I think if you were to ask our kids what their favorite part about McCall was they’d say playing. They had plenty of unstructured play time and they took advantage of it. The house was situated on a lot that allowed the kids to go and discover without concern and every now and again we’d go make sure they were alive and well. They liked their freedom and we were more than happy to grant that freedom.
The volleyball pit ended up being a favorite play area. There were tunnels to China, sand lounge chairs and valleys and road.
The other favorite activity was fort building in the woods. Isn’t that part of an ideal childhood…”What did you do this summer?”…”I built a fort”…it’s classic childhood fun! They were dedicated to the cause and watching them work showed just how hard it was for some of the younger kids; moving branch after branch was no small task.
There was one afternoon that ended up being just a little too chilly for even the determined kids and we all ended up playing games inside.
And although the temps weren’t typical summer weather, it wasn’t going to stop me from visiting my favorite ice cream shop – Ice Cream Alley. I was ordering ice cream while Steve was grabbing the hot chocolate – ironic, I know. But where else can you find blue bubble gum flavored ice cream with impossibly hard/frozen pieces of gum? Now you an understand why it was a must stop!
We walked around the lake for a bit and then spent the afternoon on the shoreline playing outdoor games and letting the kids run around making up whatever games came to their creative heads. I enjoyed sitting in the grass taking in the absolute beauty of the area. It truly is breath taking. And watching the cousins pal around together was an added bonus.
