Nature Neccesities

King of the Castle

As it is now (I'm sure) abundantly clear, one of our favourite family activities involves some good old fashioned nature exploration.  We strive for at least one extended outing a week, and, as I basically always bring my camera along, many such adventures end up on the blog.

Winter coat and sun hat - it must be early spring!

The wonderful thing about these outdoor excursions is that - so far, at least - we all love them.  We readily pack our little bags with whatever we (individually) deem most important, don our hiking clothes, and hit the trails with gusto and excitement when we get to our destination. There is very seldom any whining (despite often navigating some pretty rugged terrain), and a whole lot of enthusiasm and joy. 

Woods Sprite

This has been the norm for long enough that I almost (ALMOST) take it for granted.  But it is good to stop and remember every once in awhile why it is such a successful shared activity.  There is no grand list, mind you,  but I can at least take yesterday's jaunt to Hemlock Ravine to demonstrate why IT was so much fun.

 1. The Surroundings

Mesmerizing tree "art"

The East Coast is an amazing mix of different landscapes.  There are stunning coastal scenes (such as the ones I posted last week from Peggy's Cove and Polly's Cove), and there are any number of different wooded treasures as well.  The very fact that there is so much variety to choose from makes it truly seem like every adventure is a new adventure.  Hemlock Ravine is no exception - it is the kind of truly magical forest that lends itself both to joyful exploration, and wild imaginings.  You could absolutely expect to run into some fairies if you were able to be still and patient for long enough. Also, everything changes and morphs with the seasons, making even the most familiar haunts seem new and exciting on a regular basis.

2. The Activities

There is very little that is planned or scripted when we set out for a hike, but it is fun to be able to discover at least one new skill, or learn something about the surroundings.  Sometimes this takes the form of identifying plants or animals (or scat); sometimes it involves journalling, and sometimes - like yesterday - it involves some basic survival/navigational techniques. Clark and I are both pretty familiar with Hemlock Ravine, due in large part to the fact that we have done more than one orienteering meet there.  This also means Clark (aka "map hoarder extraordinaire"), was readily able to lay his hands on an old orienteering map, and bring it along.  Therefore, this time around, the kids learned both how to read a map, and how to use a compass.  I think a family orienteering event is a goal to work towards asap!

Deciphering an orienteering map...

... and figuring out how to navigate using a compass

3. Freedom (and play) For me, these outdoor adventures are mostly about the fresh air, the beauty, the exercise, and the full mind-body-soul recharge that comes with even an hour or two on a trail.  For the kids, I think it has a lot to do with the freedom they have to run around and explore on their own terms.  Last week, climbing and jumping on the huge Peggy's Cove boulders was a rollicking good time.  This week, the game involved running ahead and hiding behind trees or in bushes, and then surprising the stragglers when they ambled past the secret spots.  Next week, it will undoubtedly be something different.  What's not to love about that?

Nothing to see here!

Surprise!

Alright - off to start the week, and maybe start to plan next weekend's adventure.  See you next time!

Easter Weekend, of course!

Peggy's Cove selfie

I've always loved Easter weekend.  Four full days off (at least around here), adequately Spring-like weather (usually), and mini-eggs.  This year was no exception.  Between various indoor Easter activities, we were mostly outside exploring.  This means, of course, I have loads of pictures.  So, without further ado....

1. Friday. Believe it our not, on Friday morning, Clark and I slept in for a bit, while Juniper and Linden... wait for it... made us breakfast.  I kid you not. They burst into the room, extremely excited at like 7:45 or so, and demanded we come to the table.  this is what was waiting for us:

  

Greek yogurt with granola, toast with butter, artistically displayed fruit, and some jam

Pretty impressive, eh?  The rest of the day was mostly spent puttering around the yard, doing some general clean-up that should have really been done in the fall.  I was too busy snipping and raking and bagging to think about pictures, but Juniper was on the case:

2. Saturday. Saturday was supposed to be our super-duper big outdoor adventure day.  The plan was to head to Economy Falls for a day of hiking, and was to include cooking lunch on a camp stove!  But alas, both Clark and Linden started the day off feeling crappy.  Linden has been congested and coughing for awhile, and felt very nauseated (likely from all that snot), and Clark was just sore and tired.  So. We nixed Economy (we would have had to have left by 8:30am or so to have done all that in a day), waited it out, and by the time late morning rolled around, it was decided that we were all up for a slightly less ambitious adventure.  Destination: Peggy's Cove and Polly's Cove.

