Going back...

Growing up we never had a lot of money.  My mom was a stay at home mom and my dad worked as a long distance truck driver who unfortunately never had much time to be home since he was busy supporting a family of 6. 

We never went on vacations to Florida or Disney.  In fact my toes never even touched an ocean until I was 14 when I traveled to North Carolina with a friends family. 

Am I complaining. No.  My parents had a way of coming up with fun things to do that didn't cost a lot of money. 

One of these places was Salmon River Falls.  It was never a trip that was planned out but rather a spur of the moment decision always initiated by my dad.  

When we would get there we would  scurry through the woods until we could get a glimpse of the falls and then carefully walk down a little embankment to get to the top of the falls.  And I can always remember my mom yelling at us to get away from the edge (even though I am sure we were a good 50 feet from the edge).  Then my dad would get out his hammer and chisel and start chiseling out the date we were there underneath the name "Potter" which he had chiseled into the rock several years earlier.

So I was thrilled when we decided to take a little day trip to Salmon River Falls over the summer.  I was just as excited as my girlies since it had been a good 15 years since I had been there.  I really wanted to find the Potter rock!  I knew it was still around since several years ealier my brother proposed to his wife at the Potter rock! 

I am trying to make more of an effort to find fun things to do with the kiddos that don't involve lots of money....I really want to instill into my children that family vacations are not about where you go but rather spending time as a family. 

I brought plastic cups so the girls could try and catch some minnows.

Love this shot.

Admiring their minnow.

After we left the falls I had to be sure we stopped to get a sip of the natural spring water...just like we did when we were kids...the only difference now was there was a sign reading "don't drink the water."... I saw a local filling up a bottle right before we stopped so I figured it still must be safe..I was right! :)

From there we drove another 40 minutes to eat dinner at a little restaurant on lake Ontario...I remember loving this place as a kid so I knew the kiddos would love it too...and did they ever!

We spent about a half hour throwing rocks into the lake and then we went and ordered our fish sandwiches and had a family dinner at a picnic table overlooking the lake...I was so happy.

I had such a great day with my family and thinking back of all the fun I had as a kid.  This little trip made me miss my dad more than ever as I just know how much he would of loved to come with us.  I think it is so easy to get caught up in the idea that the only way to vacation is to go all out...and I will be the first to admit that it is a mindset I fall into all too often.  But a day like today just helps me remember that if I am with my little family then that's all I need!