Today I'm thankful play dates and empty beaches.
Bayleigh had a friend over to play this morning, and he brought along a few things to keep them both entertained.
They played a little of this and a little of that, and then they went outside for a few hours.
Dave watched the kids, while I got my morning run in. My knee hurt today, and I almost didn't go, but I refused to talk myself out of it. I may regret that later, but tomorrow I'll drag out my old knee brace. (Getting old DOES have a few drawbacks . . .)
When I got back from my run, the kids all wanted to play inside for a while, so I tried to keep Eli out of the middle of things, so the two older kids could enjoy their play date in peace. They ended up settling in to watch a few movies before lunch, and I rested on the couch with Eli.
After lunch, Landon's care giver came to pick him up; Dave went over to borrow the tractor and blade from my dad and Eli, Bayleigh and I settled in to take an afternoon nap. (At first Eli was upset, because he wanted to ride the tractor with Dave, but it didn't take him long to finally fall asleep.)
Dave got quite a bit done. The goal was to build a slope away from the house, so when it rains, water doesn't seep under the house. We'll see how that works.
He also flattened out all the ruts from last year's wood hauling trips. MUCH better. Plus I won't have to mow the lawn for a while.
After everyone had taken their naps, we all headed off to the beach for the first time this year.
The beach we usually visit was still closed, due to high water and contamination, but the one across the lake was open, so we headed there.
We ended up having the whole beach to ourselves!
The temperature was ALMOST perfect!
Of course the kids had a great time splashing and playing in the water. I played for a little while and then decided to get out and take some photos.
This particular beach is a mix of creek gravel and sand,
and there are lots of trees at the shoreline to give you a break from the sunshine.
And although I'm not a flip flops or sandals person, it's always a good thing to have a pair on while you're at these small beaches. People throw all kinds of nasty stuff down on the ground, and I wouldn't want anyone to step on a needle or some other paraphernalia, that some drug user has disposed of.
Things have changed so much from when I was a kid. And not all of it is for the better.
Sorry to hear about your knee, hope you feel better soon. I know how that feels, because both my knees are the reason I quited playing high level soccer last year.
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed by your photos and I'm jealous of the amount of photos you take everyday and still have a huge more to take. You seem to have a rich photography environment. I wish I had one like that here..
Your 2nd last photo is excellent. Very well composed and the lighting was good too.
ReplyDeleteM. ~ The knee thing has been an issue since playing high school basketball. Now I think it's just arthritis catching up with me. lol It's frustrating that your body has to deteriorate so quickly, when the rest of you is ready to tackle the world.
ReplyDeleteI'm envious of your environment as well. You have such unique and vivid surroundings. You know what they say about the grass being greener . . . lol.
Thanks for the kind comment Joel.
Arthritis? Sorry to hear that. Can be painful, my mom has it and I think my boy might have it, don't know if it affect kids (13), but he frequently has pains in his knees.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the grass is always greener at the other side ;)