Generations

I took this photograph of Kemper and my mom as we walked  back to the upper cabin from a mid-morning hike on the property.  The morning has been gray and drizzling and cool, but once the sun broke through the low-hanging clouds, the day brightened significantly.  Kemper, like I did when I was his age, hates walking for the sake of walking, and so we necessarily have to make it an adventure for him so that he comes along willingly.  Once he is out in nature, his wonder takes over, and the complaining ceases almost immediately.

My mother, who instigates most of the walking in our family, dragged Kemper away from the Christmas trains with the promise of large black salamanders in the pond.  She delivered on her promise, and Kemper was too enraptured jumping on the stones that lined the pond and coaxing the amphibians from hiding to notice that he had walked a half mile to reach his destination.  The promise of lunch made the return trip to the cabin just as painless.

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