Independence Week

As usual, the kids get overly excited about the Fourth of July, as they do every holiday. Seriously, their expectations for every holiday are so high that the actual holiday can never live up to their hype. Also, where do they get this from? Is it my fault? Do I overdo every holiday? Sigh.

Fourth of July 2015 was extra fun though, because Grandma Terry flew in from LA the very day of the holiday (remember, Stayc was in China during this time?). For breakfast, I came down to Lutece's very own homemade patriotic pancakes.

The kids and I took a walk at the Arboretum in the morning to expend some energy and get outdoors while we waited for Grandma's flight.

Then we made a patriotic cake . . .

It looks good, but if I remember correctly, it was just ok tasting :). When Grandma got in, we had dinner, ate the cake, and then set off the fireworks from the package in the first picture. They always seem to get more of a kick out of cheap fireworks they can set off themselves rather than the big shows they just have to watch.

While Grandma was in town, we drove down to Berea and did a little shopping in the arts and crafts shops.

We took some girly pictures on the butterfly bench, and I'm trying to figure out where Phoenix was for all of this . . . Hmmm.

Last, but certainly not least, we did the hike at Anglin Falls that the kids absolutely love. It was fun to have Grandma here with us for a week (and a serious relief for me!)

Of Tidepools and Everglades

One of the things we love about Vilano Beach and St. Augustine is that it is so much more than sand and water. Don't get me wrong . . . there is, indeed, lots of sand (Stayc can attest to that), and lots of water, but there is so much to do beyond the beach and the pool.

One of the kids' favorite things to do is visit the tidepools. They are about a mile down the beach from our condo, so we have to walk to get there, but it is well worth the hike (and the journey itself is part of the fun).

The tidepools only manifest themselves at low tide (natch). Then the beach is one huge landscape of sandbars and shimmering pools of clear water. The silty sand is perfect for drip castles, and the kids could seriously spend hours making them (and did).

During the week we were at Vilano Beach, low tide was rather early at about 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. This turned out to be really nice because our long walks along the beach to the tidepools were untainted by both a too-hot sun and crowds of beachgoers. We had the entire beach nearly to ourselves.

 

In addition to the tidepools (and the shells and sharks' teeth, which I mentioned in the previous post), there is another side of nature to explore at Vilano Beach, as it is located on a thin strip of land situated between the Atlantic Ocean and Florida's Intracoastal waterways (like much of the Atlantic coastline). There's beach on one side, and if you're lucky, Everglades on the other.

This year, we decided to explore to the north a bit more and found some lovely nature reserves just 10 miles north of us along A1A (these we drove to, not walked :). There were all sorts of trails through the Everglades leading to the Intracoastal.

Since we didn't really know what we were getting ourselves into, we were not exactly dressed for a major hike through the Everglades (hello flip-flops and swimsuits). So we took a short one mile trail out to the water. Next time, we'll gear up with tennis shoes and bug spray and explore more of the trails and scenery. You always need something to keep you coming back for more!

The End of Spring

At the end of last spring, we went on a few fun family forays (alliteration intentional, thankyouverymuch). Oddly enough, even though we had a few days tacked onto the school year to make up for snow days, they also gave the kids a couple of days off for various reasons.

On one of these days, we went strawberry picking at a farm/orchard in Versailles. The strawberries were absolutely delicious, but definitely not cheap. Ack.

Another day we went out to Anglin Falls in Berea for a hike. The kids love hiking there because of the huge boulders near the falls.

There's always an element of danger.

It also gave Stayc a chance to try out his new GoPro camera. How Stayc loves his electronic gadgets.

Finally, on Memorial Day, the kids insisted we have our own Memorial Day Fun Run, so we walked to the Arboretum and ran a mile . . . then hiked around some more . . . then walked home. The kids were tired!

Which means success for us, the parents. Tired, worn-out kids = kids who sleep well.

While we were at the Arboretum, hiking around the wooded area, an older Chinese gentleman asked if we could take a picture of him and his wife for them. They were in the US visiting their son who is a student at UKY. Then he asked if he could return the favor by taking a picture of us. Uhhhh . . . sure.

So he took a picture, then another, then three more, then even more. He kept making us switch up poses and positions. It was sooooo Chinese! We finally had to gently tell him that we had enough pictures and that the kids would not pose for any more :).

