We were able to sneak in an after-dinner walk last evening. I took some pics of the kids and some of the interesting tree bark along the way, but I also took these shots of the old silk mill and sewer covers along the path. It's funny how this walking spot makes you feel like you're out of the city, when, really, the city and highways are buzzing just yards away.
I don't know about you, but I always feel sad when I see a lost toy or lovie abandoned to the side. I always imagine a poor little one somewhere mourning its loss.
Yesterday was just too nice to stay inside all day doing school work. So we took it out to the picnic table! The kids actually seem to focus better out in the fresh air, and the picnic table is larger than our dining room table so there is more room to spread out.
Last week we learned a little bit about the characteristics geologists look at to describe rocks (color, texture, luster, hardness, shape). On one of our recent walks we collected a few rocks for our own geologist exercise.
What do you look forward to doing outside when the weather gets warm?
The last couple of days have been near 90 degrees here in Pennsylvania. It will be cooling down to more seasonal temps toward the end of the week. Of course we're taking advantage of the hot spell to try and clear out our lungs with some nice, fresh air, and taking the opportunity to go on explores.
The most exciting part of this particular exploratory walk was the wee little snake we came across on the way back home.
He was only about five inches long and skinnier than a pencil, but he was feisty! This was as close as I could get with my camera for fear I would send him into cardiac arrest. When I stood up after taking my last photo, he turned tail and slithered away as quick as a flash.
If you haven't caught on to this yet- we love going on family walks! We abstain during the cold months of Winter, but as soon as the temperature is tolerable we visit our favorite haunts. Trees are still bare, there isn't much green to be found yet, and the sun is mostly in hiding, but we're getting out there anyway. I finally bought my first pair of sneakers in 8 years, and boy do they make walking/hiking easier!
Look! Some green! There is a lot to love here in Pennsylvania. Beautiful scenery, lots of rolling hills, and the wooded spots are a treasure.
And speaking of Spring- thanks to everyone who entered my Spring giveaway! Congrats to Jana W. who won a set of yellow floral hair pins. Your hair pins will be on their way soon!
During the warm Summer months we always see a fair variety of insect life in our yard. As you can imagine, this can be both exciting and really annoying (to downright frustrating). The unusual heat we've been experiencing so far this summer seems to have heightened the number and kinds of bugs to boot. There is a creek about 1/4 of a mile from our house, and hidden on top of the hill across the street sits the city cemetery; we like to joke that we have a plethora of usual insects due to that. (No disrespect meant to those buried there.)
One visitor that we look forward to are the praying mantises. The past three or four years we've had one hanging out in the day lilies out front. In addition last year we watched as a huge brown mantis climbed a post on the side of the house, only to get to the top and fall off into my husband's waiting hand.
This year we've spotted as many as three of the little buggers. As cool as they are to observe, I have to admit they creep me out a bit. It's the way the can move their heads from side to side. Like they're following your every move. Which they probably are. Nope, I'm not one to let them crawl on me, but I don't mind getting a bit close to take a picture.
During the summer Sean's schedule changes; he works longs days Monday through Thursday, and gets a three day weekend (though there is often school work and consulting mixed in). With the Fourth of July falling on a Wednesday this year he was able to take some vacation time on Thursday, and turn it into a five day weekend.
Our Fourth was pretty laid back. I spent the morning working on the new Constellation Owl line (launching today!), and then we went up to my parent's house later in the day to grill up some yummy food. Grilling has turned into Sean's job, and, boy, does he do it well. Yum.
Thursday we ventured up to Spruce Lake Retreat in the Poconos for the day. We generally go for a day trip every August with my whole family, but now that our youngest is getting older we'll be doing day trips ourselves a lot more often. We spent a couple hours in the pool, and then headed over to the playground. It wasn't too long before our tummies were begging to go to the snack shop for SLR's famous milkshakes.
When our tummies were full, the girls meandered around while the boys played mini golf, and then we met up again to take a short hike. I miss taking some of the longer, tougher trails that I hiked when I was younger, but I'm sure the littles will be ready for them soon enough!
We spent Friday around the house, with a quick stop at the library. The kids had new butterfly nets they wanted to test out, so we went outside in the morning while there was still some shade.
It's all fun and games until someone falls and gets a boo-boo.
We decided to stay close to home on Saturday as well. It was 100 degrees outside, and we were expecting storms. What does one do inside all day? Why, play with Legos of course! Taking inspiration from a couple of fun library books, we all set out to create our own Lego robots.
Sunday found us at our local zoo. We opted to stay local on account of the weather (again), and we knew it would be a less tiring trip for the whole crew. We hadn't been to this particular zoo in a while, so there were some fun new things to check out, and of course the old favorites.
This zoo sits on a game preserve, so there is some stunning scenery on the drive out. You can't see it here, but the zoo is actually nestled down in the valley below. Part of the parking lot is barely visible to the right of the bench underneath the railing.
I hope your holiday and the weekend was spectacular too! And in honor of Independence Day, take some time to read the Declaration of Independence!