Peggy's Cove:

Exploring the expanse of Peggy's Cove rocks

Quote: "I'm so proud of rock climbing abilities!"

Also a brave rock climber

Lunch break (no stove, but homemade sub buns with cheese and sausage was totally acceptable)

Juniper really wanted to take a picture with the good camera

Overlooking the Atlantic

Family shot!

Iconic Peggy's Cove lighthouse

And a close-up... with no other people in it!  I was pretty pleased with my timing and framing on that one.

 Polly's Cove: Just down the road from Peggy's Cove is the much lesser-known Polly's Cove.  It is a completely different landscape (reminiscent of the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland, in my opinion).  There isn't quite as much "rock climbing", but it is a stunning little hike.  It is the kind of place where, for instance, Linden immediately saw an "erupting volcano", and a "huge, scary troll":

Scaling a steep rock.  Luckily, we were all experts at this point

Juniper found her own little outcrop to contemplate life for awhile

Linden drawing a fishing boat off the coast

I love snapping the occasional candid shot of them holding hands

We found the exact spot where we took a picture of Juniper in the juniper...

... SEVEN years ago!

Linden wanted is picture taken too, of course

Mid-leap

This little rock scaling was as difficult as it looks.  I got a boot-full of muddy water when I tried it!

Juniper and some graffiti...

...and Linden with some other graffiti

3. Sunday.  The highlight of Easter Sunday, of course, is the Easter baskets and the egg hunt.  But we also delivered some rice krispie easter nests to neighbours and friends, and went on another little hiking adventure around Withrod Lake.  In fact, we decided that this should be a regular activity -- barring sickness or other big commitments, we are going to try and make Sunday morning a weekly woods hike adventure ritual.

Preparing the nests.  We then filled them with mini-eggs, and delivered them around.

Blurry action shot of discovering basket treats

Dividing the egg hunt spoils into four *exactly* even groups.  Right down to colour of egg.

Posing with their new clothes and stuffies

I always worry when Linden is quiet for too long.  But sometimes, this is where I find him.

Linden *needed* to practice with his new yo-yo while hiking around Withrod Lake

We went off the newly gravelled trail to go on a more woodsy adventure... and found an old beaver lodge!

One of the results of the less-travelled trails.  Luckily we got Linden's shoe out of the muck, and his sock was mostly no worse for the wear.

Linden's "bush-whacking" face...

... and his handsome face

Exploring the remains of a dead hawk

Close-up of a pretty girl

Phew.  That was lot of photo-taking for a couple of days.  Today is our last day of vacation.  Right now, Clark is getting a little work done at a café (despite it being a holiday, but whatever), and I'm trying to blog while simultaneously mobilizing the kids to get dressed and ready to head to the mall. Linden, as you may have noticed, really needs new sneakers. See you next week!

Little mimics

There was a time, many years ago, when I might have told you I believed that parenting style had a lot to do with a kid's disposition and personality.  That was, of course, before I had a second kid, and realized that there is much, much more that is actually just... I don't know.  Genetically hardwired, I guess. My kids are VERY different people, despite using the same approach to parenting on both.  It is the old nature vs. nurture argument, of course, and people who are far more knowledgable on the subject than I continue to hypothesize and try to unwrap all the various layers and nuances.

That having been said, there is also a strong case to be made for kids pursuing interests based on observation and mimicry.  The interests that appeal and stick will likely vary on aspects of that predetermined disposition. However, it is a very strong reminder (for me, anyway), to try and live by the golden rule -- treat your kids the way you would want to be treated... and behave in a way that you would like them to behave.  It is a FAR nicer revelation to find your child pursuing your (shared) interests than it is to have them stomp their foot and storm away in almost EXACTLY the same fashion you did the other day when frustrated. Not that I would know from personal experience, of course. *cough*

Today I offer an example of this type of interest mimicry in a form that might start to become a more regular occurrence - Juniper wanting a blog post based on her pictures.  On Saturday, Will brought Eva and Sylvie to Halifax for the afternoon, and the dads (that is, Clark and Will) went on a little hiking adventure with the kids.  Juniper specifically borrowed my little point and shoot (her camera currently has a broken screen), in order to have her photos included in this week's blog post.  And so - here they are!  High time I quit waxing philosophical, anyway, and get out to enjoy this warm, bright sunny day.  My soul could use a little tangible promise that Spring might actually be on its way.  See you next week!

Highly symmetrical group shot

Eva smiling and looking cute...

... and Sylvie doing the same

And Linden... looking like the goof he often is

I think Juniper must have given Eva a turn with the camera for this one!