The Lake Walk

Yesterday on vacation at the mountains we decided to go for a walk around the lake.   This little lake is nestled in the valley between mountains.  For the low, low, cost of zero dollars, you and your loved ones can walk around the seven-tenth's mile path, enjoying a nice afternoon out-of-doors.

There were to be ducks and geese, so my mother and I brought bread for the children to hand out.   When we arrived, the children dashed on ahead, full of energy, excited to find the ducks.   Two small turns later and we were accosted by fifty ducks and geese that clearly smelled the bread on us.   Three minutes later and there was nothing left (because small children don't know how to ration bread when there are eager, hungry waterfowl).

The rest of the walk around the lake went probably exactly as my children planned it, but not necessarily like an adult would expect it to go.

My daughter wanted to play in the gravel path.  She wanted to scoop up the gravel, look at it in her hands and then put it anywhere (including the lake) other than the path itself.   My son thought this was a good idea and joined in.  We explained how the gravel needed to stay on the path several times to no avail.  Then my mother and I tried the, "oh look, flowers!" tactic.

If you thought they would be distracted by that clever ruse, you would be wrong.   The grey gravel dirt got all over them.  My daughter looked like a little chimney sweep.  Eventually we got them to look at the flowers (they didn't care) and then we noticed the many feathers around the ground.  My son thought they were interesting, my daughter decided they were, "yucky".   We looked at how they floated on the breeze and my mother and agreed it reminded us of Forrest Gump.

We eventually got to a bridge and a stream and there was a tiny waterfall.  The children were interested enough, but what really caught their eye was the edge of the lake and some big rocks.  My son wanted to get out in the water and stand on the rickety rocks.   He did and he only fell in once, which doesn't matter so much in Crocs.

My mother told me there was no swimming in the late, and I assured her that we would comply with that rule, because neither child could swim.   We headed on around and found a set of "secret, hidden stairs" that led down to another lagoon area.   We pretended we were at a castle while more rocks were stepped on and more feats of balance were displayed by both children.

Then, there were potty issues.  Namely the smaller child saying she had to go, but being completely unwilling to go in the bushes, or walk quickly to the bathrooms back at the start of our loop.   That last bit of the lake was rather a loud and whiney walk for my daughter, although my son was having quite the time with a very large stick he'd pulled out of the bushes.

When we got back in the car, bathroom duties complete and new clothes on to replace the wet ones from the splashing, everyone fell asleep on the ride home.  Well, I didn't; I was driving.

The Big Boy Update:  My son's shoes were missing the other day.  Our backyard is flat, and then it drops off steeply down a hill.  I asked my son where his missing shoe was and he pointed down the hill.   I asked him, "did you throw your shoe all the way down the hill?"   He very helpfully said, "Not all the way."

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  She has the hairiest legs.   When she was smaller, they felt a little rough and then I realized hair was growing on them.  Now, her legs are twice as hairy (at least) as her brother's are, and she's nearly a year younger.   The hair on her head doesn't grow fast and it's thin and fine, so what's up with the rampant leg hair growth, I don't know.   It's white blonde, so it's not that noticeable, but it's definitely bushy.