The Ray Harral Nature Center

Ray Harral Nature Park, Broken Arrow OK

September 12, 2011

Missy Boudiette,

Living in south Broken Arrow, my littles attend Spring Creek Elementary School. Right at the corner of 3rd and Tucson (121st St.), when you turn onto the street where the school sits, there is this sign:

And if you follow that road right on past the school, a lovely adventure at Ray Harral Nature Park awaits! Since the first day of school, I have dropped off the boys, and picked them up looking down that road to the nature park daydreaming about the adventures we could have back there. Oh, how life gets in the way! Finally, last Thursday when Alec and I picked up Aidan from school, it occurred to me that we didn’t have anything we had to run off to do!

I was wearing flip flops and did not have a proper camera, or any other gear for that matter, but adventure was calling!

Here are my little men, in front of the Nature Center, which was closed at the time of our visit. We’ll be sure to check out their facebook page for their hours so we can explore that on our next visit! The park itself, however, WAS open for business, so we snapped a quick pic and trekked on.

Side note: I’m cracking up that my guys are wearing the exact same outfits they were in my last post. No, I do not encourage them to dress alike; they pick their own clothes out and have for a while. But, come on! Who can resist PERSONALIZED TMNT t-shirts? (Thanks, Mimi; you are SO cool!) Gotta wear those a couple times a week, right?!

First things first: conqering a turtle. We got him, Mom!

Aidan investigated the route options. I picked orange, as it was the one described as least strenuous!

I’m in love with this bridge! I’m also in love with Alec’s camo boots and Blue Blankie.

“Look, Mom! I can tell we’re on the right track because there are footprints! Other people have gone this way!

Orange path, let’s stay on the orange path guys. Um…which way is the orange path? Ok, we’ll just keep turning left. That’ll eventually get us back to the beginning, right? Right?

Little Bubba started whining and wanted to go home, insisting this was a very dangerous place for us to be, especially if there were bears. Aidan decided he just needed a walking stick. Alec instinctually wrapped Blue Blankie around his shoulders and asked me to tie his cape. I asked if he felt brave enough to keep going.

He said he did.

Aidan felt pretty confident too.

“Look boys, there’s a bench in case we need to take a rest.”

Aidan: “Yeah, we better rest; my foot is already asleep!”

Goodness gracious. Look at my sweet little knights accompanying me through the forest!

I look up a little hill and see what I began calling “the ogre bridge,” and decided we should climb up and see if we can find any ogres. Alec slipped (you’d think those rubber camo boots would offer more traction) on the way up and skinned his knee, thus proving to me in his mind how valid his fears were of the forest!