Blue days, all of them gone,
Nothin' but blue skies from now on.
- Willie Nelson, Blue Skies (1978)

The cold snap is over and we're enjoying wonderful spring weather again.

Visit any park in Texas the week after Easter, and you'll find the ground covered in broken, dyed eggshells and confetti. It's an awful mess, and perhaps mystifying to anyone who's unfamiliar with the Easter tradition of cascarones.

Cascarones are dyed eggs that have been drained, washed, filed with confetti, and sealed back up with tissue paper. You then break or crush them over other people's heads for good luck. It's like a colorful, festive food fight.

Unfortunately, the mess they leave has gotten cascarones banned from many parks. The confetti is often plastic-based or stringy, and takes a long time to degrade. We don't recommend breaking the commercially produced cascarones outdoors (or indoors, for that matter). We do, however, have an eco-friendly, easy alternative that will make both kids (er, adults) and birds very happy!

We started with brown eggs, because they happened to come in a convenient half-dozen carton and, well, they're just pretty. They turned out not to take the dye very well, but we weren't too disappointed. We used food coloring and a little vinegar in our attempt.

Once they were dry, we broke a small hole in the end of each egg, drained out the insides (save it for later use, unless you just don't eat eggs at all), rinsed them out thoroughly, and refilled them with birdseed. It was at this point that we got a nice surprise - the inside of the shell was dyed!

Once they were filled we sealed the end with a little tissue paper, glued in place with regular nontoxic glue, and let it dry thoroughly.

For those of you joining us from further north, sorry to have to show you this. It's officially pool season in central Texas!

Shiner Ruby Redbird has grapefruit juice and ginger. It's delicious and summery, perfect for an afternoon picnic.

What we love about camping: sleeping under the stars, hearing the coyotes yipping, seeing animals cross our campsite, waking up at first light.

What we hate about camping: cold feet, noisy neighbors, mosquitos, and marauding raccoons.

"...find the tallest tree, get on my knees, find a seed and take it home..."

- Gary P. Nunn, Think I'll Go to Mexico

This song is pretty much our theme song for life.

This looks a lot like a huckleberry.

The Aldridge Sawmill operated between 1905 and 1923, turning East Texas pine trees into lumber. In the early 1920s the supply of trees was exhausted, and it closd for good. You can learn more about the history from the University of Texas Beyond History webpage. Today all that's left are the ruins of a few buildings, grown over in vines and covered in generations of graffiti. It's a spooky, wonderful place, and it's location 2.5 miles from the nearest trailhead keeps it well off the beaten path.

The Sawmill Trail is 2.5 miles from the Boykin Springs Recreation Area and 3.5 miles from the Bouton Lake Recreation Area, both in the Angelina National Forest near Zavalla, Texas. The trail winds through beautiful pine forests, with a few small hills and gullies. A clear stream runs alongside part of the way. It's an easy walk, with the exception of one bridge that some may find difficult to navigate. The trail is clearly marked with yellow placards.

We spent the weekend camping at Boykin Springs in the Angelina National Forest. When we get home we'll tell you all the details. For now, enjoy this campfire!

1. Wear it on your head. Whether to cover a bad hair day, shield your scalp from the sun, keep sweat out of your eyes, stay warm, or look cool, the classic biker bandana is a winner. Fold diagonally, place the folded edge on your forehead, and tie the ends behind your head.

2. Blow your nose on it. Using tissues in places with no trash can is a pain. Somehow they always end up tucked in weird places or stuck to an entire load of laundry after being sent through the wash. Bandanas that have been used as handkerchiefs can be machine or hand washed with detergent and hot water, and ultimately take up less space and resources than a box of tissues.

3. Use it for first aid. In a pinch, a bandana can become a sling, a tourniquet, or a bandage. You can fill it with ice to make an ice pack or wrap it around something hot to make a hot pack. You can dip it in water and use it to clean a wound. If you're caught out without a first aid kit, it could save your life, or at least your comfort.

4. Make a bindle (the cloth bundle on a stick you see in stereotypical depictions of hobos). This is actually a convenient way to carry an unexpected load and can be put together on the spot. Find an appropriate-length stick, place your goodies in the middle of your bandana, and tie the corners to the end of the stick. You can also tie the ends to your belt loop, handlebars, or backpack strap to make a pouch. This is great for things you find along the way, or items you don't want to get crushed in your backpack or pocket.

5. Dip your it in water then tie it around your neck, letting the evaporating water cool you off. This works best in dry climates.

6. Tie it over your face outlaw-style to keep dust or sand out of your nose and mouth.

7. Tuck it under your hat to keep the sun off your hat to keep the sun off your neck. Sure, it's not all that stylish, but neither is a sunburn!

8. Clean up yourself, someone else, or your gear. A wet bandana is a great way to do a quick sponge bath in your tent or a public bathroom. It also works great when you need to wash up in a stream that's to shallow to really get in. When you have enough water and privacy for a real bath, use it as a washcloth. You can also use it to wash dishes or clean up spills.

9. Get someone's attention. A red bandana makes a great signal flag in an emergency.

10. Sling a line over a branch you can't reach. Tie up something heavy (a rock, your car keys, a camp biscuit) in the bandana then tie it to the end of the rope. Give it a few swings then toss it over. With any luck you'll be able to grab it on the other side and string up your bear bag, hammock, or clothesline.