We go bump in the night.

Being in the woods at night is fun. It's dark so the trail is harder to see, the sounds are different and sometimes it's a little spooky. We have never taken Jon or Anny out for a "night hike". It has more to do with bedtimes and logistics than anything else. The kids have wanted to go out at night for a while now, yesterday they got their chance. Yesterday’s date has some meaning for my family so we thought we’d find a secluded beach to launch a few sky lanterns. We decided to go to a place near Lane's old house. It's at the end of a lonely dirt road and a half mile or so through the woods. We've been there plenty of times, a very nice, secluded spot. We got out there about an hour before sunset and started a fire, made smores, looked for rocks, Jon swam. After the sun went down, we sent the lanterns up to celebrate Special K's birthday and packed up for the walk back.

As soon as we entered the woods, it was dark and spooky, the full leaves of summer blocked out the hazy light of the moonless sky. With the flashlights off, we couldn't see anything. The kids stormed ahead, excited about this new twist on a familiar trail. The whole way back to the car, they shouted and played. I want to do that some more. The woods are indeed cool at night and my family is cool all the time.