Fun Friday

Yesterday, for the first time since before his surgery three months ago, Jeff got out for a ride on his motorcycle.  He was so happy.

Then last night Lindee had made us reservations for Restaurant Week at Lumieres in Charlotte. Jeff took this picture of us before we headed off. Food was delicious – company even better 🙂

Sunday at Grayson Highlands

Saturday night brought in a thunderstorm, and I do mean a STORM, but it was clear when we got up Sunday morning.  We ate breakfast and got packed up, and had planned to do a little more hiking, but several pairs of hiking shoes had gotten left out in the rain, so too many people were wearing flip flops for that to work.  SO, instead Zollie and Renee headed over to pack up some furniture they were taking home for Lig, and the York County group went to check out the visitors center.  I was so excited to see a list of all the hiking trails in the park, and to see that the Wilson Creek Trail, that we’d hiked the day before, was indeed listed as difficult.  I could’ve told them that, but there it was for the world to see 🙂

There are these gorgeous rock walls all over the park. We learned at the Visitors Center that they were built by a group of workers who were aged 55 & older in the early days of the park. I’m telling you, that would be some hard work for us old people. I’m even more impressed with them now.

Lig’s Programs

We spent most of the day Saturday attending various programs that Lig presented at Grayson Highlands, and they were all great.  First off that morning was a program on moths.  I’m going to tell you, when I first heard that was the subject of the program, I thought, What on earth?  But she did her usual excellent job, and left us all wanting to know even more about moths, and isn’t that the sign of a truly great presentation.  She had collected this tub of moths = there were all of these egg cartons in there, and the night before she gave a program she could hang a black light down inside a hole cut in the top, and the moths would come in & sort of get trapped down in the stack of egg cartons, or maybe they just went in there to hide?  I’m not sure.  But as she took the egg cartons out one by one, in some of them would be all different kinds of moths.  Some flew off before we could capture them, of course, but she had these little plastic cups with magnifying glasses built into the lids that we could really examine the moths in while she talked about them – before we let them go, of course.  Very cool.

Then that afternoon we went on the Creek Critters hike with her. Actually the kids went with Olivia. The adults hung back & helped me on the first leg of the Wilson Creek Trail, which is rated as STRENUOUS. This is surely the first time I have walked a strenuous trail as an adult, if ever, but my friend Kirkie told me recently that she could do anything she wanted to do as long as she did it at her own slow pace, so that became my mantra for the weekend. And when we finally caught up with Lig and the kids, they were having so much fun, and the adults joined right in – getting in the creek to hunt salamanders (Lindee actually found her first salamander in the wild ever, so she was fired up), wading, and even some going swimming. What a highlight to our weekend!

Setting Up Camp

Just getting home from our annual cousin camping experience with Uncle Zollie and Aunt Renee at Grayson Highlands.  This may be the last year that Lig is working there, since she’s going back to school to get her masters this fall, and this was the last full weekend that she would be working, so even though it wasn’t everyone, we were so glad that the ones that were there got to go.  It was Lindee, Mallory, Clara, Adam, and me.  Here they are setting up the tent when we got there Friday evening.

New Craft Supplies

My friend Evelyn gave me a huge bag of craft supplies that she hadn’t used with her grandkids.  This past week, when Mallory, June, and Mason were here – and that’s an unusual combination for me to have – they had the best time going through them and getting them stored.  Here they are hard at work organizing the toy room closet to hold them all.

Loving Cousins

June and Mase – and Mallory and Clara – had such fun with Lynleigh when she was here visiting.  I got this after we spent the day at Charlotte’s pool, before Addie got here to pick up her munchkins.

Family Visiting

This week my niece Tabitha – Greg’s wife – and her mom Pam brought new baby Whitley-Grace up for us to meet, along with WG’s big sister Lynleigh.  We had supper here Tuesday for all who could come to meet her, too, and to visit.  Lindee always loves some good baby time, and immediately got the baby to sleep – and almost fell asleep herself 🙂

Monday Pix

When I got in the car to head to work this morning, I realized I’d left my phone in the house, and when I got out to come back inside and get it, this spider was on the boardwalk.  And honestly, it turned around when I went past it and started following me.  And then when I went back outside, it turned around again.  I think it had an ulterior motive, but its legs were just to short to catch up with me.  Thank goodness.

When I got off work at lunchtime I ran by & picked up a couple of books at the library, and then headed to church to take snacks to the teams that are here serving at our Salkehatchie camp. Here is part of the team at the first house, hard at work.