Obey God and Don't Forget Your Purse Saturday was the pre-season tournament for Caleb's Coach-Pitch team league. His regular team moved up to kid-pitch (10 and under) this year but he wanted to play coach-pitch one more time. He was one of the younger ones and could still (by age) stay back. All of the kids on his team now are younger and smaller but he is excited about being the "big" kid - something he's never been before. I don't know what will happen next year, ball isn't 'fun' for him as it was in years past and even though he pushes himself to do his personal best, he isn't competitive in the "we have to win" sense. He is learning that as the kids get older, ball gets more serious. The teams are playing 'to win' rather than have fun so this may be our last year. That thought leaves me a bit melancholy on one hand, a bit relieved on the other. Between games we spent the lovely day in the yard climbing trees and planting our raised garden beds. The pear tree is loaded - any ideas on how to get them through to being edible? They never seem to make it and we'd love to have pears this year. Roses are not my favorite but a couple of years ago we fell in love with a beautiful little rose bush named "Joseph's Coat". It had lovely multi-colored petals in soft hues of peach, yellow and pink. I purchased it and planted it and since that time it has somehow turned into a plain wild looking red rosebush. I have not been able to find the reason (other than being told it was a hybrid and something made it revert) or how to make it go back to producing the lovely multi-colored petals it once produced. I suppose there is a lesson hidden in there somewhere. Everything seems to be blooming. The bees were certainly having a great time with the Hawthorn blooms. The bush was buzzing with them all afternoon. I'd love to follow them back to their home and find the honey! Maybe that would help my allergies. They seem to be on overdrive this Spring for some strange reason. Another busy but lovely day! Corn Flakes, Peanut Butter, Airheads taffy, Vanilla cookies, Strawberry Jam ... around $5 Really "fooling" your children on April 1st with a sweet surprise ... Priceless. . (Faux fish sticks, ketchup and peas.) Friday morning dawned bright and sunny so we had a big breakfast at the cabin and then headed over to the "caves" and rocks for some climbing, sliding and exploring. There was quite a crowd when we first arrived but by noon we seemed to have the area practically to ourselves. There are so many Kodak moments at the caves! Caleb wanted to document his scientific findings - that indeed sandstone does revert back to sand! We like to climb all the way to the top of the caves, partly because we always find interesting things and partly because no one else seems to venture there and we have it to ourselves. Apparently yellow was the color of the day. This time we hiked off in a direction we've never gone and were rewarded with a dwelling of some sort the kids found intriguing. They all made up stories of what this could have been in its prime. Miss Grace always ready with a pose. I think she knows mama is always ready with the camera. This is one of my favorites - they look so small against the giant cedars. Caleb's infectious grin. After hiking, lunch and a short rest at the cabin we set out for the canoes and paddleboats. Gracie wasn't missing out this time, she has been eager to take a ride on the lake since her big brothers did last time around. And finally snowcones and kettle corn to top off a lovely afternoon. The evening was peaceful around the campfire once again with hamburgers and of course marshmallows. After a game of HighRise dominoes, we headed to bed earlier than the first night because we were all exhausted from 2 days of hiking and rowing (we're sorely out of shape!). On Saturday we slept in, had another big breakfast, packed up and headed to town. There was a quaint old 5 & 10 store we couldn't resist. We found lots of rare goodies there and each came away with a treasured souvenir. It was a lovely week and we're all sad to see it end. But it won't be long now until school is out for the summer and we'll have lots more days to spend together. We made it to Robber's Cave on Thursday morning. It was a bit overcast but warm and not raining so it made nice weather for hiking! Here is the back of our cabin. I didn't manage to get a photo of the front for some reason. This one was a single bedroom cabin but the couch folded out to a bed and it had a large living room which we enjoyed. The last time we stayed, the cabin had a much smaller living area. The table was nice for playing games in the late evenings when it was too cool to stay around the campfire. I also did not manage to get a photo of the campfires, but they were so lovely! My goodman remembered to bring firewood from home and the kids enjoyed gathering pine needles and fallen bark to help get the fire started. We sang hymns and roasted marshmallows every evening. The kids played flashlight tag with some children staying in the cabin next to us and the clouds dispersed giving us a canopy of stars to enjoy. The area just behind the cabin. The view looking out behind our cabin. It's always sweet to me to see gentlemen helping the ladies. Evidence of woodpeckers! A lone Dogwood tree bloom. The kids were fascinated with this "mushroom" growing on a tree and told me to take a picture. There were many more types of fungi to photograph in the woods. And early spring flowers (Vinca?) kissed by the earlier rainshowers. My ducks in a row. Stopping to explore the fragrant blooms of the Redbud trees. A lone dock just calling Caleb's name ... I don't even want to think about the symbolism of THIS photo. He's growing up so quickly. Lots of creatures great and small we tried to enjoy but not disturb. After our long hike down the mountain and back up again we made the campfire and enjoyed the cabin. Bubbles are always fun. Especially when they smell like strawberries. We roasted hot dogs over the fire and then marshmallows. I'm really not fond of marshmallows but they taste so much better made crunchy around a campfire. Settling in for the night's rest. Snuggled into a cozy bed made from 2 chairs pushed end to end. It brings back memories of my own childhood. I used to sleep this way in hotels with my family. Sweet dreams! More exploring to follow.
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April Fun
Spring Break Days 5 & 6 Robber's Cave
Spring Break Day 4 - Robber's Cave Cabin & Hike
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