The kids had nearly all of last week off due to a winter storm—it really is true that winter weather stops some places completely. Cole has a headcold bothering him and sapping his energy, so he only played a bit. Bunny is entering her “bedroom cocoon” years, so she really wasn’t into playing outside with her doofy family (I like to do an impression of Pearl, Mr. Krabs’ daughter on Spongebob for Paul: “Daddy, you’re EMbarrasing me!”). Carter, however, was ALL ABOUT THE SNOW.
Our family “Caboose” turned 6! Everyone in our home has more than one hand worth of fingers now.
(Cole wanted to garnish the cake with two berries, no more, no less.)
Cole’s grown *so* much in the past year, in all ways. We can’t wait to see what next year holds for him – we love him so, our not so little guy.
Did you know the zig zag bridges in classic Zen gardens are designed to keep out evil spirits? At J.C. Raulston Arboretum the Japanese Garden is one of many theme gardens. Meant to be a place of contemplation and serenity, my family obviously could only stay for a brief while before the rascals among us grew restless.
Carter loved the koi. He always loves koi.
Near the “Necessary” are a wonderful display of tender perennials, most of which had huge leaves and heady scents. Also, I think I want to call the bathroom the “necessary” from now on. How funny would that be, to be so delicate that I could only make the most vague of suggestions about certain “necessities?” After ~12 yrs of parenthood, I am constantly amazed by the things I will say now, so the mismatch of asking my kids if they need to visit the “necessary” amuses me. ;)
And then there was the Rose Garden. I love roses, but have grown tired of their neediness. So, I’m not sure I’d be into having a full-on garden of roses… all the more reason to appreciate others’ gardens! Adjacent to the roses is grouping of marble statues called Italian Reflections, which was pretty. It’ll be nice to revisit the area in spring when the wisteria are blooming.
This next photo is not so great, but it makes me laugh.
A while back, Bunny told me, when I was standing in front of her combing her hair, that my armpits were “too deep.” I really don’t know how that even is a *thing* but well, as you can see… They are extra ‘pitty.’
While the kids and I had a great time at Bass Lake Day, we knew we’d have to return soon with Paul to show him what a nice place the park is, and to explore beyond the small part we saw that day, which really was only one building and an adjacent grassy area.
There is a perimeter trail around the lake, amounting to about 1.5 miles, but at this time the trail does not fully circle the lake—sooo close—so hikers need to backtrack. (A map inside the nature center says the trail is meant to be completed in spring 2014 and needs one last bridge.)
I became mildly obsessed with the turtles found everywhere a decent sized log protrudes from the water.
Seriously, the buggers were everywhere (well, everywhere logs popped up from water) and I just love the way their heads look.
We also came across ample evidence of busy, busy beavers.
Then Bunny became a little more than mildly obsessed with the concept that she could find a beaver, catch it, name “her” Mrs. Beaverson (and she added she didn’t care if it was a girl or not), and…. well, she didn’t have a plan beyond that. Good thing we never found a beaver.
After we walked (almost) around the lake and then back again, we enjoyed a picnic on the verandah around the Visitor Center, Bunny and I went inside the Nature Center where the attendant kindly took out a hognose snake for us to see up close, and we spent some time hanging out on the dock in the late afternoon warmth.
Last weekend we visited Yates Mill Park in Raleigh. Built sometime in the 1750s, it was in operation for over 200 years until 1950s. It then was bought by NC State and used as teaching example of a gristmill, subsequently fell into disrepair, and has been since purchased as a county park and now has a conservatorship group that has refurbished the mill and surrounding area and added to its cultural enrichment.
The visitor center is informative and interesting, too. There are hands-on exhibits help people understand how a mill works and what it does.
Carter would still be there cranking that handle—I finally had to tell him, “Enough. Time to move on,” after about 15 minutes. Boy, was it loud!
Yep, a still.
There’s also an area for kids to dress up in period-style clothes.
I think this guy’s eye look like this because he is going to molt soon. We spied him (as if I can tell if he’s a “him,”) sunning by a path.
There is a nice, easy ~mile long trail around the pond, with a few little docks to take in the view as it changes, and a really long bridge that fishers can use.
It’s easy to see why there were people here with professional photographers, capturing their engagement, wedding, or pregnancy photos (all three were there that day). It’s a gorgeous area, and I’m so glad it’s been preserved.
