There is only so much summer left, so even though we just got back from a lakefront vacation, we packed a picnic this morning and headed for Independence Lake to take advantage of their splash park and sandy beaches.  We're kicking ourselves a bit for not realizing earlier that we were only fifteen minutes away from such a fun summer activity, but rather than cry over it now we'll just make a few extra trips in August!  Calvin loved it even more this time than he did the last, and because it was a Sunday morning the park wasn't even that busy yet. It's a county park, and we've been really pleased with its setup and overall cleanliness.  We are looking forward to hiking the 3 miles of wooded park trails when the cooler fall weather (and fall colors) kick in. Three cheers for the county parks and recreation!