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Grandparenting in Lake Country

A Grandparent's Guide to Lake Superior

A Grandparent's Guide to St. Paul

Nature's Toys

A Grandparent’s Guide to Lake Country
Mike Link

Lake Country is often described as the land of second homes with small towns waiting to sell to the summer tourists, but that is a short sighted economic viewpoint that misses the real experiences and values incorporated in this unique landscape of water and land. This is the Heartland of Minnesota – not the heartland of dairy farms and rural landscape, but the heartland of what Minnesota is most known for – lakes and rural landscape. It is s place where it is good to grow up, good to visit, and good to live in.

Minnesota's culture and tourism is entering a unique period – the rise of the baby boomers as grandparents and the need for the soccer parents generation to find authentic experiences to share with their children on their weekends together. This is a period when we truly are looking for family values (not the ones politicians like to spout) and those values have to be built on experiences, not purchases.

It is easy to buy a child’s attention, but not affection. Memories are not built upon gifts, but generated by experiences. Parents and grandparents who pick blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries with children and then go home and eat the berries with ice cream, while the pies are baking in the oven are creating the kind of memories that I have of my grandmother. And now in my own grandparenting days I still cannot look at a blackberry without seeing my grandmother’s face. I cannot dunk a sugar cookie in coffee without thinking of my grandparents. I cannot hear a baseball hit a glove without thinking of my grandfather. I remember picnics and walks, small town festivals and afternoons on the farm. My memory is filled with farm dogs and tractors, croquet on the lawn, exploring the ponds and walking along the streams.

The children of this generation are not born wired to computers; they are not born with DVD’s imbedded in their souls. Children still enter the world with curiosity and innocence and it is the adult’s opportunity to share the discoveries of the child’s world. And it is the parents - grand or otherwise who have the chanced to build a base of real experiences before plunging the child in to the virtual worlds of computers, dvd's, ipods, cell phones, playstation, X-box and anything else that can be dreamt up in our digital age.

Adults are not made to be wallets; we are not destined to be chauffeurs. Those are choices. Think of how you remember your elders and think of how you want to be remembered, because the lake country is the place to experience life with our grandchildren and children. I am moved by the smell of chicken on the grill because that was the picnic of choice for my grandparents and it was just part of a day of fun, exploration and imagination and the parks, cabins, and preseveres in this region are still there for the kind of day that is locked in to my memory. This is the land of the honest experience!

If I think only of the life experience I would tell you that the best things you can do are:

Pick berries. I still have not been able to get the berry from hand to bucket – something called a mouth always seems to interfere. But so what. The berries are healthy, the sun is warm, the experience puts you together in nature and the treats that follow are unforgettable.
Jump in a lake. Did you know that some children can’t imagine swimming in a lake? They are convinced that swimming is confined to the safety of urine and chemical filled swimming pools! But a real swim in a real lake with waves, fish that nibble on our leg hairs, and some live plants that tickle our toes is still the best watery experience we can have.
Naming the clouds is a creative experience. It is better than TV, because you get vitamin D and a good companion, and it’s easier than trying to create exciting images on canvas.
Sand castles on the beach might not be considered great architecture, but they sure are fun. These are realms of knights and chivalry. They are playgrounds for creativity and imagination and if you do not like the result you can always erase it and start over.
Skipping stones is an art. One I brag about, but am not very good at. But then who can argue. The result can’t be replayed. A rock bouncing on the water – go figure!
Mudpuddles and rain drops are not something to hide from. Get wet, get dirty. Splash, mold, play.
Piles of leaves were always great places to hide in, jump in, play in. Putting them in a plastic bag is not nearly as fun!
Make a snowman, a snow sculpture, a snow fort. Snow is so much fun as a temporary medium for sculpture, as a clean slate for recording animal prints, or for skiing, snowshoeing, or wrestling. It’s not bad to get cold when you are having fun and a nice cup of hot cocoa or hot apple cider is a perfect way to put the play in perspective.

