To the Creek!

Hello, lovely readers!  Yesterday, we flew home from Nebraska, ...

... but I wanted to share with you how one of our last days with our cousins passed.

First, they showed us their newly-decorated Christmas tree.

"Nice decorations!" Chrissa commented.

"Thanks!" Libby replied. "It was fun having Jewel decorate with us."

"Oh!  Where are my manners?" Marie-Grace exclaimed. "Jewel, these are our cousins: Elizabeth, Georgia, and Chrissa.  Cousins, this is Jewel, our foster sister."

"Pleased to meet you!" Jewel smiled.

"Same to you!" Georgia said.

Most of the time, I would think of a foster girl as being quiet and subdued.  Jewel was the opposite: bubbly and always laughing.

"It's such a beautiful day - we should go outside." I offered.

"That sounds like a lovely idea!" Marie-Grace agreed.

"Hey -" Liberty said, "let's go to the creek."

"I don't think we've ever been down there with you." Georgia said thoughtfully.

"Oh, enough talk already!  Let's GO!" Chrissa said as she and Libby pushed the rest of us out the door.

"Let us go, 

Let us go!

Can't hold us back anymore!

Let us go,

Let us go:

Run outside and slam the door!"

Chrissa and Libby sang in unison.

"Don't really slam the door!" Aunt Clare yelled behind us.

"You're right, Elizabeth; it is a gorgeous day." Jewel said, breathing in the cool air.

"So - where to next?" Georgia asked Liberty.

But Chrissa was distracting Libby.

"Oo, Libby, let's climb this tree!" my youngest sister exclaimed.

"Sure, why not?" she agreed.

So, up they climbed.

"Um, Chrissa?" Georgia said. "We were kind of planning to go to the creek, you know ..."

"Yea, yea, yea, we're coming." Chrissa muttered as she and her cousin swung down and joined us.

The day seemed to be trying to decide if it was fall or winter: the wind crept under our coats, some of the water froze over, but the ground was covered in a thick blanket of orange leaves.

They sky was lightly dusted with cirrus clouds.

Jewel, Georgia, Marie-Grace and I carefully proceeded through the underbrush, but Rissa and Libby recklessly raced ahead.  When we found them, the two girls had plopped down by the creek-bank. 

"I think is the the prettiest part of the creek." I smiled.

"That used to be a beaver dam," Liberty explained to us, "but the farmer who owns this land didn't like beavers, so he cut out parts."

"That's kind of sad - for the beavers, at least." Chrissa said.

"Yes, but the little waterfall is nice." Jewel added.

We all stood/sat quietly, enjoying the sound of running water.

"Liberty, you said earlier that there was a bridge farther down. Could we go there?" Georgia asked hopefully.

"Sure!  But the bridge is kind of thin and it has only one railing, just waning ya." Libby said. "Follow me!"

We all conversed separately on our way.  Georgia seemed to be bonding with Jewel, which was nice.  I'm close to Marie, and Chrissa is "Best Fruzzies" with Liberty, but in the past Georgia didn't really have anyone.  I overheard Jewel asking Georgia to be her pen pal, too.  They both love acting, so the two of them tried to convince us to do a play.  I don't think the rest of us are quite sold on it, though.

Here's the view off the strong, but thin, bridge.  After crossing it, we walked back to their house, where lunch awaited!

What's you favorite way to enjoy "the great outdoors"?