I prefer "fairy egg" to "fart egg" but either way, that is the label for the especially undersized egg Willadean laid. It was just sitting out on the ground. We haven't cracked it yet, but it is almost guaranteed to be egg white and no yolk. It can happen from time to time when their laying cycle is off. The others are regular large eggs from our flock.
About a month ago we saw an article about a short hike that had opened up through an old, abandoned zoo. Well that was enough for us. We decided to be crazy and make a Saturday of it since the trail was 2 1/2 hours away and the trail itself was going to be less than two miles total.
Off we went while the morning was still cool. We enjoyed playing around on a swing near the parking lot. The trail was situated between a main road and a dam. It was hilly and rocky and a whole lot of fun to see the old, rusty, bent bars, the crumbling cave-like enclosures and, of course, a moderate spread of graffiti. We then took a short trail to the edge of the lake to dip our feet in.
Back in the small town of Cisco, we walked the downtown main street to have lunch and visit shops. We headed home and stopped at a monument that explained that Thurber was the top coal producing area in Texas in the late 1800s and early 1900s when the company turned to petroleum and 10,000 plus residents left the area. We visited he shop that was the building where the company's workers were paid and saw the old vault. Simple but fun day.
Rhys participated in his middle school's concert band performance and sight reading UIL competition this past Thursday. They played 3 pieces very well and in another room had to play a unknown piece of music. For the sight reading, the director had 8 minutes to walk the kids through what he was looking for at different parts of the piece and then the music was flipped back over until the judges were in place and ready. Then they flipped it back over and went for it. It sounded great to my untrained ear. The next day, the directors shared the good news! Both concert and honor bands from Ford had received sweepstakes at UIL, meaning both groups received the top ratings in both the concert and sight-reading portions!
Who loves swamps? Then you should live in the South. We made a stop in Laurel, Mississippi, to stretch our legs. We follow the HGTV show Home Town so we had fun ducking into the shops in downtown.
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| 24 karat gold on the valances, mirror, lights, and wallpaper |
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| Ceiling fan from India |
Reunite with Kira and David. Nice vacation rental on the beach. Weather in and out of rain and sun. Food. Waves and sand. Battleship and submarine. Games. Alligators.
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| Our view from the balcony |
Fun on the beach. Wading, walking, taking photos, swimming (with non-stinging jellyfish), snorkeling. Weather ranged form about 70 degrees to as low as low 30s. Sunny, cloudy, raining, foggy, windy. If we couldn't be out having fun we were home resting with good books, movies (finally had our kids watch Twister!), games, and naps.
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| Sophie imitating the bird that's in the foreground |
Food. Meals in and out. Kids trying raw oysters for the first time. Obscene milkshakes.
Outings. USS Alabama Battleship and USS Drum Submarine, shopping, Alligator Alley, glass blowing, nature walks.
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| Oh no! Poor Kira. |
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| Sophie imitating a mannequin |
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| Creepy tight spaces with red lighting. |
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| Tight spaces and smiling faces! |
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| Passage ways for skinny 20 year old seamen/seawomen. |
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| Getting all the loves! |
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| Large nest with a pair of what may possibly be osprey |
Love having adventures with Kira and David! Will miss them but happy for our good memories.
