Photo Scavenger Hunt

About three years ago, Zak and I wrote a bunch of family activity ideas on scraps of paper, which went into the Winnie the Pooh and Piglet cookie jar Uncle Cohen gave us. We don't do the activities especially often, so we still have dozens left. Last week, we picked "photo scavenger hunt" from the jar, and decided to make it our family home activity for the week.

We wrote down several items we expected to find around the neighborhood, and split into groups of two. Finding a flag was a little tricky (although Zak reminded me that most mailboxes have flags). The hardest item was sidewalk chalk. We had drawn with ours earlier in the day, so I didn't think anything of it when we wrote the list, but it rained this morning, and there aren't many kids in our neighborhood, so Daddy and Mr C ended up using the art we drew on the upstairs neighbor's portion of the driveway, and Miss V and I drew some art on our next-door neighbor's sidewalk. (We had a rule that the pictures couldn't be of our yard.)

The boys beat Miss V and me home, so they won. Everyone had fun, and we got some exercise along the way (vehicles were not allowed). Definitely worth doing, to explore our neighborhood from another perspective.

White wooden fence

Zak said it's wooden on the inside

Fire hydrant

Animal (real or decorative)

Graffiti

Purple flowers

Fruit trees

Flag

Sidewalk chalk

A pattern

Porter Manual Labor

Grandpa Porter's side of the family has land in Sevier County shared with the family in a trust. Part of that trust requires regular maintenance throughout the property, including fence repair to keep the cattle from wandering the hills, as well as hunters from coming onto the private property. Great-Grandpa's brother Garry used to maintain the fence on his own thoughout the season, but now that he has passed away, and the family is learning about what is actually needed and required in the trust, it became a joint effort. Everyone gathered at Garry's family cabin to get assignments, and then went to work. In our family, the women gathered to support the men and make sure everyone had snacks and water. Keeping the kids content got a little tricky in the sun, but once they found out Uncle Ryan and Aunt Tiff gave permission to sit on the 4-wheelers, they were very pleased. Tiff and Brielle were really good sports and played Hot/Cold with Miss V and her toy Wonder Woman several rounds.

Aunt Tiff and Miss V

 Afterward we retuned to Garry's family cabin for some delicious soup and a visit. We decided to head down the mountain, but I forgot at first that we needed Dad, who has one of the few keys to the gate, to let us off the property. He was understanding, and left a little early so we could rest back at their house and then look at the cabin home they're in the process of building by Grandma Manwill's house.

Zak, Cohen, Uncle Ryan, and Ty

Miss V and Aunt Tiff

Grandpa Porter on the 4-wheeler

Brielle

Cohen and Uncle Ryan teaching Ty how it's done while Grandma searches for the "bone" the kids dropped.

Aunt Tiff, Brielle, Grandma, and Miss V talk.

Grandma and Miss V

Grandma and Miss V

Grandma and Miss V

Me (Nicole) when Miss V got ahold of the camera

Cohen, Uncle Ryan, and Ty

Grandpa and Mr C

Zak, Cohen, Miss V, Mr C, and Grandpa

Miss V, Mr C, and Grandpa on the 4-wheeler

Miss V's dirt-covered face, Mr C dirt-covered face, and Grandpa on the 4-wheeler

Grandpa and Grandma Porter's new cabin-style home, reaching completion on the exterior

Mr C

Zak

Niki

Outdoor fireplace in the works (Miss V had the camera)

Mr C

Playing with Grandpa's big 

work light in the master bathroom

Niki joins in the fun (and got a shriek from Mr C)

Main bathroom tiled

Grandpa loves Grandma! (and she loves him, even with his Santa beard)

Uncle Cohen

Grandpa and Zak

Grandma (I think she likes this new house of hers,

and enjoying it with her loves)

The kiddos on "their mountain"

The kiddos conquering on their mountain