The first Picnic of the year!

The sporadic photos that are all over this page were taken on our picnic. This past weekend Northwestern Ohio had the promise that Spring is right around the corner. Saturday was nice, however Sunday and Monday were incrediable! Sunday we set off to Crane Creek Wildlife Refuge, along route 2 in Ottawa County. We packed up a picnic, loaded the kids up, plus the dog and set off on our adventure. Ottawa County, especially Bono, Ohio is one of my favorite parts of Ohio. I think it is a blood memory; part of my family settled this area and where my Native American roots came from.Whatever the reason, the drive from Toledo to Sandusky, in my opinion is stunning.
We saw so many birds returning home for the year. Canada Geese were everywhere, we saw two pairs of Swans, tons of Ducks, and good ole Muskrats. The neatest thing was driving out of the refuge, Avin spotted a doe in the woods bedding down for the day. Great eyes Avin! The beach was a place of wonderment for Lavinia, Avin and our dog Lily. Liam however was scared of the sound of the waves coming up on shore. He kept saying "What dat souuunnd?" "Mommy, I go home now, bye beach, see you nother time!" When we explained what the sound was and he started to relax. I can imagine how vast the lake looked like to him. After gathering as many broken shells, rocks and sand to fill our sandbox at home, we went up to the nature center. This is a must see if you have never been there. They have cases filled with birds and animals that are indigenous to our area. There are hands on nature items for the kids, and a huge piano that plays bird calls when you press the keys. They now have live fish and a Snapping Turtle that the kids would not stop watching.
We could not have asked for a better day as a family!