While Caitlyn was experimenting with her antique camera, she disturbed a flock of cedar waxwings.
We're just kidding. We love birds, even seagulls! But one of the problems with beach camping is that seagulls are smart, and they know that people eat delicious food, and they want that food at any cost. On the beach, you eat at your own risk. 
Visitors often complain that camping directly on the beach isn't allowed in most Texas State Parks. If you're one of those people, then Mustang Island State Park is perfect for you. Campers can drive directly out onto the beach, pick a spot above the high tide line, and pitch a tent in the sand. There are trash barrels and portable toilets, and a bathhouse on the other side of the dunes near the developed campground. This is our 'campsite': Here are a few photos from our day trip to Little Rock, Arkansas.  This is 'the' little rock. It's the first visible rock as you come north along the Arkansas River. A little further north is the 'big rock', which is actually a large rocky cliff. We went through several plans this morning, but ultimately the weather was just too nasty to go far from home. The Houston Zoo is only a few blocks from home, and we use it, as well as Hermann Park in general, as a kind of extended backyard. It's a great place to picnic, walk, and watch the animals go about their daily business. We know zoos and aquariums are important for keeping younger generations interested in conservation, and we know that comes with price tag. But over the past couple of years we've noticed a trend we're not entirely happy with. If we were insufferable hipsters, we'd say they were selling out, but we aren't so we'll just call it commercialization. It seems like the zoo is less and less about the animals and more and more about the money.  Galveston is the closest beach to Houston, but Surfside Beach is a close second and can be much less crowded on summer afternoons.  We stopped by the Quintana Neotropical Bird Sanctuary for a few minutes. The mosquitoes were eating us alive, so we didn’t stay long.
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