Happy Birthday Mom & More Greenfield Lake

     Mom turned ✽✽ a couple of weeks ago (Woo hoo!  Happy Birthday, you spring chicken!) and dad took her birthday off so they could enjoy what turned out to be a fabulously warm, sunny day. 

They had a few things planned, wanting to keep it simple and local, and the day couldn't have been any better.

     They spent several hours at Greenfield Lake Park, a beautiful natural wonder only a couple miles from downtown Wilmington. 

The Birthday Girl up front

They walked the 4 or so mile paved trail that winds its way around the lake, and rented a canoe, lazily paddling around to take in the sights and sounds from a different angle.

     The cypress trees surrounding the lake add dramatic beauty, and the duck, egret and heron population make for some wonderful observation with or without binoculars. 

Looking for his lunch

Dad says he thinks this was where he and mom saw their first alligator when they moved here the first time 8 or so years ago, and this time around they got another view of not only a full-sized adult monster, but at least one "baby" (dad estimates it was 3 to 4 feet long) one as well. 

The adult gator.  Sorry, wouldn't get any closer 

The adult was snoozing in the tall grass along the shore, while the little one was sunning atop one of several floating solar panel platforms in the middle of the lake.

The old guy, steering from the rear

According to one park employee the adult one is somewhere in the 12 foot range, and once they spotted it  mom made sure dad steered their canoe only so close.

The paddleboat & canoe rental dock

     They rounded out the day with a stop at The Harp, an authentic Irish pub right near the lake, where they lounged on the patio in the abundant mid-afternoon sun with a couple of frosty pints.  They returned smelling all outdoorsy and

A beautiful old fountain near the shore

sunblocky (yes, that's a word as far as I'm concerned), and ended the day with a picnic of grilled veggie dogs, corn on the cob, potato salad and pickles, two of mom's best homemade treats.

There were about a gazillion of these guys out in the sun

   Of course, I wasn't too happy that they left me unattentioned (yes, another real word) for so long, but once they fed me I forgot they'd even been gone. 

Quenching their thirst at The Harp with some Waterline Brewing Co. Kolsch

What Grocery Bag?

     Because in all the wide, wide bed there's just not enough soft, comfortable room for this girl.

Another Day on Blogger

Hmm, what will today's post be about?  Come on big guy, help me think of something.  You know, you make an awesome chair, but you are half the brains in this operation.  Think.

Ooh, wait.  Let's check out some other bloggers first for inspiration.  I'm gonna call this research, but with dad it's more like stagnant brain procrastinator's syndrome. 

Oh dear, guess we're just not coming up with anything.  What, don't y'all ever get distracted?  Draw blanks?  Leave creativity snuggled up in bed all nice and warm while we're out here at this ungodly hour trying to be ingenious?

This is exhausting.  How 'bout we just take a little breather and see if anything pops into our heads.

Looking Down on Dad

Coming home for lunch one recent warm day I looked up to our patio and saw the old girl watching me through the handrail.

Hey down there, don't I know you?

     Dad says he's not worried about me trying to jump because he's sure my rear-most 3/4 won't fit through the rails.  I just remind him of my muffin top story a few posts back. 

Camerannoyed

Some Recent Outings

     Mom and dad are getting out and about more, which means I'm getting left behind more.  They finally made it down to Fort Fisher Beach, their favorite beach spot, even though it's still too cold for swimming right now.

Looks like a big litter box if you ask me.

     Don't worry, mom and dad, I'm sure it'll still be there when you're ready to squeeze slip into your swimsuits.

This is a section of  boardwalk on a trail at the beach

     During several recent trips they came across some pretty cool stuff.  They drove around to explore changes since they left Wilmington, and while driving by the Independence Mall found this spring carnival in full swing one chilly night.

     And the other night while returning from dinner they decided to stop at Greenfield Lake, where they used to love to walk. They entered the park and found lighting crews getting ready to film some scenes for Swamp Thing.

 Though the above photo looks like the sunset it's actually one of these mega tall floodlights hovering over the trees around the lake.

 Dad's been on call for work 24/7 since moving back so they can't go far or be gone too long, but hopefully he'll get a break soon so they can really relax and take the time to enjoy downtown Wilmington to see what's changed, check out the riverfront, grab a beer and a bite, etc.