Explorations and The Hard Place

We bought our house at the lake for this very purpose....to be closer to Lidia and Sawyer. We live for days like these. From the time they arrive on Fridays after school until they have to go home Sunday evening, they are in adventure and exploration mode. And Cliff is their captain.

Now, to be able to explore you have to have certain gear. Christmas gifts for Lidia and Sawyer (also known as L&S) this Christmas included hiking boots, warm clothing, gloves, toboggans and camping dishes and utensils. Their new camp in the woods at the lake is partially on a huge rock. Their camp's name is The Hard Place. Between a rock and a hard place....get it. Ha! They have a fire pit and a grill to sit on top so they can cook. The usual camp meals are hot dogs and things like that unless Cliff has a stash of squirrel or venison in the freezer.  Last weekend, camp fare was squirrel. My job was to boil the squirrel until tender and then they would cook it over the fire to give it that smoky campfire taste. But first, they had some exploring to do.

Saturday, it was misting rain and so cold that L&S wore their camouflage coveralls over clothes to keep warm. They stayed outside all day long with Cliff, exploring the area around the lake.

During the winter the water level in the lake is lowered so residents can do maintenance on their retaining walls and docks, etc. The lower water level gave them the opportunity to discover hidden treasures.

 

Cliff said, "Found a perfectly good chair left after lake level down three feet".

 

 

 

Artifacts recovered - musselobster, moonshine jug spout, 8th century candle,

Native American headpiece and ancient fossilized driftwood.

Sawyer eating mud ice....because I'm pretty sure Bear Grylls does.

 

Their exploration wasn't limited to the shore line, they went deep into the woods, too.

 

Into the woods.

Erecting a mound of stones as a marker, also known as a cairn.

 



Lidia and Sawyer's signature cairn at Mt. Vegroovious..

 

 

I can't stop laughing at this video. They were obviously thirsty at the end of their day. They look like the babies I remember sucking their bottles. 

 

 

 

Sunday, back at The Hard Place, Cliff prepared the fire for cooking their 'end of adventure' meal. Squirrel. I imagine that one day Cliff will also teach them to hunt squirrels.

 

 

 

 

Lidia with misty rain in her hair and blue nails sitting at The Hard Place eating squirrel.

 

No doubt, L&S are going to be the most outdoors savvy kids by the time their Papi gets through with them. And, Lidia and Sawyer love it. They don't miss television or video games. They never complain about being bored. Their imaginations run free. Oh the memories and stories they're going to be able to tell their kids one day. Adventures and explorations of a lifetime! 

 

Until the next expedition,

Laurie

 

Swooney Covered Bridge

Campbell's Covered Bridge

Landrum, SC

Oooh, I'm so excited to share a treasure I found with you. I spent last weekend in the upstate with my sweet little Chiggers. Emily had to work the weekend shift at the hospital. So, I try to go up and help with the childcare situation as often as possible. I mean, hello, it's a win, win situation. 

 I get to see my babies and we get to play.

The upstate has a plethora of places to explore. And I love it! Since I was going to be there all weekend, we definitely had the time to get out and do some exploring. Surfing the net, I came across an attraction in the nearby town of Landrum, SC. It was an old covered bridge. OMG! "The Bridges of Madison County" immediately came to mind and I exclaimed with utter delight, "We have to go see that bridge"! So...Saturday morning, after packing a picnic lunch, the Chiggers and I went on a road trip. It was only a thirty minute or so drive, but to them it was a cross-country trip.......with no pit stops. Sawyer could so do one of those irritating commercials....."Are we there yet, Are we there yet?" Bless his heart. And he's so dramatic with it, too. He gets faint and feeble and wobbles over and flops around in the back seat. But then we get there and he's all a bundle of energy again. HaHa!

When we got to the bridge y'all, my jaws flopped open. Oh my gosh, that thing was gorgeous! And to Lidia and Sawyer's delight, there was running water and rocks to play on. Oh, and a lizard! Lidia is obsessed. She spent ten minutes trying to get him out of the nooks and cranny of the stone steps he was hiding in. She tried grabbing, coaxing and finally, sweet talking...it was a failure. She moseyed on.

First order of business, after the lizard fail that is, Lidia had to find a stick. Sawyer brought his own in the form of a Lego sword. He's obsessed, too. If we sold all the Lego stuff he owns, we would make a billion dollars. Finding a stick, though, was a piece of cake and once that task was accomplished they spent an hour running on the rocks and poking their sticks and swords in the creek.

A Duel

 Lego Sword vs The Stick

 

The Putting Down of Weapons to play Swishy, Swishy

 

 

For me, I just SWOONED over the bridge. Look at it. Wouldn't you?

 

Wonder how many sweethearts have hidden away under the cover of this beautiful bridge?

A little history...built in 1909. That makes this bridge 105 years old. Wow!

 

After the picnic lunch, we started back home. On the way, I saw all sorts of antique shops. I was nearly drooling. But, I knew my little Chiggers would not tolerate a pit stop to an antique store, so I called up Terri and we've made plans to go on a Sista Sista's day of antiquing sometime soon.

 

Lidia, Sawyer and I had a great weekend and I just LOVE making memories like this with them. I'm looking forward to our next adventure.

 

Still Swooning,

Laurie

 

In case you were wondering:

I have a 10k race this weekend. And, my sessions with the trainer at the gym is over.

Looking back, I miss my workouts with him. Why I feel this way, when all I felt like doing during the workouts was puking, is beyond me. But, I see a difference. Enough to make me continue on my own. By the end of the summer, I'm going to be ripped. HaHa! Yeah, we'll see.