We live across the street from a place called Maple Lane Farms. In the fall it is a huge pumpkin patch and corn maze and a few years back they began offering strawberries in the Spring. Our berries are just starting to come in...our back patch is still recovering from the drought last year and something is eating them. We have lost all but one from back there....the boys go in for the night thinking they will be ready 'tomorrow' and when tomorrow comes they are gone or half eaten. The front patch seems to be doing wonderful, and we should have a lot with in a week or 2. A couple years back we were getting a pound or more a day from the back. But back to today....we decided to head over to the farm and get some fresh berries. The boys had a blast. It was so hard to stop picking! They had migrated down to the bottom of the patch and the whole walk back to the car they kept seeing "one last one" that HAD to be picked. I think we managed to keep it under 7 lbs though. It was fun. I would love to get our patch growing so well.

Lakin was suprisingly good. He is in a collecting stage right now so he had a handful berries he carried around. He was a mess though, considering his berries were the smushy ones he found on the ground!But now I have berries for the freezer, to eat and maybe make ice cream.

Yesterday we went for a mini-hike in the Maryville College Woods. It's been awhile since I have been there, but the boys enjoyed it a lot the last time we were there....and they did this time too. It is the perfect, and close, place to take a walk in the woods. Not too strenuous for my 2 yr old to walk, although he did complain a little near the end. My 4 year old walked along dodging poison ivy to pick wild flowers:

Down at the bottom of one of the trails there is a little log bridge, picnic tables and a creek. We stopped there to eat a snack and the boys were off into the creek bed to look for things. They both collect things: rocks and shells...so they collected a ton of mussel shells....and snail shells. Then they were off looking for Tennessee Pearls which they have never seen (until today when I showed them mine), but they were certain they could find one in the mussels.

They soon forgot to stay out of the water and my 4 year old was covered in mud on his hands and pants wet up to his knees. They started jumping to little islands. Paul went down with them to carry the 2 yr old across and found a bunch of salamanders and a crayfish. He caught one....the baby was mesmerized by it.

The walk back was filled with questions and observations. Pointing out different plants and trees, watching for what made the rustling sounds under the leaves, and listening to woodpeckers and other birds.

Today was a beautiful day in East TN...70 deg temps, sunny skies....so we took a field trip this afternoon to Fort Loudon. It's only about a 15 min drive from our house, and the last time we went it was mid July in the 100 deg heat...so much more enjoyable this time. So here is a tour of the fort....but first a little background....

Fort Loudoun was constructed in 1756 during the Seven Year's War (aka The French and Indian War) to help secure the Mississippi Valley region from the French. It was the first fort constructed in the "Overhill" country and helped ally the Cherokee Nation to the British cause and block further penetration by the French forces.

Here's the Tellico Blockhouse from across the water. It was a US Army fort in the Cherokee Nation from 1794-1807  

The view of the lake and fort from the top entrance.

Here are the barracks....double bunks line the walls, fireplace and tables.

Then there is the ever popular bastion, what boy doesn't like cannons??

 Here is another view of the Fort, you can see the storehouse on the right side, to the left of the tents is the blacksmith and the hospital. Then the oven in the corner.

 Here is the bake oven.....

 Then they climbed and ran down the hill on the outside wall of the fort, you can see the palisade well in this shot.

 Just  outside the lower gate (The Tuskegee Gate) the fort is surrounded by a 'dry moat' which includes on the outer edge rows of Honey Locust Trees. These young trees have 4 in spines all over which were used to impede an Indian attack.

 Then we decided to stop by the Tellico Blockhouse on the way home. It is in ruins so not too fancy, but rock walls and an open area are fun for any growing boy....

So now you know all you need to know about Fort Loudoun. And in case anyone was wondering about the vistor in many of the pictures....we have Flat Buzz  the astronaut visiting us from IL...he's learning all about TN so he can tell his family back home....