Fresh Air

On Wednesday we loaded up and drove over to Guadalupe State Park to go hiking. Adam was relaxed and ready for an outing...Aaron trying to hide in his enormous throne...Upon arrival we were met with a closed gate and a sign that read "Closed to the Public, Private Hunt." Considering those hunts only take place once a year, and the infrequency with which we get out of the house these days, the odds of that were baffling. But, we carried on and formulated a new plan.

We decided to go to Cibolo Nature Center in Boerne. I used to go there all of the time while I was in high school and college, but haven't been back since then. It was awesome! They have expanded significantly in the past few years and have improved all of the buildings and trails. I feel s-t-u-p-i-d for not utilizing this outdoor resource sooner, especially considering the park is only about eight minutes from our house! Wide open trails, easily accessible for long and short legs, lots of things to investigate and look at, and hardly any traffic (well, it was late morning on a Wednesday).

I strapped on the pack and carried Adam around and Alan brought the other pack for Aaron just in case he got tired of walking. Aaron spent most of his time in the weeds or feeling the tops of the grasses with his hand. Check out this stud... his Tom Cruise vanity strutting shot...

Here's the first class passenger.... I was thankful for the screen in front of him, which minimized hair pulling (one of his favorite pastimes).Momma and her two little men...Stacer, party of four...

Daddy and his mini-me...
Aaron did not end up using the second backpack. The walked or ran the entire time. He would run up to Alan, talk to him a while, then slow down a little until I caught up with him. Then he'd talk to me a while and take off again, periodically turning back to make sure I was okay. Occasionally he would stop to check out a rock or feel the grass..."What, I didn't do anything?"Big goober...The trail runs up along the creek, which even in winter is breath taking...

Aaron cooperated for a few photos...What you can't tell by just looking at this photo is that Adam is making motor boat noises and is rocking his dumpy cheeks, oober-goober face and Aaron is being physically restrained while yelling "no pictures Daddy!"Not many things make Aaron look small, but this tree was old and enormous...A few video highlights...