A fruitful afternoon stroll

Last Sunday I went for a walk in the afternoon, because I was feeling rather sluggish and was tired of sitting in my room.  :-)  It wasn't very cold, though there was a fairly strong wind gusting about.  That walk did me a lot of good; I felt much more awake and energetic when I got back to my room about an hour later.

The only problem was that I couldn't go walking exactly like I wanted to.  Here in America you can't just walk out your front yard and go exploring through vineyards and fields.  :-D  I didn't really want to walk on the road, so I set out across the grass behind the "shop" that is nearby.  That was much more enjoyable than just following the road.  I found lots of blackberry vines, which I'll definitely want to visit again next spring!

Before heading back to my room, I stopped by a couple of specific trees.  These pictures aren't too great, but can you tell what kind of trees they are?

Once you see this picture you'll know...  :-)

I spent several minutes walking back and forth beneath these trees, using my foot to push aside the wet leaves to see if there were any pecans underneath.  Earlier in the week I had seen someone else picking up pecans, and had purposed to go out there and do it myself, but then kept forgetting.  I hadn't even planned to do it on this walk, which meant I didn't have a bag in which to transport my harvest.  I just stuffed my jacket pockets with as many as I could.  ;-)
Back in my room, I counted them: I had picked up 27 pecans.

Our rug is too much fun...  :-D

Next I had the challenge of finding something to use for cracking the pecans.  Most dorm rooms do not come equipped with nut crackers, and I had not brought one with me.  So I had to be creative. 

The result was a whole bowlful of free pecan meat!  These pecans are not quite as tasty as Grandma and Granddad's native Texas pecans, but they are edible. 

That was definitely a fun -- and fruitful -- afternoon.  :-)