Sunday, December 1, 2024
Good morning! Today is December 1st and we are leaving the BK Burk Little Pond Creek Ranch of our friends, Brian and Karen Burk in Rosebud, Texas and heading to Lake Conroe Thousand Trails in Conroe, Texas.
We were on the move today traveling from our friends ranch in Rosebud, Texas to Lake Conroe Thousand Trails in Conroe, Texas. We left around 8:45 a.m. and drove around 130 miles south from Rosebud to Conroe. It was about 130 miles and it is a beautiful sunny day with a temperature of 70 degrees. Just perfect! We will be here for 4 weeks except for when we leave on our 9 night cruise on Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas out of Galveston on Saturday, December 7 and return on Monday, December 16.
Shown below is the gravel road, County Road 136 as we're leaving Brian and Karen's house and ranch.
At around 11:15 a.m. we crossed over Lake Conroe. Lake Conroe is a 21,000-acre lake in Montgomery County, Texas. Even though it is named Lake Conroe, only the southern third of the lake is in Conroe, Texas.
Most of the lake is in unincorporated Montgomery County, while a small northern sliver juts into neighboring Walker County where the Baker Bridge is located. The lake lies on the West Fork of the San Jacinto River, just west of Interstate 45 off State Highway 105 in Montgomery and Walker counties. Lake Conroe is a popular attraction for boating, jet-skiing, and fishing.
Soon we entered the city of Conroe, Texas.
Conroe is a city and the county seat of Montgomery County, Texas, located about 40 miles north of Houston. It is a principal city in the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area. As of 2023, the population was 103,035. According to the Census Bureau, Conroe was the fastest-growing large city in the United States between July 1, 2015, and July 1, 2016.
Conroe is named after Isaac Conroe. Born in the North, he served as a Union Cavalry officer and settled in Houston after the Civil War. There he became a lumberman. Conroe founded a sawmill in this area in 1881. The community built its early economy and wealth on the lumber industry. Originally named "Conroe's Switch", the community received an influx of workers and residents in the late 19th century who were attracted to the growth of the lumber industry, which harvested the local piney wood forest.
In 1886, Conroe Mill School was established in the expanding town. Conroe Normal and Industrial College, a school for African Americans, served the area. Six lynchings were recorded in Montgomery County around the turn of the century, and some suspects were lynched at the courthouse in Conroe. In 1922, a young black man named Joe Winters was lynched, burned alive on the courthouse square for allegedly attacking a young white woman. Within the black community, it was known he was in a consensual relationship with the woman, who denied it when they were discovered.
At 11:30 a.m. we arrived at Lake Conroe Thousand Trails (see above and below).
Shown below is an aerial view of Lake Conroe Thousand Trails.
We got all set up on site #E-63 in Lake Conroe Thousand Trails for four weeks by 12:15 p.m. We have requested special permission to stay on this site while we are on a nine night Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas cruise from Saturday, December 7 - Monday, December 16, 2024.
Shown above is a portion of Lake Conroe, while below are pictures of the swimming pool and area around it at Lake Conroe Thousand Trails.
Thursday, December 5, 2024
I feel like a kid again. . . I went up and did the children's craft at 1 p.m. here at the Lake Conroe Thousand Trails in Conroe, Texas. We used a white paper and cut out a circle that we later used for the ornament, and then used the other part of the paper plate to make a wreath. Easy peesy!
Friday, December 6, 2024
At 11:30 a.m. I went up to participate in the ladies craft session at Lake Conroe Thousand Trails. Is it a gnome or Santa Claus? I think whichever and anyway I still believe!
Then at 1 p.m., they had bingo. Mel came up to play as well.
B-I-N-G-O anyone. Mel and I played several rounds of bingo this afternoon. And we both were winners!
Mel won about 3 times and picked blueberry muffins, while I won 3 times and picked a Christmas dish towel, a nativity scene ornament, and a Christmas tree headband -- all practical and useful. We will probably get to play bingo a few more times at this campground.
The lady that helped us make the craft today, also showed me some of her Christmas tree decorations. Someday, I will make one of these for our RV.
HERE'S THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE 2X4 WOOD CHRISTMAS TREE
Supplies for Wood Christmas Tree from 2x4s:
* 2×4 lumber: one 8 foot long piece, plus a piece 21 inches long
* 2.5 inch long trim head screws
* wood glue
* wood putty
* stain or paint
Tools:
* Miter saw (a circular saw can be used but a miter saw would be best)
* Orbital sander
* Drill
Cut list for Wood Christmas Tree from 2×4:
* One at 14 inches, with one 22.5° end and one 45° end, (14 inches long point to long point)
* One at 12 inches, with one 22.5° end and one 45° end (12 inches long point to long point)
* Four at 12 inches, with 22.5° ends (12 inches long point to short point)
* One at 21 inches with 22.5° ends (21 inches long point to long point)
* One at 12 inches with 22.5° ends (12 inches long point to long point)
Cutting Wood Christmas Tree from 2x4s:
For the first cut, turn your saw table to 45 degrees.
