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

I’ve Been Thinking About Peace

Not the idea of peace. The actual thing. What peace actually is.

At 68, I’ve spent a lot of time chasing the feeling of it — waiting for life to get quieter, for the calendar to clear, for things to settle down so peace could finally arrive. But standing at Brazos Bend State Park, watching slow-moving water wind through cypress trees draped in Spanish moss, I started to understand something different.

Peace isn’t something that arrives. It’s something you recognize — when you’re finally still enough to see it.

Brazos Bend is the kind of place that makes that possible. Alligators resting on the banks. Ancient trees with trunks so wide you’d need several people to wrap your arms around them. Water that moves at its own pace. This place has been here for hundreds of years, and it has absolutely no interest in your schedule.

That’s exactly the kind of reminder I needed.

Watch the Episode

Before we go any further — this one is worth watching. The cypress trees, the alligators, the slow water… some things are better seen than described.

If this is the kind of quiet you’ve been looking for, keep reading. And if you haven’t subscribed yet, this episode is a good reason to.

A Place That Has Been Here for Hundreds of Years

We drove through only a fraction of Brazos Bend on this visit, and even that fraction was enough to understand what makes this park singular.

The cypress trees alone stop you. Their trunks rise from the water’s edge with a kind of permanence that makes you feel very small — and somehow, not in a bad way. When something has been growing in the same spot for that long, unbothered by everything that’s changed around it, it puts your own sense of urgency in perspective.

The alligators have that same quality. They move slowly. They rest without apology. They exist in complete alignment with their environment. I’m not suggesting we model our lives after alligators — but there is something worth noticing in a creature that has been doing exactly what it was made to do for millions of years and shows no signs of stress about it.

When something has been growing in the same spot for that long, it puts your own sense of urgency in perspective.

What I Chose to Sketch — and Why

There was one particular tree that stopped me completely.

The trunk was extraordinary — massive, textured, clearly ancient. When I sat down to sketch it, I kept having to remind myself to slow down. You can’t rush the texture of bark that old. You have to study it. The way the ridges run, the depth of the shadows, the places where the wood has twisted and grown around itself over decades.

The act of drawing it was its own kind of meditation. By the time I was halfway through the sketch, the internal noise had gone quiet. I could hear the birds. I could feel the air. I was fully present in a place that felt, in the best possible way, timeless.

That’s what the sketchbook does for me. It’s not about producing a beautiful drawing — though I hope the sketches do eventually add up to something beautiful, because they’ll illustrate the book I’m writing about this journey. It’s about being forced to look. Really look. At where I am and what’s in front of me.

You can’t sketch something you haven’t truly seen.

Eucalyptus & Tea Tree Soap: What I Brought and Why

I brought my Eucalyptus & Tea Tree Soap to Brazos Bend — and standing in that park, surrounded by water and cypress and open air, I reached for it the way I always do after time outdoors.

I made this soap originally because Texas air asks a lot of your skin. Wind, heat, humidity — your skin registers all of it. The eucalyptus and tea tree give it a gentle exfoliating quality that works beautifully at both ends of the day: washing the day off before bed, or starting fresh in the morning.

It’s the kind of product that feels purposeful without being fussy. I made it for myself first, the way I make most things — because I needed it. It’s found a permanent place in how I tend to myself, especially on park days.

I’m careful about what I let into my day. And I’m equally careful about what I wash away at the end of it.

What This Episode Is Really About

I’ve been thinking a lot about peace lately. Not the idea of it — the actual experience of it. And I think being at Brazos Bend helped me understand it a little more clearly.

Peace isn’t passive. It isn’t what’s left over when everything hard goes away. It’s what becomes visible when you step out of the noise long enough to recognize it was there all along.

At this stage of my life, I’m less interested in waiting for peace to arrive and more interested in putting myself in places where I can actually find it. That’s part of why this journey matters to me — not just as a YouTube series, not just as a sketchbook project, but as a genuine practice of tending to myself well.

Brazos Bend is the kind of place that does that work without you even asking it to. You show up, and it slows you down. 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’m 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.

