The Lake this Friday

A 2001 summer day at Percy Priest Lake

We've had a busy summer, so this will be our first Fun Jar trip to one of our favorite places: the Anderson Road beach area at Percy Priest lake.  In my opinion, it's as close as you can get to the beach when you're 400 miles inland.  There's sand, there's shade, there's water.  And this Friday, there will be friends.  So mark your calendar and join us!

Here are the details:

• Driving directions can be found here or by mapping directions to 4010 Anderson Road, Nashville
• Friday, July 6, we'll arrive between 9:30 and 10:30 and will stay until 2ish
• Pack a lunch - there are no concession stands (but there are restrooms!)
• Bring $4 cash for parking
• Bring a blanket and/or chair for sitting, along with any sand or water toys (shovels, pails, floats, etc.)
• Bring lots of sunscreen and reapply often.  My daughters invariably come home with red faces after having the water reflect the sun back onto their cheeks all day long! 

If you have any questions, leave me a comment or e-mail me directly.  Hope you can join us for some post-4th of July fun.

Tuesday, July 26 Trip to the Lake

This week's fun is a study in probability. All four of the Truss girls put the lake into the Fun Jar, so the odds of going there is double that of some of our other options.  Yet when I asked the girls if they wanted to go back to the lake or do something new, the response was unanimous, "The lake!"  So off we go.  If you're interested in meeting us, here are the details:

• Driving directions can be found here or by mapping directions to 4010 Anderson Road, Nashville
• Tuesday, July 26, we'll arrive between 10 and 11 and stay until 2 or 3
• Pack a lunch - there are no concession stands (but there are restrooms!)
• Bring $4 cash for parking
• Bring a blanket and/or chair for sitting, along with any sand or water toys (shovels, pails, floats, etc.)

We're nearing the end of this summer's adventures, so I hope you'll join us if you're free tomorrow.  Next week, Jason and I will be out of town, but I'll post if my girls and their grandparents want to meet up anywhere.

Percy Priest Lake and Blueberry Picking

Earlier this summer at Percy Priest Lake

If you haven't been to Percy Priest Lake's beach area, you're missing out.  This is one of our favorite Nashville summer spots.  In my opinion, it's as close as you can get to the beach when you're 400 miles inland.  There's sand, there's shade, there's water.  And this Tuesday, there will be friends.  So mark your calendar and join us!

Here are the details:

• Driving directions can be found here or by mapping directions to 4010 Anderson Road, Nashville
• Tuesday, June 28, we'll arrive between 10 and 11 and will stay until 3ish
• Pack a lunch - there are no concession stands (but there are restrooms!)
• Bring $4 cash for parking
• Bring a blanket and/or chair for sitting, along with any sand or water toys (shovels, pails, floats, etc.)

Leave a comment if you need my cell number to find us when you arrive.

BLUEBERRY PICKING
Weather permitting, we'll go blueberry picking later in the week.  Mornings are always best for this since we can pick before the mid-day heat arrives.  Let me know if you have a preference for Thursday or Friday morning and I'll post in a few days with details and directions to a farm.

Extra Fun This Week

In addition to this Tuesday's Fun Jar trip to the State Capitol (there's still room if you want to join us), we're doing some other fun things.  You're welcome to join us on any or all of the following adventures:


Wednesday: Percy Priest Lake (Anderson Road Recreation Area)
$4 for parking, cash only
We'll arrive 2ish because of ballet beforehand, but feel free to get there early and picnic!
Click for directions

Thursday: A Child's Life in Japan at the Downtown Library
10:30 in the Craft Room
My 7, 9 and 11 year old children have (sadly) outgrown storytime, but this description sounds right up their alley:  Experience a child’s life in Japan through slides, toys, school and sports equipment, origami, dress-up and a Japanese folktale.

Friday: Sweet Treats at Pinkberry
If you've never been, this is some of the best frozen yogurt in town.
We'll be heading there after ballet ends at 1:30 at Centennial Park.

Speaking of Centennial Park, Anna will have dance there every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 12:00 to 1:30.  Let me know if you ever want to meet to play on their (nicely shaded) playground.

This Week's Fun

Sorry I've been remiss in posting activities.  I've had the energy to do fun things with my girls, but haven't had the energy to plan in advance!  I'll try to turn that around in the limited time we have available before school starts.

Today:
I know it's short notice, but if you have no plans, we're taking a picnic lunch and heading to Sevier Park.  Kate desperately wants to have a picnic lunch and I figure following up lunch with Las Paletas is never a bad thing... So join us if you see this post in time.

Wednesday:
We'll head to the zoo tomorrow.  We missed the African animals last time we were there, so we'll start there and then meander our way around.  My girls have been sleeping in this summer, so I think we'll arrive around 9:30ish.  Anything else is just a pipe dream... and I may have to push to make it out the door by 9:00!

Friday:
Friday is the only day this week that doesn't call for rain in the forecast, so we'll head to the lake again.  My daughters have been addicted to the lake this summer and want to spend as much time there as possible before school starts back up.  E-mail me if you need directions or more info.

Fun for the Week of June 21

We've had something come up during the first half of our week, so we're going to limit our Fun Jar to one day this week...

Friday, 10:30 am - mid-afternoon, Percy Priest Lake Beach Area
My girls just can't get enough of the lake. So while we went there just two weeks ago, they begged to make this the second entry in next week's fun. If you haven't been, there's sand for building castles, a playground for quick breaks from the water, lots of shade for picnicking and a designated swimming area.
Cost: $4 to park

We decided to head to the lake next Friday instead of Thursday in the hopes that it might work for some of our friends who have Tuesday/Thursday commitments (especially those with wonderful weekday commitments like Parent's Day Out!). Depending on how our kitchen renovation is going, I may add a last minute Thursday event, so check back if that works better for you.

