walking in early June

There is something about being mostly in the house all winter that makes even a homebody mama like me want desperately to break free and go for long, long walks in the spring sunshine.

So we've been doing that.

We live near the top of one of the many, many mountains around here. I have been walking back and forth along the top all last summer and fall and when I could this winter, but this spring we have been busting out and walking the two miles down to the river road. It means we have to walk two miles back up, of course, but somehow even that is starting to not seem so bad.

Rilla's favorite landmark as we start to walk down the "big hill" is what she calls "the brown tree and the green tree." As in, "we're almost to the brown tree and the green tree!" It's amusing to Keith and me because we are pretty sure the brown tree is just the result of too much chemical spray on the side of the road one time, but anyway they are an important landmark to our sweet daughter. She usually asks to hold a few pine needles from each one, which last for a good part of the walk until her side of the stroller begins to fill up with other special treasures.

The trip down the mountain is kind of steep but not really. I mean, it's a hill, but it's actually pretty comfortable to walk up and down. I think all of our neighbors think I'm crazy though.

The road seems narrow and winding by car, but in the stroller it seems wide and spacious.

The buds are suddenly out on all of the trees and plants and bushes. It's beautiful.

Walking along the river road at the bottom of the hill is my favorite part.

Abraham usually sleeps for at least the first half of our journey, and Rilla and I alternately talk together, sing, or share the quietness. I love talking about what we are seeing and hearing, and having that nature walkishness together. Going at my pace is certainly a nice aspect to it!

The river water has been flooded over the banks for several weeks and so the fields are still mostly filled to overflowing with water and all kinds of waterfowl. We see geese, ducks, and what Keith is convinced are pelicans every time we drive or walk on this road. There are often herons, too.

I absolutely love days like this when it's not too hot and not too cold!

These early June days are just right.

The water looks so peaceful that you'd hardly realize it wasn't supposed to be there.

Every now and then I get down the main road and feel like walking back up the gentle incline of the county road just seems too easy, so I go up a private road that is crazy steep.

I regret it every time.

These pictures do not do nearly enough justice to the angle of this thing. I probably stop for a break every fifteen or twenty feet! And I usually find myself trying to figure out a way to get home without having to walk anymore... which is not something I've been able to figure out as of yet, even on the day when it started thundering and hailing on me three-quarters of the way through.

But the upside is that I really do have a great workout by the end, which I hear counts for something. I'm definitely less cranky after a nice long walk like this one!

This is also the point when Abraham is awake and although both children are still doing fine, they are kind of starting to want to get home. Little do they know I still have a few miles of pushing 85 pounds of children + stroller up the steep steep hill.

They really are so sweet.

This is also when I start to think that I should have worn more appropriate footwear.

I've got to say, though, that these Crocs are the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned!

There's definitely a fear factor of "you absolutely DO NOT trespass" around here. Maybe not on our own road so much, but the backwoods of north Idaho have earned a reputation for harboring angry people who grow illegal things and have guns and dogs to protect their goods.

(Is that a random fact to throw on my pretty little picture blog? Sorry.)

Did I mention there are some big puddles on this road? And this was a dry-ish day!

Getting closer...

one last big hill...

finally reaching the straight stretch...

And here we are again in our own pretty little yard.

I know, I know, that's a mighty lot of pictures for one post. But now that you've seen it, doesn't it make you want to come go for a walk with us one of these days?