Brazos Bend is stop #6 of 88. And there’s another one just around the bend.

Practical Notes for Your Brazos Bend Visit

• Location: 21901 FM 762, Needville, TX 77461
• 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 multiple parks
• Park highlight: The cypress-lined waterways and resident alligators — give yourself time to simply sit and watch
• What to bring: Water, sunscreen, insect repellent, a sketchbook if that’s your thing, and something grounding for after
• Best time to visit: Late morning through midday; spring and fall are ideal for the water and wildlife
• Worth noting: The ancient tree trunks along the water’s edge are extraordinary — pause long enough to really look at them

FAQs

Brazos Bend State Park is stop #6 of 88 on my Texas State Parks Quest. New episodes post every Thursday. If this resonated with you, share it with someone else who’s ready to slow down.

References

Texas State Parks Website

Susan Soaps & More — Eucalyptus & Tea Tree Soap

Stop 5 of 88 — and Already One of the Most Unexpected

I want to tell you about a moment that stopped me at Huntsville State Park.

I was standing near the old CCC lodge — built in 1942 by the Civilian Conservation Corps — and a woman nearby mentioned, almost in passing, that she used to come there to dance in the sixties. She said it so casually. Like it was just something she carried with her, something ordinary.

It wasn’t ordinary to me.

In that moment, eighty years collapsed into a single quiet afternoon. And I understood something about this place that no trail map could have told me: some places don’t just hold nature. They hold time.

Deep in the Piney Woods

Huntsville State Park sits in the Sam Houston National Forest, about an hour north of Houston, and the drive in already tells you something is different. The pines close in over the road before you’ve even reached the entrance. By the time you step out of the car, the canopy is overhead and the temperature has dropped and something in your nervous system — something you didn’t know was braced — begins to let go.

I’ve been to several Texas State Parks now. Five, to be exact, with 83 still ahead of me. Huntsville is the first one that felt truly immersive from the moment of arrival. Not a park you look at. A park you step inside.

The lake is beautiful. The trails shift between dense pine canopy and open water in a way that keeps surprising you. But it was the CCC lodge — tucked into the trees, timber and stone, completely unhurried — that became the heart of this visit for me.

What the CCC Built Here

The lodge at Huntsville State Park was built in 1942 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, the New Deal program that put young men to work building infrastructure across America’s public lands during the Depression. By the 1960s it had become a gathering place — dances on Friday nights, families driving in from surrounding towns, a community anchoring itself around a place in the pines.

When I stood in front of it with my sketchbook, I kept thinking about what it means to build something that outlasts the moment it was made. Those young men had no idea they were building a dance hall. They were just building carefully, with good materials, with intention.

That’s the kind of thing I want to be doing too. Not just with soap. With everything.

The Sketch: Drawing Something That Holds Time

I’ve sketched landscapes at every park on this journey. Huntsville was only the second time I sat down to draw a structure — and it taught me something similar to what Bonham’s stone headquarters taught me, but quieter.

Drawing timber is different from drawing stone. Stone has weight and permanence. Timber has warmth. You follow the grain lines, the way the wood has settled and darkened over eighty years, the shadows under the eaves. It asks for a kind of patient attention that is almost like listening.

By the time I finished, the woman who used to dance there had long since walked away. But something she said was still sitting with me. Some places hold people across generations without making a fuss about it. They simply stay standing, and they let you come back.

Some places don’t just hold nature. They hold time.

What the Pines Do for Your Nervous System

There is real, measurable science behind what happens when you step into a forest. The Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku — forest bathing — has been studied extensively, and the findings are consistent: time among trees lowers cortisol, reduces blood pressure, improves mood, and supports immune function. The phytoncides released by pine trees in particular have been shown to increase natural killer cell activity — the cells responsible for fighting inflammation and supporting immune response.

I am not a scientist. But I have spent enough time in enough parks now to tell you that the East Texas pines do something to you before you’ve had time to decide whether to let them.

