sky, trees. Nature does it for me.

Everything feels a little more open here. You notice things differently. The heat, the light, the sound of the water. It settles something in me that a busy day cannot.

I hope you find your way to doing some version of that for yourself, too.

“Resetting my energy, renewing my spirit, making my skin feel calmer — which comes from making all of me feel calmer — is not complicated. But it does require intention.”

A Little Something About This Place

Galveston Island State Park sits on the western end of Galveston Island, spanning both the Gulf beach side and the quieter Galveston Bay side. The bay side protects one of the few remaining coastal prairie and wetland habitats along the upper Texas Gulf Coast — a landscape that once stretched for miles and now exists in only a handful of places. It is a reminder that wild things endure when we choose to protect them.

The Sketch: Learning to See What You Have Passed By

I brought my sketchbook to Galveston, as I bring it to every park on this journey. Sitting on the bay side with the marsh grasses and open water in front of me, I was reminded that slowing down long enough to draw something forces you to truly look at it.

I had driven past this park for years. And here I was, finally still enough to see it.

The sketches from all 88 parks will eventually illustrate a book I am writing about this journey. So each drawing is not just a record of the visit — it is a piece of something larger being built, one park at a time.

The Lavender Lotion Bar: What I Carry and Why

I brought my Lavender Lotion Bar to Galveston. Since it is solid, it travels pretty much anywhere — in a purse, in a bag, even on a plane. I created it so you could have a moisturizer with you whenever you needed it, without worrying about spills or liquids.

After a few hours outdoors — especially in Gulf Coast air — your skin registers the wind, the salt, the humidity swings. A quick application of something gentle and natural is simple maintenance. The kind of small ritual that closes the sensory experience of a day in nature the right way.

My approach to skincare has shifted considerably as I have gotten older. I do not believe aging is something I need to fight anymore. I tend to it and support it — with fewer, better things. Formulations rooted in nature. Products that feel like care, not correction.

That philosophy is what every product I make is built around. And it is what this entire series is built around too.

“At this stage of my life, making my skin feel calmer comes from making all of me feel calmer.”

The Quest: 88 Parks, One Practice

The Texas State Parks Passport gets a unique stamp at each of the 88 parks in the system. I am visiting every single one, and documenting what each stop teaches me — about nature, about tending to yourself well, and about what it means to age with intention rather than resistance.

Galveston Island State Park is stop 7 of 88. Cedar Hill was where the practice began. Galveston is where I learned that a familiar place can still surprise you, if you finally stop long enough to let it.

This is not a race. It is not a travel vlog. It is a guide to showing up for yourself, one park at a time.

If you are in a similar season — looking for a way to reconnect, slow down, and approach your life with more care and less urgency — you are welcome to walk this with me.

Practical Notes for Your Galveston Island Visit

• Location: 14901 FM 3005, Galveston, TX 77554
• Day use hours: Typically 8 AM to 10 PM — confirm current hours at the Texas State Parks website
• Entrance fee: Standard Texas State Park day use fees apply; the Annual Pass is worth it if you plan to visit multiple parks
• Don’t skip the bay side: Most visitors head straight for the beach — the bay side trails, ponds, and observation deck are where the wildlife and quiet are
• What to bring: Water, sunscreen, comfortable walking shoes, binoculars if you enjoy birds, and something grounding for after — your skin will thank you
• Best time to visit: Weekday mornings tend to be quieter; spring and fall are ideal for birding and mild temperatures
• Worth noting: The observation deck on the bay side offers a peaceful, wide-open view that feels very different from a typical beach visit

FAQs

Galveston Island State Park is stop 7 of 88 on my Texas State Parks Quest. New episodes post every Thursday. Next stop: Sheldon Lake State Park. If this resonated with you, share it with someone else who is ready to slow down.

References & Links

Internal Links

Texas State Parks Quest Series

Lavender Lotion Bar

About Susan Soaps & More

External Links

Texas State Parks Website

Galveston Island State Park

Texas State Parks Passport