End of Summer on the river

Was the last day of Summer holidays, we went to our favourite Texas beach. M in spare swimwear thanks to leaving her gear goodness knows where and one sock because the shoe rubs where we repaired it. And J with I can swim attitude, though this was her first swim with river flowing current. We're not in the third picture here, it's the view up-river of our fellow bathers, with hula-hoops and beer.

There were rumours of a Water Moccasin (Cottonmouth) sighting nearby.

We had our own beer at home, and closed-out the day relocating the camellia to its new home. Good luck camellia.

Science Walk, Deep Run Park

Sometimes the worst start in a day can resolve with time outdoors and some external intervention. We may have been late, without appropriate footwear and unable to find the group or speak without screaming but there were others who could let the girls' world continue... with turtles and toadstools and arachnids aplenty (and algal blooms).

Wildlife at Back Bay Reserve, VA

10 miles of nature... the cute lost turtle, wind-swept sand dunes and giant whelks were all fab though balanced by the sheer quantity and proximity of the more venomous wildlife - a large water moccasin, a smaller in-front-of-us (!) on the path copperhead and a less scary regular black snake YIKES we're not camping here, ever!

Dolphin Day, Clearwater Marine Rescue Aquarium

It was pretty amazing to see Winter and Hope in the flesh and despite the packed and construction-filled site the basic reasons for the visit were there in all their graceful & playfulness.

On the roof Nicholas, the newest rescued dolphin is looking for fans but without a Hollywood movie about his recovery, he just can't compete. 'Rufus' the white pelican turned out to be two female birds - the second largest in the USA. The condor in California wins the prize for size.

Alligator Habitats, Sanibel

Really?! A cycle path with alligators... we moved along it with focus and some speed. As we crossed a low bridge over a brook there was a truly ginormous alligator swimming towards us, though not deliberately at us. We didn't stop to stare... The next day we encountered a younger, sleeping gator by the side of the road in the Ding Darling Reserve. This time we took a moment with it before heading off into the mangroves and the boardwalk around the ancient shell mounds of the Calusa Indians. A long, black racer snake added some extra excitement to the stroll. 'This is the tropics, dear', ringing in my ear as the response of choice from hotel staff.

Marsh-Side, Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, VA

There's nothing like a wooden walkway, high rushes and herons (and hibernating reptiles).

Play Date at Maymont

End of summer play date with bear.

More Belle Isle, RVA

On a muggy, snakey summer's afternoon we explored Belle Isle - super low water level with lots of murk to splash in, a springy branch to hang from and smooth rocks to smear with gloop.

Weekend in Nassau

For crazy reasons which I won't go into here, I got to spend the weekend in The Bahamas, and not in Atlantis or Sandals with the other tourists, but in a slightly tired hotel and with an empty but still very beautiful beach. It's hard to think this is three hours away. With a snorkel, just a few metres from the shore, I saw brightly coloured fish as you'd find in a garden centre aquarium in England. My fellow residents at Orange Hill were equipped divers with photos of sharks they'd seen that day. The big discovery of the weekend was the Punch made in a shack on the beach with fresh fruit and hygienic only thanks to the alcohol in the amazing local brew Rum.

More Yorktown, VA

The water was full of jellyfish so the girls (and co-opted young man) captured and returned the sloppy, tentacled things to the outer bay.

Communal frisbee games abandoned when I twice hit the same family's picnic rug, with them on it! Restored all egos with B&J's choc chip cookie dough and lemon sherbet waffle cones.

Museum Campus, Chicago

The view is awesome Mr City Planner.

I took on the fading Field Museum and 'The Wonders of the 1893 World's Fair' (first use of alternating current, Wrigley's juicy fruit gum and Weetabix!) and the girls did The Shedd Aquarium with its belugas, dolphins, penguins and an anaconda.

Then hopped on a water taxi and headed out across the bay...

Smithsonian National Zoo, Washington DC

The best of 1960s zoo living... pandas first, then the elephants and amazing birds, including the amusing looking hammerkops, flamingos and roseate spoonbills, then the grisly anacondas and crocodiles and finally lions and tigers...

Cooling misters for temperature sanity and then IKEA for a pit stop before home.

Boa Boa, Smithsonian National Zoo, Washington DC

Boa Boa had gone up her tree by the time we arrived, legs hanging down, snoozing but later we heard and ooh and returned to the enclosure.

She was indoors with her mother, just relaxing. We outstayed the crowds and the amount of times it is acceptable to say, 'Sooo cute',  in a scientific institution.

Bought the soft toys and logged onto the panda-cam once home - we have a new furry obsession that isn't Moo Moo.

Science Walk #1, Forest Hill Park

In body-embracing humidity we took on metamorphosis, scientific names and insect calls & frog croaks, mainly the males of each species yelling out, 'I want to be your baby's Daddy!'

Down to the lake and into the stream... we found skinks, turtles, fish and silk-spinning underwater creatures. True to her Golden Pond training, M led a a dam-building initiative.

Back to York River State Park

It looks pretty amazing and wild and savage... even with rough bike paths, wooden pontoons, osprey platforms and picnic benches the wilderness couldn't help but overtake us. Ticks fell from trees, red headed lizards and click beetles roamed free and tree roots stumped our bike plans. It got over-hot, the river water was disconcertingly luke-warm and the girls just wanted to potter not trek.

There were some moments of shade and awesome entomology instruction in the lee of a fossil cliff but after that - the dream was of ice cream and civilisation.

The James River, above 9ft

We had another visitor in 2014 and things were suitably wild down on the riverside - dead ring snakes, roaring water with a dash of Lynchburg crude oil and flooding paths. G&T's needed to calm the nerves.

Fresh stash of Cadbury chocolate bars for afters - thanks great guest!

Spring Walk, Rockwood Park

J's school spring walk took us through a new park with a fab lake full of turtles and lily pads. Her two best friends and their little brothers pottered with us, though J and Mason were the only ones to balance right out on tree stumps over the water...

Back to the forest shelter for a hotdog cookout for the 80+ folks and more tiny carrots than you can possibly imagine. You know you're in the right place when the organic veggie dogs are as popular as the generic.

Moo Moo is back

Spring break, for the school guinea pig, is at our house. He's such a lovely big splodge of pet and is much more relaxed with us these days. He's chuntering and he has a new set of sketched portraits thanks to Granny Fan.

Whale Watching, Virginia Beach

Well the whales had moved on south but instead bounding gracefully through the waves and under the bow of the boat were dolphins and more dolphins... despite the severe chill and my over-riding sense of nausea and the terror of certain death for both children- standing at the front of the boat for every swell - this was amazing and worth it and done with lots of lovely families.

The Aquarium that followed was a contrasting interactive hell of noise and intensity that was totally unlike the vast grey open water and completely distracted from the immense tanks of live fish and strokeable rays and a crocodile! We saw some serious Komodo Dragon action and live gestating shark eggs.

Finally a windswept moment on Sandbridge Beach before a dodgy beach diner, which we later discovered had a claw-grab live lobster catcher game and then the long road home.

Venomous Snakes, Maymont Nature Centre

Buzz and Jo made M's dream come true this ordinary Tuesday afternoon. The Timber Rattlesnake was absent from his cage but it turned out to be feeding and cleaning time. We watched all the action, got to chat with staff as they shifted roles and eventually had a lock-in! J pondered our escape route while M waited with complete focus.

Finally the main attraction finished his rodent supper and was returned, its rattler in full view. 'It was awesome!', wrote M later and had 16 scale sections. He then climbed straight up the rock wall and curled up, eyeing us through the glass. We made our way out in the half light, even greater Maymont fans than ever.

Facts of the night:

• They self regulate their temperature so within the cage there are areas of differing heat to move too;
• Staff have to do 1000 snake-handling hours before they are qualified;
• If we're lucky a Northern Copperhead will only 'dry' bite us, as we're too big to be its prey;
• Only poisonous snakes swim fully visible on the surface of the water, the rest just show their heads, so those were the real thing we saw at Jamestown earlier this summer.