Shootin' some skeets....

Saturday, we joined some friends from church to go shooting, and shoot we did! We shot several different shotguns, a couple of different handguns, and my new rifle. We had a blast and can't wait to do it again!

The Grand Canyon

Yesterday we decided to take a day trip to the Grand Canyon. Ok ok....it's a little far for a day trip, so we compromised and went to Providence Canyon State Park, also known as "Georgia's Little Grand Canyon".

It took us about 2 1/2 hours to get there, and we couldn't get over some of the hills we encountered on our drive as we got closer....it almost felt like we were actually in the mountains!! My ears even popped a couple of times. The park is near Lumpkin, GA, just South of Columbus. We paid our entrance fee, and started exploring.

Apparently in the early 1800"s. the early settlers' poor farming practices caused erosion to create little ditches. In the 1850's, the ditches were only 3-5 feet deep. They are now up to 150 feet deep....extremely shallow in comparison to the real Grand Canyon, but we'll take what we can get, for a day trip.

 

There was a trail that you can hike down to the bottom and back up, but it takes a couple of hours, so we decided to save that for next time. Or maybe we'll just wait to ride mules down into the real Grand Canyon. We hit Cracker Barrel for an early dinner on the way home, and overall had an AWESOME day!

The Disturbing Reality

So with all that's going on with the oil spill in the Gulf, Wade & I have been pretty down about all of it. We wonder if we should spend the money to replace our boat battery....asking ourselves if we'll even get to use it much longer. We discuss taking a day to go fishing down on the island (St. George Island...where we got married) as we've heard that they've seen some effects from the oil. I guess we are still in the "holding our breath" pattern, anxiously waiting to see if our precious coastline will suffer the way so many say it will.

This past Saturday, we took a little day trip over to Destin, FL, just to get away for the day. Destin is one of our favorite spots, as the water there often reminds us of the Caribbean. It's almost always crystal clear/turquoise and amazing. Even though we didn't go over to "go" to the beach, we couldn't help but take a peek.

Coming over the bridge from Destin to Ft. Walton

We did see a little Coastie action, but nothing too concerning.

All looks good, so far...

Following my Prince...

Looking good to me...

And then, we see it...

and reality sets in...

and makes us sad....

and a little mad....

and then sad some more....

And then we leave, wondering if this is as bad as it will get, or are we still awaiting the worst of this horrible mess.

No Potato Famine Around Here

In our spring garden this year, Wade decided to give potatoes a try. We had never grown potatoes before so we weren't sure how they would do. The plants seemed to be doing well, but we had no idea what was going on "underground", where the real magic happens. Friday, Wade decided it was time to see.

We were so impressed with how many potatoes we grew!

The happy farmer with his harvest.

We also were able to pick some squash, zucchini, cucumbers, jalapenos, and chili peppers.

We have more that will be ready soon, including lots of tomatoes and more peppers!

I'm SO glad my husband likes to garden...if it were up to me, we would probably starve. Let's just say my thumb is NOT green. I do love fresh veggies though. Now, to cook them. :)

Reedy River Ken-ducky Derby

While in Greenville, SC this past weekend, our plans for Saturday included a visit to the downtown market where we bought some boiled peanuts, chowchow, and some yummy barbecue sauce. They sell all kinds of locally-grown produce, soaps, candles, cupcakes, and other little knickknacks. We walked around there for a little bit, and then left to get a delicious lunch at MoJo's Famous Burgers before returning downtown for more festivities.

Each year, the Rotary Club of Greenville hosts a fundraising event called the Reedy River Duck Derby, where they release (12,000 this year) yellow rubber duckies donning sunglasses into the river and over the falls. The ducks are all numbered and "adopted" and the winning ducks at the end of the race can win all kinds of prizes. It was pretty neat to watch, but not long after it began, I realized just how many ducks are 12,000, and just how many obstacles prevent many from even making it across the finish line. I also quickly realized that we would probably not win the year's worth of free groceries or the $1500. Despite that, we had a great time, and Quinn, although he did not understand why we weren't bringing bread to feed the duckies, thoroughly enjoyed "calling the ducks" with his whistle.

   

*note the battle scar from his other new trick, to be revealed in a later post

Giving Uncle Wade a thumbs-up before the race begins....I think they were conspiring their ducks winning strategies.

And, FINALLY, letting us know the race was about to begin!

*sorry it's blurry...he moves fast, that little one does

And the race begins!

The leaders approach the first rapid...

  

  

And the fight for the lead begins!

  

  

     

Rub-a-dub-dub

    

Although the shades make a nice touch, the sunshine was lacking for the day.

 

    

    

So I don't think our Quack Pack actually won any prizes, but we had fun, and who wouldn't with 12,000 rubber duckies?