the Porch and the Dock

I think I'm a morning person. I usually can't sleep in, but Jason says he isn't sure I'm a morning person because I'm not very cheery in the morning. I'd prefer getting up early while everyone is asleep and drink my coffee and/or read in quiet or go for a run. Then, by the time others start to stir I'd be ready for their company.

The first morning I went for a run, but I'm not a dedicated runner and even at 6:00 AM it was too hot and humid to make it enjoyable. That was the only time I went for a run, but I did go biking a few evenings.

Anyway, the porch! The screened-in back porch was one of my favorite things about the trip. It had a gorgeous view. It looks out on Crystal Lake which has a fountain spraying in the center. Each morning I would sneak out there about 6 AM and just relax on the swing until the kids started showing up one by one.

The kids enjoyed eating breakfast out there most mornings.In the evenings, if you went out to swing in the dark you could hear the frogs loud and clear. There were plenty of lizards and frogs around the house. Jason and I saw a snake one day and we were told that an alligator had recently been spotted in the lake. I don't know what frogs were making all the noise, but the ones that we actually saw were so tiny you almost missed them. Here is one next to Jason's finger just to give you an idea how small they were. The porch also looked out at the dock. We didn't use it that much because Mac made a valiant effort to fall in each time we went down there and it was right in the sun with no shade. The boys (mostly Daegan) bugged Jason to take them fishing. So one evening, Jason got the fishing rods that were at the house to take the boys fishing for their first time. They really couldn't believe that you didn't just catch something right away. I'm not sure it really lasted that long, but they now can say they have been fishing.