Bill Holston

Last Sunday I woke up early like I always do. I stood in the front yard and noted the entire Winter Hexagon: Rigel, Procyon, the Gemini Twins, Capella, Arcturus. I followed the line from the Belt of Orion, pointing to the Dog Star, Sirius. I noted the three planets: Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, and glanced up at the faint cloud of the Pleiades, my favorite constellation, which I could see clearly using binoculars.

Do you have a special place for you and your family? For my family, that place is the Big Bend region and particularly Big Bend National Park. Texas is blessed with two national parks. Guadalupe Mountains National Park contains Texas’ highest peak, Guadalupe Peak. And the fall colors of McKittrick Canyon are spectacular. But Big Bend National Park is my favorite spot on earth. Its remote desert beauty is a balm to my soul.

It was a warm 89 degrees when I started driving to hike. I had plenty of cold water, and the trail I was going to walk was 90 percent shaded. Still, I knew it would be hot. First I stopped at Little Lemon Lake. I’d heard there were Roseate Spoonbills there. I parked, grabbed my binoculars, and, sure enough, there was a single Spoonbill standing on the other side of the small lake, which is located at the old boat ramp off of Trinity Forest Way. I scanned the shore and saw four more.