But if you are not looking for a way to pass a wonderfully creative and slow afternoon spending nothing, and doing nothing in the most wonderful way, perhaps you are interested in the best places to take a kid (grandchild or child)! Here are our recommendations.

Mille Lacs Band Pow Wow – what year is this? Where are you? The Pow Wow is timeless. The costumes are so colorful that even a Hollywood movie fails to reflect the Anishanabe reality. Nothing connects us with the true heritage the way the Pow Wow does and the Mille Lacs Band has the best, located on the west side of Mille Lacs. It is a fair, a dance, a cultural heritage and one of the best events you will ever enjoy.
Watch the loons on Bay Lake - there are many loons on many lakes and there is no plain loon on any lake. They are all special. But Bay Lake is a strange lake – actually a cluster of lakes with no shoreline in between. Here are a many pairs of loons in wonderful settings. Enjoy them, but don’t harass them. Go slow – keep the personal watercrafts away from their nests, and enjoy the bird with the best songs, best costume, most unique eyes, and the status of state symbol.
Mille Lacs Indian Museum – no region has a better grasp on its true history than this region and the Indian Museum across from the Grand Casino is not only more enjoyable than the casino – it is one of the best heritage sites anywhere. Great dioramas, excellent displays and stories. This is the story of Minnesota’s Indians and one that should be enjoyed and celebrated.
Charles Lindbergh State Park – Who really began the space age? Charles Lindbergh Sr. may have been a unique and forceful politician, but it was his son who captured the world’s imagination with a flight to Paris. Can you imagine? You should try to. Because this was a time when a flight to Paris was the equivalent to the first landing on the moon, the first space shuttle, the first walk in space. And it was a Minnesotan that took us into the age of flight.
Paddle the Crow Wing River- A slow, but wild river. This is one of Minnesota’s best recreational rivers and it is celebrated by Crow Wing State Park. Taking our children out on a fast river where they might tip is a bad way to start river exploration, but a river like this – taken in a short and exciting first trip is a perfect way to connect to the river highway heritage of voyageurs, explorers, and Indians.
Mille Lacs Kathio State Park – The Rum River, sugar maples, an Indian herbal trail, and a heritage of the natural landscape of the Mille Lacs region is enough to make these trails worth hiking. In addition, there is a rich heritage of native people that has been uncovered here in a location where lakes and rivers formed the cultural beginning of an area that would someday become Minnesota.
Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge – a bird watching, wildlife paradise. Trails to walk, a shallow lake to explore. This is waterfowl landscape and with a rich diversity in birds and bird song. Kids know music. They hear the sounds. Capture that innate ability and introduce children to bird watching. Use the observation tower, float in the lake, walk the trails. Fresh air, music, and feathered friends are here.
Father Hennepin State Park – a small park with a Mille Lacs beach, playground, picnic area, and short trails. Mille Lacs – so complex a lake that it is named a “thousand lakes” is a place to fish, swim, watch the loons concentrate in the autumn and to enjoy the fresh summer breezes. This is a place to wade and to picnic. Nothing is better than a grilled meal with a fresh lake breeze.
Cuyuna Country State Park – part of our iron range history, but separate from the better known “Mesaba Iron Range.” The rich red ore, the green forest and the blue sky help tell an historic and geological story. It is easy to take advantage of this Minnesota jewel.
Jacques Museum in Aitkin – a small, intimate wildlife art gallery. It might be hard to explain Van Gogh and Picasso to a child, but not the painting of wildlife. Nature and creativity come together in this Museum which celebrates the artist who helped create the dioramas of the New York Natural History Museum and who illustrated the classic books of Sigurd Olson.

A Grandparents Guide to Lake Superior
By Mike Link

If I could borrow the Lakota use of the word “Grandfather” to refer to the Great Spirit, I would refer to Lake Superior as the Grandfather of Great Lakes. It is the first in the lineage of our North American Great Lakes – from which the waters flow through all the others to the sea. That image is one that is particularly important today as the baby boomer generation engages in the act of grand parenting.

