Moment: November 18, 2017

Hidden Falls Regional Park

---

Saturday afternoon was sunny and kind of not cold. Since wintery temperatures have settled in, it's been harder to get the kids outside for any length of time, so I decided to seize the opportunity. We bundled up and headed down to Hidden Falls Park. We hung out on the beach along the Mississippi for an hour or so. We tried to skip stones, but mostly just ended up throwing them in the water.

At intervals along the shore, there was a series of large trees - maybe cottonwoods? (My tree identification skills falter when there aren't any leaves to go by.) They each stood on a gnarled heap of roots, apparently exposed as the sandy shore eroded underneath them. The roots made great jungle gyms. The nooks and crannies in the roots were filled with stones. Some had clearly been placed there by previous visitors, but most seemed to have just settled naturally. Some had even been caught in the tree itself as it grew around them.