January 24, 7:59 p.m.

You're right. It has been far too long since I have posted to this blog.

Part of the reason is my effort to reduce my screen time.

Part of the reason is the fact that we spent a weekend away from home.

Part of the reason is that what screen time I have had has been spent researching for a trip we are planning to take. But that trip I will write about in another post.

The best way to sum up the past two weeks of our lives shall be through pictures. We all love pictures; they make all posts more interesting. So here we go.

On this particular church morning, the temperature had gotten down to 25 degrees, with freezing temperatures lasting us 12 hours. Chips went to check on the dog's drinking water, and discovered that it was a solid block of ice!

As a matter of fact, we had a couple of thick frosts that same week. I love our property when it looks like this!

I tried to capture a closeup of the crystallization on our grapevine stem. It was quite impressive, for Florida.

The children, like their mother, simply could not keep warm enough. Here they were snuggling together during our catechism lesson one morning. I think a blanket would have helped more, but it was cute.

On one particular evening the next week (when it had gotten warmer), the children went outside to play while I was cooking supper. They were waiting for Daddy to return from work. When I stepped outside to check on them, they had rigged up their own "swing".


They "anchored" the rope to the column of the house. Well, it did work. But it was a bit hard on the tree!

The following weekend, we went camping at Lake Louisa State Park. I have to say that the hiking at this park is outstanding -- for Central Florida.


At the beginning of one three hour hike, the children were full of energy.


By the end of the hike, not so.


Here, Self-Reliant Man is sporting his Stetson and his new hiking pole. Sweet Girl bought it for him for Christmas (the pole, that is).


The hiking was so good. So much variation in terrain and plant and tree life.


Who says there is no leaf color in Florida?


We did see this amazing hornet nest. Must have been about a foot in diameter.


The children especially enjoy the Lake Louisa lakeshore. They always seek out water.


This is the sand man our son made by the lake. It is about 6 inches high.


Staying warm, snuggling with Daddy, and watching for 'gators. Dixie Lake.


Relaxing after a hike with Bear Blanket, who is still Sweet Girl's true love.


The children received Swingball from us for Christmas. This was their first warm opportunity to try it out. It was a lot of fun. In fact, we will bring it along on all our camping weekends from now on.


On this particular night, we enjoyed a VERY breezy day, some popcorn, reading, campfire, and lots of Swingball. It was a very happy evening.

We were thankful for this camping trip. Every camping trip has its own personality, and this was no exception. We were so happy that the weather warmed up in time. And that the rain stayed away, for the most part, except for midnight one night. But by then, we were all sleeping in the van.

Yes, we still love camping!