Today’s grandparents are the generation that created the significant environmental laws, the group that pushed for trails and parks. It is the last generation that had the benefit of open spaces and access to land before urban sprawl, the internet, cable television, and the advent of so much motorized recreation. The new grandparents are the Earth Day generation. It is a generation that can connect their grandchildren to the landscape and the values of exploring our natural world.

Parents are caught in an economic spiral of growing demands, growing housing prices, day care, and health care. The soccer mom and dad are too often the chauffeurs rather than the participants in their children’s activities. Consequently the grandparents’ new role is to take some of the burden off the parents and to give the children an elder who can provide wisdom, example, and opportunity. The grandparent can take this new role and refresh their spirits, seeing the world again through new eyes and impart values, as well as enjoyment. It is through our grandchildren that we see the future rather than the past. It is through them that we discover a new level of care about what is happening to the world.

We need to help our grandchildren experience the landscape for their own growth and development. Grandparents can help grandchildren avoid what Richard Louv calls ‘Nature Deficit Disorder’ in his book Last Child in the Woods and discover nature’s toys as, SE Minnesota writer, Mary Bell describes sticks, snow men, holes in the ground, mud, rocks and other simple pleasures.

Lake Superior must be more than potential real estate. The shores need to be walked, the rocks skipped, the trails explored, the agates gathered, and the birds watched. Grandfather Lake – Superior - needs to be experienced – as do the smaller lakes of the region, like Nokomis (grandmother) in Minneapolis.

Our rules for a good grandparent experience are simple.

Don’t make spending a priority. It’s not about souvenirs or gifts. Your time together is what is important. Go outside.
Think back to your own grandparents. What do you remember most? If you are like me, it will not be all the presents you got, but rather the simple things like playing catch, picking blackberries and baking a pie.
Give plenty of time for each experience. Float sticks down the stream; build sand castles and cobblestone forts. Make the experience one of participation, not just observation. The check list of places visited will not have the long lasting impact that muddy hands, laughter, and sunshine do.
Getting dirty, getting wet, getting cold are not crimes; they are part of exploring life. Relax and bring a change of clothing.
Let the child’s interest set the pace and guide the experience – this is their trip, so if you do not see every site its okay.

Around Lake Superior there are many places for the grandparent/grandchild team to explore. Here is a sample and some ideas for creating your plans. But, don’t limit yourself to our list. This is just a starting point.

