Another Fun Weekend

We took the boat out on the Nottoway Sunday afternoon. We put in after 12:00 and decided to go back to the same spot we claimed last weekend. There were more families on the river, digging for teeth and grilling on the shore. It was nice to see everyone having a good time together with loved ones and I saw one of my former students who is now married with a child of her own!

Nathan went tubing for the first time. I bought an innertube from Walmart and George plopped him down and explained how to ride the current and off he went. The current was moving at a decent pace for a light rider and I think he tubed several times before finding something else to get into.

Lazily floating down the river..........

We remembered to bring the umbrella for the picnic table and it was a good thing because it was HOT! The first couple of hours we were there the sun was baking and then the winds turned more northerly and it became overcast with a nice breeze.

We dug for sharks teeth but didn't find any. What we did find was whale vertebrae and bones. The large dark piece in the middle is the vertebrae.

While blowing bubbles on the deck Saturday evening, Nathan swallowed some of the liquid and quickly found out how nasty it tastes!

Miss AnnaBelle and her Franklin Bronco ball. This little girl loves to play with a ball. It doesn't matter if its a football, tennis or basketball as long as she can throw it. The other night I was awakened to a loud bang on the baby monitor. I went into her room to find her wide awake and throwing a baseball against the solid side of her crib. How it got in there, I don't know. She grinned at me as I took the ball away and laid her back down to sleep. And to complete the story the next day she said her first sentence, "Play ball", as she picked a ball up to throw to me. That's my girl!

Nathan had to run and get his fishing pole so he could fish with his Daddy. He also loves any opportunity he can get to terrorize AnnaBelle, but she is starting to become immune to his antics and I can't wait for the day when SHE has the opportunity to get the best of him!

The red throats were plentiful on this outing. The two of them were catching fish or had one on with every other cast.

We've decided to take more staycations this Summer. We are just a short 15 minute drive to the Nottoway and we haven't even come close to showing the kids its full beauty. When we put the boat in we only go downriver less than 2 miles. I won 2 free tickets to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond from Farm Bureau on their FaceBook page. I have never been there but from what I have seen online and what friends have told me, the kids are going to love it. They have an amazing butterfly garden, children's garden and a water play area. I'm really looking forward to seeing all the natural beauty.

The family reunion is August 14-15th. George is going to cook the bbq here and then I'll put it in containers to freeze for the trip to West Virginia. We might head to Hatteras after the reunion and stay with Jimmy for a week. It sure will be nice to get back down there and let the kids play in the surf and sand.

The butterbeans are officially ready for picking and we picked a bushel today in between rainstorms. It's supposed to be scattered showers for most of the week, but not oppressively hot. That'll make picking alot more comfortable.