Jumpin' into summer

Kenny's all set to jump into summer this year... Kenny's enrolled in swim lessons again this summer, for the week or so before we leave on our big western trip. He's gradually improving, although he still likes to play more than work on technique. As you can see from the picture above, he's obviously not intimidated by the diving board...

We had another pretty weekend, so we went to Cane Creek State Park near Star City, Arkansas (about 25 miles north of Monticello). We hiked one of their trails down some ravines and along an impoundment on Cane Creek. All three kids did a real good job of hiking--the trail was about 2.5 miles long, and Kenny and Beth walked the whole stretch on their own, and I only carried Stephen for a half-mile or less.

Cane Creek State Park is a nice spot, but doesn't really have any spectacular natural or cultural feature to draw tourists. Most people go to use the lake, which is popular for canoeing and kayaking (they rent these boats there). For whatever reason, we always see a lot of armadillos there. Here's two of the three young 'dillos we saw this day:

Armadillos are definitely weird looking animals. You tend to see a lot of road-killed armadillos, but not many around during the daytime (I think they're more nocturnal). Armadillos are one of the few species of animals that have really done well during the last century--their range has expanded naturally from parts of Texas basically all across the southeast, and as far north as parts of southern Illinois and Indiana. I doubt they'll ever get as far north as the northern Lake States, because they are not particularly cold-adapted.

Here's our intrepid group of hikers at the end of the trail. Stephen was ready to quit walking, but Kenny and Beth seemed ready for more. After a quick frosty treat at a local fast food place, we headed back to Monticello. On Saturday, we drove to Monroe, Louisiana, about an hour and a half south of Monticello to go to the Home Depot there and buy some pressure-treated lumber. I've been repairing parts of the eves of our home this spring and summer--these spots tend to collect moisture, and are starting to decay. Hopefully, my use of treated lumber and careful sealing of these vulnerable locations will help stem the decay and keep the house nicely weather sealed. On our way back, we drove through our Crossett Experimental Forest so Hope and the kids could see first hand the tornado damage from April's storm. Yesterday and today (Sunday) I've repaired two eves and started painting them, with the hopes of having two coats of exterior paint on them by this evening.

Tonight, Kenny and Beth will go to vacation Bible school. For the Catholic kids this year, vacation Bible school is a week-long series of 2 hour evening programs designed to make learning about Catholicism fun--I think this year's theme is Mother Mary. Our kids will only get a couple nights in the program, because Wednesday morning (early) we leave for our western trip. We'll be gone almost three weeks on this business trip, with stops in Boise, Idaho, and Logan, Utah for my business meetings, and a number of scenic detours along the way (yes, we're driving the WHOLE way). Hope and I are working on getting the vehicle and house ready for our departure. So, don't expect much in the way of blogs for the next few weeks, although I may periodically post some things, as I will have my work computer with me.