I'll post date some more of our travel photos and stories soon, but I wanted to let you all know why I dropped off the face of the earth. Our travel plans were cut a little short by the dreaded phone call that my father had passed away. I've been in KC for the past week helping my mother deal with his funeral arrangements and such. His death was a bit of a surprise. He had been having some health issues for several years, but we thought he was on the mend. He passed quietly in his sleep here at home in the morning on Wednesday, June 22. We believe the cause was related to his diabetes.
Per his request, his body will be cremated and his ashes spread on one of his favorite fishing lake in the Canadian Boundary Waters. My family is planning a memorial trip for next year at this time when my mother, sister, and our families will make the trek for a private ceremony on the one year anniversary of his death.
For those of you that knew my father, you can follow the link below to his obituary and video tribute that the funeral home so thoughtfully provided. http://www.stanley-dickeyfuneralhome.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=1192528&fh_id=12978
Thank you all for your condolences to me and my family.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Our Last State Park
Our last big hurrah was to dig for diamonds at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. This is the only place in the world where the general public can dig for diamonds and you keep whatever you find! Well, my kids LOVE to dig in the dirt so I thought this would be a big hit. And it was!
At one time, the area was commercially mined to harvest the stones, but over the years it became harder and harder to find the big, moneymaking gems so the land was donated to the state and a park was created.
The general idea is that you dig up some dirt from this HUGE crater (looks like a field) they they plow every month (to loosen the soil and make finding diamonds a little easier).
Then you take your dirt to the water tank and "pan" for diamonds by rinsing away the dirt and looking for the gems. Similar to how you would pan for gold.
We did not officially find any diamonds (you take them to the identification desk to check) but we took home some dirt samples that MAY contain a diamond or two, you just never know! : )
Logan enjoyed finding the dirt rocks.
So the story behind this is that once upon a time there was a volcanic eruption that formed these diamonds and left behind a crater filled with the shiny gems.
At one time, the area was commercially mined to harvest the stones, but over the years it became harder and harder to find the big, moneymaking gems so the land was donated to the state and a park was created. The general idea is that you dig up some dirt from this HUGE crater (looks like a field) they they plow every month (to loosen the soil and make finding diamonds a little easier).Then you take your dirt to the water tank and "pan" for diamonds by rinsing away the dirt and looking for the gems. Similar to how you would pan for gold.
We did not officially find any diamonds (you take them to the identification desk to check) but we took home some dirt samples that MAY contain a diamond or two, you just never know! : )
Logan enjoyed finding the dirt rocks.
And then they found some mud! While walking through the gloriously squishy stuff Amanda lost her shoe.
Logan very valiantly offered to retrieve it for her. After that, there was no reason not to go all in! 20 minutes of mud play ensued.
Close to quitting time (because we were hot, tired, and hungry) Logan found this HUGE hole someone had left behind so we had to dig just a little bit more.
"Take it Cheesy, DUDE" - his favorite shirt and his favorite saying : )
After lunch we headed over to the water park they have on site. It was very kid friendly with a dozen lifeguards stationed everywhere, only 3 feet deep at the deepest section, two large tube water slides, multiple waterfalls and a really awesome waterworks tower where you could turn on and off the various water spigots.
So all that fun was on Monday... my sister and her family joined us Monday night at the campground and we took them back to the crater on Tuesday. It was cloudy and cooler but for some reason I didn't take many pictures. Here's one good shot that I did manage to take.
That afternoon, back at our campsite, we rented kayaks and took the kids on an adventure around the lake (or at least a part of the lake... it was a BIG lake).
This is the first time I've paddled a tandem (two seater) kayak and it was SO much easier to maneuver with my monkeys upfront.
We started out with the two youngest ones in the middle of the tandem kayaks and the teenager by himself.
Amanda spent most of her time in the water (like mother like daughter!). She would just randomly shout "OVERBOARD" and jump right in.
We stopped a few times to let everyone get out and swim, Logan took the first opportunity to steal his big cousins single kayak and take off across the lake. All the photos I took of him were blurry but he looked GREAT. He was turning, steering, and propelling himself like a pro! Of course his partner in crime couldn't be outdone so Dono had to give the single a try himself. : )
Then the two younger boys jumped into their tandem and set off by themselves. I think they are ready for the big river!
After that we got a little crazy. Well, if it will hold three, why not try four! All I had to do was sit back and enjoy. I could get use to this!
Logan very valiantly offered to retrieve it for her. After that, there was no reason not to go all in! 20 minutes of mud play ensued.
Close to quitting time (because we were hot, tired, and hungry) Logan found this HUGE hole someone had left behind so we had to dig just a little bit more. 
"Take it Cheesy, DUDE" - his favorite shirt and his favorite saying : )
After lunch we headed over to the water park they have on site. It was very kid friendly with a dozen lifeguards stationed everywhere, only 3 feet deep at the deepest section, two large tube water slides, multiple waterfalls and a really awesome waterworks tower where you could turn on and off the various water spigots. 
