A Week, Briefly (7/13/20)


School.

An orthodontic appointment.

An evening at the spray park.

An outing to Lewis and Clark State Park.

Job interviews for Super Star and Belle.

The rest of the week was just long and hot and included a lot of popsicles.

I did a lot of school planning--reserving books at the library, looking up free stuff to reinforce our plans, printing ebooks, hole-punching, sorting and counting 3-ring binders.

Our trip to the state park counts for our state history study and one of our 52 hikes--even though it was a very short trail.

We left in pouring rain, trusting the forecast that it would be clear by the time we reached our destination.  It was, but it was still cloudy and cold, and the kids were actually shivering as they ate!  Sir Walter Scott came with us, because it was no use digging in the rain.

It's got a different name now, but it's the lake that William Clark called "Gosling Lake" in his journal.

Then we found The Tree.
After conquering The Tree, we wandered along the shore until everyone got absorbed in either skipping or just plain throwing rocks into the water.




Probably a goose feather.  We also found a whole snake skin--we could see where eyes and mouth were--floating in the water.

Catching minnows.  They were so patient!  Ladybug actually caught one!
After a while, I promised the kids we'd come back to the lake if they'd take a walk with me to read the historical markers and complete a small loop trail.

They were amenable.

This giant frog cooperatively sat very still while we examined him from all angles.  The real fun began when we decided to leave him alone, so he could get back to shade and water, because he wouldn't go!  Then Sir Walter Scott nudged him with the toe of his boot, and Mr. Frog hopped like mad toward the water, and the kids couldn't help themselves; they chased him.  It was a wild race to the edge of the pond--frog, kids, screams, and laughter.


From shivering to sweating.  It was HOT on that historical trail.

The breeze off the lake was heaven to us all.

photo by Nature Angel


Viceroy butterfly photo by Nature Angel
As promised, we went back to the lake where the kids proceeded to spend an hour or so in The Tree.


I learned that Sir Walter Scott has a phobia of kids in trees.  I did not know this about him before.  It seems a kid fell out of a tree and died when Sir Walter Scott was a kid, and this impacted him powerfully.  He actually had to get up and walk away and not look at our kids as they scrambled up and down The Tree.

I guess it's good that I'm the one that usually takes them on nature outings!

Hike #19 of 52--Lewis and Clark State Park
38.81 miles + .6 = 39.41 miles

Super Star is on an overnight babysitting job.

Pixie is taking Lola on a sister-date.

Little Princess is bored enough that she's washing dishes.

I'm okay with kids being bored. :)

Comments

  1. DawnJuly 18, 2020 at 5:25 AM

    That tree is marvelous! Isn't it interesting what we learn about our spouse even after many years with them. The heat is intense here right now too. I found myself making ice cream and popsicles this week. I am glad you all are finding so much fun. Park days are the best.
    Blessings, Dawn

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Happy Homeschool MomJuly 19, 2020 at 1:36 PM

    What a great outing! I love the photos and the tree. It is sooooo hot here! The days we were at the lake were better because of the breeze off of it. My bored little girls found a knitting book on the shelf and they are trying to teach themselves how to knit. Being bored is a good motivator sometimes!

    ReplyDelete
  3. grtlyblesdJuly 22, 2020 at 9:46 AM

    I love the firs tree pic! I'd want to put that on the wall. We did a family picture in 2011 where 4 of the kids were in trees.

    ReplyDelete

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