Lone Star Fall

We had a wonderful camping trip with family this weekend!

It started on Friday: After evicting the fourth opossum from our attic (long story!) and shutting down Larry's still (err - I mean, hand sanitizer making equipment) we enjoyed a lovely 2-hour drive south to Lake Meridian State Park. I say "lovely" because we purposely chose the country road route versus I-35.

Along the way, we passed through Weatherford, Granbury, and Glen Rose. Oh, how I love the little courthouse towns of Texas!

As usual, Granbury's historic square was bustling. Not only does this little town host a wide variety of festivals year-round, but they are well-attended. We noticed decorations for the Harvest Moon Festival and a cool homemade mummy as we passed through.

Passing through Glen Rose, we admired its pretty little limestone courthouse, as well as a pair of autumnal dinosaurs cavorting in someone's lawn. I'm especially fond of the petrified wood gazebo in the town square. So many buildings in Glen Rose are adorned with fossils and petrified wood that it once billed itself as "Petrified City."

Although aware of the drought conditions, it was still a shock to see how low the river is in Glen Rose. Yikes!

Unlike the other courthouse towns we passed through, Meridian is not nearly as lively. It has two antique shops in the town square, but not much else. It's like when you see a person smiling, but they only have a couple of good teeth in an otherwise rotted mouth. You can feel the potential, but it's sad, as well.

Why do I love old small towns so much? I really don't know. If I could adopt them all and fix them up, I would. How do you feel about small towns?Read more