Month: September 2014

2014 Summer Bucket List Follow-up

by

bucketlist69The first day of Fall began this week with a few days of colder temperatures, which led me to reminisce about my first full summer home with both girls.  Despite having a tough adjustment period from 3-day-a-week preschool to zero-day-a-week preschool, things smoothed out and we had an awesome summer!  I find myself longing for more pool, beach and picnic days and having more of that carefree, energetic spirit!  We completed a lot of things on our original bucket list, but did so many more unexpected things too – spent time at the Rappahannock river, welcomed my niece Ava, watched Claire take her first steps, watched Ashley head off to her first summer camps, had cookouts with friends, celebrated Ashley’s swimming successes, spent time with family, and visited old college and high school buddies and all their kiddos.  For all these reasons and more, summer makes for endless fun and is our favorite season.  But, Fall is here now and that means preschool fun, Hokies football and pumpkin beer, so #bringonfall2014!

Enjoy the slideshow below with pics from our #bringonsummer2014 adventures!

  1. Visit the library (completed June 6)
  2. Play with water balloons (completed June 1)
  3. Visit the Eno River State Park
  4. Camp in the backyard
  5. Attend an outdoor concert (completed June 19, Pickin’ in the Plaza in downtown Raleigh)
  6. Visit Fearrington
  7. Paddle board at Lake Wheeler (completed Aug 24, Lake Wheeler via Triangle Guides)
  8. Take Ashley fishing (completed Sept 3 in OBX)
  9. Play with the slip n slide (completed July 4 in VA)
  10. Let the kiddos enjoy the water fountains at NC Museum of Art after a Stroller Strides class (completed June 24)
  11. Go blueberry picking (completed July 9, Creekside Farm)
  12. Discover three new parks and be current on blog posts (We were busy – Simms Branch Trail, Neuse River Trail MP 13.25-15, Top of the Hill Trail, Halifax Park, Hobbit House @ NCMA, Caroline County Park in VA, Optimist Pool, Neuse River Trail MP 11.5-13.25)
  13. Catch lightning bugs
  14. Explore the Prairie Ridge Ecostation again (completed Sept 16)
  15. Survive solo trips to the pool with both kids (completed at least 12 times beginning June 5)
  16. Take Ashley to the movies (completed June 14)
  17. Attend a Durham Bulls game (completed Aug 17)
  18. Discover a new (to us) brewery (strangely enough we didn’t make it to any new Raleigh breweries, but we visited two popular RVA breweries Ardent Craft Ales (July 5) & Strangeways Brewing (Aug 9))
  19. Make s’mores (completed July 5 in RVA)
  20. Fly a kite (completed June 3 @ NCMA)
  21. Watch the Sandlot movie (completed June 11)
  22. Visit Waverly Place splash area in Cary (completed July 3)
  23. Walk for ice cream at the new Quail Corners Creamery in our ‘hood (completed numerous times this summer)
  24. Grill homemade pizza (completed June 4)
  25. Visit the farmers’ market (completed Aug 13 at downtown Farmer’s Market and Sept 19 at State Farmer’s Market)
  26. Go to the beach (completed Aug 16 and week of Labor Day in OBX)
  27. Visit the Asheboro zoo
  28. Play putt putt (completed June 28 with Gaga & Papa at Frankie’s Fun Park)
  29. Enjoy a bushel of crabs (completed July 4 in VA)
  30. Take a boat ride (completed June 7 in VA)
  31. Stomp in rain puddles (completed in June)
  32. Watch the clouds overhead

[Show as slideshow]

2014 Fall Festivals @ Local Parks

by

IMG_2216

Here’s a list of upcoming Fall Festivals happening at various parks in the Greater Raleigh area:

Southeast Raleigh Community Day @ John Chavis Memorial Park – Sat., Sept 20 from noon-4pm; free event that will feature free food, health information, music, voter registration info and more

9th Annual Fall Harvest Celebration @ Historic Yates Mill Park – Sat., Sept 20 from 11am-3pm; free event includes costumed corn-grinding tours of Yates Mill, a fun children’s scavenger hunt activity, live music and dance, story-tellers, community displays, hand-craft demonstrations and sales, antique vehicles, farm tool displays, food vendors, and more; pre-registration is not required; all ages

Community Art Day Festival @ Powell Drive Park – Sat., Sept 27 from 10am-2pm; free kid-friendly activities such as bracelet making, sidewalk chalk, painting and more; performers will be on site; art vendors will be on site to purchase from local artists with vendor spaces still available

4th Annual Festival in Motion along Walnut Creek Greenway – Sat., Sept 27 10am-2pm; designed to get people out and moving in nature; enjoy this day of discovery with live music, art-in-the-making, nature games and fitness challenges

IMG_1592Heritage Day @ Historic Oak View County Park – Sat., Oct 4 from 10am-4pm; a free “county fair” type event featuring live animals, antique farm equipment displays, heritage crafts, handmade items, live music, antique cars, horse-drawn carriage rides, quilt auction, cane pole fishing, and more; food will be available for purchase

