Interesting Places

Somebody has to screw down the wing-nuts.

I have always loved to get into unusual places and look at the world from there. I remember a walk we took when our oldest was about 5 years old. We found a manhole open in a wooded area, and it was a very deep one with a prominent built-in ladder. I went down and looked back up at my family in the little circle of light at the top. Our oldest wanted to come down, too - so I climbed back up and helped him down the ladder, also. It was a juncture point, with big concrete pipes running away from it in three directions and a half inch of water running fast downhill in the middle of the curve. He liked it.

I like to boost my children up into huge trees with friendly low branches. We hike in places that have clefts and shallow caves. We cut out over land on hikes, going through unfamiliar woods. I have deliberately crossed bogs. I like to lay on my back on the carpet and imagine the ceiling is really the floor, and picture what it would be like to walk there. Maybe it has to do with my personality that naturally tries to see everyone else's point of view. It makes it hard to pick a favorite spot, or make decisions. But it's fun much of the time.