That kind of deep settling — the kind that starts in your nervous system and works its way outward — is one of the most honest things you can do for your skin and your energy. Stress ages us from the inside. Nature, quietly and without drama, begins to undo that.

Walk in the Woods Soap: What I Carried and Why

I brought Walk in the Woods Soap to Huntsville — and honestly, it was the only choice.

This was the first men’s scent blend I ever developed. I wanted something earthy and grounding that men would genuinely reach for, but that women would love too. Lavender and patchouli together — not sweet, not sharp, just grounded. It became one of the most loved bars in the shop, by everyone.

Standing in those pines, I understood again why I made it. After a few hours in the forest — bark and earth and cool air — you want to close the day with something that honors where you’ve been. Not something that scrubs it away. Something that meets it.

That’s what this soap does. And if you really want to lean into that deep woodsy feeling, our Fir & Cedar Soap sits right alongside it — more resinous, a little darker, the scent of fir and cedar bark. The two together are basically a day in a Texas forest in bar form.

My approach to skincare hasn’t changed much since I started making soap over twenty years ago. Fewer things. Better things. Ingredients that come from the earth and work with your body rather than against it. That philosophy is what brought me into these parks, and it’s what lives in every bar I make.

The Quest: 88 Parks, One Practice

Stop 5 of 88.

Cedar Hill was where the practice began. Bonham was where it deepened. Huntsville State Park is where it became something I can feel in my body — the difference between knowing that nature is good for you and actually experiencing what that means.

I am visiting all 88 Texas State Parks, documenting each one through video, sketching, and writing — with a focus on what time in nature does for graceful aging, skin health, and intentional living. This is not a travel series. It is a practice. And you are welcome to walk it with me.

If this resonated with you, share it with someone else who needs to remember that some places hold time — and so do they.

Practical Notes for Your Huntsville State Park Visit

• Location: 565 Park Road 40, Huntsville, TX 77340
• 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’re visiting multiple parks
• Park highlight: The 1942 CCC lodge — walk around it slowly and look at the timber work
• What to bring: Water, a journal, comfortable shoes, and something grounding for after — your skin will thank you
• Best time to visit: Morning, when the pine canopy light is at its best
• Worth noting: The expansive deck behind the lodge has an amazing view of the lake and is wonderful to simply sit and absorb your surroundings. The park is larger than it looks from the entrance so give yourself more time than you think you need.

FAQs

Huntsville State Park is stop 5 of 88 on my Texas State Parks Quest. New episodes post every Friday. If this resonated with you, share it with someone who needs a reminder that some places hold time — and so do they.

References

Texas State Parks Website

When the World Gets Loud

There is a moment, not very long after you step onto a park path, when something shifts. The noise does not disappear exactly. But it moves further away. The birds get louder. The trees get closer. And whatever was pressing on you at home starts to feel, at least for a little while, like someone else’s problem.

That is what I came to Lake Tawakoni for. And that is what I found.

Lake Tawakoni State Park sits about an hour northeast of where I live, tucked along one of the largest reservoirs in northeast Texas. The day I visited was sunny and cool — the kind of spring day that feels like a gift. There were children playing down at the little beach, their voices carrying across the water. And I found myself a quiet, secluded spot, opened my sketchbook, and let the world get far away.

Which, at this point in my life, I have learned to recognize as one of the most important things I can do.

When the world gets loud, I find that walking down the path a little bit, listening to the birds, being among the trees really helps quiet everything down.

What the Water Does

I have noticed that water does something particular to the nervous system. You do not have to swim in it or do anything with it at all. You just have to be near it. Something in the body recognizes it and starts to let go.

Lake Tawakoni was created in the 1960s when the Sabine River was dammed to form one of the largest reservoirs in northeast Texas. Before the water came, this was farmland and open prairie. Now it is a state park — a place set aside, deliberately, so that people could come and do exactly what I was doing. Sit. Breathe. Let the water work.

I find that remarkable. That someone decided this needed to exist. And that seventy-some years later, it still does.