The board needs to be on its side, not flat. It is a bevel cut because we’re cutting through the thickness of the wood, but we're doing a little shortcut and rotating the saw rather than beveling the blade.
Cut one end at 45°, then the second cut is going to be at 22.5 degrees. Your saw should have a notch on your miter saw so you can easily find that 22.5. From long point to long point is 14 inches in length. So what we’ll need to do is move the saw to 22.5 degrees on the opposite side that you cut the 45 degree end at.
Cut the second piece at 12 inches, with one 22.5° end and one 45° end (12 inches long point to long point).
Next 4 of the pieces have 22.5 degrees ends, but they are long point to short point. What this means is that the long point and then the short point are on the same side. Cut one end at 22.5°, mark 12 inches length, then slide the board down and cut on the 12″ mark. Do NOT flip the board around or move the saw on the second cut, just slide the board down.
The base piece is 21 inches long, from long point to long point with 22.5° ends.
The trunk piece is 12 inches long, from long point to long point with 22.5° ends.
Cut list for Wood Christmas Tree from 2×4:
-14 inches, with one 22.5° end and one 45° end, (14 inches long point to long point)
-12 inches, with one 22.5° end and one 45° end (12 inches long point to long point)
-Four) at 12 inches, with 22.5° ends (12 inches long point to short point)
-21 inches with, with 22.5° ends (21 inches long point to long point)
-12 inches with, with 22.5° ends (12 inches long point to long point
Sand all of your pieces now. It’s way easier to do it now before it’s assembled.
Lay out your tree pattern so you don’t get them mixed up as you go.
Assembling Wood Christmas Tree from 2x4s:
Starting with the top two pieces, figure out where you want your two and a half inch screws to go in it and what angle. Mark where the screws need to enter and then the angle of where they need to go in at. Turn that board down and start your screws while it’s flat on a surface. It’s easier to start screws while the board is laying down.
Mark where the screws need to enter and then the angle of where they need to go in at.
If you are not using trim head screws and are using regular wood or drywall screws, you should PRE-DRILL your holes.
Once you get them started, place it back into position. I think it’s easier to flip it up and hold it. Get a good grip on it and really hold it tight when putting the screws in.
If it presses against the bottom piece of wood, back your screw out, and then go back in.
Next, take two of our 12 inch pieces. You want two inches of overlap. Mark in the middle of the overlap where the screws need to be placed.
Start the screws so they are positioned in the first board. The reason we put the screws on the inside is to hide them. Start the screws with the board laid flat.
Apply wood glue to where the boards will be together.
Apply wood glue for the best hold. Finish driving the screws in all the way. It’s important to work on a flat surface.
Drive screws the rest of the way in. Make sure there is a 2″ overlap.
Now for the second side it’s hard to angle the screws in because of limited space on the inside of the wood tree, so you can add the screws from the outside if you need to.
Now we’re going to get move on to the third tier. Take your remaining 12 inch pieces and measure and mark two inches for the overlap.
Mark where your screws need to enter, lay your boards flat and start your screws.
Apply wood glue and then drive the screws in the rest of the way.
The bottom piece is 21 inches from long point to long point. On this bottom piece drive the screws in from the bottom.
Mark where your screws need to end and where your screws need to enter from. You don’t want your screws too far in or too far out. They need to be centered to catch the middle of what it’s going into.
You don’t want your screws too far in or too far out. Flip your board down and we will start the screws.
Add glue here if you’d like. Make sure you stay on a flat surface while you’re making this so that the 2x4s do not twist. Flip it over and put the remaining last two screws in.
The very last piece is our trunk. This is 12 inches from long point to long point. Apply glue to the top side.
Make sure that this is centered, about five inches on each side. Attach with two screws.
Fasten “trunk” from bottom with 2 screws.
Sanding and Staining Wood Christmas Tree from 2x4s:
Appy wood filler in the two screw holes at the top. Don't worry about the inside screw holes, because you won’t really be able to see them.
Sand off any pencil marks and sharp corners.
Once it’s sanded, stain it whatever color you like. And if you’d like to decorate or not, I think leaving it a natural color it looks great, but there’s a lot of things you can do with this. Leave it as a simple wooden Christmas tree, stain brown for a rustic look, stain golden oak for a boho look, use white acrylic paint and a baby wipe for a whitewash look, solid white paint for a farmhouse style look. Try different colors on each wood tree and pair as a set!
I truly love doing crafts -- they keep me on my toes and let me show my creativity throughout the seasons!
Shirley & Mel
