Afternoon At The River's Edge

Heading Out In The Old Jeep

                This afternoon I had the opportunity to take two of my nephews into the great outdoors for an adventure.  I took my younger sister's boys to one of “Uncle Mike’s Favorite Places.”  As a result of the recent flooding, the banks of the river I took them to were covered in mounds of freshly deposited sand.  It was the kind of sandy beach only a person from the Midwest could truly appreciate; perfect for the beginning of our Spring Break.

            After hiking through the woods we came upon an ideal place to call our own for a few hours.  We broke up some branches for firewood, and then while I cooked the food, they talked, played and threw sand and sticks into the water.  It seemed like the right thing to do with mildly warm temperatures.  The river bank itself helped block the wind that had been blowing fairly hard most of the day; enough that it allowed each of us the luxury to peel off our coat.

            The boys thought the taste of the food made it one of their favorite meals, and after topping it off with seconds and a cup of hot cocoa, they went back to playing at the river’s edge.  They talked, jumped, and splashed.  I took some pictures of them while gradually packing up our gear.  The skies cleared and turned blue, revealing crystal clear water.

            When I said, “Well boys, are you ready to pack up and head back?”  My younger nephew said, “No!  We want to live here.  It’s a perfect place for two boys to run around and play tag!”  Hmmmmm.  I loved that response and thought to myself, “No argument here.”

            Eventually we did head out; stopping only to pick up the occasional old bottle or can discarded in the woods, or to squish a puffball mushroom left from last fall, or to climb on a fallen tree trunk.  Before reaching my old Jeep, I had the boys place their hands on the bark of an old green ash tree.  This last week the last male of the nearly extinct northern white rhino died.  Now, due to the exotic emerald ash borer beetle, the green ash tree is following the fate of the rhino.  I wanted a picture of their hands on a tree that may be a forgotten memory by the time they are my age.  They also hugged a giant of a cottonwood; a grandmother tree.  Together the three of us couldn’t even encircle it when holding onto hands.  We were about a foot and a half short.  The tree is simply massive.

The Boy's Hands On A Green Ash Tree-A Dying Species

New Moss Shoots

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            By the time we were halfway home, the boys had fallen asleep due to the day’s fresh air and sunshine.  It obviously was a great afternoon to spend at the river’s edge.

            See you along The Way…

Heading Back In The Old Jeep   : )