good things watkins: July

I have been so behind with blogging. Mostly because I neglect to bring my camera and document our doings...then I feel like it would be quite boring to read so many words without pictures. :) So, reaching back into the last month, I wanted to share some good days. Some summer memories that I managed to capture, even briefly, and so catch up with the Watkins'....

Early in the month, a friend of mine introduced me to a beautiful blueberry patch. The kids loved this as much as we did, and ate through the paths with earnest.

Connor devised a setup with two containers attached to his belt for easy picking and handling.

Blueberry eyes...

We went twice, and picked several gallons both times, thinking that we would freeze some, eat some bake some, etc...and that we'd be eating berries in December. Okay, who were we kidding? They're gone. Gone! They lasted maybe 3 weeks in this house. The amount of food we go through is astonishing.

And a blueberry pie for Mama R's birthday. With berries that we picked earlier in the day...

While I don't have any pictures, we also gathered buckets full of wineberries (wild raspberries) along hidden paths and country roads (that don't get much traffic). Those were some sweet evenings. Blair would get home from work and we'd eat and relax. Then, around 7 or 7:30, we'd take a gorgeous drive just a few miles, and pick a sweet spot, and all get out and pick all we could. (Read:eat all we could) By the time we were done and driving home, it would be dusk (my absolute favorite time) and the fireflies would just be coming out. Sweet summer nights.

My niece, Kayla, joined us later in the month (and is still with us) which has been so nice. The day after she came, we went for a short drive along Shooting Creek to a sweet spot with a great place for the kids to play and splash in the water and walk along the rocks. Under the canopy of trees, and in the icy cold water, you completely forget that it is 90 degrees outside.