Our forest adventure

I shared with you the view from behind our home here on Eielson AFB. I know for many of you who are so lucky to live in area where there is lots and lots of lakes, ponds, rivers and be still my heart the ocean.......well I am sure you are wondering why I am so excited to live near this body of water..........it has always been a dream of mine and now it has come true.

The boys are participating in the summer reading program at the library and this week's craft are blank masks that they are suppose to decorate with things from nature..........so off for a nature walk we went. We didn't have to go far, just behind our house.......but low and behold what I thought was just a little secluded area, turned into a path and a great adventure.Most people wear tennies for hikes..........well one little fella, whose Uncle spoiled him with something special while in Wyoming, well his foot apparel....here let me show you.

Cowboy boots.........and as you can see, they are already taking on the true look of a cowboy, scuffed and comfortable.

Now we were suppose to be looking for things to decorate and adorn the masks......for some reason the boys weren't " gathering as they may".......it was like they had no idea what to collect (and they had seen 3 good examples at the library just a few days before). I too brought a famous plastic bag to collect and was picking leaves here and there and pointing out different things to the boys........look at this beauty.

Of course my young men are that, young men and were delighted to find moose poop!!!!! Good gravy, I think we introduced a new dance......"hop bop and skip the moose poop".........don't think you will be seeing it on "Dancing with the Stars", but we were getting pretty darn good at it. I of course had to do the famous "lions and tigers and bears, oh my" thing and quick as a flash this wonderful little hand found mine and said he would walk with me so I wouldn't be scared...........I love it. I was continually listening and looking for the moose too.........those mamas are something not to reckon with.

Looking, looking and wha-la.........look what I spotted:

WILD RASPBERRIES..........oh be still my heart. Later in the day, after spraying ourselves with mosquito repellent, we went back and just picked these little beauties.

The boys seemed to be happy with their slim pick'ns of mask decorating, so we continued on to the end of the path..........it comes out on one of the main roads leading to our street. Across this street is this pretty little pond.

There is a family of ducks that usually reside here, they must have been out to lunch right now.

Oh here are the masks........amazing aren't they? I love them.

Oh and least I forget, here is the bounty that we picked......oh we felt like the Pilgrims getting ready for the Thanksgiving feast........thank goodness we weren't collecting for the whole village.....just enough for breakfast today............oh yummmmm dilllly ious.

Have a wonderful day........if all goes well, we will be off to the bathtub races soon........bet that will make us smile.