Paradise Found

This is Paradise Creek, a tributary to the north fork of the White River, or maybe it's the south fork of the Black River, or the left fork or right spoon of a creek somewhere. Anywho, it's on the Apache reservation, (east side of AZ near NM border for you non-Zonies) and it's paradise all right! It was our last excursion in the mountains before we had to return to the dessert.

What a great day and easily heard God saying, "Look at what I CAN DO!"

We pack in all our picnic fare and Sunny carries in a blanket. Poor thing, she was so sick just a few hours later. Can't tell here.

These wild flowers were growing every where along the creek! Aren't they just glorious!

Livy and Boo made paper boats and had boat races!

Hey look, I think, my boat is winning!

Boo realizing that paper is NOT the best medium for boats. Just makes a soggy mess!

Patch with a cute little snake! Making his mama proud as usual!

Hey look what I caught! Can we keep it? Can we? Hu? Hu? Can we?

Patch and Livy on the great snake hunt of 2009! Maybe we can find a really BIG one!

Now that's a big snake that Livy fearlessly snatched off the ground just before I stepped on it. That's my girl! My papa would be SO disappointed that I almost stepped on a snake! Sorry Papa, I wasn't looking down! I was tending my brood!

Sweet Tess was havin' NONE of this!

There are huge stands of of Aspens dotting these mountains. Maybe we'll go back up in the fall and see the big turn of colors. I LOVE the ferns that carpet the earth. Hmmmmm... wonder who "Ross M" is?

Really, this picture isn't posed at all! Really! Jujube just wandered in and started picking flowers! Oh my! Couldn't you just eat him up he's so yummy!

Jujube watching Papa fly fish.

I guess I should stop and explain at this point that the babes really did start out the day with clothing on. I'm not the type of trailer trash that just lets my babies wander around with a diaper on and nothing else. I mean really! I'm even the type of mama that brings along a spare change of clothing for my kiddos should there be an unavoidable "incident." I'm also the type of mama that not once, but twice, let both babes on separate occasions, toddle out into the creek and fall in and get completely soaked... thus the diaper. 4 sopping wet sets of clothing. OK, maybe I am the type of mama that lets my babes toddle around in diapers. If it looks like trailer trash and quacks like trailer trash, then so be it. Quack! Gonna have to go get me a trailer though.

My little hikers!

Tess needs to put on a few more pounds I know. We're working on it!

Papa caught a little Apache trout just a few casts after this! Look how clear the water is!

Back at the cabin-

One peddles and 1 steers! Maybe I should have been hollering, "Hey kids! Come back inside and get those bike helmets on!"