Last week, we drove to Colorado and back. It was a lovely vacation at Jaime's parent's house. The weather was beautiful and it was quite relaxing. David got to spend enormous amounts of time watching movies and playing, which was a welcome respite from his normal grind of playing and watching movies.
If you want a great adventure, head off into the woods with a three-year-old as your guide. David, Hildy (the grandparents' dog), and I went for a walk about one day in some Bureau of Land Management land adjacent to the Oakson's neighborhood. We were trotting down a wide path that serves as something of a road, when, without a word, David turned right and headed into a field of Sage Brush. I followed and Hildy ran up ahead and then returned, ran up, returned, etc. We descended into a gully and picked up a trail through some woods. David chatted and played. I showed him tracks of various animals. At one point he attempted to leave the trail again and plunge into woods whose thickness would only comfortably accommodate a three-year-old. I had to stop him. Eventually the trail looped around and deposited us just down the block from where we began. A paid guide could not have lead us on a more perfect walk. Here it is in Google Maps.
Our whole time in Colorado was sunny and mild. But the whole time, David could see snow capping distant peaks. He wanted nothing more than to throw snowballs. So he was thrilled when, a couple of days later, Grandpa Steve took us up to another wilderness area with proper trees and snow. He would ask me to make a snowball for him and then throw it at me. It was delightful watching him run around like a little boy jump in snow and investigating rocks and stick and playing fetch with Hildy.
At one point in the trip, Jaime and I were sitting onthe porch while David played in the yard. Suddenly he anounced that he was going to climb a tree and disapeared around the house. Jaime asked me, "are you going with him or are we going to take him home in a cast?"
I was skeptical, "he won't get off the ground."
So, we waited for him to return.
And we waited.
And waited.
Finally, I went to investigate.
If you want a great adventure, head off into the woods with a three-year-old as your guide. David, Hildy (the grandparents' dog), and I went for a walk about one day in some Bureau of Land Management land adjacent to the Oakson's neighborhood. We were trotting down a wide path that serves as something of a road, when, without a word, David turned right and headed into a field of Sage Brush. I followed and Hildy ran up ahead and then returned, ran up, returned, etc. We descended into a gully and picked up a trail through some woods. David chatted and played. I showed him tracks of various animals. At one point he attempted to leave the trail again and plunge into woods whose thickness would only comfortably accommodate a three-year-old. I had to stop him. Eventually the trail looped around and deposited us just down the block from where we began. A paid guide could not have lead us on a more perfect walk. Here it is in Google Maps.
Our whole time in Colorado was sunny and mild. But the whole time, David could see snow capping distant peaks. He wanted nothing more than to throw snowballs. So he was thrilled when, a couple of days later, Grandpa Steve took us up to another wilderness area with proper trees and snow. He would ask me to make a snowball for him and then throw it at me. It was delightful watching him run around like a little boy jump in snow and investigating rocks and stick and playing fetch with Hildy.
At one point in the trip, Jaime and I were sitting onthe porch while David played in the yard. Suddenly he anounced that he was going to climb a tree and disapeared around the house. Jaime asked me, "are you going with him or are we going to take him home in a cast?"
I was skeptical, "he won't get off the ground."
So, we waited for him to return.
And we waited.
And waited.
Finally, I went to investigate.
Of course, no vacation is complete without sickness. Simon had a fever of 104 at one point. But hey, we are old pros at this.
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