A head in water, too small to be seen...almost

I mowed the septic field this morning, balancing the Sun's drying power against the heat and humidity...the mower got clogged with some thick grass at one point, and after flipping the mower to clean it out a bit, it wouldn't start again (the tiny portion of my brain devoted to internal combustion mumbled something about flooded carburetors), so I sweat my way through the last 100 square feet using a scythe...

Janet, skip the next 2 sentences...
I was amazed at the number of tiny snakes I saw while mowing this morning...8 in roughly 1500 square feet. I saw a couple yesterday, but there must be something about the insect life supported by the septic field that is perfect for snakes...go figure...



Ben and I headed over to Hoel Pond around 10:30, and had a great time messing around in the water...here Ben is holding the empty shell/carapace of a dragonfly larvae...the grown-up versions were all over the place eating enough flies that we weren't bothered...


Ben's "Tough Pirate" look comes a little close to looking bored, but he really did have fun keeping a weather eye for Davy Jones while I went for a swim to wash off the mowing (brrrrrr...but also ahhhhhhhhh)...


No, Ben was not having a Bud at quarter to 11, he saw some garbage and picked it up...a pleasant by-product of our geocaching adventures...Cache-In, Trash-Out (CITO) is a great way to take care of the beautiful places that we visit, and we tend to do it even when we're not geocaching...


Ben found a live dragonfly floating on the surface of the pond, it must have flown too close to the surface and gotten its wings wet...we picked it out and put it up on a branch to dry...it was gone before we left...


Ben is getting braver and braver about exploring Hoel Pond, we wandered around looking at the cool stuff on the floor of the pond as well as going out deeper and deeper every time we visit...


We had a great time messing around and cooling off in the water...next time we'll bring his life-preserver, so we can go out over his head in the water...



Ben invented a cool game using a stick and a golf ball that we found on the road into Hoel Pond...he knocked it around underwater according to rules only he understands...


At random intervals, he would fish the ball out of the water, and declare himself the winner...and then drop it back in for another round (which he would win)...


On the way home, we stopped off for a cone at Donnelly's (Chocolate/Vanilla)...we arrived to an empty parking lot, but Ben looked so cute eating his cone, that by the time we left, there were about 15 people eating drippy cones...

Super weekend, now it looks like rain, we're watching "The Mummy", Ben's snuggly, it's cool in the downstairs, both dogs are asleep and gently snoring at my feet, and I can't think of a reason not to be in bed by 9pm tonight...