Depot Railroad Museum – Duluth. The grandparents might enjoy the historic depot building, but it will be the massive collection of real railroad cars in the lower level that will captivate the young. Here the “choo-choo” comes alive. There are both small toy railroads and the historic railroad cars. You can walk around them, even go into some and both generations can be amazed by one of the great human inventions. Railroads are big for our grandchildren even though they have diminished in the life of most Americans. Thomas the Train has connected an entire generation to the imagery of railroading and no place does a better job of bringing the two generations together than this Museum. In addition, you can book a ride on one of their functioning trains and you can spend time in the Children’s Museum that is part of the complex.
Lake Superior Marine Museum and Aquarium - Duluth, MN. This is a complex of images and a good reason for a walk. Begin with the actual shipping museum at Canal Park; walk along the canal out to the light houses, and check the schedule so you can be there when a ship goes under the lift bridge. Then walk over to the foot bridge and look at the Coast Guard Cutter, and the massive ore ship – the S. S. William Irvine. End up at the Aquarium where lots of interactive displays connect the lake, shipping, and natural history. Don’t be surprised if your grandchildren want to spend a lot of time floating boats in the watery model of the great lakes (bring a change of clothing).
Split Rock Lighthouse – north of Two Harbors, MN. There seems to be a set of themes that will play out on any trip around the lake - lighthouses, boats, and waterfalls. And there is no image more likely to be on the cover of any Superior story than the picturesque Split Rock Lighthouse. The Minnesota Historical Society runs the tours in the State Park and they have put together a wonderful museum, as well as giving access to the lighthouse itself. The story of the lighthouse keeper is one of the truly romantic images of the big lake and the lighthouse is a place to explore those stories. The State Park has great trails, a picnic shelter, and a rocky beach that can be explored after the historic tour. The visual impact of looking up at the lighthouse is an important perspective to have before you leave.
Iona’s Beach with its reddish rhyolite cobblestones (north of Castle Danger) and the Lakewalk section of the Superior Hiking Trail (north of Hovland) with two miles of assorted cobblestones are the best places on the lake for a beach walk and rock skipping. Iona’s beach is a State Scientific and Natural Area and Lakewalk is part of Superior National Forest. There is a little confusion here, because Duluth also calls is board walk – Lakewalk and it too is a great place to go with grandchildren. These are play spots, be ready to settle in and let the child discover the joy of piles of rocks.
Grand Portage National Monument – Grand Portage Reservation. In many ways, this is the beginning of Minnesota’s history. It was the place that Indian and European came together. It was also our first world trade center with furs and colorful Indians and Voyageurs converging from Athabasca country in the far northwest and throughout the lands of northern forests and lakes to trade with the Porkeaters who paddled large Montreal canoes across the great lakes. They brought trade goods from their European trade partners who were in the market for furs to create the fashionable top hats that were in demand among European aristocrats. Think of the color and pageantry, the connections to the world and the fact that this fort had a history of French, English, Native Indians, and the new Americans working here.
High Falls of the Pigeon River – just before the International boundary. It is hard to pick just one waterfall to visit. Gooseberry is easy to get to (but now has too many visitors). The Baptism and Cascade rivers have world class falls that would disappoint no one, but the most impressive falls for me is the High Falls on the Pigeon River. This massive block of black basalt lava was the barrier that demanded the Grand Portage and it looks like a barrier. It is bold, dark, and roaring. With multiple lookouts this falls will impress both child and grandparent.
Fort Williams – Thunderbay. This is the Cadillac of all living history parks. This fort took over when international politics removed the Canadians from Grand Portage and wouldn’t you know it – it actually turned out to be a better place for the trade! The living history area is massive – plan for an entire day. Great actor/interpreters – a full farm, all the craftsmen, the aristocrats, an Indian village, boats on the water – there is nothing missing. Disney would have done well to come here and learn about making history historic, as well as fun.
Neyes Provincial Park – Marathon is a rarity on the north side of the lake – a sand beach. The older grandchild and the adult will enjoy the beauty of this beach, the inspiration for Canada’s famous artists The Group of Seven, the history of the POW camp, and the rare plants that grow here. But the younger grandchild will be digging in the sand, enjoying this tropical beach among the Jack Pines.
Locks at Sault Ste Marie – Both sides of the border have excellent places to view the locks and both sides are worth visiting. In Canada you will see an older, simpler lock system that moves small craft. There is good hiking or biking, and a nice little museum that tells the story. Plus the crowds are smaller. On the US side you get the best look at the big boats coming through. Think about the impression that the railroads make on the kids and you can imagine how they would like to play with a toy boat after this experience.
Shipwreck Museum, Whitefish Point, MI. Plan on spending some time here! The lighthouse lets you wander inside and all around and the exhibits provide lots of really good stories about the shipwrecks that were much more numerous that we might imagine. Then you can walk the beach that is part of one of the great migratory songbird points in the Great Lakes. Visit the bird watching visitor center as well and see what birds and ships you might be able to observe yourself.
Boat rides in the Pictured Rocks, Munising, MI. This is a magnificent park and when your grandchildren are older it is one of the two best hikes of Lake Superior – The Lake Superior Hiking Trail in Minnesota is the other option. But if you or your children are not up to the longer hikes and exploring then take the boat out of Munising. To see the Pictured Rocks you really have to be on the water and the sites you see may inspire everyone to take a longer walk to experience some of the beauty. For a good sandy beach the town of Grand Marais, Michigan, on the east side of the park is a great place to go.
Lighthouse Museum, Marquette, MI. A picturesque red lighthouse guards the bay of Marquette and serves as the focal point for the lighthouse museum. Displays, stories, and a tour of the lighthouse can be followed with a walk through the harbor park. The connection of the lake to the city is a wonderful thing for older grandchildren to observe, for younger children the lighthouse museum should be followed by playing in the park.
Boat ride in Apostle Islands – Bayfield, WI. This is another excellent part of our national park system. These islands can be observed from shore, but even better is a ride on a boat. For active grandchildren, a ride to Stockton Island could be ideal. Stockton has a short walk to one of the best of remote and wild beaches. A long curving sandbar called a tombolo connected two islands. Now that sweep of sand is a biological treat to the naturalist and a great sandbox for the child
Osaugie Waterfront – Superior, WI. Completing the tour is the waterfront complex at Superior with tours of the old Whaleback and the Richard Bong World War II Museum. Both are well done and offer a lot of perspective. If your grandchildren are not ready for a tour, then the trails and the play area around the ships is a place for them to let out their imagination and their energy while indirectly absorbing the beauty and imagery that surrounds them.

