Sunday Afternoon Nature Walk

We carved out some time today to take a walk along the beautifully mowed trails on our property. DH spends a lot of time in late August and early September mowing the trails so they are ready for grouse hunting and bow and gun deer hunting. We had some friends over and really enjoyed the company. I think it kept the whining to a minimum, too. We walked for a solid two hours before coming home to Kool-Aid, water and muffins and cookies.

Here the men and boys are walking ahead hoping to flush out a grouse or two. We never even heard one.

We chatted as we walked, but always kept an eye out for interesting finds like this caterpillar.

We made guesses as to what might have dug these holes: a fox? a skunk?

I love the dried out blackberries in this photo.

We spotted the remains of a blue heron.

This is just one of many mushroom pictures.

By far the highlight was this flat nosed blow snake.

About 2/3 way through and everyone is still smiling. And I know the baby carrier is a backpack, but Little J seemed to enjoy being on the front better.

And now, everyone is tucked in and sleeping soundly from all the exercise and fresh air and I am going to spend a few minutes preparing for another week of school. We are in full swing of lessons, which is bittersweet. I do enjoy the structure it adds to the day, but I don't like how it reinforces the idea of learning only during "school" hours. Sometimes the kids seem to think that any writing outside of the traditional school hours is like punishment instead of enjoyment. Although, I have noticed a difference in Grace this year. She seems to be writing to friends all the time lately. She has three pen pals and numerous other friends and relatives she writes to occasionally. And as this comes to an end, the rain is beginning. Rain, glorious ran! It's been over 3 weeks since we had the last drops of rain.