Mushroom Hunting

There is something really special that happens in Indiana in the spring. But, it's not what you think. It's not the grass and trees coming alive with green, or the colorful flowers, breaking the frosty surface. It's not the wind, bringing summer storms. It's something bigger...something better. But, it's not the warm (or scorching hot) weather chasing out the cold. No, it's better still. It's something that causes us to get dressed up in camouflage, grab that perfect stick that we've been holding onto for years and head into the woods with an onion bag tied to our belt loops. You guessed it, it's mushroom season! And Lilly's very first mushroom hunt! I can't give anymore information about the actual mushrooms, or the location of the hunt. In fact, all of the pictures are close up to avoid displaying any recognizable land marks.
Here's Lilly with her brand new mushroom stick. Her Papaw made it for her. You can't tell, but the handle is carved to looked like a mushroom. Most people hunt for years before receiving a mushroom stick like this (and some of us still don't have one).
She's a natural I tell you. Look at that form...she sees a big one, but she stands at a distance, looking for others instead of rushing ahead to pick it and accidentally stepping on the smaller ones around it. This typically takes years of experience and a lot of restraint, it is usually only seen in the most advanced mushroom hunters.

Here is Lilly heading into the woods with the help of her Daddy Guy. She's good, she can spot them from way up there. Having Bryan bend over to pick them up is a bit of a challange though.It was a beautiful day. 85 degrees and sunny...I thought Bryan might actually die carrying Lilly (18 lbs) and her new backpack (7 lbs) up and down the hills. Lilly didn't seem to mind though, in fact she fell asleep.