A Grandparent’s Guide to St. Paul
By Mike Link

First we need to wrestle with the realization that you are a grandparent. You will be grandparenting, but, what does that mean? Will we be like our grandparents? Are there new rules for grandparents? Does this make us old? Like turning 40, 50, 60 – this is one of those of those turning points we either embrace or worry about. My wife Kate, was looking forward to it – and based on all the other women we know in their 50’s that seemed to be a common longing. But grandfather? There are no grandparenting classes, and if there were, most of us would not attend – at least not before the fact. We usually think, “Okay, if it happens, it happens and I will deal with it”.

Then it happened, first my grandson Matthew was born in St. Paul and less than a year later, twins Aren and Ryan were born in Colorado Springs. So this was it. I never thought about it, like most men, until the moment the grandchild was put in my arms. Guess what – no one had to tell me I was a grandfather. As a matter of fact, I dare anyone to tell me I’m not! My genetic code kicked in. Kate may have been more aware of the longing, but I immediately knew that my life was now extended to these new people and it would never be the same. The world was now divided into the places that Kate and I will enjoy together and the places where we have to take our grandchildren.

With the reality comes the responsibility, and responsibility in this sense is a new experience. In today’s world, the extended family is often considered to be a thing of the past. We move our children on and out. We develop a second life. They become busy earning income and buying a home. We are still parents, but they are no longer children. They become adults with a closer bond to us than other adults, but our role in their lives is reduced and our advice is something to be spooned out with smaller and smaller doses, and more and more forethought.

Many immigrants bring the traditional extended family with them and then find themselves fighting the forces of our culture that wants to change it. Maybe what we need is a redefinition of the extended family. Instead of being a family that lives together throughout life, we are now reuniting families around grandparenting. We know that the number of grandchildren under 18 living with and raised by their grandparents was 34,000 in Minnesota in the 2000 census and over 4.5 million across the nation. The same census showed 1,514 grandchildren living with grandparents as their primary caregivers in St. Paul. These figures do not include the number of grandparents who are providing child care, living with families that include parents. Nor does it come close to the number of people who are grandparents, but not primary caregivers.

With the baby boomers just coming into their grandparent ages, this population is burgeoning. So there are numerous questions that need to be answered and one is – where do I take my grandchild to enjoy and learn in St. Paul? Our daughter, Julie, a St. Paul resident asked this question in another way – “Can you give me a list of the places I need to make sure that Matthew sees?” Which then evolved into what are the places we need to take our grandchild, and then a book by my wife, Kate Crowley and me, which will be coming out from Adventure Publications this fall – Grandparent’s Minnesota - Places to Go and Wisdom to Share. Of course, not everyone can get out exploring the state, so here are ten places in St. Paul, we think a person should visit with their grandchild.

First some rules:
• Grandparents are not walking check books – they will get enough shopping so there is a limit to stores.
• Grandparents are not chauffeurs, so this is not a list of places to drop off the kids and leave.
• Grandchildren need laughter and companionship; so interact, lighten up, and have fun with them.

