A Boy's Adventure

Aidan is dressed for a hike. 

He walks through the deep woods where there are no trails and only the animals tread.

The water gets deep and Aidan has to roll up his pants legs. 

He would probably camouflage nicely if not for the red boots. Very Christopher Robin. 

Papa emerges and finds the boardwalk to the lake. 

Once there, Aidan empties the water from his right boot. 

And then the left. Leaky boots. 

He shakes them out good. 

Then he sticks his feet in the water...

Just enough to see it is too cold. 

But it's inviting nonetheless. 

 Cody is wondering what Aidan is doing. 

Aidan launches himself into the water. 

He propels himself forward. 

He goes one way...

...then circles and goes the other way. 

Happy in his own little adventure. 

Papa and Cody enjoy the show as Aidan rows into dock. 

He drags the boat out of the water. 

And he finds a new distraction. 

Playing with Cody. These are the dog days of Spring.

Boardwalk to the Lake...Finished

The edge of our forest gives way to a marsh that edges against a lake. Walking to the lake required walking through the marsh. We were happy to do this till the day we came upon the water mocassin nest. Then we decided we needed our own path, and we would leave them to theirs. And so our massive building project began. 

It's a wide marsh, so we built a long boardwalk that is 24" off the ground. It is just set on top of the ground...no concrete or anything that would mess with the natural environment. 

At the terminal end, there is another large deck. Eventually this will have a lift top box in which to store fishing poles and chair cushions. The canoe wedges in nicely. 

Here's what it looks like in Winter, minimally furnished. 

It's got a gorgeous view, morning and evening, and all kinds of visiting birds. Not to mention these cute chicks.

It's a great place for a snuggle.

Early Morning Walk

Early yesterday morning, as I lay in my cozy bed sleeping, my husband texted me. He said, "Come join me out by the lake. Dress warm."
I could think of a hundred reasons for not doing this. But the adventure beckoned me. So I dressed warmly, grabbed my camera, and walked out the door to this sight. 

Good morning, Mother Nature. This is our lovely forest. For a sense of scale, see the bench in the bottom left corner of the picture. 

Golden leaves everywhere. 

I walked across the golden grass back to the forest. 

On my right, the pond mirrored the trees.  

This is my husband's newest project. A boardwalk through the marsh to our lake.  

At the end of the boardwalk?  A man and his dog.


He said, "You have GOT to see this."

This is what I saw at 6 a.m. above my dog's ears. 

Sunrise on the lake. A sea of tranquility. We sat there for an hour in the cold, breathing all of it in. 

Then the day called, and we walked back through the forest to the house.
What a powerful way to start my day.
Thanks, husband of mine.