I was sitting in a little secluded area, and the world seemed pretty far away. Which I think is a good thing.

The Sketch: Grasses, Limbs, and Learning to Look

I brought my sketchbook, as I bring it to every park on this journey. This time I sketched what was right in front of me — little weeds and grasses, some limbs, the quiet tangle of things that grow at the water’s edge without anyone planning them.

I am not an accomplished artist. I want to be clear about that. But that is not really the point. The point is that when I sit down to sketch, I have to actually look at what is in front of me. I cannot glance at it. I have to study it — the way a stem bends, the way light catches a blade of grass, the way things grow in the directions they want to and not the directions anyone planned.

That kind of looking takes time. And taking time is, in itself, the practice.

By the time I was done, the internal noise had quieted. I could hear my own thoughts again. Which is the whole point of this journey, really.

Sketching just calms me and makes everything feel better. Which is kind of the point of this whole thing.

The sketches from all 88 parks will eventually illustrate a book I am writing about this journey. Which means every time I open that sketchbook, I am not just drawing a park. I am building something that will outlast the visit.

What Nature Does for Your Skin — and Your Energy

There is something measurable that happens when you step into a quiet outdoor space. It is not just poetic. Chronic stress drives cortisol production, and cortisol is one of the more underappreciated contributors to dull skin, inflammation, and accelerated aging. When we genuinely slow down — not just scroll more quietly, but actually stop — we give our bodies a chance to lower that cortisol, reduce systemic inflammation, and support the skin’s natural repair processes.

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.

Lavender Chamomile Soap: What I Carry and Why

I brought my Lavender Chamomile Soap to Lake Tawakoni. It felt like the right one for a day like this.

What most people do not know is that I originally created this soap for babies. Years ago I had a line called Little Angels — lavender and chamomile products designed specifically for infants and little ones with sensitive skin. A body butter, a lotion bar, and this soap. The soap was the one that sold best. So when I eventually stepped back from that line, I kept this one. I renamed it to match the format of my other soaps — named simply for the essential oils inside.

Lavender and chamomile are two of the gentlest essential oils there are. I chose them for babies because babies deserve only the most careful ingredients. It turns out those same qualities — calming, gentle, suited for sensitive skin — are exactly what I am looking for at 68. The world does not need to be harsher on your skin than it already is. This soap works with your body, not against it.

There is a little oatmeal in it as well, though not as much as my Lavender Oatmeal Soap. It is a gentle soap. The kind that closes a day spent outside exactly right.

I made it for babies. Turns out it is exactly what I need too.

When the World Gets Loud: What This Visit Is Really About

The theme of this episode is one I did not have to look very hard to find. It was already there in the reason I left the house that morning.

When the world gets loud — when the noise of it starts to crowd out the things that actually matter — nature is where I go. Not to escape. Not to avoid anything. But to remember what quiet feels like, so I can bring a little of it back with me.

At 68, I have learned that quiet does not arrive on its own. You have to go find it. You have to make the decision to show up for yourself — to take the drive, walk the path, sit beside the water. And when you do, the world has a way of rearranging itself around you.

That is what Lake Tawakoni did for me on this particular spring morning. I arrived with some noise in my head. I left with a sketch, a stamped passport, and considerably less of it.

Slow living, recharging, natural skincare — all of it together, out in nature, appreciating what Texas has given us.

The Quest: 88 Parks, One Practice

The Texas State Parks Passport gets a unique stamp at each park 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.

Lake Tawakoni is stop four of 88. (Maybe 89 — I understand a new park may have just joined the system.) Purtis Creek was last week. Huntsville State Park is next — Jerry and I are heading down to Galveston and plan to stop in the pines on the way.

This is not a race. It is not a travel vlog. It is a practice. And you are welcome to walk it with me.

If you are in a season where the world is getting loud and you are not quite sure how to quiet it — consider this an invitation.