Children’s Museum. This location could be numbers 1 through 10 since each of their creative rooms is a masterpiece of design, hands-on learning, and creativity. They have worked to create sets – theater like locations where children are inspired to play. They are visually stimulating, as well as having tactile and audio components. The grandparent’s role is to encourage, laugh with them, challenge them, but not to step in to the interactions between children. This is their world and you are here as their companion, not the director in the play they are creating.
The Science Museum of Minnesota. Look, touch, experiment and learn. This is a state treasure. The setting and windows inspire the visitor to reach out to the river and the bluffs, to be part of the world and the community. There are classes, hands-on exhibits, a mini golf course that is also a lesson in watersheds, a maze you can enjoy during the warm months, and indoor exhibits that have constant motion and inspiration. Learn with the children. Model how to get involved.
Red Balloon Book Store. Yes this is retail. But we have so few children’s bookstores in the U.S. that we have to celebrate those we do have. This is more than a place to buy books. The store is designed to engage the child, to help them find inspiration in the written word and to visualize the world of make believe that is captured between the covers. We recommend the libraries too. There are many great collections of free books, story time and other reasons to take children to libraries.
Model Railroad Museum – Round House – Choo Choo Bob’s. Thomas the Train is a commercial success in everyway, but it is also a cultural phenomenon. I would never have suspected that my grandchildren would become enamored with trains. In Europe, yes – the U.S., no way. But they are and they are only one of millions of young people who are caught up in a frenzy that has allowed all us grandparents to get out the electric train sets and play again. There is no way to rank the three places listed, so I include them all. The Model Railroad Club has had its headquarters and elaborate set of trains in Bandana Square for years – hopefully they will be there for a long time. Come in; let your mind travel with the trains, like the children do. The Round House is an historical site near the Capitol and it is the primary museum of railroads in the Twin Cities. Connected with two other sites, this historical location is a great place for life-size train perspective. Finally, there is Choo Choo Bob’s on Marshall Street. The shop does sell (the model railroad club does too), but they also have multiple play tables and running railroads that entertain all generations. It is a good place to see lots of grandparents with their grandchildren.
Como Park – An historic park that is a rich story in St. Paul’s history. This park is a place to roam, with walks around the lake or the Japanese garden. It is a wonderful, living, natural history museum with animals in the zoo and plants in the Conservatory. It combines picnicking and children’s rides. It is truly an urban treasure. There are places to toss a football, fly a Frisbee, or get a great lunch at the pavilion. The city has invested in upgrading the facilities for both plant and animal and the result is very impressive. It is hard to think of a community that has more readily accessible options than this recreational/educational complex.
Riverfront trails – The Mississippi River is a national treasure, but in Minnesota we feel a sense of ownership and pride. After all, its roots are in our north woods. Start at the Science Museum where the National Park Visitor Center is often overlooked because of it gigantic landlord. Did you know that you were in a National Park? Well, unfortunately, most people don’t. Think of it as a National Park within the city. Along the downtown riverfront are paths for bikes and walking. Usually there are riverboats anchored along the far shore to add to the beauty of the location. If you keep going there is the Crosby Farm area – now one of the best natural areas and Hidden Falls park with its forests, riverfront hiking trail, and boat launch.
Lake Phalen – Minneapolis might be the city of lakes, but Lake Phalen allows St. Paul to hold its own. This is the place for picnics, bird watching, fishing, and all the wonderful activities we associate with “going to the lake”. Lots of room to spread out. Picnic tables, shelters, and lots of wonderful old trees for shade. Think of it like a little state park – a place to preserve both beauty and the opportunity to avoid what Richard Louv calls ‘nature deficit disorder’.
The Capitol and its grounds. History is still being made here and we own it. Teach children to respect it, but also let them know they are responsible for who comes here and what they do when they get here. The architecture, the placement on the hill overlooking the city and the river (commerce and transportation) and the art work are all wonderful stories. It is somewhat intimidating and awe inspiring the first time you walk in to the rotunda and that is appropriate when you consider the impact of the decisions made here.
Minnesota History Museum. Located in the shadow of the Capitol complex, this is the repository for the State’s stories and we all love a good story. Don’t expect a dusty set of collections behind glass. This is a museum that invites you in to the story, gives you sound and motion, color and design and allows you and your grandchildren to explore times that may be more familiar to the grandparent than the child. Here is a chance to bridge the ages. And you can have lunch on the patio with great food as well.
Farmers Market. How many times do people say – “Kids these days don’t even know where their food comes from”? Unfortunately, that may be true and there are only a few ways to correct that without leaving the city. One way is to go to the Farmers Market. See freshly harvested food - colorful, unwrapped, not in cans. Look, buy and try. The lunch that follows is what they’ve picked out. Let them prepare it with you too, and soon you will have a grandchild that connects what goes into their mouth, with what goes in the ground.

