Into The Woods

   On a hot and sunny afternoon, we loaded the coolers, several available youth, fishing poles and hiking shoes; it was time to head into the woods. When my kids were younger we spend a ton of time in the woods; local state parks and national forests were our favorite hot spots. Hours and hours were spent coming the trails learning every leaf and living thing we could spot. My son's favorite game was 'tag the tree'..we named a tree (such as birch) and he would run find one to 'tag'.

   These days our hikes are a bit more about endurance and distance; today was a four mile hike. Here and there a stop was made to view something interesting..something we had forgotten or hadn't remembered seeing before. Frogs and flowering lily pads caught their eyes..as did a hollowed out tree commonly called a 'widow maker'.

   There was plenty of fishing to be done. Young men love to cast lines and make great competition of it..us girls are more at peace with the water enjoying the beauty of our surroundings. Fishing is great, unless...

   An alligator decides to join you. We had two show up at the fishing pier today; one around two feet and one closer to six. The little one hid among the lily pads near the land, however, the larger one was a bit more crafty...

   He decided the best place to hang out was under the fishing pier..beneath our little feet..not creepy or anything. No, not at all.

  Our day was filled with beauty and laughter; volleyball and Frisbee made precious memories. A dip in the lake cooled us from the intense heat. There was a sudden and somewhat short lived storm that left us with a breathtaking view.