Walkabout on Wheels

Our new place, Kan-do Kampground, is very nice. I wonder about the Ks though. Why not Cs? Eh, whatever. The owners are great. They waited up for us when we called and told them we would arrive after 9 pm. But of course, we are leaving tomorrow, after two nights. The WiFi service here is a bit sketchy, and we need it for various things. I need it to download TV shows, Brian needs it to check world happenings, Ian needs it for schoolwork and the new webpage he is designing (www.reachingtruth.com), and Zorah needs it for her games. Here they are accessing the sketchy WiFi. The family that computes together stays together?

I tried to get everyone to the Graham Cave State Park, which is a mile away from our campground. I managed to get them there in the truck, but what did they have 50 feet before the scenic trails leading to the cave? A gosh darned playground! Why did the park people DO that? Are they trying not to have little kids or their parents walk the trails and see the natural landmarks that make traveling cross country interesting? I mean, gimme a break! I see and have to participate at playgrounds at these parks we go to. I could already puke from playground activities. And now, when I finally manage to trick my family into going to a state park, we have to go to another f***ing playground. I swear, I could have torn my hair out. I still had to take another Z playground photo, however.

After being there about 15 minutes, I convinced Zorah to go up a trail. Ian and Brian followed, complaining about their footwear. “I didn’t know we’d be hiking,” they said. Well, do you even have hiking boots? Whatever! I am in my Wal-Mart cheap knockoff Birkenstocks! So I had five minutes on a trail. And even those five minutes were great. I followed Z up a path where tree roots often served as stairs. It was a little rocky, but not too bad, just enough to keep it interesting. When she started getting a little tired of hiking, I said I thought I saw something up the path. I really did. Some sort of big rock. Brian, who obviously didn’t want to continue, said all he saw was trees, so Z turned around to head – where else?! The playground!!! AAAAAAAHHHH!!!!

How the hell am I supposed to get really enthusiastic about this trip and how the hell am I supposed to see the g******ed country? I suppose I should change the title of this blog to “Playgrounds and Supermarkets Across America” or “America’s Playgrounds and Markets”. Sigh. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Count to ten.

On a more positive note, Zorah and I went swimming today. The pool here is large, wide, and shallow. So we had a lot of fun just running around in the wading area, occasionally swimming out to the deep end. I pretended she was a shark for a bit, and she chased me around the pool. I guess she grabbed my behind when she caught me. Her nails were sharp, so I screamed and laughed. The element of surprise at work. Then we played “Princess” which entails either she or I being a princess needing to be rescued from a dragon or giant. When she was the villain, I saved myself, because princesses shouldn’t need to be rescued all the time. Then we played “Sleeping Beauty”. I floated on my back in the shallow end and closed my eyes, and she splashed me! “Hey!” I said. “Why’d you splash me?”

“Because I’m the prince, and I needed to wake you up!” she said, matter-of-factly. I laughed. Next time she woke me with a kiss on the cheek.

Now, I suppose it could be argued that playing princesses and fairy tales could give little girls the wrong image of a woman’s role in this world. I say that if we are playing and pretending, and inserting some practical considerations into these silly stories, and using our imagination, there is no true harm in it. Even though I am tired of seeing countless pools and playgrounds, I never tire of seeing her smile, hearing her laugh, and watching her grow, both physically and mentally. I can honestly say, and I told her as much, that she is my favorite person in this entire world besides myself, and maybe even more than me. That is why we don’t go to caves, and go to playgrounds and pools instead.

When we were driving back from dinner the day before the rafting trip, Zorah told Ian she pooped in her panties. When he asked her if she were serious, she said: “No, that was a joke.” Then, after a dramatic pause: “But not a funny one.” We all laughed at that. Then she said: “Here’s a funny one! How do trees fall?” We all thought about it for a little while, and then she gave us her answer: “By themselves!” I think that’s pretty good for an almost-four-year-old.

These moments are what make this trip worthwhile. I don’t always see it that way, and she is certainly not an angel all the time, but wow, you know?

# posted by Rissa and Zorah @ 12:11 AM