The End of Another Summer

I believe this is the longest I've ever gone without posting since the inception of my blog some 10 years ago. Over two months! Why, you ask, the hiatus? Honestly, I have no good reason. Life is pretty good, albeit busy, but that's nothing new. I think I just got out of the habit of taking pictures and out of the habit of writing about the few I did take. Let's face it, as the kids get older and busier, there are less picture-worthy occasions, or maybe I'd just rather enjoy the occasion than document it.

Case in point. How many pictures of hikes can you take over the years? Still, with an iPhone handy, I always manage to snap a couple of photos.

These pictures are from the last two hikes the kids and I took before Fall truly set in and the weather took a turn for the colder. The first hike was on a Saturday in late September at Raven Run.

The second hike was at Anglin Falls in Berea, KY. The kids got just two extra days off for Fall Break (Some school districts, including those in all the surrounding counties of KY, got an entire week off. Crazy!) so we took ourselves outdoors.

The kids love the huge boulders and dangerous situations at Anglin Falls. I just do my deep breathing.

We had a nice summer and a lovely (if short) fall. They say the winter is supposed to be as bad as last year.

I say bring it on! We've got all the snow gear I bought last year, just waiting to be used. I want to get my money's worth! I am nothing if not frugal.

Goodbye summer, until next year.

Red River Gorge

Labor Day weekend was a lovely three-day weekend in Kentucky, and it was also Phoenix's birthday weekend, so we tried to make the most of it. On Saturday, we tagged along with our friends the Kotters to hike Natural Bridge at Red River Gorge.

I'd prepared the kids for this day trip all week long since it was going to be a fun day. We would hike up to Natural Bridge and explore a little before heading down. Then, we planned to enjoy pizza at Miguel's Pizza before going swimming at the lodge located at the base of the trail. Super fun, right!?!

I thought so, and I think, at some point, so did the kids. Sadly, they were so dang grumpy that Saturday morning that we spent half of the hike having to discipline them for unkind (and UNacceptable) behavior.

Sleep deprivation? I have no idea, but Phoenix was annoying and Lutece was annoyed. At one point, as she was crossing over this famed natural rock structure, I saw her pass Phoenix and punch him in the chest. When I caught up with her to put her in a time-out (yes, on the top of the mountain), she told me she was just getting back at him for bonking her in the head with his backpack. Sigh. So. Much. Fun.

Needless to say, we had to separate them for a long portion of the hike, and I was a little mortified that our friends had to witness our discord (even though they claimed ignorance of any contention).

We tried to distract them with the promise of wasp nests and giant spiders.

They finally settled down a little by the end of the hike and we were able to enjoy the beautiful view of Natural Bridge at a look-out point on the way down.

At least Stayc and I were happy together.

After a good meal of pizza, we changed into swimsuits and headed for the pool, which is, as I mentioned, at the base of the trail. We've seen it on our other numerous hikes at Natural Bridge, but never actually thought of going swimming there.

It turned out to be fairly inexpensive and a wonderful end to a hot day. Not to mention the fact that the pool is located in a beautiful and peaceful setting. The outing ended much better than it began . . . and you can bet the kids got an early bedtime that night.

Our Old Stomping Grounds

I got really lazy by the end of the summer. No creativity. Whereas last summer we tried out all sorts of new hiking spots in Kentucky, this summer we stuck to the well worn path, mostly because it was close and I was . . . well . . . I was lazy. Didn't I already say that?

Hey, at least we got out of the house and into nature. Why do I feel like I have to justify myself to myself?

Raven Run it was, then, for most of our hikes. Week after week, we returned. Fortunately, there are numerous trails at Raven Run, so we tried to do something new every time, even if it was just a small section of the hike.

On this hike, we took a new section of trail (very underused and overgrown) on which we saw a deer and her fawn. Nice to try new things, especially when they are embedded in old ones.

Last Friday, the kids had a day off of school, so we gathered up some friends and headed back to Raven Run.

We hiked to a spot called Evan's Mill where the trail lets off at the top end of a small waterfall. The kids had a blast building dams and small pools of water and generally getting soaked through.

I'm so grateful for a nice hiking spot close to town and for kids who will go with me. I love a kid who will hike. I love these hiking kids in particular though.