The kids and I got away earlier this week to my happy place, my dad's farm.
When I was little it seemed like one of the only places I felt like I fully belonged. It always brings me peace.
The countryside is so serene.
Even with overcast skies the green wheat, within a few weeks of heading out, is beautiful and brilliantly colored against the sky. Pictures just can't capture the amazing creation.
While we were there we helped my dad fix fences.
We made some new friends.
We love this place so much and want to spend a lot of time here this summer. So we got this crazy notion to plant a garden out here.
The only problem is it's been well over a decade since a garden has thrived on this land. My dad and Jake tried to get the big mower on the back of the tractor hooked up so it would take down the weeds quickly.
But such is farm life. They had a few troubles. We went with the lawn mower instead, which worked too.
There was a lot of squealing when we found a snake!
Alex and I wanted it dead. :) Beth wanted to set it free somewhere else. I'm not tellin' who won.
We also found a lizard which Beth and Lucy made into a pet immediately. We didn't get a picture of him but he was set free at the end of the day.
After hours of mowing and raking years of weeds, we dug our way down to the dirt.
I had a few more pictures that looked like American Gothic, but apparently Jake didn't want his picture to be fully revealed here.
(um, he must not see all the pictures I post of him. ha ha. shhhh. let's just not tell)
Bessie. ;)
We eye spied Eric's Datsun. He was not happy to hear the last time the kids were out here there was a skunk living in the engine compartment.
I did not go near the Datsun. I hate skunks. ;) But apparently the kids found it all clear.
Oh, and I almost forgot. One of the days my dad took us into Durham to eat at the Main Street Cafe.
Good ol' Mennonite home cookin'. It was yummy!
It's always sad to leave the farm. The views leaving are breathtaking. This particular hill where this is taken is beautiful at sunset.
This time we took a photo just after the storms blew through. Still breathtaking.
Beware. There may be a lot of happy place pictures this summer. I am not a city girl at heart!