Chester

It had threatened rain all day.  We hadn't counted on being able to go out to a park at all that Saturday but the weather wasn't too bad, our chores were done and the children's moods were good.  More than that, the children were becoming used to spending their Saturdays in the parks.  They were expecting it.  It was becoming a wonderful routine.

The same boredom that used to bring nagging about playing Wii was now beckoning us into the wilds of the parks.  I did a quick check and realized that Chester State Park wasn't far and that we had yet to explore it.

The fog hung in the trees as we entered the park.  It promised cool refreshment from an otherwise hot and humid southern spring day.  We stopped for the stamp and the rangers made sure to show us their prize- the Chester State Park sign left over from the CCC days.

We left the rangers and the sign and went on to the nature trail.  It was odd to see the park largely deserted.  The weather reports alone must have scared the majority of visitors off.  The day itself maintained a gentle blanketing feel.

We found the nature trail and followed it by the lake.  We took a moment to peek inside boat house, the iconic yet approachable resting place for the park's collection of jon boats.  The children's eyes lit with excitement.  Wetfoot got the first word in, "I really want to do this Mom."  It was wonderful to see her express the same amount of enthusiasm over a jon boat as she would have earlier expressed over her ipod.  A couple of boats were already on the water.  They had been taken out by locals who would have their families believe they were fishing.  Actually, they were joking, laughing and calling back and forth to one another and giving the grateful fish plenty of advance warning of the whereabouts of their boats and lines. 

We were fairly quiet.  Quiet for us anyway.  We explored the small hill in the clearing capped by a large CCC shelter.  As always, we stopped and stared.  The stonework was unreal.  It shone of the pride of the young men who had fashioned it.  We went on past a set of quite slippery granite steps designed to assist hikers as they trudged down a small incline.  Today tough, the granite was slippery and Wetfoot's tennis shoes caught the rock's slick surface.  She plopped down hard.  I was behind my daughter and saw how hard she hit.  My Mama instinct activated, I was afraid she might have broken something.  As I approached, her terrified face alarmed me further.  My child tremulously reached behind and felt her back pocket.  The slightest touch of relief passed over her eyes.  "It didn't break," she whispered as she protectively inspected her ipod.  

She stood and declared herself fine though she did walk with a slower and more measured pace for the rest of the afternoon.  She meandered back to where Little Legs and I brought up the rear of our troop  She maintained that she just wanted the pleasure of our company but I could tell she was still stiff.  

Chester State Park seemed apologetic now for causing injury.  The trail ahead was decorated with delicate white dogwood petals.  The trees, the petals, and the mist came together to create an atmosphere both surreal and romantic.  On up on the pond's edge, we saw a Canadian goose and further on an elegant egret.  The owls called to each other adding to the atmosphere of the late afternoon.  Everything was slow and still and beautiful.

"Uh, guys," Thoreau interrupted the holy serenity.  "I really have to go to the bathroom."  One look to our son who awkwardly shifting his weight back and forth made us believe him. 

"Sweetie, the bathroom is a mile back.  Can you hold it?"  

"Uhhhhh....I'll try" came the panicked yet comic response.

Thoreau is an old soul but is still at the age which requires every bathroom reference to be punctuated by giggles.

"Oh, I shouldn't laugh," he giggled painfully as we turned around.

Thoreau's dear sisters noted their poor brother's distress.  I would like to say that they were understanding, sweet and kind to their brother in his plight.  That would be a lie and I will not insult your intelligence with such an unbelievable falsehood.  They poured out comments about water, rain and waterfalls.  It did not help that the poor boy was surrounded by trees dripping rainwater from their heavily laden leaves.  Thoreau giggled and groaned and strained to retain control of the situation.

Our journey back was much faster than our initial trek had been.  Even in our haste, we remembered Wetfoot's earlier dilemma and were mindful and respectful of the slippery granite steps.  Wetfoot herself kept fingering her lucky ipod and still walked with a bit of a limp.

Triumph!  No one was happier to get back to the shelter and the bath house than my sweet son.  

As I waited on him to relieve himself, I thought about how he might recount his weekend adventures to his buddies at school.  

Friends :"What did you do this weekend?"

Thoreau:"Went on a hike with my family." 

Friends: "It was raining."

Thoreau: "I know.  It was cool until I had to use the bathroom." (I prefer to imagine that all proper terms would be used in a ten year old boy's conversation about toileting.  I know better but I prefer to imagine it that way.)

Friends: "Oh, man.  That sounds horrible." (See above side note about how I prefer to imagine boys conversations.)

Thoreau: "Nah, it was really fun."

or Wetfoot's

Friends:  "Are you ok?"

Wetfoot: "Yeah, I just fell."

Friends: "Where? When?"

Wetfoot: "It's good.  Over the weekend on these big rock steps at Chester State Park."

Friends: "Where's that?"

Wetfoot:" Its one of the parks my family is hiking through.  Its ok though, my ipod didn't break."

And her friends would understand the importance of that.

We were making memories.  Bonding.  These moments are so few.  Potty jokes, rain hikes, falls and spills, love, laughter....

Watching the kids run and play and then sitting still trying to coax a fish onto their line, wow.  I watched my children in the cool fog.  I saw my family walking along the lake shore and I smiled.  We were doing it.  We were achieving so much more than the title of Ultimate Outsider.  We were falling in love with one another, getting to know each other and enjoying who we were together.  We had Come Out to Play...and it was amazing.