Are there more places? Of course, but it is up to you to explore the neighborhood parks, Battle Creek, the University Campus and its agriculture, the Fair Grounds, Gibb’s Farm and more.

NATURE’S TOYS
By Mary Bell
Dedicated to all grandchildren

This collection began as I watched Hunter, my 2-year old grandson delight in a spring puddle. In summer he discovered a hole. Fall brought leaves. Winter gave the gift of snow.

Puddles

One Saturday spring morning, Hunter, his mom and I went to a garage sale to look for clothes and toys. As his mom checked out the stuff I watched Hunter’s eyes catch sight of a very big and dirty puddle.

It had rained the previous night and the driveway entrance was covered with an enticing collection of sticks, plastic things, pebbles, mud and rainwater.

Hunter looked up at me with wide eyes and in a soft pleading voice asked, “Can I go in?”

I shook my head, “No, you’ll get cold and wet.”

While surveying the contents of the garage, I kept my eyes on Hunter. He poked at the water with a stick and with one quick splash the stick became a paddle. Then he pounded the stick as hard as he could and made a very big splash. Giggling, his eyes darted to mine and I unconvincingly shook my head and assumed the I-don’t-think-so-face. My stern look didn’t phase him. His joy was infective and I couldn’t help but smile.

Hunter let out a big groan as he watched his stick float away. Reaching to grab it his shoe toe entered the water. The temptation was clear. The stick was pulling him into the puddle. Hunter grabbed at the stick as I glanced over to the piles of stuff on the tables. I knew I’d find dry socks and pants there.

As one of Hunter’s Nursery School friends approached, he looked hopefully at Hunter and the puddle, but his parents maintained control. Hunter did his very best to urge others to join in his fun. With a bottle top placed carefully on top of his stick he made a boat. He found little stones and took careful aim at the puddle’s center. His stick became a shovel used to push mud around. Then it became a scoop for a plastic ring. He splashed. He played. Some adults smiled. Some shook their heads.

Hunter was having fun. He laughed. He giggled. His shoes, socks and pant legs were very wet. Slowly he circled the puddle, paused, obviously making a decision, then he took off at a full run right straight to the puddle’s center. He stood in the middle with a wonderous smile plastered across his red-cheeked face. He was very wet.

When he finally tired, I bought him pants and socks and we held hands and walked home together.

Holes

After an afternoon nap, Hunter and I always go outside to explore. Stepping outside, Hunter stops, looks around and exclaims, “It’s a bootiful day!”

Walking behind our house Hunter spotted a hole his Poppa had just dug looking for a leaky pipe. Hunter hunched his shoulders, dropped his head and stalked the hole like he was a wild cat. Caught in concentration, he crept closer and looked down in the four foot deep and five foot wide hole. He raised his head, “Can I go in?” he asked.

“Yup,” I replied.

Turning so his belly faced the side of the hole, he carefully maneuvered himself down. Reaching the bottom, he sat, looked up and smiled. When he stood the hole was deeper than he was tall. He dug his fingers in the dirt and climbed up the side. He turned feet first and slid down on his butt, then went down headfirst, next he rolled down sideways. He dug dirt clumps and threw them up and out of the hole. Wiggling his nose he sucked in the fresh earth smell, looked up and said, “This is a fun hole.”

I smiled.

“Let’s go get Poppa,” he urged. We found Poppa working at his desk and he agreed to go with us and check out the hole.
Reaching our destination, Hunter directed, “Get in,” and Poppa quickly obeyed.

