Humpback Hike

What a day!  What a few days really.

We have chosen to do a local variety of activities for the 4th this year.  The boys have been out of school for a week and a half, and Lesley an I have planned work to be as light as possible.  We have basically gone to the pool a bunch, stayed up and slept late, we have been able to go on runs, Alder's going to Tae Kwan Do classes, boys caught a movie on one rainy day, and on another rainy day (having had no shortage of rain this spring/summer), we built a space ship (fort) in the front room - control panel, handheld controls, sleeping cabin and all.  Then, we got a great visit from cousin Jonah, Uncle Travis and Aunt Ana (of which we somehow got no pics.  Maybe Trav and Ana have some??).  That included a pool visit, cooking out and some fireworks.  Cousin Jonah is catching up to these Bulluck boys quickly!

But today was the grand finale.  We headed up to Humpback Rocks, a popular, but well-worth hike right off Skyline drive.    We made it to the trailhead by 10 am, and our boys hung in there, strong, with only a little complaining for a 4-mile hike.  The first mile was a rather steep mile up to the rocks.

But there was enough to keep it exciting until we got there - various blooming wildflowers, which Lesley and I recalled enough (from our former lives as naturalists in the southern Apps) to tell them about, insects, rock outcrops, little caves, springs...

I love the look on Heath's face here.

And Alder's here...

Then we got to the top for a breathtaking view, with few clouds and dry air.  We talked about being on top of the world and seeing it until the earth curved away from us.  After a slightly nerve-fraying picnic with the boys, we headed down.  They just wanted to go the very very edge to see what more they could see and we finally couldn't take it any more.     Unforgettable, without question.  Once we got away from the cliffs, the boys wanted to climb climb climb on other boulders.

To make the hike longer and to get away from the crowds, we took a section fo the AT back, making it a 4 mile hike, where the final 3 were mostly downhill.  Again, these boys were troopers.  We moved slowly, but we made our way.  Alder couldn't count all the animals we saw on all his fingers and toes...

We got our first very basic lessons with map and a compass.  And, we took snacks to break up the trek with some energy bursts.

Lots of discovery.  For a mile or so, Heath was swaddling a rock and cradling it along the way...

Then he found other rock fragments to sharpen as weapons.  Alder was collecitng rocks shaped like various U.S. states, and we eventually convinced him that he needn't carry them all.  Rocks got picked up, dropped, displaced all along the way.  Millipedes, caterpillars, butterfuly eggs, ant nests...

A rare opportunity - "Daddy, take a picture of me, just my face."  (okay)

"Me too."  (okay!)  (Heath actually pooped in the woods with no problem at all.  Very nice!)

Then we see a patch of squawroot somewhat mutilated, and we talked about how bear love it, and we suspected that a bear was the cause of this patch of squawroot's destruction.  Alder asks if bear are around there, and we tell him (again) that 'yes, but they are pretty scared of people, so we likely wont see one'.   Then I look up and right there 30 meters in front of me, a black bear heading downslope.  A young one.  So I turn, tell Lesley and Alder to shh and look, then run back up trail to grab Heath.  And luckily this young one was alone.  I put Heath down, we walked calmly, slowly closer, and we all got to watch it quite closely for several minutes, foraging, and watching/sniffing us.

We got as close as we wanted (no zoom lens here).  This was the perfect first bear experience for the boys.  Just perfect.  It was a peaceful introduction.  After awhile, it scampered off, and we keep walking.  Perfect.

We love how EVERY time we go for a hike, the boys are so excited, then they get tired and feel the work, then they finish and can't stop talking about how cool it was.  This is what we want time in the woods to be like.  This is why we love a day in the forest.  There is unmatched reward in getting away from everything and finding moments and places just for yourself, or just for us.   What a promise that you can leave the structure and schedule, find the away-ness, and know that some...thing, some feeling, some realization will emerge that is remarkable.   It is a beautiful thing to see a young mind realizing this too.

New house, birthdays, and ..........favorite things about spring/summer

It has been nearly three months since we took the time to sit down and mull through all the photos and activities of our days of late.  They have been full.  Spring is always a busy time... and a joyous time.  Mom is preoccupied with birds and all their breeding activity that is squeezed into these beautiful and bountiful months of spring.  The end of the semester overlapping makes for a very hectic time indeed.  Amidst it all though, we spend more time outside as a family - eating our meals together picnic style, going for walks and hikes, kicking the soccer ball, exploring the world around us in search of critters and flowers.  And amidst all of that, this year we somewhat spontaneously moved into a new house and sold our old one.  Suffice it to say that this has been an exhausting endeavor, especially for Jason, but one that we feel good about.

We are now fully settled into the new house with ideas for projects and ways to make it our special home slowly emerging.   We were very fortunate to sell our old house in one day, followed by two months of repairs and headaches to finally close with a big sigh of relief.  Jason has spent many nights and "spare" hours over at the old house fixing stuff and we are grateful to have him home with more time to play guitar and chill.  We actually went on a date and had a 14 year old neighbor babysit!  Also, the bird breeding season is past its peak and at a much more manageable pace.   Now is the time for sitting by the pool and planning camping trips/fun activities...more to come on this.....

So, what sorts of fun have we been having amidst all the chaos...????  Well, Jason planned a mother's day canoe trip to a local wildlife management area where we paddled, picnicked and fished.  Perfect day.



...and Alder turned 6!!  Alder has become such a big boy lately.  He is getting very excited to transition to 1st grade at a new school in the fall.   He is reading very well and continues to be facsinated by predators of any kind.  He is very inquisitive and enjoys non-fiction books about animals.  He had a birthday party at Pump It Up - a blow up castle crazy funhouse for kids.  He had wanted such a party ever since his good friend had one there months before.  This was a first for us - paying to have a party somewhere, two hours of complete madness, no house to clean (pre- or post- party), and one happy kid.    Fun, but don't really care to do it again.  I made him a double decker strawberry sheet cake with cream cheese frosting and Jason beautifully decorated it.  I have to say it WAS super yummy.

Here are some recent drawings from our blooming artist.  Art camp to come in August.  That is a crystal and a "cheetah bat" incase you were wondering.



He lost a tooth and has another loose.


...and went to his first taekwondo class today - returned super excited to go back and learn all there is to learn.  Seems like this will be a very positive thing for him.  We will see.

Heath also had a birthday more recently and is now 4!  Here is the scene from his party.  Chilling under the carport.  Baking Shrinky dinks.  Adults sipping beers, kids eating cupcakes and running up and down from the playroom or squirting water shooters.  Good times.

 Two of Heaths best buds from school - Camilla and Charlie.

Vanilla cupckaes with buttercream frosting.  Leopard cupcake paper (from Joanns).  SCORE.  Generally, this was a much more enjoyable party from the grown up perspective.  Despite the mess to clean up (which wasn't much).

..and finally.....a few things we are loving about summer:

sidewalk chalk on our new driveway (old house had gravel and boys are enjoying this new surface for bikes and drawing):



Smoothie smiles.  We are thankful the boys still love the fruit-filled, peanut butter and soy milk laden smoothies of their toddlerdom.  Best lunch around on a 90 degree day.

Oh, and a cheese stick too.

Suprise polyphemus moths at dad's office - pit-stop on the way to school to observe and then let go.




















Chilling and hamming it up under the new carport

Friends sharing hammocks

....oh and generally lots and lots of time at the pool:

OK, back on track, with lots missed and lots more to come...