Spring is...springing!!

As is customary for me during this time of year, I insist on posting images of new flowers from us here in the "banana belt" of the South... Enjoy these daffodils, taken a couple weeks ago...

Spring also brings about more archeology opportunities. Here is Kenny, trying out a trowel on an excavation unit a couple weekends ago:

Even little Beth got her turn, scooping some dirt to put into a pile...

Warmer weather has also meant that we have been busy working on the house. Below, Draco "assists" me in insulating along the base of the new French doors we recently installed on our living room:

Actually, Draco's become quite the escape artist, and he's really trying to size up a chance to make a break for it. We've had to catch him a number of times in the yard after he escapes (we intend for these cats to be indoor pets only). Below is a picture of the new picket fence we installed earlier this spring--note that the bushes that used to help shield this part of the house from view have also been removed:

Here is a view of the outside of the house where the new French door was installed. We have also replaced all of the cedar siding along this part of the house, and had new gutters installed:

We have been working hard to keep the siding on this part of the house dry, to reduce the rot and mold build-up that had been occurring. Hopefully, this will fix this! Below is a picture of Stephen (yellow hat) sitting next to his big brother Kenny during a school assembly:

Stephen was here because Hope was helping run the assembly--as president of the local tree board, she has been helping put these events on to help Monticello maintain its Tree City USA status with the Arbor Day Foundation.

Last weekend we went up to Petit Jean State Park for a couple nights camping in our pop-up. My main objective was to attend a historical archeology workshop at the station up there, while Hope and the kids took advantage of some decent weather to hike in the state park:

That's Kenny and Beth in the middle of the picture--they were participating in a group hike (which, interestingly enough, was archeology based). En route, the kids climbed these neat rock formations, and hammed it up for the camera:


I remember climbing rocks like these as kids--it must have worried Mom and Dad to no end. I even remember getting excited about the very tall butte behind our campsite at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado (or was it the Black Canyon of the Gunnison?) and our plans to hike to the top--which were quickly (and wisely) nixed by Dad... Below, the kids wander up a narrow rock-walled path:

Here they are exploring one of the "Bear Caves", a favorite stop of theirs in Petit Jean State Park:

Even though I was feeling under the weather for parts of this weekend, we still had a lot of fun. It got cool at night, but we found out that a small electric heater worked wonderfully in keeping the camper adequately warm. Spring also brings about the beginning of Little League baseball. Kenny is in his fourth year now, second at the pitching machine level. Below, Kenny and his teammates practice running some basic skill drills on a ballfield:

Kenny's coaches seem nice and are definitely more practice-oriented than last year. This is good, because Kenny was always disappointed they didn't win any games. Hopefully, Kenny will start taking the practices more seriously and learn how to play the game better!!

Comments

Lisa said…
Love Stephen's little jean jacket! Also, can't help but notice how much his hair looks like a young Don's in these pics. Is it getting darker?
8:35 AM
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