Hand in Hand

I was able to go on an outing today with my dad, yay! I picked him up at 1:30 and the plan was to drive up the canyon to Brighton for a walk around Silver Lake. Katharine came with us. Katharine was scared on the drive up the canyon, nervous about the steep mountain sides before us I think? Or maybe I was driving to fast on the curves. She whimpered a few times, but soon we were there and were still alive, so we're good! And my dad has an America The Beautiful pass, so I didn't have to pay for parking! Sweet. (I want to get one of those so I can park at trails up the canyon, but I've got a little loathing going on in my heart with the current president, so I'm not getting one until his face is not on it.) We walked along the board walk, stopped to admire the ducks and dragonflies . 

As we continued our walk, I remembered an image that I saw a year or so ago. I told Katharine to go hold grandpa’s hand and I thought we’d try to re-create it. But then I didn’t like the shadows from the handrail on the path

Oh well. I looked ahead at the trail and thought we'd try again when we were in the shade of the mountain. We stopped for a snack. Katharine used a little stone for her chair.

Walked a bit more, then time to stop for water. 

My dad kept going, cause he was a little slower than Kat and I. Kat climbed up on a rock wall - 

And then she'd skip along and quickly catch up to Grandpa. My favorite photo of the day was when were near the end of our walk around the lake. Katharine went and took his hand without my prodding, and we actually captured it perfectly.

I found the image and like even their footsteps are similar to the photo I got.

The only way it could be better was if my dad’s cane was more up and down/straighter. Here we got the cane like that, but now their feet are off and they aren't so shadowy. 

So I was really pleased with the shadow photo of them holding hands and I shared it with my siblings. Go me, we went on an outing with my dad and got a keeper of a photo to remember it by. "We take photos as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone." - KatieThurmes. 

Katharine brought Belle Bear with us, though Belle spent most of the walk in Kat's backpack. So this 1.5 mile walk was my exercise today. It was so nice to be in the mountains and to be with my dad. At the end of our walk, I asked Katharine "Did you and Belle Bear like being up here?" Kat replied "hmm, she hated the drive." haha. As we got back to the car and I buckled her in, Kat was nervous about the drive, but I told her I would go slow, and I did (I gotta be gentle on Corey's brakes cause Burt Bros said he needs them replaced asap). In between dad and my visiting, I would call back and check in with Kat about her stress levels, if she was doing ok. She was. Went in to visit as we dropped off my dad but mom was at the store. Then my older sis in Indiana called dad, and then Abi called us for her p-day, so since dad and I were both talking to other people on the phone, Kat and I said goodbye and see you next week! Cause this is gonna be a weekly outing with my parents.

Abi leaves for Panama tomorrow morning at 5am! Exciting! I got home right as the older kids returned from school, and soon Daniel and Peter were home too. As the return from school dump ended, I was sighing over the kids shoes and backpacks all scattered over the floor, and then laughed cause Belle Bear's shoes were tossed on the floor too right in the mix. Our toys aren't just part of the mess, they are making it too! But it was funny to imagine the stuffed bear get back from our nature walk, sigh, kick off it's shoes, and run off upstairs to play with Katharine. 

We're ready for bed now. I was stretching in my closet (and scrolling youtube) when Lily came in and wanted to check Instagram. Oookkkay. And look - the first post was this one of Ethan and Alvie!

Cute little guy holding hands with his dad. I imagine a little hour glass could be on Alvie that's very top heavy. Ethan's isn't half way emptied, he's just starting life too. 

Take time to hold hands and spend time with those you love!