A Search for the Texas Vernacular: Episode 14

Mansfield, Texas: Elmer W. Oliver Nature Park

Who would have ever thought I’d be able to continue the Texas Vernacular series from Oregon? I think I’ve got a few good episodes left in me. Lets start with this surprisingly beautiful park in Mansfield.

Parks tend to be a “one-and-done” kind of deal in my mind. If you’ve seen one park, you’ve kinda seen them all.

This park is an exception.

Even though Texas was hot enough to make a man of my size and age cry, I still spent hours wandering around this park admiring the natural beauty I did not know existed in this part of Texas.

I don’t want to write too much about the experience, but it was surprising how varied the trail was. I have seen forests, and plains, and lakes, and rivers separately, but here you journey through them one by one.

Just stop reading this and scroll down to see what I’m talking about.

All along the trail you stumble across little moments of interest. Sometimes its nothing more than a bench in a clearing, other times it is an overlook to the river below.

Sometimes you stumble across a tiny frog and you spend 20 minutes trying to photograph it as it attempts to escape to the forest.

A few of my favorite things/places within the nature trail include this Treehouse Overlook that rises out of the landscape.

Another is this Boardwalk, beautifully located and detailed to respond to the local flood plane.

But my most favorite thing….

Wildflowers.

If you live in the DFW area, go see this park. Sometimes it is easy to forget there is such beauty in a place that relies so heavily on cars for transportation, this park is a friendly reminder of the natural beauty of Texas.

More Texas trip stuff shortly. 

Also, Happy 2nd Birthday to the OH! design blog. Hopefully a second blog book is on the way!