We'll be taking a Fun Jar break the week of June 28 while the girls vacation in Milwaukee with grandparents, so we'd love to see you next week if we haven't already gotten the chance to hang out with you. As always, if your schedule only allows you to join us for part of the time, please come anyway. You're always welcome before or after nap time. We'd love to see you soon!

A Day at the Lake

It wasn't the most auspicious start. As we pulled away from Kate's Vacation Bible School, I told her to get her swimsuit on while we drove to the lake. Less than a quarter mile down the road, Kate was screaming, Anna was trying to console her and Bekah and her friend were saying, "Turn off the music! Pull over!" So I pulled over. I helped Kate disentangle herself from her swimsuit and get it on properly. (What was I thinking, anyway? That a six year old could put her swim suit on while buckled into the back seat? Obviously not.) In just a few minutes, everyone was calm - and dressed for the lake.

Then, about a half mile down the road, Bekah's friend says, "Miss Shannon? I sort of need to go to the bathroom." Another stop. And then we are on our way (again). About a half hour later, we pulled up at the lake to find that Bekah lost a shoe on our bathroom stop. Actually, we weren't entirely sure what happened to the shoe, but that was the only semi-rational explanation. After a bit of tearful angst over the lost flip flop, Bekah agreed to walk down to the lake without her shoes.

In spite of this up and down start, our lake visit was a great one. Friends new and old joined us. Some came early, some stayed late. All had a great time.

We arrived at lunch time, but there was little discussion as to whether we should start with the water or the food. After I applied sunscreen, they headed right into the lake, bringing floaties, kick boards and goggles along with them. And there they stayed. And stayed. And stayed. I chatted with friends, cooled off in the water and felt like I was enjoying myself as much as my girls were.

The girls did agree to leave the water long enough to throw some food down their throats, but food clearly took a backseat to swimming today.

One friend who joined us had invited some other women who I knew, but not well. I enjoyed getting to know them and heard some encouraging words about my plans to homeschool Anna next year, while getting to know a few more parents of Kate's classmates. While Kate is our youngest child, many of the children in her class are only children or the eldest in their families, so many of the parents know each other, but not me. I was grateful for a low-key opportunity to forge a few connections.

And I was equally thankful to see old friends. One friend was the clear winner of the early bird prize, having arrived at 9:45 that morning with her two young boys. She was on the playfound when we got there, but joined us in the water and snacked with us before heading out for nap time. Another friend who wasn't able to come to the lake last year made it today and it was a pleasure to get time with her while her son played with Kate in the sand and the water.

It was a great day. We stayed until 4, a full hour later than I had intended and found ourselves tired, a bit sunburned (oops!) and fulfilled. I can't wait to do it again.

Fun for the Week of June 7

This summer we're going to attempt to have Fun Jar activities two days each week. Most of the time, our days will be Tuesday and Thursday (although we may switch things up on occasion when it works better or there's a special event). Here's what's happening this week:

Tuesday, 1-4 pm, Frist Center
Join us in the courtyard for a free glass blowing demonstration and then head inside to see one or more of the exhibitions and play at ArtQuest. If you've never seen Chihuly glass in person, you're in for a treat. The colors and forms are amazing and ArtQuest never fails to keep my kids entertained. It's like free craft time and I don't have to clean up after them! We'll be heading straight to the Frist after picking my youngest daughter up from VBS, so I don't think we'll make it in time to picnic at the Frist before the demonstration. If your schedule allows, this would be fun and there's seating available in the courtyard.
Cost: $10 for adults, children are free

Thursday, 11:30 - mid afternoon, Percy Priest Lake Beach Area
While I grew up swimming in salt water instead of fresh water, the Anderson Road beach area at Percy Priest lake is the closest thing I can find to a beach in Nashville. There's sand for building castles, a playground for quick breaks from the water, lots of shade to picnic in and a designated swimming area. My youngest daughter is attending a morning VBS, so we'll get a slightly later start to our lake time than I would normally choose. If you don't have a morning commitment, I highly recommend heading out in time to swim a bit before eating your picnic lunch and then staying until your children are toeing the line between exhaustion and meltdown (and then get in the car before meltdown arrives so that they can fall asleep on the ride home!). Directions can be found here.
Cost: $4 for parking

If you think you can join us, let me know (shannontruss@yahoo.com) and I'll look for you when we arrive.

Future Fun:
Mark your calendar for:

Nashville Sounds Game on Monday, June 21 at 7:05
Demolition on our kitchen starts June 14, so our family could use some evening outings to help us get through the chaos of having no kitchen. June 21st is Dollar Dog Night, so this Fun Jar event has the added advantage of saving you from cooking dinner! We'll buy general admission tickets so that our group can sit together when we arrive. Since we're two weeks out from the game, if you let me know by June 14 that you want to attend, I'll see if we qualify for a group rate.

Hope you can join us sometime soon for some fun!

Swimming at the Lake, Friday, June 19

Right after summer break started, we went as a family to Dauphin Island for week. Immediately following that, the girls spent a week with my parents. As a result, they spent every day for nearly two weeks in the water. I think they've been going through withdrawals upon return to Nashville, so this week we're heading to the lake to play in the sand and swim. It's not the Gulf of Mexico, but it will do. Here are the particulars:

Meeting Time: 10ish (or whatever works with nap time in your family)

Meeting Place: Anderson Road Recreation Area (there are plenty of shaded picnic tables)

Daily Use Fee: $4 (cash required)

Contact Info: shannontruss@yahoo.com or 496-9995

I anticipate that we'll be staying until early to mid afternoon, so feel free to come later in the day if joining us for a picnic lunch doesn't work for your family. Hope to see you there!