Happy Days...

Happy days...

Happy trails to you, until we meet again. That song just came into my head as I searched my thoughts for a good subject line with which I could label this blog.

Today was a great day. I woke up, and was no longer too upset about my hours being reduced from 40 a week to 15. I am now thinking that if I can scrimp and save, I will truly be having a summer break: work monday & wednesday mornings for a few hours hours, and monday and tuesday nights for 5 each. That gives tuesday mornings, and wednesday nights off AND no work thursday or friday or saturday or sunday. Talk about bike and hike! (of course, I will be putting in as much time volunteering as I will be working for money...)

After becoming somewhat content with my schedule, I pedaled up old main & went to work and had a wonderful morning chatting with the professor for whom I facilitated- then promptly took off for a bike ride when work ended. Ahh. I'm growing addicted to the feeling of my feet against pedals, wind blowing my hair, and the motions of the cycle.

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Amanda and I volunteered at the Child & Family Support Center tonight- they held parenting classes and we spent our time in the nursery watching the children while parents were busy learning. It was great fun to spend time with the little ones- they ranged in age from infant to 11 years. We played outside on the swings and in the sandbox, then came in for games and crafts and a snack. I was sad to see the kids leave when our time was up...

Later on this evening Tanya, Brown and myself went on a night hike- we drove up to Tony Grove at about 10 pm to walk the trail around the lake, and then took what we thought was a trail leading the top of the cliffs, but really ended at a big tree and some boulders. As I sat and looked out over the reflection of the moon and star light on the lake, and breathed in the sweet air, my mind was flooded with memories of my childhood. So many happy summers were spent splashing in that water and exploring the trees around the campground, and I've missed it in the few years that our family decided to no longer gather there. My first attempt at skinny dipping was in that lake. I remember learning to ride a bike on the steep roads of the site and ending up with scraped knees. The excitement and fear we felt those times when stray moose wandered in to our campground will never be forgotten. Card games, trips to the scary outhouses, long walks to the 'flushers', watermelong kept cold in the creek, late july snowball fights, s'mores, and little girl laughter. Cold water, canoe trips, an attempt to swim across the lake with a life jacket on, rocky shores and the moss covered lake bed. Fried trout, caught, cleaned, seasoned & battered in the same day. I remember finding pools of tadpoles in the stagnant water beside the lake, and catching them with a clear plastic cup so I could more closely examine them.

The memories are fond and numerous, and I hope to never forget them or abandon my love for such a beautiful place. It was a joyous occasion to share time with friends in a serene location that is so dear to me.