Roaring River State Park

 Yesterday we went to Roaring River State Park in Missouri with the Wittenberg family.  It was a much needed respite for Steve and the kids who have been stressed out with school and stuck at home or walking/riding the same trails over and over.  

The autumn colors were breathtaking, and the day could not have been more perfect for outdoor activities.  There was a crazy amount of people there - this pandemic has gotten everyone looking for outdoor activities.  We were able to keep pretty separated from other family groups and we tried not to touch things like railings, so hopefully is was not only a fun outing, but a safe one, too.

At the park, the first thing we chose to do was walk the Eagles Nest trail.  It was listed as a 2.4 mile hike, but Sara's tracking device showed us having walked 3.6 miles.  It was a very enjoyable hike with only a small amount of somewhat steep uphill trekking, along rocky bluffs and among the fall foliage.  The younger kids stopped and drew some leaves and snacked.  Brendan enjoyed taking pictures during the entire trip, and Rod and Steve wandered off to look for critters hiding in the rocks and branches.

When we finished the hike, we relaxed by the river, waded in the water, and ate lunch.  There were lots of people fishing along the banks just a short ways down from us.  

Once we'd eaten and rested, we decided to go see the fish hatchery.  Again, it was rather overrun with people, but we still managed to socially distance while enjoying watching and feeding the fish.  The kids enjoyed feeding the fish and watching the water look like it was boiling as numerous fish vied for each precious piece of food.  We also spotted a good sized midland water snake in the water, and enjoying watching it as it poked its head in every crevice it could find as it, too, searched for food.

Finally, we called it a day and headed for home, tired, but happy and full of good memories!

Coler Mountain Bike Preserve

 Today Emily's Girl Scout troop met at Coler Mountain Bike Preserve for a beginner's mountain bike ride.  Our family had never been to the Preserve, so Brendan came along to check it out with us.  It is a really cool place!  Even the benches for resting by the trail are artistic.  Brendan struck out on his own and found a blue square rated trail to try.  He did great and said it was a fun trail.  Meanwhile, Emily and the other girls rode on some easy dirt trails, stopped for a break to swing on a big swing that is set up off the trail, and a few of them even tried a more difficult trail.  They really had a great time.  We will definitely need to come back soon!

8th Street Bike Trail

The new bike trail we've had our eyes on is finally complete and open for riders!  It's basically just a big, circular pump track, but for new riders it is a blast.  Brendan got bored with it pretty quickly, but he still wants to go around on it a couple times if we happen to be riding by on our way to or from Crystal Bridges.  Emily wants to stay and ride on it for an hour or two!  It's wonderful how many mountain bike trails the town has put in, and nice that many of them are perfect for beginners.

August 2020

• Trying out the new sewing machine
• Brendan wanted a black mask with a red lining; all the black cotton fabric is sold out.  He thought this black snakeskin was still pretty cool
• Masks we made for donation to the schools
• Brendan is really getting into mountain biking
• Curly hair
• First day of school photos.  The kids are virtual, but we went to the school to pick up her virtual school packet and take a few pictures
• Doing her virtual schoolwork
• Brendan's first day of virtual school photo
• More time at the lake!

9th Birthday

 It's Emily's birthday today!  She woke up to a table full of gifts:

A special mermaid gift from her MT grandparents, a DQ Ice Cream Cake, and a day at the lake.  Later, her good friend Jane stopped by with a gift!

Fireworks

Made blueberry pies for Independence Day...a lot of overflowing blueberry juice...opened the door to see actual flames shooting up from the back of the oven, also catching the drip pan above on fire. That’s a first for me. Burning stuff is a running joke in our family, but I've never had a fire in the oven! All is fine now. Hope these pies end up being worth it!

Made Girl Scout masks for Emily's troop

We are making masks to donate to the schools; the kids are helping

Got a new kayak that seats 2 - 3 people!

Emily received an early birthday present: a snow cone maker.  Great gift to use after a hot bike ride!

My trusty old 1960's sewing machine broke and the service center is backed up for months so I ordered a new one.  It arrived today!

June 2020

1. Doing so well with her math!
2. We bought caterpillars and kept them until they hatched.  Today was butterfly release day
3. A fun day at the lake; the neighbor let us try his paddleboard
4. This cutie road all the way to my work at Wright Lindsey & Jennings to see me
5. What a fun lunch date!