Monday, June 18, 2018

Weekending

Good Morning!


What a fun, wonderful weekend we had.  We left home Saturday morning and headed up to Colin & Mailing's where we met them, Mailing's parents and her sister.  Then we all headed north to Hickory Run State Park.  It was a gorgeous day with not one cloud in the sky.  It is about a one and a half hour drive from Colin & Mailing's.


Our first stop was a parking lot near Hawk Falls.  That was about a half mile hike down to the Falls and then a half mile back.  I did not get a picture of those Falls, but at one point I heard someone singing on a cliff above me - it was Colin who had run up the cliff like a goat and was peering down at us:




He was scampering around all day - like he was 6 years old.  Fun to see.


Next we drove to another parking area by a lake and started our hike.  The Mountain Laurel were in bloom:




The trails overall were not bad.  The most arduous one wasn't nearly as bad as some that Fletch and I have hiked, but the name was enough to put you off:




You can see what a beautiful day it was with a blue, blue sky and no clouds!  I was glad they had put some steps in this section of the trail:




We found a shady alcove to stop for lunch.  Colin & Mailing had packed it all:  sandwiches, hard boiled eggs, dill pickles, apples.  It all tasted so good.  We came upon a dam and falls that had been built by the CCC:




Very refreshing.  We saw some enormous tadpoles in one area, saw folks fishing, heard birds.  Luckily we came upon NO snakes!  We ended up hiking about 8 miles and my feet had blisters in new places after that! 


We wound up back at Colin & Mailing's for dinner:  a delicious Tagine, an arugula salad with a lemony vinaigrette and tri-colored couscous.  Delicious.  They made cantaloupe sorbet for dessert.  It was the perfect Father's Day celebration and I'm so glad we went on Saturday rather than Sunday (which got pretty hot).  My legs are still a little sore from the hike.


I did a little knitting over the weekend, but not much.  The heel is finished on the second sock and the gusset stitches have been picked up, but that's all.  I did finish "Never Caught - The Washington's Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave Ona Judge" which I highly recommend.  A very interesting read (and certainly shows a different side of George Washington than you get in school).  I've started reading This Book which, so far, I'm enjoying a lot.


Fletch is retired, but he still has a few clients who call him periodically.  Friday he worked for one couple and brought home from their garden this gorgeous Asian Lily:






Just look at all those blooms...and more buds!


Today is forecast to be near 100 degrees!  I'll be taking it easy as much as possible.  Hoping you all had wonderful weekends.

15 comments:

  1. Hickory Falls looks beautiful, made even more enjoyable with a delicious lunch and dinner that you didn't have to prepare. And that lily! The deer have been enjoying the buds on mine, so I'm glad to see these beautiful blooms. Stay cool!

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  2. Sounds like a lovely weekend for everyone, and you didn't have to orchestrate or cook! AND you got flowers! Whose weekend was it, really? ;-)

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  3. What an adventure! I haven't seen mountain laurel in ages. We used to have it all over the place in the woods where I grew up. That and sassafras.

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  4. Looks and sounds wonderful, Vera! (delicious, too!) I'm glad I didn't complain that it's going to be over 90 degrees here, today ... not sure I want to know what 100 feels like :-)

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  5. Oh my, the name of that trail would have scared me a bit! I'm glad you had a good time and that the weather cooperated. Love the new lily - enjoy.

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  6. What a wonderful day - and a gorgeous lily!

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  7. THOSE falls are absolutely gorgeous!

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  8. What a lovely adventure for all of you! It sounds like great fun -- and a perfect day all around. :-)

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  9. What an amazing place for a hike and to have your son and his lady make the picnic lunch and then dinner.. a perfect way to honor his dad and you, too. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  10. Love the hat!!!! Great hiking photos Thanks ! It is hot an dhumid and stormy here. I love it

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  11. Steve and I are definitely going to have to try Hickory Run.

    What a lovely lily!! I'm sure IT is enjoying this hot humid weather.

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  12. What a beautiful setting for a hike! The new lily is amazing!
    I'm so glad you had a nice weekend!

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