Those Hot Summer Days
Sunday, May 03, 2009
With the
approach of warm weather, everyone starts making
plans on how to pass those hot summer days. The kids
will be out of school for summer vacation and it’s
just too pretty outside to spend the day inside. Now
is the time when most parents start making
reservations at resort hotels, booking vacations, and
trying to plan so many activities that they need and
itinerary just to remember everything. Fortunately
for me, I’m not one of those parents and my children
don’t require long drives to some overpriced
amusement park that is halfway across the country. I
say vacation at home! Support the local wildlife and
throw a backyard BBQ - complete with sprinklers and
water balloons and pictures!
Tennessee has a lot of tourist attractions. I try to avoid them during the peak times and go during the week or when they have discounted days. Though to most people nothing beats spending the day riding thrill rides of splashing in a giant water park, we like to take the paths less traveled. Stew, the girls, and I prefer the simpler things in life, like spending the day at a local park. We’ve found several that are within a twenty minute drive and there are probably a few more yet to be discovered. The girls love feeding bread to the ducks and squirrels. Sometimes we’ll pack a lunch and make it a picnic. They meet all kinds of other kids and have a new best friend every five or ten minutes.
We have also discovered the joy of sidewalk chalk. One never knows what kind of art will appear on the driveway. Passing neighbors and visiting guests are all quite entertained with the drawings, doodles, and self portraits. Not to mention there is virtually no clean up. Just wait until it rains and a whole new canvas appears right before their eyes. When the rain spoils their fun, we go to the library and check out a couple of movies or books. The great thing about the library is they have a very large selection of family-oriented movies. Everything from National Geographic to Disney, and it’s free. At the end of the day, the girls make good use of the “treasures” they found during our outdoor excursions. Whether it be nuts, rocks, feathers, or strangely shaped sticks, nothing escapes the imagination - or future project - of a child.
Tennessee has a lot of tourist attractions. I try to avoid them during the peak times and go during the week or when they have discounted days. Though to most people nothing beats spending the day riding thrill rides of splashing in a giant water park, we like to take the paths less traveled. Stew, the girls, and I prefer the simpler things in life, like spending the day at a local park. We’ve found several that are within a twenty minute drive and there are probably a few more yet to be discovered. The girls love feeding bread to the ducks and squirrels. Sometimes we’ll pack a lunch and make it a picnic. They meet all kinds of other kids and have a new best friend every five or ten minutes.
We have also discovered the joy of sidewalk chalk. One never knows what kind of art will appear on the driveway. Passing neighbors and visiting guests are all quite entertained with the drawings, doodles, and self portraits. Not to mention there is virtually no clean up. Just wait until it rains and a whole new canvas appears right before their eyes. When the rain spoils their fun, we go to the library and check out a couple of movies or books. The great thing about the library is they have a very large selection of family-oriented movies. Everything from National Geographic to Disney, and it’s free. At the end of the day, the girls make good use of the “treasures” they found during our outdoor excursions. Whether it be nuts, rocks, feathers, or strangely shaped sticks, nothing escapes the imagination - or future project - of a child.