For “Travel Tuesday” lets go to Lake Tawakoni:
Lake Tawakoni State Park
Lake Tawakoni State Park Sunset
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“Facilities include a swimming beach, 5.5 miles of hiking trails, 40 picnic sites, a four-lane boat ramp, a dump station/sewage treatment plant, and trailer pads for long-term guest host sites. 78 multi-use campsites (with electricity and water) and a Group Youth Area (35 person max.) are now open and reservable. This lease agreement with the Sabine River Authority will allow us to manage and enhance about 40 acres of native tallgrass prairie, an ecosystem that's hard to find in East Texas.”
“Lake Tawakoni State Park is a 376.3-acre park in Hunt County with 5.2 miles of shoreline along the south central shore of the main body of the reservoir. It was acquired in 1984. The park was authorized through a 50-year lease agreement with the Sabine River Authority, which operates the 36,700-surface-acre reservoir (at elevation 437.5 feet) and Iron Bridge Dam, located on the headwaters of the Sabine River.”
“The reservoir's primary purpose is to provide a municipal and industrial water supply for the surrounding communities and the City of Dallas. With a shoreline of approximately 200 miles, stretching through Hunt, Rains and Van Zandt counties, Lake Tawakoni provides water-oriented recreation for much of central northeast Texas. Prior to construction of the reservoir in 1960, the surrounding land area had been settled by ranchers and farmers following its occupation by "prehistoric Indians" and many historic Indian tribes for whom Lake Tawakoni is named. A master plan was developed to provide a balance between the recreational demands of the region and the preservation of natural resources.”
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A strange web appeared, but a storm knocked it down later.
Giant Spider Web in Tawakoni State Park. Texas-size spider’s snare is a bit of a mystery, Wed, Aug. 29, 2007
The 200-yard web at Lake Tawakoni State Park is generating buzz among entomologists on the Internet.
WILLS POINT — “If you hate creepy-crawlies, you might want to avoid Lake Tawakoni State Park, where a 200-yard stretch along a nature trail has been blanketed by a sprawling spider web that has engulfed seven large trees, dozens of bushes and even the weedy ground.
But if you hate mosquitoes, you might just love this bizarre web.
“At first, it was so white it looked like fairyland,” said park Superintendent Donna Garde. “Now it’s filled with so many mosquitoes that it’s turned a little brown.” “There are times you can literally hear the screech of millions of mosquitoes caught in those webs.” … By BILL HANNA of StarTelegram. More about this web at: http://spiderjoe.com/journal/giant-lake-tawakoni-web
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“In October 2007 Lake Tawakoni State Park, near Dallas, was ground zero for a "spider spectacle" that made news around the world. Thousands of spiders spun a massive web that blanketed a 200-foot section of trees.”
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Cats as Big as Toddlers
“Andy bringing in one of several big catfish caught on Tawakoni. We talk about bass as big as babies but these cats are as big as toddlers!”
Even larger ones have been caught in this lake.
“62 Pound catfish and 2/plus 45 pounders released at Lake Tawakoni.01-27-2008”
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Birding Texas: Lake Tawakoni State Park
“Located on the Sabine River, Lake Tawakoni is a terrific bird watching spot that can be found east of Dallas, Texas. It has bird watching habitats that include tall grass prairies, fields, woodlands, the dam on the lake (Iron Bridge Dam), and the lake itself and its shores (some amazing water birds can be seen here.) In addition to bird watching, you can enjoy swimming, fishing, hiking and boating at Lake Tawakoni. For tips on finding and identifying just a few of the species you may see while bird watching at Lake Tawakoni State Park in Texas, see: http://voices.yahoo.com/birding-texas-lake-tawakoni-state-park-7654870.html
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Area Attractions
Nearby Lake Tawakoni, you can camp at Lake Tawakoni State Park, Purtis Creek State Park, Tyler State Park, Cooper Lake State Park, Cedar Hill State Park. Other attractions nearby include Governor Hogg Shrine Historic Site (operated by the City of Quitman), and Canton "First Monday" Trade Days.
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The Original Canton First Monday Trade Days
In the 1800s, the Van Zandt County Courthouse square was home to First Monday Trade Day.
“In the 1850s when the circuit judge stopped in Canton on the first Monday of each month to hold court, people from across Van Zandt and surrounding counties came to the Courthouse square to watch court proceedings and take care of business. Many brought their own goods to sell or trade, including produce, farm equipment and livestock. It was common to see wild horses, which were rounded up in the region, for sale on Trade Day. Canton's First Monday earned a statewide reputation as the best place to buy a good horse.
In the 1940s, as the tractor came in and the need for horses declined, hog and dog trading took its place. Buyers came from surrounding states to purchase the finest cholera-free pigs sold anywhere. First Monday also became the place to go to find a good hunting dog. Dog trading became so popular that many began referring to First Monday as "Dog Monday."
By 1965, First Monday Trade Day had outgrown the Courthouse square, so the City of Canton purchased six acres just two blocks from the Courthouse and the sale moved off the square. And while the sale originally took place only on Monday, over the years it grew to incorporate the weekend prior to the first Monday of the month. Today, trade days are Thursday through Sunday prior to the first Monday, and the sale takes place year-round, rain or shine, with booths open from about 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. or dark.
Before the City of Canton acquired the present-day Original First Monday Park in 1965, vendors traded their wares on downtown streets.
In the early years of the First Monday sale, little money changed hands. Most people came to town to swap or exchange their unneeded or surplus stock for various desired items by means of barter. First Monday was all about the trade. In fact, the trade day was commonly referred to as "Hoss Monday" because horse ("hoss") owners used the day to swap animals with each other.
