Let freedom ring!

I've been doing my best to avoid the garden lately, I know I'm not alone in this!  It's so hot and humid... but lots of you are dealing with the same, so I won't complain, this time :)  I will however, admit that my threats to throw in the towel are starting to become less threat and more action (or inaction in my case).  I have officially ceased watering and bug collecting out there.  Things are drooping, burning, ugly, being eaten by insects and I. don't. care.!  I feel a little badly about it, but I really have been doing my best up until a couple of weeks ago, and I've already started to resent the time I've spent out there dealing with it all and neglecting the more fun things in life.  I am now only collecting my basket of a.m. goodies while they last...

Speaking of "more funner" things... we are starting to "get our life back" a little after years of toddler-dom.  The other night, the kids rode their bikes from our house, up over a relatively steep inlet bridge, and down to the oceanfront and down the boardwalk without stopping or complaining!  It was about 10 miles round trip that we did, I'm very proud of them.  I can't tell you how free this makes me feel - and for the first time we can enjoy bike riding, ice cream on the boardwalk and people-watching without paying for parking!  This is something I REFUSE to do, since I live in this city I am always fuming over the fact that we can't get near the beach and they charge $10-20 to park your vehicle, that's always been my main issue with going down there.  But now we are rockin' the bikes, having fun, and not paying a thing!

But first, nervous mom here spent the first night barking out instructions on how to ride in traffic over the din of speeding tourists, this mom gig is not for the faint of heart, but they have to start learning somehow.

Here is Finn riding up and over the inlet bridge that is the final stretch before the boardwalk.  Very busy road, but a nice shared use path separated from the traffic lanes.  I was pretty nervous here, and made him walk his bike down the hill, since all this separation ends smack dab in a busy tourist intersection down on "the Strip".  I wasn't thoroughly convinced he could brake well if he got rolling too fast downhill!

The destination:  Kids loving being able to ride on the "real bike highway" on the boardwalk.  They are learning to listen for the bells that mean someone is passing them and other courtesies, so much to learn when you're little.  We have these horrible Thai-style rickshaws that ride down here and take up the whole path and the tourists that rent them can barely pedal them, so they are learning to "respect the rickshaw!"

Goofy faced Loch showing off his first real bike injury.  He cried at first, but then we told him he wasn't a real biker until he had enough scars to prove it, so now he's a little excited about it.

Yesterday while on the base at hubby's squadron, we had a heron pose for us!

  

These are quite numerous here, but we usually see them in the water or in the marsh.  This one decided that the naval flight line applied to him as well I guess!  I hope he doesn't get sucked up in an engine, he needs to relocate :)

Finally, this morning's non-gardening produced this...

The tomatoes are starting to become smaller, but still here.

Shirking responsibility

All work and no play makes mommy boring!  I had a great weekend just "being".  I was reminded of what an awesome hubby and kids I have, that's kind of sad that I have to be reminded, I need to do more of this stuff!

Friday's bike ride at our local state park...

it was in the mid-90's but the whole trail was heavily shaded, which made it quite nice.

all 3 of my boys :)

I'm so proud of Finnegan, he biked 6 miles that day!

This is the only photo of me :)

brothers...

Saturday was a BBQ for one of the guys who is leaving hubby's work.  Finn got to play ladderball for the first time.

There was one of our illustrious snakes here a few moments before, but I didn't get a photo of it, darn!  Hate those things...

This particular park is only 30 minutes south of us, yet look what is hardy here!  These will not make it through the winter in my yard but apparently are fine just 30 miles away.

On the way home from the BBQ we stopped in at the little "out in the sticks" place (Southern Fried Studio & Shop) I told you about a few weeks ago who have been having all the problems with the permitting and codes division as well as vandal problems.  Just look at this - we pulled in and the place was packed! It's wonderful that social networking can have such a positive effect on our local small businesses, it gives me hope - I was afraid those sites would lead to people no longer needing or wanting face to face contact.  

The kids ate ice cream cones while hubby and I had their fantastic milkshakes on the front porch of the store.  Any business with a front porch is a big "thumbs up" in our book!

Today started out with a harvest, the 1st Brandywine tomato and 1st eggplant of the year -

Time for the annual "it's as big as my head, mom!" photo.

Then off to a birthday party for Finn's friend.  Here's an action shot of Finn :)

and another...

Finn on the left with his friends enjoying a hot dog and lemonade.

I think the lab was standard issue with the pool :)

Egads it was hot this weekend, but was made much more tolerable by having fun instead of sweating and itching in the bean and tomato vines.  Hope you all had a great weekend, now I have to get back in a "work" groove and get ready to do something productive tomorrow!

I'll leave you with a video of Swamp Bugs making their music, they were unbelievably loud Friday evening!

Memorial Day Weekend - Day 4 (lots of pics)

Completely exhausted.  Cooked.  Done!

Today we went biking out in the swamp forests and salt marsh. I am so proud of Finn, he did it!

