By: Paul S. Cilwa
Viewed: 3/28/2024 Occurred: 10/23/2022 Posted: 11/1/2022
Page Views: 516
Topics: #Autobiography #Dominic #Giamma.Zachary #Ella #Lilly
A beautiful walk in the Superstitions with beautiful youngsters.
There are days when you get subtle hints that the kids need to get outside.
My eldest grandson, Zach, invited me to go with him and his two
younger siblings on an easy hike in the Superstitions.
We also brought my two dogs, Ella and Lilly. (Ella's the light Golden
Retriever; Lilly's the cattle dog.) At first we kept them on leash,
as the rules here require.
But after awhile, when it became evident we were the only people
hiking this trail today, we decided to let the furbabies loose. They
are well-behaved anyway; and stay close to us.
Dominic, my youngest grandchild, is so full of wonder that it's
simply joyful to see. Things an adult takes for granted, like a
weathered root, are novelties to him.
"Papa," he asked me, "what would happen if we got lost?" I started to
assure him that we really couldn't, since we could see the
parking lot and could just cross-country straight to it if we had to;
but he apparently thought I thought he was really worried, so
he added, "I don't mean we would perish! I just thought
we might have to spend the night."
I've never before
known a 6-year-old who could use the word "perish" in a
sentence, not to mention appropriately and casually!
My
grandkids never cease to impress me.
This plant is called a teddy bear cholla . It is, as you can
see, a type of cactus. Those fluffy-looking balls are actually
composed of spines , and the spines have little hooks on the
end. They are designed to attached themselves to passing
animals. Eventually they fall off, or are removed, and left in a
location far from the parent cactus. That's how they procreate.
I warned the kids, but apparently Ella didn't believe me; because
she came to my limping, with one of those things fastened to her paw.
I managed to get it off, but it wasn't easy. And I know
it hurt her while I did it. But you know what I love? That Ella
trusts me so much, she knows I would never hurt her except, as
in this case, to help her out of a jam.
We've been taking Dominic and Gianna, his sister, on campouts and
hikes all their lives. So it also warms my heart to see how
comfortably they walk trails and keep an eye out for landmarks.
And, despite being able to spot the parking lot in the distance, this
is an exquisite enviroment to appreciate and enjoy.