Cousins have been visiting this week. Nothing is more fun! Lots of beaching, swimming, playing, eating, talking, and running ... and lots of tired kids at the end of the day.



These pictures were taken at a new outdoor mall near our house. The mall has a small water feature with all sorts of turtles in it. In the top photo the kids were hysterical because out of nowhere a little fountain started shooting out of the rocks.



Nearby, in another part of the shopping area, is a lake with mute swans and ducks, with walkways around it. So far the area seems to be well cared for and we haven't seen anyone being disrespectful (security goes through the area constantly). I really don't care for outdoor malls so we don't do much shopping there, but it's a pretty place to walk around after a fattening bowl of chips at Moe's. The first time we were there we watched a duck getting hysterical - lots of noise and circular motions - and then we noticed right behind her was her brood of brand new babies, waddling along through the marsh. Over the months we've been able to watch them grow ... very neat.

The photos below were taken at the same area a few months ago.