Author: Julia

I am a retired software solutions architect. I have been married to my husband, Bruce, for over forty years. We went full-time RVing for 3.5 years and saw much of the United States. After deciding to stop RVing, we bought a ranch house halfway up a hill on five acres. After Bruce and I talked about names for our five acres, we settled on Blackberry Homestead as a homage to the wild blackberries on the hill. We are working on creating our homestead. I love cooking and enjoy sharing recipes. I am also an artist, and I’ll share my current projects. Gardening and reading are my favorite hobbies.

Digging for Selenite Crystals at the Great Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma

May 28, 2023 One of the things I wanted to do was dig for selenite crystals at the Great Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge. It is the only place in the world that you can dig for hourglass shaped selenite crystals. Now, we didn’t bother to look up what to bring, as we expected to […]

Checking Out the Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma

May 27, 2023 After our hike in the morning, Nox was tired and just wanted to rest with all her toys. I wanted to go see the Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge, which is next to the Great Salt Plains Lake State Park. Bruce and I left Nox behind in the air conditioned RV since […]

Hiking by the Salt Fork of Arkansas River in Oklahoma

May 26, 2023 From the River Road Campground, we walked across the bridge over the Salt Fork Arkansas River. Nox started out ready to walk and got tired part way over the bridge. She had to be put in her backpack. Looking over the bridge rail, we saw so many large fish. We crossed the […]

To the Top of the Spillway of the Great Salt Plains Lake in Oklahoma

May 24, 2023 After we arrived (May 16) at the Great Salt Plains Lake State Park and set up our RV, we walked Nox around. We wanted to see how close we could get to the river, the Salt Fork Arkansas River. From the bank, we could see the spillway and a parking lot at […]

New State Sticker Added to the Maps

May 24, 2023 After we spent the night at the Great Salt Plains Lake State Park, we could put our Oklahoma State sticker on our map. We didn’t add the stickers until May 18th since we were so busy on the 17th. I put the sticker on the magnetic map on the refrigerator. Bruce put […]

From Texas to The Great Salt Plains Lake State Park in Oklahoma

May 23, 2023 As we headed north on I-35, I saw so many wildflowers blooming. I also saw fields of oil wells. Cattle ranches and horse ranches were common sights. We crossed into Oklahoma. I know this picture is not that great, due to the reflections on the window, so please forgive the poor quality. […]

Heading Out from Frog City RV Park with an Overnight Harvest Host Stop

May 21, 2023 On Monday (May15), we pulled out from Frog City RV Park and head east to Lafayette, LA to head north on I-49. We stopped at a charming rest stop. The magnolias were blooming. The Louisiana Rest Stops have been beautiful and well kept. We also passed an area with so many water […]

Pottery Shop About a Mile and Half from Frog City RV Park in Louisiana

May 18, 2023 I noticed a sign at the intersection of US 90 and Louisiana 95 for Wortman Pottery. It was one of the point of interest signs put up by the county. On Saturday (May 13), Bruce drove the truck to Potters Road, following Google maps. It was a short distance, about a mile […]

Muffuletta Search Leads to Best Poorboys We Found in Lafayette, LA

May 16, 2023 I wanted to have a muffuletta in the Lafayette area since I love them. The muffuletta sandwich originated in New Orleans at the Central Grocery Store Co. in 1906, so getting one while in the Lafayette area was something I wanted to do. For those who don’t know what a muffuletta is, […]

Kick Dance and Then, Crying in Pain

May 14, 2023 Nox has a problem with her right front shoulder, similar to a torn ACL in a person. She was first injured by speed racing our other dog and making a tight turn when she was about two or three. We took her into the vet as soon as it happened, as the […]