Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn

The kids are still having a blast playing in the back yard nature preserve. Boo has been building moss gardens in pie tins, and every time I look out back Rooster is either hitting a tree stump with a stick or chasing a squirrel. Or a duck, whichever happens to be closer.

Sometimes they can be found in the driveway out front, riding their bikes around and around between the house and the street. They love the times I suggest a walk down to the cul-de-sac at the end of the street for rides round-and-round the circle.

Lately I've been losing track of them for moments at a time. I can look all over the house, inside and out, front yard and back, and not find them. The bikes are on campus, the shoes are in the house, the blankies are in the middle of the TV room. Then a moment later they reappear as if nothing was amiss.

I finally figured out their secret hideaway this morning.

My intrepid explorers have taken to the creek. Two yards away they found an easy entry down the banks into the water (which is 4 inches deep, I must add). They have been walking up and down the creek bed, looking for treasure.

This morning they found a spot on the far bank (a green belt) with a beach like shallow slope they have dubbed The Riverbank. They found treasure over there, in the form of an old broken toy sword. Just the plastic hilt and a metal rod that must have held a different blade in place. It's an ideal artifact to encourage their active imaginations.

I can't even imagine where their minds took them today, but I decided to go with the flow. Instead of calling them in, I got their swim suits and my camera.


Some days of childhood are simply filled with magic. I think today was one of those.