The Dixie Hotel, which was built in 1915 on what is now SH 64, was a popular spot not only during First Monday Trade Days, but also every day at lunchtime for more than 40 years. Among the hotel's famous guests were Will Rogers, Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson (who would later become president), Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, Wiley Post and H.L. Hunt.
For more than a century, the colorful stories surrounding First Monday Trade Days have been passed along to generations of Van Zandt County residents. One of the most common is the story of a man convicted and hung for killing George Conquest, an Englishman from Louisiana who made a living peddling goods from a wagon. Records show his partner, D.C. White, shot and killed Conquest in the Owlet Green neighborhood in Van Zandt County where the two had camped for the night. White then stole the wagon full of goods and made his way back to Louisiana where he was later apprehended and returned to Canton. He was hung in February 1882 and buried facing south (not east) in Hillcrest Cemetery near the First Monday Park. It was the last of only two legal executions in the history of Van Zandt County.
During First Monday's 150-year history, just about everything has been traded at First Monday. It's told that in the 1940s, two couples became such good friends during Trade Days that they decided to trade spouses and went to the District Clerk's Office to pursue the exchange.
During election years, politicians brought their campaigns to First Monday because more voters would be gathered here than at any other event. Still today, it isn't uncommon to run into candidates for local, state and federal offices walking the pathways of the Original Trade Days Park, talking to voters and taking time to sample the flavors of First Monday.”
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For those who frequent the RV-Dreams Chat Room know Speedy of http://speedysgreatadventure.blogspot.com/. He and his wife live, travel and work fulltime in their RV, and they also have a home base right near Lake Tawakoni at Wills Point, TX. They chose a great spot!
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On This Day:
Edsel Ford agrees to manufacture Rolls-Royce engines for war effort, Jun 12, 1940:
“On this day in 1940, Edsel Ford telephones William Knudsen of the U.S. Office of Production Management (OPM) to confirm Ford Motor Company's acceptance of Knudsen's proposal to manufacture 9,000 Rolls-Royce-designed engines to be used in British and U.S. airplanes.
By the spring of 1940, Nazi Germany had conquered Poland, Norway and Denmark and pushed France to the brink of defeat. An increasingly nervous General George C. Marshall, chief of staff of the U.S. Army, warned President Franklin D. Roosevelt that the United States needed to rearm in order to prepare for the possibility of a German attack on American shores. That May, Roosevelt called on Knudsen, a former Ford executive who became president of General Motors in 1937, to serve as director general of the OPM, the agency responsible for coordinating government purchases and wartime production. Knudsen had barely settled in Washington when he received an urgent appeal from the British government: The Royal Air Force (RAF) was in desperate need of new airplanes to defend Britain against an expected German offensive.
Unlike other automakers, Ford had already built a successful airplane, the Tri-Motor, in the 1920s. In two meetings in late May and early June 1940, Knudsen and Edsel Ford agreed that Ford would manufacture a new fleet of aircraft for the RAF on an expedited basis. One significant obstacle remained, however: Edsel's father Henry, who still retained complete control over the company he founded, was known for his opposition to the possible U.S. entry into World War II. Edsel and Charles Sorensen, Ford's production chief, had apparently gotten the go-ahead from Henry Ford by June 12, when Edsel telephoned Knudsen to confirm that Ford would produce 9,000 Rolls-Royce Merlin airplane engines (6,000 for the RAF and 3,000 for the U.S. Army). However, as soon as the British press announced the deal, Henry Ford personally and publicly canceled it, telling a reporter: "We are not doing business with the British government or any other government."
In fact, according to Douglas Brinkley's biography of Ford, "Wheels for the World," Ford had in effect already accepted a contract from the German government. The Ford subsidiary Ford-Werke in Cologne was doing business with the Third Reich at the time, which Ford's critics took as proof that he was concealing a pro-German bias behind his claims to be a man of peace. As U.S. entry into the war looked ever more certain, Ford reversed his earlier position, and in May of 1941 the company opened a large new government-sponsored facility at Willow Run, Michigan, for the purposes of manufacturing B-24E Liberator bombers for the Allied war effort. In addition to aircraft, Ford Motor plants produced a great deal of other war materiel during World War II, including a variety of engines, trucks, jeeps, tanks and tank destroyers.”
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Yesterday:
When Misty and I went to get Jay, I walked her around a bit longer, as she would be left at home for a while. My kitty-cat boarders, plus all their stuff, arrive on Wednesday, so Jay and I went into town today. We both had lengthy stuff to do at our bank. Mine was to transfer my SS direct deposit into that bank, as I am closing my accounts at the other bank. They want to start charging me a fee for using my money! Now that I don’t travel I don’t need accounts at two banks. As it was Monday they seemed to be extra busy. But they couldn’t do Jay’s paperwork until today, so I’ll do mine then, too
My main mission was to get Bobbiecat some more Wellness canned food, she was out of it. Jay hadn’t wanted to stop at Petsmart when we on our way back from town last time. I don’t know why he gets so worn out, he is 25 years younger than I am. But he won’t do that to me again, he can like it or lump it, Bobbiecat’s welfare comes first.
We stopped at a couple of thrift shops, and I donated a TV at one. He found a brass horn to match one that he already has hanging on his wall, but all I bought was a new brush to go on the shop vac.
Jay’s mother was glad that I got him out of her hair for part of the day.
1 comment:
Which bank started charging you when you used your money? I have accounts in two different banks. Business in one personal in another and hardly enough money to put in either (grin).
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