Frozen Creek Hike

We've had some interesting winter weather over the past few weeks. The snow fall has been consistent which is a strange occurrence in the middle midwest. The snow falls melts a little freezes over with a little ice then falls again.  Remembering this much snow fall in one winter is difficult.

We took the family out on a hike one weekend and followed a small creek through the woods.  We started planning the hike and the kids grumbled.  The day unfolded with more excitement while walking on the frozen creek and climbing over ice and snow covered logs and rocks.  I enjoyed watching the kids explore the woods and poking at the ice.  We seemed to enjoy the entire event with most of the kids asking about any future hikes.  They all want to hike along the creek again.  The water keeps them interested and entertained.  I think I know why all of our Arizona hikes were so difficult when there was no water to provide a distraction.

My Brother's Great Idea

We recently traveled to my brother's home in Southern Illinois. He had the idea to take the kids to a local park with a Dungeons and Dragons theme complete with a castle playground, wizards, dragons, goblins and archers. The park was a brilliantly done and a peaceful memorial to a young man who left this earth much too early in his life. The "Boo" Rochman memorial park was built by his family to remember a young man's life. The park is full of surprises. Private donations allow for the operations of the park and it was open to the public. Our kids loved the park almost as much as I did. I did have to spend some time unsuccessfully explaining the dungeons and dragons game. My explanation was met with shrugs as the kids all ran off to enjoy climbing and exploring the park.