So all that fun was on Monday... my sister and her family joined us Monday night at the campground and we took them back to the crater on Tuesday. It was cloudy and cooler but for some reason I didn't take many pictures. Here's one good shot that I did manage to take.
That afternoon, back at our campsite, we rented kayaks and took the kids on an adventure around the lake (or at least a part of the lake... it was a BIG lake). 
This is the first time I've paddled a tandem (two seater) kayak and it was SO much easier to maneuver with my monkeys upfront.
We started out with the two youngest ones in the middle of the tandem kayaks and the teenager by himself.
Amanda spent most of her time in the water (like mother like daughter!). She would just randomly shout "OVERBOARD" and jump right in.
We stopped a few times to let everyone get out and swim, Logan took the first opportunity to steal his big cousins single kayak and take off across the lake. All the photos I took of him were blurry but he looked GREAT. He was turning, steering, and propelling himself like a pro! Of course his partner in crime couldn't be outdone so Dono had to give the single a try himself. : )
Then the two younger boys jumped into their tandem and set off by themselves. I think they are ready for the big river! 
After that we got a little crazy. Well, if it will hold three, why not try four! All I had to do was sit back and enjoy. I could get use to this!
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Lake D'Arbonne State Park
I must have been getting tired by this point because I took very few pictures at this state park. We stayed in northern Louisiana at Lake D'Arbonne State Park and again had a wonderful lake front camping spot. We did some hiking on the trails and some birdwatching each morning (we stayed two nights). They also had a nice swimming pool that we took advantage of because it was HOT HOT HOT!!!
But by far, Logan and Amanda's favorite thing to do was to ride their bikes (or in Amanda's case, push) to the top of the hill and coast back down. They had some rather hellacious hills here and our poor hill deprived children ate up this hilly terrain.
But by far, Logan and Amanda's favorite thing to do was to ride their bikes (or in Amanda's case, push) to the top of the hill and coast back down. They had some rather hellacious hills here and our poor hill deprived children ate up this hilly terrain. Thursday, June 16, 2011
Paul B. Johnson State Park
Continuing on, we had a stop in Mississippi at a lovely campground right by the lake. That is my camper on the left side. We couldn't have had a better campsite. It was right next to the playground and swimming hole and the kids took full advantage of both as soon as we got there.
The next morning we had a bike ride through the park, stopping along the way at interesting spots.
And these little guys were EVERYWHERE! I must be breeding season because we passed at least a dozen large turtles along the road during our ride.
It was a very nice state park but we had a long drive ahead of us so we had to hurry on our way.
And these little guys were EVERYWHERE! I must be breeding season because we passed at least a dozen large turtles along the road during our ride.
It was a very nice state park but we had a long drive ahead of us so we had to hurry on our way.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Grayton Beach State Park
We arrived late at our next campsite on our road trip home. The next morning we headed to the beach just to check it out. Logan had the foresight to put on his swimsuit first but Amanda just wore her pjs.
At first she was content to play in the sand (it was powder soft) but the waves called her name and ...
She just HAD to join her brother in the waves.
It seems like each beach along the coast has different things to offer us. The Keys had lots of wildlife. Sanibel, lots of shells. Here at Grayton Beach State Park, it was the waves we enjoyed! The kids got to try their hand at boogie boarding when we were in Texas. They were able to perfect their technique.
Logan got the hang of it faster than Amanda.
But she did catch some good waves, with some help from her momma in the form of a huge push at the key moment.
The water was very shallow quite a ways out, and the kids (when they caught a wave) were able to ride it in all the way to the shore. There were more wipe outs than not, but it was super fun for sure!
At first she was content to play in the sand (it was powder soft) but the waves called her name and ...
She just HAD to join her brother in the waves.
It seems like each beach along the coast has different things to offer us. The Keys had lots of wildlife. Sanibel, lots of shells. Here at Grayton Beach State Park, it was the waves we enjoyed! The kids got to try their hand at boogie boarding when we were in Texas. They were able to perfect their technique.
Logan got the hang of it faster than Amanda.
But she did catch some good waves, with some help from her momma in the form of a huge push at the key moment.
The water was very shallow quite a ways out, and the kids (when they caught a wave) were able to ride it in all the way to the shore. There were more wipe outs than not, but it was super fun for sure!
That evening we enjoyed a beautiful evening bike ride with a full moon to light our way.
And we awoke the next morning to a beautiful rainbow framing our campsite. It rained on and off all morning while we packed up camp. It was hot and humid but oh so spectacular. 
And we awoke the next morning to a beautiful rainbow framing our campsite. It rained on and off all morning while we packed up camp. It was hot and humid but oh so spectacular. 
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)