Hunter picked up a clump of dirt that proclaimed was really a hairy turtle. “Do snakes live in holes?” he asked.

Poppa and I nodded yes, “Sort of,” we said, “they prefer holes around rocks. They’re like caves.”

“Caves?” he replied.

“Someday we’ll take you to a cave so big you can stand up and walk in it,” we said.

Every day for one week we visited that hole. On the last day we found the hole filled. Hunter stood where the hole once was and sobbed, “I want my hole back.”

“There will be many more holes,” I promised.

Leaves

The wind blew a pile of leaves outside our back door. Hunter and I put on our jackets, grabbed two rakes and got busy pulling more leaves onto the pile.

“Jump in,” I said and he did. I jumped in next to him and lifted him up and tossed him on top the pile of crisp oak leaves. He pushed me and I fell down in the leaves. Together we burrowed down and hid under the leaves.

When his daddy drove down the driveway to pick him up we stayed crouched down and hidden. Hunter mumbled, “Come in,” as his daddy got out of his truck. When his daddy got close Hunter popped out of the leaves, grabbed him around his neck and wrapped around each other they fell on the soft leaf cushion.

Day after day we raked, piled and played until the strong fall winds took our leaf pile away.

Snow

The very best toy is snow. You can throw it, climb it, make forts, roll down it and when it’s just right it can turn into a snowman. Snow is also very important. Everybody talks about it and they listen thoughtfully to reports about its coming and going.

It was a cold November day when snow began to fall. At first it was tiny little crystals that gradually became big white flakes. Hunter and I watched out the window as it blanketed the ground. When we could wait no longer, we put on our snow pants, coats, mittens and hats and headed out. The snow was light and airy and as hard as we tried it wouldn’t stick together for snowballs. Instead we lay down, opened and closed our arms and legs and created snow angels.

After several days it had finally snowed enough for us to make a snow fort. “Let’s get Poppa,” Hunter said.

“A snow fort is a great idea,” Poppa said. He found each of us a shovel and together we piled snow high enough so we could dig a hole through each side and create a tunnel. Hunter crawled in, paused, lay down on his back and looked up at the snow ceiling. “It’s a room,” he said.

“Some people would call it an igloo,” Poppa said. “Let’s call it our cave.”

“Our very own cave,” Hunter said with a big smile on his face.

Poppa shoveled snow out of our cave to make it bigger. Hunter’s job was to craw in and out and then to judge when it was finally big enough for us all. “It’s big enough,” he declared. We crawled in and rested on the snow floor. With rosy red faces and happy eyes we looked up the snow ceiling as nature embraced us and our cave completely surrounded us.

Over the next several weeks we spent many days making more tunnels, windows and rooms. We waited for the snow to become just the right consistency to make really good snowballs. When the snow was just right, I made the first snowball and took aim at Hunter’s back. It hit the mark. Hunter turned and giggled. My back was the next target. After lots of snowballs were tossed back and forth, Hunter asked, “Can we make a snowman?”

“Let’s try,” I said.

The snow easily took the shape of a ball. We rolled that ball until we could move it not one more inch. It became the base of our snowman. We rolled another ball, then hoisted it on the base. A small ball became the head and together we lifted it up and set it down. Hunter and I dashed inside the house, grabbed two carrots, a pickle, some cheese flavored chips and one of Poppa’s old cowboy hats and a bandanna. Hunter stuck the carrots in and magically our snowman got eyes. The pickle became his nose and the chips his mouth. We tied the bandanna around his neck and placed the old hat on his head.

“How about we call him Tex,” I suggested.

“Yup,” Hunter answered.

For the rest of the winter, each time we passed Tex, Hunter patted his belly. When Hunter left to go home each day he blew Tex a goodbye kiss. Tex lasted until the days got warm. We removed his hat and scarf and gradually all the vegetables fell to earth. Ultimately Tex became a puddle. Once again, Hunter asked, “Can I jump in?”

Nature’s circle of toys began anew.