Waterfalls

This past weekend we had a little camping adventure at Ricketts Glen State Park.  I don't know how Scott and the Sullys felt, but for me it was a bit more than a regular camping trip.  While we thoroughly enjoyed all the trappings of a traditional tent camping trip, like s'mores and long talks by the campfire, a hearty hot breakfast, and scrumptious shish-kabobs made to taste even better by a full day of hiking, there was something more.

The water levels were low enough that we were able to swim in waterfalls!

(I'm sitting here.  Caroline wanted the water to pound on her head)

And we also swam in this little peace of paradise:

While the rest of the region was baking in 100+ degree weather, we cooled off (shivered even) in the  cool waters.  I won't lie.  The water was brisk.  If the weather had been cooler, I wouldn't have even considered taking a dip.  But, we were fortunate because the weather was hot and the lack of rain made the water levels low and run clear.  Looking at the photographs of the falls in the hiking brochures, the water levels were unbelievably low relative to normal levels.  But the views were still stunning.  There were rocks covered in ancient moss, ferns lining the trails, and rocky waterfalls, like THIS:

Ricketts Glen boasts 22 named waterfalls, of which we saw seven, including the highest one (94'). While we would have liked to see more, hiking near waterfalls with young children takes a level of vigilance that would be unsustainable for a 7-mile trail. When planning the trip, I thought we would only be able to see one fall since the hiking materials talked about the difficulty and slipperiness of the trails. The lack of rain worked in our favor here too, since the trails were bone dry in most places. Exhilerating!

3 things you don't want to hear or see before 8 am

1)  Ben: "MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!  Don't let the ants get my Legos!"
     Mom (screaming from other side of the house):  "What ants?"
     Ben:  "All these millions of ants in the living room eating crackers on the floor!"
    
2)  Ben:  "Caroline, pull your underwear up as high as you can."
     Caroline:  "Like this?" 
     Ben:  "No, even higher like THIS."
     Caroline complies.
     Ben:  "Now, let's run around naked and show Mom and Dad."
          (no photos necessary for this one...just use your imagination....or not)

3)  Caroline:  "BEEEEEEEEEEEN!!!!!!!!  Come here!"
     Mom: "Caroline, aren't you in the bathroom?"
     Caroline:  "Yes, Mom.  Come here Ben, I want to show you something!"
     (Ben runs gleefully into the bathroom)
     Caroline:  "Look at THIS Ben!  Doesn't it look like a troll lego boomer?"  
     Ben:  "Wow!  That's awesome.  Can we take it out and play with it?"
     (at this point I was sprinting down the hall, ready to intervene)
    Caroline:  "No Ben, we can't.  We have to flush it away." 
     (flushing sounds heard....thank God)

Soooooo......how's your day going so far?

Summer Highlights So Far....

Kayaking at Marsh Creek

Backyard Camping

Backyard Camping -- with FIRE!

Longwood Gardens

Ben cheering at Longwood Gardens.....

after the very accommodating staff successfully retrieved Ben's hat from an off-limits fountain area....

where he just happened to drop his hat.....(thank you facilities team!)

Dragon Ride at Malvern Fair

Abby: Top Right Row;  Mom:  Out of Shot, Eyes Covered

We're all still here and the kids are certainly enjoying their summer.  We've had a chance to do lots of other wonderful things that I didn't capture on film, like rafting on the Lehigh River and trips to grandparents' houses. 

However, as the dearth of posts would suggest, I must admit that I have lost a bit of my blogging "mojo" of late.  I've tried to think of a way to put this into words, but three weeks later I'm still struggling to think of a way to express myself clearly.  Even now, I'm at a loss for the right words.  The bottom line, though, is that I'm just tired. Not the sleep-deficit-variety of tired, but a deeper kind of tired.  During the school year, when things are running at full speed, I didn't make take time to reflect.  But, now that things have mercifully slowed down, I've had a chance to contemplate how the "things" (family, friends, volunteer commitments, the house, etc.) are and where they are going.  I have decided we, at least I, need a course correction.  I'm still trying to figure out where I fit into the mix because the pace from last year was not sustainable. I'm still searching for answers.