In contrast to my last post, this time I am reflecting on a day in the country with one of my daughters.
As an aside, it was an amazing experience to travel, even for a couple of days with just one of my daughters. The dynamic between her and I was profoundly different than when both of my twin daughters are with me.
The first thing that was a marvel to my daughter was the wildlife we saw. It is pretty cool for a city kid to get so close to wildlife.
Of course the entire cabin experience was also really cool for her. She loves to go out for “hikes”. The reality is we just go for walks around the area. She loves it and sings about “a hiking we will go, a hiking we will go…” Good times.
As well as hiking, we also love our Lego time. When my daughters are together they feed off each other’s energy and have a tough time concentrating on things like Lego. Having just one of my daughters with me was so different!
She was focussed on the Lego and keenly followed the instructions. Of course when she did get stuck I was there to assist.
Of course no road trip is complete without food. Roasted cauliflower steaks, pork loins from my friends at Meat Craft Urban Butchery, and oven roasted potatoes and mushrooms was dinner one night.
A funny note about the trip – daughter was excited about going on the trip with me for ten days leading up to the day of departure. Then on the day of departure she got a little sombre about being away from her sister, and then after we left she cried for the first 45 minutes. After stopping for dinner at 293 Wallace Street Restaurant in Hope, she settled in and admitted that she was actually having a really good time.
The fact that we arrived at the cabin at 10:30 at night, an hour she has never been awake until previously, and sitting outside with me watching the clouds move across a bright moon-lit sky while eating potato chips at midnight – it all made for a magical experience for her.
As we were driving home, I asked her what part of our trip to the cabin she liked best. Her reply, “sleeping in a sleeping bag” because she had never done that before.
You’ve got to love a kid’s perspective.