Finnegan

Hubby

Loch & Finn when we stopped for lunch

Really hot today, in the 90's with horrible humidity, but it was pretty much total shade out where we were, which makes for a much more pleasant riding & hiking.

The below photos are what our area of Southeastern VA is supposed to look like, before the swamp was filled in and cities and oceanfront hotels were built.  It's my little secret, most of the hikers and kayakers are well aware, but you would be surprised at how many lifelong residents of this area don't know this still exists in places.  I don't offer the info either, unless asked specifically :)

That being said, if you are ever here and looking for unspoiled swamp and salt marsh, let me know and I'll tell you where to go to avoid the nonsense and really see it the way nature intended.

  Check out the bark on this tree...

  

The Bald Cypress here are simply beautiful.  Here is the base of one, these grow plentifully here and are part of what makes our swamp waters the dark, tannic brown color.

More Bald Cypress

Today was a snake free day I am pleased to say, we didn't see even one.  I know there are some snake fans out there but when you live in an area with plentiful Water Moccasins and have children, you treat all snakes as if they were venomous!

An interesting side note:  there have been alligators as far north as just about 40-50 miles south of us for years now, but our first confirmed alligator in the swamp on the VA side was just last month.  It was a large one, 9-10 ft long.  I think it will be awhile before we have to worry about sighting one ourselves, but it's yet another thing to have in the back of our minds as we kayak and explore.  In a way though, it makes me smile... it means that the area is deemed hospitable to another species, and that makes me feel good.  

We followed nature from the swampy forest all the way out to the salt marsh that opens up to the sound.  The sounds then connect to the ocean.

More sun filtering in shows us lots lilypads, grasses and flowers

Massive ecosystem here, can you see the turtle below?

The first of the tall salt marsh grasses are these cattails, the water here will still be tannic and murky with a mucky bottom.

Below you can see where we left the forest and how vast the cattails are

The water is a tad more open between the next expanse of a different marsh grass.  Walking out into the open salt marsh there is full sun here and a wonderful tidal salty scent heavy in the air.  We are on a boardwalk at this point because it is all watery marsh below.

Below is a shot of the salt marsh.  The cypress dot the area less and less as the swamp gives way to the open areas leading to the sound, the bottom here will become gradually more sandy.  This is brackish water here.

Another shot of a young Bald Cypress, clouds and trees reflecting on the dark water

These are the things I will miss the most when our time comes to an end in Virginia.  Although here courtesy of the military, I realized today that not only was I born here (courtesy of dad in the Navy, too!), I've lived here for the better part of 22 years now, so I guess it really is my home away from home.

Last but not least...

It was our anniversary weekend!  It's been 9 years now and for the most part we can still find things we like about the other :)

Tomorrow we'll return to our regularly scheduled programming, the garden needs work!  G'night y'all!

Memorial Day Weekend - Day 2!

 We haven't shirked all responsibility this weekend, we managed to get quite a bit done in the yard today in spite of very hot and humid temps, and knocked off at about 1:00 to get ready to other things that didn't involve sweating buckets!

My new friend - he decided to ride in my tool caddy around the garden while I planted a few annuals.  When I was done, I told him he had to go do some work and he hopped out into the pea bed :)

Ladybug eggs deposited on a pepper plant!

Hubby and Finn creating a place for my pumpkin plants, this area was otherwise a wasteland full of weeds with a perfectly good fence asking for vines.  He rimmed it in a few pieces of scrap lumber for me so my newly amended soil wouldn't wash away in the next big storm, and you know it's coming!

After we all got cleaned up, it was off to a picnic at Gina's house!  You may remember that Gina of Back Bay Botanicals is a fellow blogger that lives nearby.  Her place is fantastic and the kids always have a great time there.  We had a relaxing time just wandering around with some good food, her place is really pretty and perfect for a summer picnic!

Their new farm stand is nearing completion, and looks fantastic!  Those are all cutting type flowers, zinnias, etc growing in front so from the road the farm stand will look very cheery and inviting!

More Cornhole playing... I think the boys are going to want daddy to build a set!

I was pleased to find one of my "native land" brews for sale on base, so I had to grab some, in spite of the fact that we brew our own.  It's a nostalgia thing :)

One of the backwater canals of Back Bay runs right through the property there, very pretty -

No visit to Gina's is complete without the chickens of course!

Gina, Loch noticed you left the keys in it, haha!

The girls relaxing in the breezy shade

Gina made sure to instruct everyone where to bring their watermelon rinds when they were done!  Good times for us, good times for chickens :)

  

Tomorrow will start with chores no doubt, as we have a long list of things to do, but we are determined to fit some fun in as well.  Not sure what it will be yet, but we have to take advantage of the weather while we can.  It's hot out, but a little breezy and storm clouds are constantly passing by, dimming the sun a bit at least.  We actually had a bit of rain today and dark skies, but it passed quickly without incident.  I feel lucky about that since it seems everywhere is experiencing some very trying weather.  What's next - locusts???!!