Practical Notes for Your Lake Tawakoni Visit

• Location: 171 Park Road 54, West Tawakoni, TX 75474
• 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 lake itself — one of the largest reservoirs in northeast Texas, with beautiful open water views and a small beach area
• What to bring: Water, sunscreen, a journal if that is your thing, comfortable shoes, and something grounding for after — your skin will thank you
• Best time to visit: Spring and fall mornings are ideal; the water is beautiful in low light and the park is less crowded early in the day
• Worth noting: There are quiet, secluded spots away from the beach area that are perfect for sketching or simply sitting with the water

FAQs

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From This Blog

• Bonham State Park: Peace Is Something You Protect  —  Previous episode in the Texas State Parks series
• Purtis Creek State Park  —  Stop three of 88
• Natural Skincare for Sensitive Skin  —  How fewer, better ingredients make a difference
• Lavender Chamomile Soap  —  Shop — Susan Soaps & More

From Around the Web

• Lake Tawakoni State Park  —  Official Texas Parks & Wildlife page
• Texas State Parks Passport  —  How to get your passport and start collecting stamps
• Texas State Parks Annual Pass  —  Worth it if you plan to visit more than a few parks
• Nutured By Nature  —  American Psychological Association — research on nature and stress
• Benefits of Lavender Essential Oil for Skin  —  National Institutes of Health — published research

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Coming Home to a Place That Did Not Change

I have been coming to Purtis Creek for years. Long before I ever thought about visiting all 88 Texas State Parks. Long before I had a passport journal or a sketchbook or a camera. I just came here because it was close — thirty minutes from my front door — and because it helped me breathe.

Stop #3 of 88 brought me back with new eyes. And what I noticed is that the lake looks exactly the same. The trees are the same. The quiet is the same. And somehow that felt like exactly what I needed to see.

Some things are worth coming back to. Not because they are new. Because they work. Take a visit to a Texas State Park for slow living!

What Caring for Yourself Actually Looks Like at 68

I am 68 years old. I stopped trying to look younger a long time ago — and I want to say clearly that this was not resignation. It was a decision. A conscious shift toward something that actually serves me.

What I focus on now is feeling better. Supporting myself. Resetting my energy, my spirit, my physical self. Not chasing a version of myself that belongs to a different decade, but tending carefully to the one I am living in right now.

That is what this series is about. That is what the parks allow me to do. And Purtis Creek, this quiet, familiar place I have returned to so many times, is where that understanding first took root.

At this stage of life, resetting my energy isn’t a luxury anymore. It’s how I stay myself — and that’s worth protecting.

I Used to Rush Through Places Like This

I want to be honest about something. I used to rush through places like Purtis Creek. I would arrive, walk quickly, check it off some internal list, and move on to whatever felt more urgent. I did not let it work on me.

I do not do that anymore.

When I put my hand on a tree that has been here for decades — something that has weathered Texas heat and ice storms and drought and every kind of ordinary day — I feel something settle. It puts things in perspective in a way that nothing I can arrange on a calendar ever does. It grounds me. It quiets the internal noise.

That settling is not just poetic. Chronic stress drives cortisol production, and cortisol is one of the more underappreciated contributors to dull skin, inflammation, and accelerated aging. When we genuinely slow down — not just scroll more quietly, but actually stop — we give our bodies a chance to lower that cortisol, reduce systemic inflammation, and support the skin’s natural repair processes.

Purtis Creek has been teaching me this for years. I just finally started listening.

A Small Sketch for a Quiet Day

At my last park visit — Bonham — I sat down to draw the old stone headquarters building. Big subject. A lot of weight and shadow and deliberate attention. It was a long sketch for a significant place.

Today I wanted something smaller. A few leaves on a little plant near where I was sitting. Nothing ambitious. Just an excuse to be still and look closely at one small piece of what was right in front of me.

I was an art major in college. I sketched constantly back then. And then, like many things, it drifted away for years. Coming back to it now — at this stage of life, in these parks — it feels like a form of meditation I did not know I was missing.

It does not matter what it looks like. It matters that you are doing it. It matters that you sat still long enough to actually see something.

When I sit still long enough to sketch, I can actually hear my own thoughts.

