Apple Picking Fun

We enjoyed a day trip to Sky Top Apple Orchard in Flat Rock, NC yesterday!

Good Memories & Good Times

We traveled to Love Valley, NC to celebrate the life of my Uncle Jack. He died after a battle with lung cancer. As someone shared, he was loved by many-- horse and man! It was a good celebration and we have a lot of good memories to treasure. Scott & Hannah Banana are on their way back from New Orleans! They had a fantastic experience celebrating peacemaking, justice, & discipleship at the ELCA Youth Gatering this past week.

Pink Tennies are Close to Home

Lyd and I are back to cleaning up "headquarters" today!  It's good to be at home.  We've enjoyed Math Camp, VBS and endured the adventure of a Broamlette first broken bone this week!  Grammy and Pop Pop are leaving Michigan today and headed back this way too.  Home is a good place to be.

Hiking in the Heat

Another day of 100 degrees . . . After picking up the boys from Lutheridge, we explored DuPont State Forest on Saturday. We checked out a covered bridge, a couple waterfalls, a l-o-n-g black snake climbing a tree--It was almost a four mile excursion. We did some swimming when we got home & that was refreshing! The boys had a great time at camp. I finished up Wicked Business on the way home. We're hunkering down for another HOT day. Make sure you drink plenty of water today!

Patriotic Puppet Show & Reading Fun

Today Lyd and I "traveled" on down to the public library.  We enjoyed the patriotic puppet show by Puppet Playhouse, "Say Something Good About America."  Lyd also created a patriotic windsock with a red SOLO cup, streamers, stickers and tape!  Kudos to the Lexington County Public Library Ladies for planning exciting activities!  They have close to 3,000 readers signed up at the main branch for this year's summer reading program. 

I finished up my second Dorothea Benton Frank book today!  Starting Janet Evanovich's new one, Wicked Business.  I LOVE TO READ!  And it's doubly fun during summer because I'm not necessarily supposed to be doing something else .  .  .  I enjoyed our PHES Summer Book Club Choice, One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.  I've also dabbled with The First 20 Minutes by Gretchen Reynolds and Sink Reflections by Maria Cilley.  I have Kisses from Katie by Katie J. Davis and Beth Clark in my stack of reads too .  .  . I hope I have enough summer  .  .  . :-)

Congaree National Park

Congaree National Park is the only National Park in SC.  We saw a cypress that was 800 years old!  I liked the ranger's explanation of the root system.  The "knees" of a cypress help it "balance."  During a hurricane, cypress trees are less likely to fall over because of their great foundation!  It was a cool, sunny day and a great day to be out in the big, wide world.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Today the traveling was closer to home (thank goodness)!  On the way home from Lutheridge yesterday afternoon, Lyddie made a "bucket list" of what to do this week.  Today it was trip for a "mini-mani!"  We invited a cousin to join in the fun. 

From the Sea to the Mountains

Today we picked up our Hannah Banana from church camp in NC!  It was neat to drive the opposite end of I-26 this weekend (we were back and forth to the beach four times this past month), and we'll do it all again tomorrow to take the boys to camp?!  (We couldn't schedule the fun on the SAME week this year .  .  . ) 

Walnut Grove was hosting an "historic event," and we stopped to check it out and stretch our legs.  This upcountry plantation was founded in 1765.  The couple had ten children, all who lived to adulthood!  One of the children was a doctor, and we were able to see his practice and some tools of the trade.  We also checked out a blacksmith in action.  It was a neat opportunity and a great excursion.  You can tour the family home if you have a little more time and money!

Where are the pink tennies today?

Shaking off the sand of Edisto Beach!