Peabody South

We went to visit Mason's gradparent's over the 4th of July holiday. We lovingly call it the "Peabody South." When we want to come down and stay, we call Parthenia and ask if we can make a reservation. We have not been turned down yet.

This is why I love this place. There is absolutely nothing to do here. During naptime I stretched out on the swing in the backyard and browsed through the latest southern living...
Because Mason's grandparents' home was close to our college, we would come here to study.
It is the perfect retreat.

View from the swing - Huge gorgeous trees

His grandparents are THE master gardeners.

When we have a gardening/yard question, these are the people we call.

Look at this grass (not my feet.) It is like carpet. Absolutely gorgeous and green and thick. Not a weed in sight.

We went on an excursion to Hampton to a fruit farm where we picked...

blueberries...

peaches....

and blackberries...

We were there when they opened so it wouldn't be too hot. The morning sun also made for some fantastic pictures.

Isn't she the prettiest peach you have ever seen?

I like old tractors.

Settling up with Suzanne's father (or grandfather - don't remember.) We paid $25 and got 22 lbs of peaches, 4 lbs of blackberries, and 2 lbs of blueberries. Cha ching - a steal in my opinion.
This is looking to be the highlight of my summer and may be the start of a tasty family tradition.

We took the long way home and stopped by a relative's grave. This was an old cemetery with graves dating back to the 1800's. I love the shape of this big oak tree. I think I would like to be buried under a big oak tree. It feels very restful.

Call me strange, but I like visiting old cemeteries (during daylight hours.) I like to think of the history of the lives represented. What struck me during this visit was how many infant graves were in this small country cemetery and how we take modern medicine for granted. There were numerous graves for children younger than my own. Mason's great grandparents had two graves of baby boys. Oh the grieving those parents had to endure. I don't want to imagine.

As I stated earlier - there is not much to do other than visit and eat. For a two-year old that can get old quickly, so we brought a few of his favorite toys.

We don't go far without a "beep-beep" or two.

Grant smiling for me. Completely unrelated topic- but he is very, very close to crawling.

It would not be a holiday without blowing something up. We were given permission to do small fireworks - don't want to stir any of the nieghbors up.

This was the most "exiciting" display of the evening.

And this is where Miles stayed during the display. He was not pleased with the loud pops and screams produced by the fireworks. If you have ever been around a startled Miles, you know lots of shaking is involved. He was standing by himself when one went off and he dropped to the ground shaking as if someone was shooting in his direction. Poor thing did not approve.

A fruitful excursion, lots of R&R, and pyrotechnics- I would say it was a successful4th of July holiday.