The Week 8/52 & 9/52

Put in 7 miles with Karen on Friday, we had so much fun!  Karen wore her new Osprey pack (ours match!) and we fiddled with it until she was very happy with the fit.  Hurrah!  I have not even done that with my own pack yet, the one day I loaded it to try out, I pulled a neck muscle picking it up, then the food was still in boxes, so they poked my kidneys.  I had it loaded for a full week of no resupply-clothes, food, water (well, 3 liters) stove, fuel, pot, cup, light, rain gear, tent, bag, pad, down jacket, hat, maps, camera, batteries...it was 33 pounds and toooooo heavy for my liking.  I was glad she was loving hers, I am hoping for a better plan next time I haul mine out! haha

found these at Big Lots, bought...a lot of them.  SO yummy!

deeeeer

Afterward, I went to meet Andrea at Ditto Landing and it was flooded!

We got in a couple miles anyway, then had dinner at Tazikis.

A weekend trip to Hobby Lobby for more art supplies for the Chan netted me some half off figurines to place along the trail.  

Lots of trail work and the occasional stab at trail work that ends with just hiking around.

This is the top of the log road I want to open back up, that's about 4 afternoons of just burning the downed stuff.  It's been so much work, but a really good way to sneak in some exercise.  After I get the loop at the north end done, that will add a serious climb.  It's 600 feet at the confluence where the property line is and it's 1000 at the cliff where the campsite is.  The house is about 200 feet higher than that, so a good elevation change!  The trail is a mile long now end to end, so a 2 mile walk to do it all.  So far. Going for 3 for now and planning to add 2 more miles next winter.  I don't want to disturb the critters too much by moving brush around, snakes in particular!

I needed to sit at the top a bit and plan where to start the trail down.

Jessie likes the contemplation time.

That's a dog smooch IN my backpack.  Nosers!

The start of the north loop path, so far I have just been moving large fallen things and rocks out of the path.  That tree was too heavy!

Salamanders are waking up!
Don't touch with bare hands, they absorb through their skins and can die from the crap we slather on ourselves.

On leap day, we returned Kurt's car and went geocaching so Matt could get a special leap year badge.  On the way home (all 5 of us crammed in Matt's tiny car) I snapped some pics out the window.

Lovely!

And that's it.
I got Ben registered for the next school year.  We talked it over and are TIRED of homeschooling.  He's going to work at getting his last few credits done early, so he can graduate next May instead of 2018.  So, without realizing it at the time, I enrolled us in our final year as homeschoolers!

So, I only have to plan 6 more events in my role as AC and I am DONE.  I am nearly giddy with the relief of the end being in sight.  I have planned so many things and led so many events and outings over the past 16 years.  I will be glad to be at the end of it all.  Fittingly, my last homeschooling event will be the May campout in 2017.

The Week

Chan turned 18 Wednesday and we had girls over.  They stayed up all night laughing and eating sugar.  Friday, she graduated (her diploma came in the mail!) and I spent the whole day clearing trail.  We decided to add to the trail system and make it a thru-hike with a badge.  Thinking of trail names now, it's been a debate.  There will be 2 campsites as well.  Matt's petitioning for switchbacks to the creek.

We routed the new trail to double back and follow the creek a ways because it's a pretty spot.

View from the new campsite spot
That's a wide, shallow creek, a little hard to see in the shade!

I Eat Deer

The new campsite will be at the top of that hill!
It's called Far Point.  It's 3/4 mile from the house, so that will be a nice hike, especially when the trail loops instead of just goes there and back out.




Saturday we went to Aveda for a modeling gig.  I had thought it was for pics for at least the website/FB page and they did take some, but it was mostly an unveiling of the new makeup line.  It's pretty, lots of pinks and purples.  The foundation has a color called Esther.  I was geeked.

We dropped them off and headed out to get  lunch (Aveda fed the girls!) and hit the music store and the new Field and Stream store.  After a few hours, we headed back to Aveda.

While the girls stood around like mannequins and occasionally strolled the room for customers to get a closer look, I got whisked away for a free makeup do-thingie!  I have not had anyone do my makeup in...25 years?  She used lots of pinks, which I thought were bad at my age.   But, what do I know?  Not much about make up!

Pretty good week, looking forward to some upcoming events.  Added 2 tough hikes and another backpacking trip to the calendar.  I'll guess I'll see if trail building and kettlebell workouts are enough to compensate for barely moving all year.  My 1000 mile goal is still over 900 miles from being done.  And the month's half over!

Week End

It's been a good week around the castle, early in the week, we straightened up and ran errands, getting ready to go off camping.  We went on a short backpacking trip Wednesday and Thursday and then on Friday, Evan graduated after passing his GED with excellent scores!

 We started at the house, went to the waterfall, the point, through the boulder garden wildflower area, Linden Meadows up the cane Creek Trail through the hogback boulder area and camped at the old beaver pond.

It was around 7 miles total, a nice walk in a beautiful area!

 +++++

 The ceremony was held at the college, we arrived early and the kids were able to chat and visit a while, and so did the adults!

The spring graduating class!  The program serves around 1100 students a year in the northwest Alabama area.  Around 100 showed up for the actual ceremony.

After the ceremony, we had cake and punch at the reception and talked to everyone a while, then headed to Taco Bell at Evan's request.  We had a great time getting to chat with everyone and relaxing a while before the drive home.

Today, the kids are all off at auditions for the next play, it's a musical, so Jake worked all week learning his song. 

I am at home, I get so worked up at the auditions that it was agreed, I should just let Matt handle them.  The kids were up, dressed, fed and ready to go before we even woke up this morning, they are all so excited about another play.  I hope they do well and get cast!  Several friends are trying out, too.  It will be lots of fun for them to get to hang out with everyone again like they did with Oz.  It's an older cast, I am hoping it will be a better experience-and less germ-riddled!  haha