Weekend

I have never been around a dog like Fes.  He never just lounges around, he has to be working on something all the time, he's a tinker dog.

I took my glasses off the other day and was amused to see they were looking back at me.  And not looking very pleased!  I wonder if my Lake Wobegone book was too boring?  Maybe they were mad about being left home all last weekend.

The foster dogs are back with FDM.  I don't think either wanted to go back, too much fun running around here!  I have gotten pretty fond of both of them, I hope they find good homes, Fes will thrive anywhere, but Shelley needs a special family.

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Today we went for a hike at Bankhead.  My backside is not healed up from the fall Tuesday when I apparently took that crack I was born with as a challenge.  You call THAT a crack?  WATCH THIS.  And...ow.  So I was not up for a major hike, lifting my knees, bending over and any kind of squatting are off the list of things I can do.  However, I wanted to get out and move around in this weather.  We talked about the Refuge and maybe Richard Martin and then Marc e-mailed to see when we were going to Bankhead again.  Everyone decided it would be fun to hike with him, so we planned a meeting time and loaded up our packs.

We hiked the Brushy Creek Trail, which I don't think is REALLY a trail, I think we just walked by the creek for a couple of miles.  About 10 feet into the hike, Marc went barreling down a hill-his impulse control level is on par with that of a 2 year old-and stopped short when he realized the feather he thought he was seeing was really a rattlesnake.  I was on high alert after that!

eeeeeeeeeee

 Yes, I think these mushrooms look like penises, too.

 The kids and Marc calling Spotty from across the creek.

Sougahoagdee Falls

 Between this shot and the one below, I crossed the log.  And about where Marc is in the above shot, I FROZE.  I seriously suck at log crossing and usually panic and have to be tranquilized and then fished out of the water below before I drown.  Or else I sit down and won't move until Matt starts in on me.  This one was about 5 feet above the rocks, though it hardly looks it.  Chandler had to come back and get me, I could not get over a knot, I had to lift my foot too high.  Since falling Tuesday and HURTING like I have been, all I can do is think I am going to fall again and hurt MORE.  That would have been far enough to really do some damage to my tailbone, I have not been panic-scared in a long while and I got it 4 times today!  

The rattlesnake-which I went closer to look at since Marc was nearly on top of it.  As soon as I got down there, he hit it with a stick!  OMG.  As soon as he did, he looked back at me with huge round eyes like he could not believe he just did that.  The second time was the log, the next two times are still to come!  Poor me, I was glad to have some restorative chocolate when I got home.

 

We kept going past the falls a while and stopped to let everyone play around on some rocks.  Matt, Marc and I were standing in a triangle, about 20 feet apart from one another.  Jake was on a small cliff behind Marc and I went toward him, maybe to take a picture, I don't remember.  When I looked down to check my footing, I ALMOST stepped on a copperhead! He was not impressed with my hiking skills and looked ready to eat me.  UGH.  I yelled the only word that comes to mind in this situation.  I wonder what people who live in other countries yell?

Neither Matt nor Marc could see it, I kept pointing at it and finally they both saw it about the same time and jumped backward.  I mean, this thing was about 2 feet from my feet!  When you were not looking right at it, you could not see it, the blending feat of the pattern and the dead leaves was amazing.  If it had not been by that yellow piece of wood there, we would have had a hard time keeping up with it.

 I have looked at my bone guides for a while, I think this is a baby raccoon skull.
We thought maybe a baby pig because the lower teeth were so tusk-like, but raccoons have some scary canine on top and bottom.  The top canine were gone.

We found several geocaches!

Nearly back at the car, we stopped to swim in the creek.  Jake and I went in first, Marc just behind us, Ben was after him and Chandler came in at the end.  Matt was still getting his shoes off and was sitting on the side of the creek.  Ben and Chandler were wading around looking at 'eels' they kept chasing.  I never saw them.  I was just pleased we had found a stretch of creek with a sandy bottom, so leeches were not an issue.

Just as I was watching Chan wade up the creek a little ways, I was washing the sweat off Ben's back and checking to see if he had a bug bite or poison oak on his shoulder, Matt started yelling about a HUGE leech.  UGH.  He went on and on, it was the biggest leech he had seen, ever.  Get out, get out, HUGE LEECHES.  We went for the shore and started climbing out, I had the kids ahead of me and looked them over, we were all clear.  I looked for Marc and he was still in the water, swimming over TO the leech to catch it. 

Matt was yelling leeeeeeeech and the 'eels' swimming all around us had been leeches and I felt lightheaded and a little sick. UGH.  Marc gave up catching one and we all kind of hobbled back to the cars, no one stopped to dress or even put on shoes. 

I decided to keep bangs for now.

And that was our day.  I think we are taking tomorrow off!