Tuesday, August 4

Food, Water, Shelter and Space

Granise and Grandpa joined LDC and I in the chilly mountains last week
We saw Bear, Elk, Whistle-Pig...oh my

(If you are like me, I had no clue what a Whistle-Pig was.
AKA- woodchuck, land-beaver, groundhog)
Celebrating their anniversary (43 years) in the Smokies
We learned why the Smokies are the Salamander Capital of the World and participated in monitoring data on the salamanders.
(Before we headed into the research area we had to have our shoes decontaminated.  We heart science.)
Looking for the little elusive fellas
On to being a...
 Stream Splasher
We rolled up our pants and waded through a mountain stream to look for mayflies, stoneflies, dragonflies, and other aquatic critters.
Once we completed three Smoky Mountain National Park classes, LDC was sworn in and awarded as a Junior Ranger.
We had our share of the predictable mid-afternoon summer storms but evenings were just right for making up bluegrass lyrics, creating fairy gardens in the campsite, drinking a hot toddy, and watching the sunset.

Four Things
You Can't Recover:
The Stone after the throw
The Word after it's said
The Occasion after it's missed
The Time after it's gone

MotherQuotes
http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2010/08/becoming-junior-ranger-great-smoky-mountains-national-park6449