Nature Walk

Sometimes I think the part-time-stay-at-home-mom gig is wonderful. Two days a week, I get space to work and think on my own; the other three weekdays, I get a chance to do fun things with Ben. What other job allows you to go swimming, play in the park, or hang out in the woods with a toddler?

We went to the nature center at Powder Valley for the first time last week, and Ben loved running around the trails. (I loved the 3-hour nap that followed.) Yesterday, when I gave him several activities to choose from, he picked the nature center again. This time, I brought my camera with me (although with some ambivalence, since looking at the digital screen means I'm less present in the activity). I came home with 53 pictures, and most of them looked a lot like this:


Most of the time, Ben kept up a brisk trot. Occasionally, he paused to pick up leaves, sticks, and rocks; when he tired of them, he gave them to me. The only thing he wouldn't part with was a small stone, which he put in his shirt pocket. This morning, he specifically requested a shirt with a pocket so he could continue to carry it with him.


He listened for cicadas in the treetops. (One of his pop-up books has cicadas, and he as been interested in hearing them lately.)


After we did the short trail (it's 1/3 mile and wheelchair accessible--perfect for a toddler), Ben plunged down the hill on another trail. He loved going back and forth over the wooden bridge. It's over a road, and he was fascinated to see cars and trucks go under us. He also liked seeing our shadows.

We ended by going into the nature center building, and then admiring the Black-eyed Susans in the garden. On our first visit, we saw a deer and a raccoon eating from the bird feeders, but this time the feeders were being repaired, so we saw only a few skittish birds.


Most of the time,Ben ran away from the camera and barely let me take any pictures of his face, but that was fine with me. Life with a toddler makes things a blur, but sometimes it's a joy to trot along with them.