We just had a wonderful time with some of the AtomicTumor crew at the UT Arboretum including LissaKay. Evan played hard and beat the snot out of himself. We found a Hicks Yew (I think) that had been trained to look like a green igloo complete with a tunneled entrance. The kids loved it. It was very peaceful inside. Evan got so excited that on his first try to get in he ran into the tunnel and connected a branch on the forehead landing him on his back. Later he tried this same stunt scratching his forehead and swelling his eye lid. Noah had a blast as did Tommy who wandered off to find a grove of trees that fascinated him. Amy had a playmate and they made pretend meals of straw and sticks until a lion ran them from their hovel. Cathy got some adult conversation time and seemed very happy. I love the outdoors and look forward to doing this again soon.
By the way, if you are looking to visit the UT Aboretum, they hide the rules on the website but post them clearly about the premises. No pets. No picnicking. Only walking (no skateboards, bikes, motor vehicles etc). And some Leave No Trace type rules. They need to post these clearly on their website.