Frankincense and Myrrh: What I Use and Why

Of the four body oil scents I make, Frankincense and Myrrh is the one I reach for most. Part of it is the scent — warm, grounding, deeply familiar in a way I find hard to describe. Part of it is how it feels on my skin. And part of it, I will be honest, is the history.

The wise men brought frankincense and myrrh to the Christ child. If that is not a recommendation that has stood the test of time, I do not know what is.

But I do not use it to look younger. I use it because Texas air is not kind — the wind, the dry heat, the way seasons shift without warning — and after a few hours outside, my skin feels it. This oil moisturizes in a way that actually holds. My skin does not feel dry or itchy. I feel more comfortable in my own skin. I feel better.

At this stage of my life, feeling good is reason enough. I do not need more justification than that.

The Things That Last Are the Things That Work

Being back at Purtis Creek made me think about this idea of return. Of the things we keep coming back to — not out of habit, but because they genuinely serve us.

The lake is the same. The trees are the same. The quiet is the same. And it still works on me the way it always has. There is a particular kind of wisdom in that. Not everything needs to be new or optimized or upgraded. Some things simply work, and the proof is that you keep coming back to them.

The same is true of what I put on my skin. I have simplified considerably over the years. Fewer products. Better ingredients. Formulations rooted in nature that I understand and trust. Things I originally made for myself because I could not find them anywhere else.

Simple. Tried over time. Trusted.

That is the whole philosophy, really. In the parks and in the skincare and in this season of life.

The things I keep coming back to — in nature, in my routines, in what I put on my skin — they’re the things that actually work.

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.

Purtis Creek is stop three of 88. Cedar Hill was where the practice began. Bonham was where it deepened. Purtis Creek is where I remembered that some of the most important places are the ones you have already found.

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 with yourself, slow down, and approach your skin and your life with more care and less urgency — you are welcome to walk this with me.

Practical Notes for Your Purtis Creek Visit

[ Purtis Creek State Park Stamp — Image ]

•  Location: 526 FM 751, Eustace, TX 75124

•  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 surrounding pines — quiet, deeply restorative, especially on a weekday morning

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

•  Best time to visit: Early morning or overcast days; fall and spring are especially beautiful

•  Worth noting: This is one of the closest state parks to the DFW area, which makes it ideal for a half-day reset

FAQs

Purtis Creek State Park is stop 3 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 slow down.

References

Texas State Parks Website

Susan Soaps & More — Frankincense and Myrrh Body Oil

This Is About a Different Kind of Endurance

I want to tell you something I have been thinking about a lot lately.

Peace is not a passive thing. It does not just arrive when life quiets down. At 68, I have come to understand that peace is something I have to actively protect — the same way I tend to my skin, my energy, and this season of life. Every single day.

Bonham State Park, celebrating its 90th year, is where that understanding became something I could actually see and touch. Because the stone headquarters building standing at the center of this park — built by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1935 — was not constructed to be beautiful. It was constructed to endure. And it has.

That is the kind of goal I am after now. Not staying young. Built with care. Made to last.

A Two-Hour Drive and a Really Good Date

Bonham is about two hours from home, and I invited my husband Jerry to come along for this one. It ended up being the loveliest kind of day — the kind you do not plan too carefully and somehow enjoy the most.

We had lunch at a small diner in Bonham before heading to the park. Then we spent a few quiet hours walking the grounds, looking at the stone structures, and sitting by the lake. Neither of us had been to Bonham before. Neither of us wanted to leave.

I share that because this series is not just about me and a sketchbook and a passport journal. It is about what happens when you make the decision to show up for yourself — and sometimes the people you love show up right alongside you.

Sometimes the best days are the ones you did not plan too carefully.

What a 90-Year-Old Stone Building Teaches You

Bonham State Park opened in 1935. The headquarters building you see throughout this episode was built by the Army Corps of Engineers — stone by stone, designed from the beginning to outlast the moment it was made.

