There is beauty all around...

Another beautiful summer afternoon in America's Dairyland. We went Sunday afternoon for a walk at the state park. I was really struck by how much this place reminds me of home. As I walked through the summer woods the scent of the flora took me back to my youth. I love the smell of dank forest. It always reminds me of a certain spot where we would go swimming when I was pretty little. We had to walk to the river through the woods. I don't remember there being a trail so the smell was especially strong as the grasses and brush were crushed under our feet. I am always transported there when I smell low summer forest and the excitement of the approach to the swimming spot swells within me again, manifested now in nostalgic contentedness.





Julia fashioned a knapsack out of her jacket and a stick so that she would be properly outfitted to sing The Happy Wanderer.



Notice the hay in her mouth. She started slow and grumpy, due to gravel in her shoes, but once she hit her stride she did great.

This is what we see all around, all the time. Rolling hills covered with prairie grasses and dotted with farms, and trees in all the low spots.



Unfortunately, at the end of the evening as I was busy in the kitchen, a tick fell off me. I checked the kids over and found a tick on Julia's head, one in Renie's ear, and one on Devon's head. We will be much more vigilent about checking for them going forward.