crawdads and tunnels

My children have a dear friend whom they love so much they call her their "cousin." It's one of those best friend relationships I hope they never lose or at the very least never forget. Her mom mentioned letting them go play in the creek and I agreed it was a great idea.  We took them down to set some ground rules. It didn't take long to realize that any attempt at giving them the responsibility to play alone wasn't going to happen! I was thankful for some time to catch-up with my friend and for our kids to spend time exploring the great outdoors.

They were instantly drawn to the tunnels and all things that could be dangerous, of course. Naturally we followed them in to the deep unknown and it turned out to be a fantastic time! They spotted a crawdad (crayfish, crawfish, tiny lobster) and some salamanders. There were also some unfortunate worms living in the overflow.

It was such a fun reminder of the time I spent outside exploring the creek on the property I grew up on as a child. I don't think my family even knew I had explored much beyond my boundaries, but those memories are some of my fondest.