wild berries

Not only does my mother live here in the high peaks but so does my cousin (B), his wife (J), and their 2 boys (Little B and C).  We were not close at kids and rarely saw each other because of distance but he is a great guy and he married a fantastic woman.  So since my mom lives about 2 blocks from my cousin we always manage to see a lot of each whenever I come to visit.  He is a very thoughtful, centered, humble guy and his energy helps make my negativity erode, so he is good for me.

When J and B found out they were pregnant they made some serious adjustments to their lives.  J is a landscaper for a major resort in the area and B coordinates billiards leagues and tournaments.  Because daycare is close to non-existent in this area they had to arrange their lives around their child.  J goes to work at a ridiculously early hour and is home by 3pm.  B watches the boys during this time.  Once J is home she takes over watching the boys while B locks himself in their home office and works until late in the night.

But they make nature and exercise a priority – for them and the boys.  There is not a day that goes by that B doesn’t strap the youngest to his back and grab the hand of the older one and go for a long walk.  And by walk I mean through the bog, up a mountain trail, through the woods.  “Sidewalk” through the neighborhood is not an option.  As a result, their nearly 3 year old son can identify lots of birds, plants, and flowers.  Makes me feel a little stupid.

So on the first day of our vacation we decided to hook up with my cousin’s family to go for a swim.  Of course this does not mean hop in the car, drive 5 minutes to the local beach, park in the parking lot, and hop in the lake.  Why would anybody ever do that when you could drive 10 minutes, hike through the woods for ½ hour, and jump into a long forgotten watering hole that nobody else will be at.  This vacation may actually kill me but Ladybug will have a great time.

But before we can take this afternoon adventure we must wait until nap time is over.  Not mine…the boys.  But just as they call to say they are ready to go, the clouds roll in and thunder begins to rumble.  This may be the theme of the vacation.  So we decide to skip the swim and just go for a walk through the bog.  A little rain can’t hurt a walk.   

This sends Ladybug into a meltdown of depression.  I promised a swim.  I am breaking my promise.  She can’t trust me.  But we work our way through it and she gets ready for a walk instead of a swim.   

We pack 3 kids, 4 adults, and a dog into 2 cars and head out to the bog.  In a down pour.  My car is slipping all over the road.  But they keep going…and so do I.  On the positive side, at least I no longer have the porch swing attached to my car and therefore it is not raining on the inside.

When we get to the parking spot (because it is not a “lot”) it has stopped raining so we pile out of the cars and get everything ready.  And then it starts raining again so we pile everything back in the cars and wait.  Because, eventually, it has to stop raining.  Right?  It does.

When it is down to a slight sprinkle we head out on the walk.  It was then I realized I had not even thought of bringing my camera.  It would have been so cute to get a picture of Little B (blonde with blue eyes) holding hands with Ladybug running through the bog.  Maybe on the next walk.  But on this walk this is what we got instead.

Mine has the fewest berries.  But that is because Little B kept eating out of mine.  Really!  We used them later in the week to make a pancakes at my Grandma's.

Mean Mama