Fun in the Sun of Blackwater Creek

Saturday afternoon, I grabbed the kids from Mom and Dad's where they had had a sleepover and played while I worked 3rd shift and then caught a nap.  We headed over to Joyce's house and decided it was time to take the kids to have some free fun.  We went to Blackwater creek, which is and extensive trail for biking/walking with hiking trails and other odds and ends that is a part of the Lynchburg Park's and Rec.  It rolls on for about 15 miles, and that is just the paved parts, not the hiking trails.
We started at the Awareness Gardens

The awareness Garden also doubles as a a butterfly garden both in honor of cancer survivors/warriors still with us and as a memorial of those who won the battle onto the other side, beyond death.

The kids liked the children with cancer memorial fountain.

Jayna was the first to catch a butterfly, and did it rather effortlessly.  Every butterfly catching after this one took a lot more work.

Jayna rang the bell (more than the ring this bell 3 times) in memory of a loved one with cancer or who died of cancer.  Being she is named after grandparents who who have had cancer, it seems appropriate, even if she didn't fully understand.

It was hot.  So by this point, the kids were wanting some water play.  So we headed to a different part of Blackwater Creek Trail and landed at Hawkin's Mill- home of the baby waterfall!  The kids wasted no time at all to hop into the creek and wade in the shallow water and attempt to walk only on the stones and to toss rocks from beneath them in an attempt to skip rocks.

Then they were ready to experience the waterfall.  The big rock was very slick, so I was close by while Joyce handled the picture snapping.

My two, as typical were exceptionally fearless.  They had no worries with getting drenched beneath the waterfall or swimming right out to it.  Realize this is not a huge waterfall with the serious dangers that obviously come with that.  So, no worries they were just fine!

Along the way while enjoying the waretfall and the creek.  This guy came to say hello

And Anthony forced this guy to say hello too, but then released him

Finally we spent our last 30 minutes at the Riverfront Fountain by Percival's Island

And just like that, two more items crossed off of our Summer 2013 Bucket list.  It is clear we won't achieve all 32 items. After all we started a month into summer with this bucket list, but of the 32 items we have accomplished all but 7... and the one we made three attempts (Uncle Joe's donut's but they always seem to run out and close well before their 1pm listed hours of operation).  We are hopeful to get that donut and visit the 1 or 2 more Bucket list items before September.  That will be much more of a challenge though now with school back in session!