So much scope for the imagination

For those of you unfamiliar with Pop’s humble piece of terra firma, I’ll try to describe where we are. In this picture we’re at the back of the property. It was such a beautiful, warm day. And we were all there! I was glad we decided to lengthen the walk and not just head back up to the house. Instead, we decided to make a turn down the hill to go investigate the creek below. The kids had already seen a number of little bunnies hopping through the underbrush on the way to the back of the property.

Here are Sweet Pea and Sparkly headed down to the creek with UC.
Nanny and the Peanut investigating the “wa-wa”

Papa and Nanny help the Peanut as we followed the creek down a little further. There were signs of spring everywhere.

This is an awesome shot Rob took. Walking down the creek bed, we found this huge tree. The creek had clearly cut all the soil out from under this large tree, which had at one time been growing happily at the edge of the creek. Having lost its rooting system, the tree toppled right into the support of one of its neighboors. The roots under the tree were all exposed, and though the creek wasn’t very high on the day we walked it, you could certainly tell that after several days of drenching rain the creek had at one time been much higher, and cut through with great force. The awesome power of moving water!
There was so much moss on our walk – it grew in abundance everywhere – along the creek bed, and surprisingly for me, it grew in lush abundance all throughout the soggy Anne fields.

Having just crossed the creek, we stopped for a minute for a family pose. I thought it came out well.

At a certain point along the creek we turned back towards home, cutting through Mr. Dillon’s apple orchard on the way. The apple trees, long neglected from years of not being pruned, formed an intricate spider web of limbs over us as we cut through. It was enchanted. I couldn’t help imagining that under the apple tree canopies would be a perfect spot for a tea and cookie party. We turned past Papa’s garden, the smell of freshly tilled dirt in the warm air, and began to walk around the side barns. U.B. had planted something over here? Oats I think? The ground was bright green with his plantings, and the wild violets were just starting to pop up.

After winding our way around to the front of the property, Papa asked if we wanted to continue on. YES! The day was so warm and beautiful. We crossed the street to the Anne fields. They do beckon on these glorious spring days. It’s still too early to see them at their finest. In a few weeks they will be abloom in the most glorious wildflowers, which will be just tall enough to dance as the wind blows across the gentle rolling hills. Then, the fields will be just out of reach of adequate description – so beautiful that you will only be able to soak them in. It had been so long since I walked over, I had almost forgotten the sense of beauty that sweeps over you as you gaze across the gently rolling hills. The breezes seem to add to the land, almost as if the wind and hills cannot be separated. Unfortunately, I don’t have any good pictures of the Anne fields and the hills from this walk. But, we’re heading back to Nanny and Papa’s in a couple of weeks to spend the week with them. I hope to have some really great pictures then. So much scope for the imagination there.

We found this amongst the leaves and the moss. I’d never seen anything like it. I brought back a little for our nature shelf at home. It’s very spiny and prickly, not soft like moss. But it’s not just been randomly blown there, it was attached to the ground. There were several other small clumps nearby.
The pond where Kim and Chris used to investigate on some of their nature walks years ago. We saw frog eggs just under the surface of the water.

After investigating the pond, we all headed back home. Peanut was pooped out! It had been a lovely Sunday afternoon, the kind with memories that will take on a magical quality in years to come.