One relaxing place that we keep going back to...Starve Hollow!

Andy is out of town and I am (obviously?) catching up on some blogging! He'll be home tomorrow and we can't wait to see him!!

A few weeks ago, we went to what has become one of our favorite places. Starve Hollow State Recreation Area was introduced to us by some wonderful friends of ours, who we just happen to have gone with each time we've been there. It is the perfect place to camp with kids. Small without being boring. Safe, kids are visible while being 'on their own.' There are lots of paved walkways, making bikes ideal for the kids to bring. Plus, we've always been able to manage getting a waterfront campsite, next to this small boat ramp that isn't often used. It's the perfect fishing spot for the kids.

We are able to relax, unwind, play some, maybe hike some and this year we went for a fantastic drive on Skyline Drive. It runs through Jackson Washington State Forest in southeastern Indiana and offered some breathtaking views. The kids literally ran to check out the view at this highpoint.

This year was our first time to attend the much talked about Fort Vallonia Days. Vallonia is the very small town that is closest to Starve Hollow. It was originally an actual fort that provided safety for some of Indiana's earliest white settlers. Each year on the third weekend in October, the Fort's heritage is celebrated in small town, Indiana fashion. A parade, country band, fried food sold from trailers, the whole nine yards. This festival also offered the distinction of being about the largest yard sale/flea market I've ever seen. My good friend, Jennifer, kept saying "Can you guys BELIEVE this??" I was in agreement with her. Our husbands acted totally unphased, as if they had known exactly what to expect, naturally.

My favorite quote of the weekend, I think, was just as we were about to leave the festival. As you can imagine, the kids had been oogling all of the junk for sale and just had. to. have. something! We'd promised that we'd get everyone a 'piece of junk' before we left. Jennifer and her husband had waited for one of the kids as I walked on with some of the others. Andy was up ahead. Jennifer's son suddenly exclaimed to me, "Oh wait, I haven't gotten my piece of junk yet!" Fortunately, we still had time to get everyone something. The kids were thrilled!

Hannah had some tough times on this trip. A runny nose, being two and a little short changed on naps didn't help. But she also had some really fun times, too. Here she is, playing with her weekend buddy, Daisy.

Last year we tried our hardest to see the World's Longest Historic Covered Bridge but weren't able to because roads were closed due to high water. I don't know how closely our readers have followed Indiana weather this year but, it's been so dry that we couldn't have a campfire :-( So, high water wasn't a problem, okay? The bridge wasn't quite what we'd expected to see though, because it's being totally renovated. You can check out the story here. Don't worry, we'll see the finished product next year!

At Fort Vallonia Days, the kids loved sitting down, or flopping inside the teepees that were setup. They agreed that we need to start camping this way.

I don't know what these three were up to, I just thought it was cute that they were lined up on the picnic table. Hannah sported her pink cowgirl boots the entire weekend, just in case you were wondering.

The fall colors were spectacular! This is the view from our campsite, looking out across the lake.

And, another angle. This had to be the peak weekend and we soaked it up!

Still, it would have been just a smidge better with a campfire.

Fun, fun times at Starve Hollow! We are so fortunate to have great friends that we love to camp with!