Foto Blendz Overlays No. 4 by Anna Aspnes

I adored growing up in southeast Texas. I was lucky enough to frequently visit my grandparents' camp near Jasper; I loved being in the pine forest, fishing on the Angelina River, and walking those sandy roads with my bare feet. My grandmother lived in Beaumont and later in Bevil Oaks, where the soil was also sandy, and Id try to walk barefoot, although that huge sycamore tree beside her trailer made it difficult to walk without watching your step! My aunt and uncle also lived in Bevil Oaks, near Pine Island Bayou, where palmettos grew in the woods; that was a strange sight. Everyone near the coast had crawfish mounds in their yards, and even though you were walking on grass, you could always feel the dirt moving beneath your feet; that soil was all clay. Camping at Sam Rayburn Lake was fun; I loved staying with my grandmother when she camped at Mill Creek Park, and I loved swimming there. Living in Groves, on the Gulf, we enjoyed wonderful seafood, and we would fry shrimp every Friday night. There were always fresh catfish and perch, especially at the camp or while at the lake, or frog legs. And during hunting season, we'd feast on squirrel. It wasnt until I was an adult that I realized I was fortunate enough to grow up in what is known as the Big Thicket area of Texas, which was established as a national preserve in 1974 in an attempt to protect the many plant and animal species there; it has been described as one of the most biodiverse areas in the world outside of the tropics and has even been called the "American Ark".