Annual Heritage Day at Jordan Lake (White Oak Recreation Area) – Sat., Oct 4 from 10am-3pm; enjoy hands on activities, live entertainment and demonstrations all relating to the unique cultural and natural resources of this region; gain an appreciation for the rich history of the land and natural resources; for more information or volunteer opportunities for this event, please contact Ranger Jim Trostle at 919-362-0586 ext. 227 or jim.trostle@ncparks.gov

Haunting at Harris Lake: Creatures of the Forest – Sat., Oct 18 from 1-6pm; free event with games, activities, crafts, and a wagon ride adventure as you search for the weird, creepy and outrageous creatures of the forest; wear a costume or come as you are; all ages

Fall Events @ Umstead Park – hosting a variety of events in Sept & Oct from Free Weekend Matinee Movies, Take a Child Outside Week events, Trail Running with a Ranger, Big Year Birdwalk, From Farm to Park and more; for additional info, visit the main Events page and search for September and October 2014

Take a Child Outside Week: Sept 24 – 30, 2014

by

IMG_2215
Brookhaven Nature Park hike, Fall 2012

With the fall weather on our heels, it couldn’t be a better time to participate in Take a Child Outside Week (TACO), held September 24-30, 2014. Take a Child Outside Week is an national initiative through the NC Museum of Natural Sciences with partner organizations throughout the country.  The program emphasizes outdoor nature activities with children to increase their awareness and appreciation of the environment.  Here are several outdoor activities at local parks to highlight this program:

Umstead Park – various organized events that week including: Animals of Umstead, Hug-a-Tree, Learn to Fish, Millin’ Around, American Beech Hike; for more info search their September calendar

JC Raulston Arboretum – various organized events that week including: Leaf Rubbings, Garden Bingo, Plant Sale, Cloud Watching, Garden Storytime; for more info visit their September calendar 

img_5473
Prairie Ridge Ecostation Nature Play Space

NC Museum of Natural Sciences – a few events that week including Nature Stories and a family-friendly event on Sat, Sept 27 at Prairie Ridge Ecostation; for more info visit the Prairie Ridge Ecostation TACO Events Page

Historic Yates Mill County Park – enjoy several events including Paddle the Pond, Apple Orchards, Mill Tours, Fishing Footprint, and an organized Nature Hike; for more info visit the Yates Mill Events

Blue Jay County Park – free events this week including Hopper Herding and Nature Stories; pre-registration is required; for more info visit the Blue Jay County Park Events

Bill hiking with Jerry at Harris Lake, circa 2008
Pre-kiddo pic of Bill hiking with Jerry at Harris Lake, circa 2008

Lake Crabtree County Park – free scavenger hunt event on Mon, Sept 29 at 6pm; pre-registration is required; for more info visit the Lake Crabtree County Park Events

Harris Lake County Park – various events including Park After Dark and a Drop-in Nature Exploration; for more info visit the Harris Lake County Park Events

American Tobacco Trail – attend the Biking with Bats 3-mile bike ride on Sun, Sept 28 from 6-8pm; for more info visit the ATT Events

 

Durant Nature Park

  • Durant Family Campout (COR Reclink barcode #161109) – Fri, Sept 26 at 6pm; ages 6+; a lakeside campsite will be your home for the night; have an overnight experience including dinner, a night hike, s’mores, a light breakfast and fishing; Adults $15, Youth $10; for more info check the Reclink description or visit the Nature Programs page
  • Wee Walkers (COR Reclink barcode #161125) – Thu, Sept 25 from 10-11am; easy paced hike around the park; free; pre-registration is required; for more info check the Reclink description or visit the Nature Programs page

If you can’t make it to any of these organized events, check out TACO’s list of suggested activities and head to the nearest park or greenway and just explore!

By the way, what TACO activities in the Greater Raleigh area am I missing?  Please let me know in the comments section below.

9/15/2014 Update: Since this post was originally posted, the City of Raleigh has compiled a list of TACO week events happening at various parks around the county.

Simms Branch Trail

by

IMG_7570

Oh, Summer! What began as a daunting three months of partially empty calendars quickly filled with pool trips, swimming lessons, park time with friends, family visits, and so much more.  One August morning Ashley started another week-long stint at a City of Raleigh summer camp.  I’ve been so pleased with her introduction into the city summer camps and can’t wait for her to continue with them through the years.
IMG_7586So, after a Monday morning camp drop-off at Greystone Rec Center, Claire and I researched nearby greenways to explore using the RGreenway app.  After some deliberation, we drove east for a run along Simms Branch Trail. We parked along a residential street at 9410 Cub Trail (parking spot #4 on the Capital Greenway map) near the Falls of Neuse and Durant Rd intersection.  The greenway entrance was clearly marked so we set off on this relatively flat and shaded trail.  We winded through various residential areas and a small stream to the south of the trail.  We passed a few school yards along the way and had to cross a few residential streets and small bridges before coming to the end of the trail, which is just past the entrance for Durant Nature Park.  This out and back trail is about 3.25 total miles.

After our run we headed over to the super kid-friendly Lafayette Village shopping center to experience Jubala coffee (another recommendation from fellow blogger TriangleExplorer).  Claire and I shared some delicious homemade biscuits and I enjoyed a fresh cup of coffee.

Thumbs up: proximity to residential areas, nearby stream, easy access, shady

Thumbs down: nothing to report

[Show as slideshow]