08 JAN 26

Field tripping to Rockwoods late in the morning... all three kids toted in the van with me as they hop out under smoky skies and a whisper of rain in the west...

Yali reads the sign at the beginning of the 3.25 mile Lime Kiln Trail... “Keep pets on leash”...

“That means you Yali” Puck teases him...

Six deer frame the trail as we walk off into a gently sloping dirt path that becomes quickly steep into this outer edge of the Ozark border...

Up on the top ridge awhile later we pause at a wood bench as a hawk spins in the wind above us... “I'm not breathing hard at all” Puck boasts... so does Yali...

We begin the long and slow winding descent through silent wooded ravines... mostly silent... Puck and Yali chase each other down the path somehow not tripping on all the rocks and roots...

“Oh Ya-aa-aa-li!” Puck taunts him... “look what I have!”... he's slinging Yali's water bottle around in circles on its short lanyard... “Wanna go on a scavenger hunt?”... the water bottle sails through the forest landing somewhere in an infinity of fallen autumn leaves... Yali and Patience race each other to the spot... somehow the water bottle is located in a very short amount of time... it being neon green probably helps...

Down through black mud and rushes past the natural spring... and a couple of llamas chewing hay staring stupidly at us...

And because they're all starving and have been fantasizing about cheeseburgers since mile one... Culver's is waiting for us as a light rain begins tapping the windshield... and ultimately only one root beer is spilled all over the floor of the minivan... we can count this one a success...