Taking a walk with the kids always turns into a treasure hunt with nature! Hehe Did I tell you that you cannot ID butterflies for me? :) That was so funny, I really got a smile out of that one. We have all been there before. Ooops!

That was awesome about the bees and your nonreactionary thoughts. So much easier to write about it than do it, but, you did it! The picture proves it all!

Milkweed. That plant that looks like it will bloom into something someday? It is milkweed and will have a white and purple flower when it is in peak show. The other pretty yellow one with the bee on it? It looks like wild fennel, but hard to tell with only the flowers and no stalk.

I have had to carry more kids than I care to admit, all for the love of the walk. Or volksmarching in Europe. They are organized walks and very popular.

Sorry about the ticks, one of the biggest reasons I no longer run off into the woods like I used to. I remember as a kid, not thinking twice about it and it was rare for us to get a tick. What gives? When we were hiking in the woods and the kids got a tick on them. I lit a match and blew it out, then brought it close (but not touching) to the area of the tick. They will immediately back out and then you can grab it. I never let the kids look so they don't get panicked by the match. That has always been the tried and true way, leaving no parts behind.

I expect it to be a while before you go again... but, this certainly was a lot of fun!