Eno River & Simon's November Fish

As an alternative to Thanksgiving Dinner, we met Zac's dad and Eleanor and Julian at Eno River (Few's Ford) for some fishing. They had better luck than Simon did last week!

Here's the monthly round up of other pictures of Simon with fish. He caught way more than this of course, but he often fishes alone.  Although he is scaling back on fishing now that he goes to school all day and it gets dark earlier. He pretty much only goes on weekends.

11/2 at the pond by the pool

11/2 at the pond by the pool

11/3

11/26

Christmas Tree

On Friday morning after Thanksgiving, we drove down to Campbell Road Nursery and purchased our Christmas tree. Zac put it up that afternoon and strung the lights once the kids were in bed. The next morning, we woke up to some homemade ornaments on the tree. Then we trimmed the tree.

Thanksgiving 2020: Home Alone

 For Thanksgiving this year, we just stayed home alone. No point risking Covid, since the numbers are skyrocketing. And this with a vaccine right around the corner.

We started the day off right: pie for breakfast!

At some point that afternoon, I took Alice on a bike ride and then I hung out with Simon at the pond while Zac cooked Thanksgiving dinner. It was a nice calm day.

I came out to sit with him while he fished on Thanksgiving. He didn't catch a single thing for the hour I was down there. He waited very patiently though.

Fall Hike at Swift Creek Bluffs Nature Preserve

The kids and I had the Wednesday before Thanksgiving off, and since I am not one to let a nice fall day be wasted, I took the kids hiking at the nearby Swift Creek Bluffs Nature Preserve. The hike is only about a mile and half. We spent nearly three hours there.

Fire Pit Path: Phase 1 Complete

 Since finishing the fire pit itself, Zac has been working on the next phases of the project: adding in plants and a stone path between the deck steps and the fire pit. The plan is for it to extend around the side of the garage and maybe all the way down to the pond gate.

Crazy Simon

 Simon goes bonkers many evenings right before bed. It's such a pity that parenthood saps you of the energy required to enjoy parenthood.

Eno River Fall Hike: Buckquarter Creek & Holden Mill Trails

 I took the kids on a fall hike to Eno River today. They brought fishing poles, which is really just a much more annoying and painfully slow way to hike. I hate it; Simon loves it. He caught nothing. But But the day was beautiful and we were outside. One year ago on this day I was in the hospital having my second surgery. So it was nice to be outside pushing against the earth.

Thankful

 

It's fun having Simon come home from school with stuff that we didn't personally have to coax out of him.

Simon's fort

I took Simon down to the creek one afternoon, and he started building a fort in the woods behind the creek. He made the lashing from tree bark.

Tree Monkeys at Umstead

I love fall hiking, when the weather is no longer hot. I took the kids to Umstead today, while Zac toiled away on the fire pit path.

The water at the river was still pretty high from all the rain earlier in the week.

Alice scrambled around on the rocks for a bit, then took out her book to read while Simon kept playing.

Simon likes to pretend he's a tree monkey and climb everything.