O, How I Love Thee, Nature (Without the Chiggers)

These pictures are also technically vacation pictures, but since we went to the nature center before we arrived at our Owen destination, I'm tacking them on here.   About ten minutes from John's parent's house is a free nature center with all sorts of wonderful things, including, as we later heard, chiggers.  (We didn't bring any home, thank goodness.)  

Before the trails begin, you can befriend birds and animals that have been injured too badly to be re-released into the wild.  Screech-Owl Su and this distant cousin got along well, naturally.  They had a staring contest, but the tamer owl won. 

 

I think he was cheating.

Annie spent a quiet moment with one of eagles.

 

We let the curious bobcat inspect us. 

 

Annie defeated this fell beast with her vorpal sword.  (Snicker-snack.)

 

We found benches tucked into the butterfly garden,

 

jumping-stumps, 

 

beehives (but no Pooh to be found, despite the evidence and to Piper's disappointment), 

 

ponds and pools and small lakes to stare at, 

 

 

and miles of sandy paths, winding through trees, some perfectly draped for the purpose of ambush.

 

My speedy husband ran off with Millie, Pip, and stroller-bound Zeke, and we slowpokes were left behind to follow him as best we could.  With our sharp tracking skills, we spied evidence of his passage.  (JRO, that's him.)

 

We tried to convince this slowpoke to join our lagging band, but he declined with a slow shake of the head.

 

 

"I said NO, lady."

 

Told you the trails were sandy.  How different dirt is from place to place, huh? 

After shucking our sandals in favor of feet, we continued tracking the JRO creature.

I guess he wanted to be caught, because he left messages and arrows at the intersections.

 

Su picked which birdhouse she'd rather live in.  (The mansion on the left was the front-runner.)

 

More beehives!

 

Millie had scratched a reward for us to find when we finally reached the trail's beginning again.

 

Before we went to roast the JRO for dinner, I let these three cool their toes.

It was a wonderful day.