After a full day in the "office" I broke away to join Eleanor and Emma for a dip in the famous Balmorhea swimming pool. They say it is the largest spring-fed pool in the US, and the water is always 72 to 76 degrees and very clear.

Emma, ready to put on her mask and snorkel!

It was tough to get psyched to go in the water because it didn't warm up much today (about mid 60s). So we took the added precaution of wearing our shorty wetsuits. But it was great once we got in -- great viewing, and plenty of creatures to see. Dozens of friendly black catfish, schools of shiny little fish, turtles, and ducks. Have you ever watched from below as a duck swims? It's pretty funny.

Eleanor and Emma meeting the catfish

At some points the catfish were so numerous, looking for handouts, we almost had to push them out of the way. And the water was as clear as my other favorite natural spring, Blue Spring in Florida. It's definitely a great spot and I can imagine it's very popular in summer.

Emma's snorkeling is coming right along. She's comfortable in water over her head, not afraid of undersea animals, she can tread water, give hand signals under water, and she can clear her mask without surfacing. We still need to work on a few skills, but we're all very pleased with her progress at age 5 and a half.

Today we are heading to Big Bend National Park for the weekend. Our plan is to meet Bert, Janie, and their friend David, at Rio Grande Village, which is a campground deep inside the park on the east side. We'll be very close to petroglyphs and a hot spring. I'm looking forward to seeing them again. Wednesday night we were up to nearly midnight telling stories and laughing!

I won't be able to update the blog from Rio Grande Village, and our cell phones won't work either. We'll be gloriously cut off from society for the weekend. There are few services in the park and that's the way people like it. So we'll catch you up on Monday. Expect some good pictures!