Many reasons to love summer

We are taking a short summer break from school and dance until the week after July 4th.  We have had the pleasure of seeing so many old friends and family over the past few weeks.

After the recital the girls and I took a trip to Isle of Palms, SC with my mom and cousin for the day. Then we were off to Boone and Mountain City where we got to hike on the Blue Ridge Parkway and bike on the Virginia Creeper trail as well as see grandparents, cousins and my close friends from when we lived there almost 10 years ago. Daniel is teaching summer classes while writing so he stayed home. As usual when I away, I missed him terribly:(

Hiking Rough Ridge Trail. Daniel and I used this trail often in college and we both have fond memories of taking the girls here in backpacks and carriers. They cruised right up this steep trail and we were all able to enjoy the beautiful views from the top.

Biking the Virginia Creeper Trail. We rented bikes in Damascus, VA and they shuttled us up the mountain where they dropped us off for a 17 mile bike ride down the mountain. The trail was so peaceful and pretty.

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Then I traveled by myself to Charlotte to spend the evening with my college roommates and best friends. I'm not sure how many years it's been, maybe 10, since we've all sat down together for more than a few minutes. It was a sweet time. I love how even after years apart we were still able to pick right back up where we left off. Good friends are always that way and I'm thankful for these ladies.

I got some QT with Daniel's family while in Charlotte--a special brunch with Anna and Gail (no pics). Mom met me in Charlotte with the kids and we drove back home and had a surprise visit from our dear friends Scott and Anna from NC.

 

We had a week before our next visitors so here's some photos of what we do with our time at home. Lots of reading--especially comics. The girls just love them. Even if they are reading other novels they will still take breaks and pick these up. Here's Ellen reading her favorite one, Tintin. Other favorites are Far Side, Garfield, Calvin and Hobbes and Asteri.

 

Nature programs with our favorite instructor, Ms. Chanda every other week during the summer. Last week we talked about water quality and identified bugs from the pond. We have learned a ton from these but most importantly we have a great time with our good homeschool buddies. We always bring food and stay for a long time after so the kids can play around the pond, forest, and gardens.

More bike riding but this time with our friends and at Saluda Shoals in Irmo, SC. Great paved trails along the Saluda River. Lots of room to run, play and explore.

 

Most recently we had a wonderful visit from my Dad who came up from Baton Rouge to spend a few days at our house. This was a special time for us and I'm so thankful he made the trip. We had lots of time to hang out and it was around Father's Day too!

Daniel's dad also met up with us for the Holiday. Here are 3 amazing men that I am so blessed to have in my life. Handsome, loving, kind, generous, intelligent, funny...seriously, I'm a lucky woman.

A day with dad and flower identification

Daniel took the girls out for an all day bike ride and hike on the riverfront trail in downtown Columbia. This is a 4 mile path that runs between the river and the canal. It is a great place to spot animals in the water and in the woods. They saw a muskrat climbing on a tree then fall into the water. They also saw lots of water birds and frogs.




We are trying to identify this flower that is in our yard. It is blooming right now as one of the first flowers of the season. Each white flower is smaller than a dime and looks like a rose. I've included a close up picture and one that was taken some feet away. If you have any idea what this is please post a comment. We would love to know!

Bike Riding featuring Columbia's Waterways

Way to go Columbia...You have provided some beatiful trails right along the river and canal. They are maintained very nicely and offer shaded and sunny, paved and unpaved trails right by the Congaree River and historic canal. Friday I took the girls for a short bike ride but then they really wanted daddy to come with us.So, Saturday afternoon we took the whole family for a long bike ride. It ended up being about 5 miles total. They loved it and never complained of being tired. I've never seen legs move so fast on such tiny bikes (especially Arianna's). In fact, one family passed us and I heard them comment as they were looking back at Arianna cruising along on her little bike saying, "Did you see that little girl--she didn't look old enough." They got a good laugh out of it. We had to stop along the way to enjoy the abundant honey suckle vines and wild blackberries. They were so sweet smelling and tasting! Arianna and I couldn't get enough. We'll definitely make this a regular family activity.

These first pictures show my ride with the girls on Friday. You can see the river in the background and we are on one of the many bridges and boardwalks that carried us along the path and under bridges.
Little side note here...Notice the outfits, especially the "leg warmers." Aparently it is the new fashion style with the girls. It started by cutting off some socks that had holes and now they love to wear these colorful creations with their carefully chosen outfits.
This next one is of the canal. We had stopped here to walk over to the river and get a closer look.
The river is on the other side of the paved trail.
Yummy blackberries!
Now that I have praised Columbia for its one great bike trail can I just say that it's time to create a few more??? I'm loving bike riding and I think if we had more trails to get to and from grocery stores, parks and other attractions we'd be riding a lot more. Unfortunately our neighborhood is stuck between some very busy roads and we can't really get anywhere without having to deal with a lot of traffic and drivers not used to seeing bikers. Maybe I should look into starting a local campaign for more bike trails, right? :) Sure would be nice. Anyone else agree and want to help!