Land of the Free

For the past 35 years I have spent the 4th of July at my parents' cabin and this year was no exception.

We made it home from the beach in time to do lots of laundry, mow the lawn, pet the cat and repack for the holiday weekend at the cabin.  As soon as we arrived the kids were off to the creek that is right in front of the cabin.  The (really cold) creek provides hours of entertainment for the kids.  All the kids were thrilled to search for salamanders and crayfish.  Hannah was even lured away from her DS for a brief moment to play in the creek and to explore the forest.

Ethan was excited to try out his new fishing rod that he got for Christmas.

 We had old fashioned fun playing board games, visiting with relatives that we only see once a year, and sleeping in bunk beds. 

 We went to RB Winter State Park which has always been called "the dam" in my family.  My children delight in saying it as much as I did when I was a kid:   "Let's go to the dam" .... "oooooh, you said the 'D word' -- you're gonna get in trouble!"  We had fun playing on the beach and  at the playground, and Ethan tried his hand at fishing again.

 One of our favorite 4th of July cabin traditions is watching the musical "1776" while singing along on our favorite songs -- Ethan even learned that Benjamin Franklin wasn't ever a president.  

 It is interesting for me to spend a weekend being both child and mother.  I love reminiscing about my favorite childhood memories with my parents while simultaneously creating new ones for my own children.  It's in the (very few) quiet moments while the kids are asleep in their bunks, and I can sit on the front porch and listen to the creek babbling and the crickets chirping, that everything seems right with the world.  I treasure the opportunity to spend this time together with extended family, and to watch my children enjoy the simple pleasures of a lazy day in the woods much the same as I did as a child.  It was almost as if time had stood still, and I forgot that I was the adult now, not the kid.

We found some cool roadside displays on the way home, and managed to pull into Harrisburg just as the 4th of July fireworks were being displayed. 

What a wonderful weekend in the land of the free and the home of the brave.