Locust Shade Park

I think I may have found my saving grace in the crazy, busy area we are forced to call home. About 25 minutes north of us is Locust Shade Park. With it's 3 playgrounds, hiking trails, pond, driving range, and mini-golf course it has something to offer every member of the Jones family and I haven't seen many people whenever we've gone there. It's a nice little solitude where, when I'm there, I almost forget that I live so close to D.C.

One fall afternoon, the boys and I played 2 rounds of mini-golf, ate a picnic lunch, and then played on the swings and slides until nap time. We then went home, they took naps, and we drove back to Locust Shade Park when Michael was done with work. We spent an enjoyable evening hiking the little trails, throwing acorns in the water, and even saw some wildlife. We noticed several trees that had been gnawed by a beaver. Then we saw his dam, and even caught a glimpse of the beaver himself swimming in the pond. The sun was setting fast so we had to cut our nature walk short, but noticed the mini-golf course was still open so we played yet another round.

Mikie on our hike

Clones!
Why do they look so happy? Watch the video below to find out:

"My threw mine all the way down there." -Zachary

I was reminded a little of our Walden Pond adventure a year ago because the water was still as glass. I've discovered the best times to vist little ponds like this are early in the morning or right at dusk.

Self timer picture.

Isn't that cool? There were so many trees like this.

And even some like this one that had already been chewed down.

And this was the last day of the beautiful colors in their peak, because it started raining that night and autumn turned into "fall."

Fall Fun

On another beautiful fall day after church, we walked around Chancellor Battlefield and let the boys play in the leaves. While the leaves didn't seem to be as pretty as other places you see driving around here, this did turn out to be one of the best days with our kids and I've captured a lot of it on video. Mom, all these video uploads are for you :)

Video of a Granddaddy Long Legs. Watch Zach, he may have inherited my arachnophobia.

Mikie took this picture:

Video of Mikie's "Porkey Cone"

Zachary may be allergic to leaf mold? He kept shoving his finger in there all day.
If you can't look at this picture without gagging, then don't watch the video below:

One of the best things about fall in this video:

The real fun began when Michael grabbed a handful of leaves and threw them up in the air. The boys spent the next 45 minutes having a leaf fight while I stayed clean and captured it all on camera. You'll see in a photo further down that Mikie clearly lost the leaf war.
Enjoying the fall leaves video:

Video:

It's all fun and games until someone gets a mouth full of wet leaves:

Mikie gets revenge:

One last video:

Skyline Drive

I have so many posts to write about and not enough time; therefore, I'm posting these blogs without a lot of writing. Enjoy the pictures but don't expect a lot of details.

This was a very chilly Columbus Day on skyline drive. We went for 2 hikes and ate our "picnic" in the car instead of out in nature. The trees at their peak and extremely beautiful! Fall is the only time I am thankful to be living in this area.

Standing on the Appalachian Trail.

Video below: