Alphabet Challenge – The Letter R

We had an amazing day of fun the day we decided to do the Letter R. It was actually quite accidental (and me being a little bit pushy) that got us to the beach where we played with roots and rope on a riverbank, as well as with an old wreck of a barge (though that will come later in the series.)
But first we found an old red barn at a park nearby the condo.


Then we headed down to W’s house.  We had originally decided to try to take some pics down at the riverfront park by his house, where we’d seen several barges tied up. I really wanted a muddy riverbank, but the guys were skeptical and not that keen on getting down in the mud, or trying to figure out how to get down to the river bank. So, “river barge” it was going to have to be. But when we got there, we realized that the river was so low that the barges were too far out to get close to them.  No amount of begging or goading would get them to climb the fence to get closer (I know, what babies, right??)
Next I tried “railroad tracks.” There was an abandoned set nearby that I figured we could lay me down on and take a quick snap — but a boy had recently been killed walking on (live) tracks and that seemed a little…irresponsible, whether the tracks were live or dead.  So no go on Idea Number 2.
This was not going the way I had hoped our Alphabet Challenge Day was going to go!
Then W pointed out something across the river. There, half buried beneath a sandbar that had been revealed when the river had shrunk, was the rusted out carcass of an old barge. We could see a dirt road opening out onto the sandbar from a cornfield, and a truck parked on the sand.
“Let’s go!” I said.
Both Guys made their usual, immediate response to anything I suggest. “No.” And then listed reasons why not. (You know, like it’s too far, it’s in another state, the cornfield is private property, yadda yadda yadda.) All of which I countered, until finally they said, “Okay, fine, how about next weekend, when we have time to prepare.” (Like we were going on a trek to Timbuktoo, right?)
“It could be raining next week,” I said.
“It could rain today,” W replied, pointing at some clouds far in the distance.
It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day.
“It’s sunny now,” I retorted.
They gave each other that look. The one that says, “We might as well give in, she’s not gonna let go of it.”
I grinned broadly.  One might even say, “triumphantly.”
“We gotta stop and get my swimsuit,” I said. They looked puzzled. “It’s a beach!” I said. (Duh! What was wrong with these boys? Had they never seen a beach before?? Clearly, neither one of them had grown up in California.)
So…off we went.
And we had a blast.
First, there were the Roots of a massive tree that had been caught by the wreck of the barge.


Then Ad found an old Rope buried in the sand.

Then W finally gave in and agreed to tie me for real right on the Riverbank.

After he released me, W apparently decided to take my sassy ass to task, and make me eat my “It’s a beach!” words.
“Get in the water,” he said.
I protested – LOUDLY. “That’s MISSISSIPPI river water!” I said. “I’ll probably turn green and glow or something if I get it on me!
It was his turn to grin. “I guess we’ll find out,” he said.