The sunflower heads bloomed a few weeks ago and now we can admire the lovely and enormous flowers in a new way. The tallest one’s head is so large that the body is bent underneath it somewhat like a geriatric case of sunflower scoliosis. (It’s a virtual planetoid!) The rest of the garden is faring decently, though I’m sure a few more hot August days would be perfect for the tomatoes. We’ve been having the most beautiful fall-like weather… Temps in the 70’s, sometimes going down to the 40’s at night. It’s been a very, very unusual Nebraska summer.

Yesterday we joined some friends at Mahoney State Park. It was a great opportunity to get out of Lincoln and enjoy being together as a family… First we strapped on the Baby Bjorn and climbed the observation tower to enjoy lush views of the rolling hills near the Platte River. My knees began to buckle a bit halfway up the tower but I told Livia that her mom’s not a weenie and thus ignored my shaky, heights-fearing innards. I couldn’t help but chuckle empathetically at this young couple on the top of the tower… The girl was really nervous and wouldn’t step foot any closer to the railed edge. The edge is fairly unnerving, as the floor is made of metal links and you can see straight through to the ground, however many feet below.

After checking out the landscape, we popped Livia into her stroller and walked around the Butterfly Garden (presumably more interesting in early summer), the James Conservatory and wandered various foothpaths and bridges. Mahoney is a family place—perfect for kids a little older than Livia. You got the swimming pool and waterslides, the marina and paddleboats, horseback riding and carriage rides, and a fairly new activity center. Wintertime (and snow) sees sleigh rides at Mahoney. Hmmm… Romantic birthday outing, perhaps? With the start of the Olympics and our out-of-town afternoon, the weekend was quite enjoyable.