Our week started with another fun outdoor concert by the Lincoln Municipal Band. Founded in 1907, they are the only professional wind instrument ensemble in the state. They have been doing free summer concerts in the park for 119 years now! And not just one per summer – this season included eight concerts. Great fun!
Monday we had special guests at our home! We heard Stephan and Crystal were moving their daughter into Union Adventist University, and we invited them to stay with us. Their daughter stayed in the dorm that night, but we had the family, including three great boys, for a great evening! Such cool people! We met them when they were classmates with our kids, Loren and Karen. We don’t hold the fact that they are our kid’s age against them!
A couple of weeks ago we spent a couple of nights in Indian Cave State Park. We had so much fun, we decided we’d like to go camping with some other friends – Alan and Karen. They were interested, and while we were discussing possible destinations, they said they’d never been to Indian Cave. It was so beautiful, and so uncrowded, we said we’d love to try it again. We also invited brother-in-law Steve, hoping he’d enjoy getting out with all of us.
I swore that I would NOT take all the same pictures over again. But right away I shot out our back window… just to show how gorgeous it was, and how we were once again the only folks there! (you also can catch the reflection of some of the cabinetry in our little camping trailer. Maybe after we personalize it a bit, I’ll show some pictures of the interior.)
On a walk to the improperly named Indian Cave, [see more appropriate name in last week’s blog here] we met this cute little frog resting on the handrail.
And near the cave we saw Paw-Paw fruit growing on the trees. None of us knew what they were, and AI helped educate us. If you will pardon my lifting a description straight from Wikipedia: Although much of the plant contains the neurotoxin annonacin, the ripe fruits are edible. They are sweet, with a custard-like texture and a flavor somewhat similar to banana or pineapple. They are commonly eaten raw, but are also used to make ice cream and baked desserts. So a poisonous tree with great tasting fruit! I think I’ll stick to real custard and bananas.
The natural range where these are found just barely includes the very southeast tip of Nebraska, where we happened to be. Basically they are just found east of here. The leaves of these trees looked like they were shriveled up and dying… maybe they ingested their own poison!
Trees overhanging the narrow road made for a very beautiful drive.
We hadn’t seen this old barn before, so I could take some pictures…
OK, I took pictures of the old log house last time, but maybe some different angles this time?
Speaking of poisonous trees, how about this Honey Locust tree? While not actually poisonous, it is not very inviting! Often called the “Crown of Thorns” tree, the thorns growing out of the tree can reach 8 – 12 inches long! If a branch falls to the ground, a thorn can easily go through a shoe and even a car’s tire. Maybe I like the poisonous tree more!
The colorful flowers love having their pictures taken… and Alan helped them out too.
The overlook of the mighty Missouri River is still impressive.
One afternoon it got really dark about 3 pm. Then it started raining, and then POURING! I heard Lincoln got around an inch and a half in 20 minutes… I think we did at least that here. The road in the campground became a rapidly flowing river. And we had any dirt around our campsite transformed into deep mud! The lightening and thunder were impressive and actually fun, since we were safe and dry in our campers.
In the evenings, we would all meet in one of the campers, and play some games. I was very considerate of the others, and let them win. Cherryl wasn’t quite so considerate, and became the overall winner one night.
The morning fog added to the mystique of the forest.
Our little band of campers was the only occupied area in the campground for most of the time we were there.
Thursday our group was joined by Jim, Huda, Laurel and Charles. We cooked lunch over charcoal and had a feast! Afterwards we drove them to see the mighty Missouri River and the miss-named cave.
Here’s the whole group – all too soon they had to head back home.
When we asked them to make a silly face, they complied enthusiastically!
The next day, it was time for all of us to head home as well. We enjoyed the beauty of the park, ate way more great food than we should have (maybe just me?) but most of all had a wonderful time with good friends.
