upcoming vacation

We'll be going on vacation.  To the Adirondacks.  Which is a big deal for us, but means nothing to my German relatives.  If you click on the link, you'll see what I'm looking forward to.  And I get confused about it, there is so much to see and do!  I would love to hike one of the high peaks, and we'll see.
But there is a lot to do and see, and I doubt we'll get it all in, but we'll give it a shot.

Week was busy again.  Working, getting things out the door in a timely fashion, bills written, off to the post office, getting supplies, all done.  More for the coming week.
I got to see Nicole and boys on Monday, always fun.  The two little ones where not feeling good, but both are on the mend.

Of course we went hiking again.  Today!  And a lovely day it was.  Our weather is cool for August, which is fine with us.  We had it cooler, we had rain, but cool air is coming in from Canada for the next couple of days, and it's great.  Our hike today was humid in the beginning, and then the wind picked up, still warm, but not as humid, and it felt great.
The foraging German I still have in me from childhood was delighted in finding grapes - not ready yet, hazelnuts, same, not ready yet, and not one, but two walnut trees, with walnuts that are, you guessed it, not ready yet.

I remember going in the woods while growing up during the summer always involved finding something.  Mushrooms, berries, nuts, going into the 'Rhine hedges' - Rheiner Hecken - was a tradition still carried out by my brother for black raspberries - Brombeeren.  Some years the mushrooms were plentiful and delicious, other years we couldn't find any.
The other day Frau Bruellen remembered going for a walk/hike with her parents, and the water being carefully rationed out on the walk.  And the parents telling their children to swallow their spit, it would take care of the thirst.  That's the way I grew up!  I still have a hard time drinking water, and I swear it's from that time.  Although we managed to drink one and a half liters today, I'm proud of myself of managing to drink all that!

Anyway, we spotted a snapping turtle in the water today, a big one, too, his head was bigger than my fist!

The rather unspectacular turtle head is in the middle somewhere, the turtle didn't think it important to come and pose for us, despite Michael waiting on the shore.  We did get a rather dumb deer willing to come closer.  For what?  No idea, we had eaten and consumed all the water we had carried.
On that note, it's still shocking to find left-behind garbage in the woods.  Doesn't happen that often, but when it does, it's like a slap.  The park's policy is to carry out what you bring in.  And most people are fine with that.
And the park is not convenient, no garbage barrels anywhere, no bathrooms, no hot dog stands, no ice cream booth, no restaurant, no, just a park.  Lovely!
And wonderful.
Hope it stays that way for a very long time to come.