This is going to be short and quick ’cause “hey, hey, it’s my birthday” and I have places to be!

One of my favorite childhood memories is the days when we would have big family picnics at French Park in Cincinnati, Ohio and our parents would turn all the cousins loose in the woods to hike the trails and explore the creek.

It was a simpler time, they weren’t worried about us nor about clowns lurking in the woods.  And there was strength in numbers as the family was large and the pack of cousins around me was constant.

Hours were spent digging for fossils in the mud and overturning rocks, looking for the crawdads that hid beneath them.  Cincinnati heat can be oppressive in the summer so the cool water running over our feet was glorious.

Every single time I see a creek it evokes a feeling of carefree happiness.

And nothing compares to the melodious sound of water gurgling over rocks.

And look who I have as my buddy when I’m walking the woods alone!