Meridian

One day when I was visiting my family in Texas, my parents and I decided to take a day trip to Meridian State Park.

Meridian is a small town about an hour outside of Waco past Clifton.

Established in 1935, Meridian State Park is one of the oldest in Texas, and many of the trails and structures were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

We had come out to the park for a day of hiking around the lake, looking for birds (we heard two rare ones, the Golden Cheeked Warbler and the Painted Bunting, but unfortunately couldn't spot them).

It was a beautiful spring afternoon, and the wildflowers were blooming. This is one of the nicest times of year to be in Texas. It's getting warmer, but it's still not hot, and it feels great to be outside.

After our big adventure in the Pacific Northwest, it was nice to spend a few weeks back with my family in Texas. The weather was getting warm enough that we got to have a few dips in the pool before I had to fly back to Thailand. The second part of my trip to the States was a much-needed time of rest and relaxation away from all of the stress of my work life right now.