“Where are we going?” “It’s a secret!” The girls were surprised when my Jeep turned south. I think they were a bit surprised, too, when I pulled into the park of a neighboring town just minutes after our departure. Lunch was already spread out on a picnic table. My daughter had gone ahead of us and had everything ready. After a nice lunch, my granddaughter, Viv, joined us for the rest of our adventure and we were off again.
We took some back roads to get to our destination – Barnsley Gardens. Santa checked us in at the gate. He was round and jolly with rosy cheeks and a red nose. The only thing missing was his red suit. It must have been at the dry cleaners that day. He asked about our visit and we told him we were on a “destination unknown” adventure. His belly jiggled when he laughed but he must have been impressed because he told us to drive on through, find a place to park and enjoy our visit. So, we did.
After parking, we walked to the office to pay for our tour. I got to the desk to pay and the attendants asked if we had paid at the gate. “No.” They looked a bit surprised and said, “Well, I guess the tour is complimentary. Just enjoy yourselves.” So, we did. We walked around the Manor House Ruins and Gardens. Spike provided our entertainment for the day. She fell off a tree and got slung out of a hammock. Of course, we laughed.
Barnsley Gardens & Manor House Ruins 
The girls 
Spike fell off the tree 
Spike got thrown out of the hammock
I had one more surprise for the girls. They followed me to the Outpost. The girls looked at one another nervously when I stepped up to the counter and said I wanted to rent kayaks. The attendant asked if we had paid at the gate. “No. Can we pay here?” “There should be someone down by the lake.” We picked out lifejackets and paddles and headed toward the trail that led to the lake. As we crossed the wooden bridge, all we saw were kayaks and canoes. There were no attendants to be seen, so we called the Outpost to find out what to do and who to pay. They said, “Well, I guess it’s complimentary. Just enjoy yourself and kayak as long as you want.” So, we did. It was fun. We raced, laughed, splashed and enjoyed the relaxing scenery and calm water. Since we were on a schedule, we couldn’t stay as long as I would have liked. We headed to shore. Spike had more entertainment for us. She had an altercation with the kayak when she slipped, fell IN the kayak and busted her nose. When I got out of the kayak, I was soaked. My britches sloshed when I walked. The girls laughed because it looked like I had an accident.
Spike resting before busting her nose
the bridge 
successful surprise excursion
With our kayaks secured, we headed back to the Outpost to return our equipment. We had to cross the wooden bridge that was over a narrow part of the lake. Viv was about halfway across the bridge with me right behind her. The other girls were at the edge of the bridge. My granddaughter stopped and said, “Oh my!” Just a few feet in front of her was a deer. It pawed at the wooden bridge and put its head down. The deer was scared and had a crazed look in its eyes. It took a couple of steps closer. All of a sudden, the deer was standing on its hind legs with its front legs swinging madly in the air. I just knew it was going attack my granddaughter. In one swift movement, the deer jumped. No, it flew! The judge, who had stepped onto the bridge, held her paddle up and slung it toward her daughter to protect her from deer and almost knocked the poor kid’s teeth out! The other two girls backed up out of the way. The deer landed right beside the judge and disappeared into the woods. It all happened so fast, it seemed unreal. We all started talking at once and laughing. Any of us girls will attest that deer really can fly. We all stood in amazement. My first thought was, “Man! I missed the perfect picture.” There was no time for me to grab my camera or my phone. When we returned the equipment, we gave the animated version of our tale to the attendant then headed to our next destination.
If you have any doubt, let me just say that deer really can fly! I know because Grandma almost got run over by a running deer before it took flight. So Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!