When I sat down to sketch it, I kept coming back to that idea. There is a particular kind of wisdom in something that was built slowly, with intention, using materials that come from the earth. It does not apologize for its age. It does not try to look like something newer. It simply stands there, doing exactly what it was always meant to do.

I think that is what graceful aging looks like when you strip it all the way down.

The squirrel that ran across the top of that stone wall, backlit and completely unbothered, might be my favorite thing I captured on camera this trip. Imperfect footage. Perfect moment.

It does not apologize for its age. It simply stands there, doing exactly what it was always meant to do.

The Sketch: Drawing Something Built to Last

I brought my sketchbook to Bonham, as I bring it to every park on this journey. But this was the first time I sat down to draw a building rather than a landscape — and it taught me something I did not expect.

Drawing stone is slow work. You cannot rush the texture. You cannot fake the weight of it. Your eye has to study the way one block sits against the next, the shadows in the mortar lines, the way the corners meet. It asks for a kind of attention that is almost meditative.

By the time I was halfway through the sketch, the internal noise had completely quieted. I could hear the birds. I could feel the temperature of the air. I was, for a stretch of time, entirely present in a ninety-year-old place that had no interest in rushing me along.

That is what the sketchbook does. It is not decorative. It is one of the most practical tools I own for tending to myself well.

The sketches from all 88 parks will eventually illustrate a book I am writing about this journey. Which means every time I open that sketchbook, I am not just drawing a park. I am building something that will outlast the visit.

What Nature Does for Your Skin — and Your Energy

There is something measurable that happens when you step into a quiet outdoor space. Even in early spring, with bare trees and cool air, sitting beside the lake at Bonham I could feel something settling.

That settling is not just poetic. Chronic stress drives cortisol production, and cortisol is one of the more underappreciated contributors to dull skin, inflammation, and accelerated aging. When we genuinely slow down — not just scroll more quietly, but actually stop — we give our bodies a chance to lower that cortisol, reduce systemic inflammation, and support the skin’s natural repair processes.

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.

Fir & Cedar Soap: What I Carry and Why

I brought my Fir & Cedar Soap to Bonham. I made this soap for myself originally — not because I wanted a product, but because I wanted something grounding. Something that smelled like the outdoors I was spending more time in. Something simple enough that I actually knew what was in it.

Texas air is not kind to skin. The wind, the dry heat, the swings between seasons — your skin registers all of it. After a few hours outdoors, a proper cleanse with something that works with your body rather than against it is not a luxury. It is maintenance. The same kind of maintenance I give everything else I want to keep in good condition.

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 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 philosophy is what every bar of soap I make is built around. And it is what this entire series is built around too.

Protecting Your Peace: What This Episode Is Really About

The theme of this visit is one I did not fully understand until I was standing in front of that stone building with my sketchbook open.

Peace is protected. It is not stumbled into. It is not gifted to you when life finally slows down — because life does not slow down on its own. You have to build the structure around it, the same way the Army Corps built structure around this land nine decades ago.

At 68, I guard what drains me. I am careful about what I let into my days and careful about what I wash away at the end of them. That is not rigidity. That is tending to yourself well. And it is something I believe every woman in this season of life deserves permission to do without apology.

Peace is protected. It is not stumbled into. You have to build the structure around it.

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.

Bonham is stop #2 of 88. Cedar Hill was where the practice began. Bonham is where it deepened.

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 with yourself, slow down, and approach your skin and your life with more care and less urgency — you are welcome to walk this with me.

Practical Notes for Your Bonham Visit

• Location: 1416 State Hwy 56, Bonham, TX 75418
• 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 1935 stone headquarters building — take time to walk around it and look closely at the stonework
• What to bring: Water, sunscreen, a journal if that is your thing, comfortable shoes, and something grounding for after — your skin will thank you
• Best time to visit: Early morning or overcast days; spring and fall are ideal for the lake and stone structures
• Worth noting: The lake view from near the stone wall is quietly beautiful, even in winter

FAQs

Bonham State Park is stop #2 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 protect their peace.

References

Texas State Parks Website

Susan Soaps & More — Fir & Cedar Soap