A Leisure Walk

Tiny dragonfly resting on a leaf at the lake.


Hello Sunshine!

Yes, this is Liam in front of the base of the fallen tree. I tell you the root/base was enormous....Just look at how little Liam looks!

We encountered this humongous fallen tree during our walk. The exposed roots were a neat sight!



Mimosa tree/Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

After dinner, DH, the kids and I went out for a walk at our beloved Smithville Lake/Smithville Park.The temperature was cooler which helped a lot in motivating us to get out there and get some exercise.

When we got to the lake, we were greeted by the beautiful sight of a Mimosa tree in full bloom, and an equally beautiful resident, a Papilio glaucus, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly.

As usual, Daddy and the kids forged on ahead, while I lingered behind to examine the local fauna and flora.

While the temperature was cooler, the humidity in the air was more tangible with each and every step we took. The flies and gnats were out in force and flew into one's face, which Liam despises. He was hot and bothered, and the darn flies and gnats were "out to get him." :)

My most favorite part of the walk, besides being out as a family, was when we exited the canopy of trees and walked into a sunlit clearing. I loved the play of shadows and light shown in the photo of Kay and Daddy exiting the canopy and of Kaylie running to meet the sunlight. In all, we walked about 1 1/2 miles.

I have to go clean the house now, before the kids wake up. Have a great day wherever you are. Kait 9302

A Leisure Walk

Holiday Village at Smithville Park

Ebenezer's assistant.


Ebenezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol. I love his accent and he was quite expressive. A good character actor.


Another painting from the Hugh Campbell exhibit. I love the brushstrokes and composition. I will certainly keep this one for future reference. I can see Spring bursting forth.

Painting from Hugh Campbell exhibit.

Liam was admiring this player's clarinet.

One of our highlights was watching the musician playing Christmas tunes, they even took requests. Liam wanted to hear Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer but they had just played that tune. Kaylie wanted to hear Grandma got Ranover by a Reindeer, which was not in their repertoire. LOL. I can't say I blame them. :) They did play an except from IT CAME UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR just for me. They even asked me if the kids wanted their photos taken with them. Of course, we did!

Kaylie loved her pink Santa hat...she obviously had no trouble posing or smiling.

Liam had been hounding us for days to get him a Santa hat. Daddy took them to Grandma's house and they were both sporting new hats on their return home. He posed but wouldn't smile.

We didn't get a chance to enjoy the carriage ride, but it was cool watching it come down the street lined with antique lamposts.

Oh, isn't this bear a beaut? It was perched atop the STAR BYCICLE, which is the jewel of Eastampton.

Today we went to the Holiday Village @ Smithville Park. The weather was a lovely 49 degrees F.

Since we didn't get there at noon time we didn't get a chance to see Santa arrive in the firetruck. The place was jam-packed so we couldn't see Santa at all. A shame really as the kids really wanted to see him. We couldn't see the ballerinas do their dance routine either because it was jam packed.

Another disappointment was the horse drawn carriages. By 1:00 p.m., the line was full to capacity and they were only there for 3 hours. Bah Humbug!

The kids and I got in line for free apple cider and gingerbread cookies. They got cookies, I only got the cider, which wasn't even half a cup. We barely made it. They were complaining that they were running short on supplies.

Dasher and Prancer were caged...like animals. Needless to say, they weren't dashing or prancing around much. Liam wondered out loud how these reindeer were going to make it to the North Pole in time for xmas.

There were Christmas carolers and a presentation of "A Christmas Carol." (pict. of Ebenezer and of his assistant uploaded.) We loved it.

We also went to an art exhibit featuring the art of Hugh Campbell, an artist who was a resident of this area. He had chicken sketches! These 2 oil paintings were really captivating, though I like most of his paintings.

The kids didn't do any of the crafts either because they had run out of crafts. They had advertised the event in the local newspapers and sent notices home with all students, but weren't prepared for the onslaught of people that showed up. Maybe they'll learn from this experience and do a better job next year.

Holiday Village at Smithville Park

PAD18 - Visualize the Past

You must be thinking, "What the heck is she doing taking photos of this rundown building? She must not have anything else to do with her time. Or maybe she just wants to burn money. Or maybe she is bored, has flipped and went on a shooting rampage." LOL

The answer is that where you see a rundown building, I see the past. I can imagine this building in its full glory, with its bright orange bricks, set against the azure sky. I can visualize ladies with parasols looking at the lake watching a mother duck with ducklings leisurely swimming. I can see kids skipping rocks, while their fathers are smoking a cigar and playing cards in a corner.

PAD18 - Visualize the Past