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Summer Wrap-Up. Part 3: The Lufkin Zoo.

Melissa Beene Ford/ Family Fun

Yes, we have a zoo here in town.

Its a very nice little zoo.

But we’ve been here 172,468 times in the past 8 years, and well, we’ve seen it.

With my kiddos being the animal fanatics they are, we try to hit the local zoo wherever we are when we travel anywhere.

Because, you know, when you see one monkey you haven’t necessarily seen them all.

(Yawn).

So once, for some weird reason ~ I think we were traveling to Houston, and Lufkin is about halfway….a good place to stop and take a break from driving with small children ~ we stopped and checked out the Lufkin zoo once upon a time.

And we were hooked and now make it a point to go visit the zoo a couple of times a year.

They have a hippo tank where you can gawk at the hippos through a piece of glass, and they can gawk at you with their very large eyeballs.

And tigers.

We don’t have those particular animals in Tyler.

Nor do we have this jungle/rainforest vibe with low overhanging trees.

At the Lufkin zoo, you are THISCLOSE to the animals; sort of dangerous, if you ask me, especially with only a 3-foot-tall concrete wall separating your toddlers from the more ferocious of the man-eating animals.

But, still, that’s part of the ambience and what makes the Lufkin zoo such an experience.

And then there are the real, live peacocks roaming the grounds.

They are everywhere.

Its the coolest thing! They hop the fences, roam the sidewalks, and nestle on top of the rooftops of all the little animal huts.

We even spotted an albino peacock!

The Lufkin zoo also has a cool little train that encircles the zoo, crossing over a lake and through the trees.

The same 172-year-old gentleman has engineered this train for over twenty-five years, he said. Or maybe he said thirty? I’m not good at remembering trivial things like numbers. But ask him yourself if you have the opportunity; He will definitely be your friend and explain to you all the ins and outs of the railroad situation through the generations.

We love the train.

We love the whole zoo, actually.

Definitely worth the 90-mile drive for a day of fun in the summertime!

We swung by to visit my grandmother in Nacogdoches on our way home from our day at the zoo. And sadly I didn’t get a picture.

So I’ll just include this picture of my grandmother with her eyes closed and me at my wedding 11 years ago.

Because its relevant to this story somehow, I just know it.

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Comments

  1. Yooper says

    August 19, 2009 at 10:09 pm

    Oh, love how you worked that beautiful photo in. NOW I can tell you're tall. You have fabulous, elegant posture. WTG!

    Reply
  2. Jana says

    August 20, 2009 at 2:49 am

    haha! great zoo, great pic of Gramma, crackin me up….thats what your doin.

    Reply
  3. Pam says

    August 20, 2009 at 7:01 pm

    Hi, I just hopped over from PW. Pretty zoo pictures. We visit zoo everywhere also. I love the roving little guys.<br /><br />The name of your Grandma&#39;s home town is really cute. I wish I could read it. How do you pronounce it? Do you need a Texas Twang to do it right? :D<br /><br />Pam

    Reply
  4. Melissa from the Blue House says

    August 21, 2009 at 2:40 am

    Pam, &#39;Nacogdoches&#39; is an Indian name. Here in East Texas we say it, &quot;Nac-uh-DOTCH&#39;-iss.&quot; That would be a long &#39;O&#39; sound on the &#39;dotch&#39; but I wasn&#39;t sure how exactly to type that. 😉 They say its the oldest town in Texas, a fact that will surely be handy to know at some point in life. More info here —&gt; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nacogdoches,_Texas

    Reply

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About Me


Hey there... I'm Melissa! Texas girl. Mom to three + one goldendoodle. Believer. Old house fanatic. Creating a happy + healthy home with purpose is my passion. I'm so glad you're here!

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I don’t know who’s big idea it was to strip 80 I don’t know who’s big idea it was to strip 80 years of paint off of this door down to the wood and start over… but that person has no business starting new projects. 😅 My neighbors must have thought this project would never end. *I* thought this project would never end. 😰 If you’re thinking of doing this yourself? Just don’t, ok? Throw the whole door away and buy a new one. 😂🤣 Just kidding.  Old house weirdos like me… we can’t just do things the easy way. Anyhoo… after some trial and error, @sherwinwilliams Celestial is what I landed on, and I have to say… I like it. Periwinkle-ish blue looks great with the yellow house and will look even better when the azaleas are in bloom. Was it all worth it? That’s not important right now. 🤭 Will I do this all again in two years? The magic eight ball says… without a doubt. 👏🏻 I’ve already picked the next color. #gluttonforpunishment #somefoolsneverlearn #oldhouselove #oldhomelove #makinghome #southernliving #gardenandgun #azaleadistrict #tylertx
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Happy Saturday ☀️ Happy Saturday ☀️
Salt Lake City is always magical ✨ Salt Lake City is always magical ✨
2022 had its highs and lows for sure, but scrollin 2022 had its highs and lows for sure, but scrolling through my pics from the last twelve months made me realize how blessed and content I am. Prosperity, love, and peace have been ours in abundance, in spite of the pain of losing my dad. The second picture is the last picture of him… the last time I saw him. 💔 But God has been good to my family this year and 2022 is ending far better than it began. 😄 #2022inreview #thanksforthememories
Who wants a Christmas tour of my home? 🙋🏼‍ Who wants a Christmas tour of my home? 🙋🏼‍♀️
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That’s it. That’s the tour. (Slide two). 
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It’s a new trend I’m starting: bare Christmas tree. Lowe’s tag still attached (so quirky and unexpected)! Christmas ornaments still in boxes. Coming soon to an Anthropologie window display near you. 
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Every year I think, “next year I’ll do better. Next year I’ll have it together.” And then, here we are on the SIXTH Christmas that we’ve been in this house, the sixth Christmas I’ve dragged our chaotic bunch of Christmas mess out of a chaotic garage I still haven’t unpacked from our move six years ago. 
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Maybe this year is the year I’ll organize it all and put it back neatly so that by Christmas number 7, it will be smooth sailing. People will flock to my social media to see how I’ve pulled everything off SO PERFECTLY. Next year will be my year. 
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Seems every year there’s less and less bandwidth for all these things. There’s more grief and stress, less money. More demands, less grace. 
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I put this sign on the wall in my office so I could keep it in front of my eyes: Love. Joy. Peace. And all that. I am SO unlike Jesus most days. So lacking in all of these character qualities. And that’s WITH waking up most mornings and spending my first 30 minutes with God Himself. 
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How lost would I be without that? Geez. I can’t fathom. I REQUIRE being transformed by renewing my mind every single morning, and even then, responding to people and life with love, joy, peace and patience doesn’t come naturally. 
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It’s the goal, though. 
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This weary world needs that from us Believers during this season, more than ever… even more than an Anthropologie-window-display worthy Christmas home tour. 
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I’m working on both.
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