It’s almost November, and we’ve been on the road nearly five weeks. Our intention was “to wander” a little before we ended up in Bandera, the place where we’ll hunker down for the winter, and we did!

I learned what it actually means to stop and smell the roses. For once, we were not on a schedule. We stopped seven times for a few days or longer, and at two of them–Table Rock State Park and Hot Springs National Park–we stayed a week. That made the drive of more than 1,300+ miles-and-counting a treasure trove of memories.

I’ve enjoyed every bit of this trip so far, particularly the ‘exploring’ parts of it. The Trip Advisor app has led us to sights and experiences that we wouldn’t have known about otherwise. The Prayer Tower at Witness Park in Pittsburg, TX (pop. 4,497) is one of those.

The tower was a gift to the city of Pittsburg from Bo Pilgrim, co-founder of Pilgrim’s Pride (massive supplier of chickens.) Open 24 hours a day, the Prayer Tower is best known for its exquisite stained glass and four Paccard bells from France that chime at the top of every hour–ending with loud, well-defined strokes, one for each hour. That’s followed by a hymn that enhances an already idyllic moment.

Inside are three long pews and a prayer alter.

Off to one side of the prayer alter was a spiral-bound notebook on top of a wooden podium. These are usually places for visitors to sign their names, but such was not the case with this one. It contained personal prayer requests that others had humbly written. I didn’t think taking a picture of that would be respectful, so I didn’t.

The small and intimate enclosure of the 75-foot Prayer Tower was peaceful, but listening to the gurgling of the water fountain outside rendered a tranquility all its own.

After a quick stop for groceries and a return to the RV to put them away, we headed for another “must see,” the Sweet Shop in Mount Pleasant.

As soon as I stepped inside, I knew I’d found my happy place. There were different kinds of candy (truffles, toffee, turtles and peanut butter treats) everywhere: on shelves and in display cases. There were even bins of product that was rejected solely because of its appearance and marked down. The product itself was still good.

The Sweet Shop’s truffle assortment is so extensive, it’s mind boggling. To know what’s what, they have score sheets like this:

I admit that I splurged here.

You would’ve, too.

My souvenir from Mount Pleasant, Texas:😋

Live life now. This day will never happen again.

Until next time…Maria