Dear Sylvan,
As you and I sat on the shore of Crescent Lake, soaking in the morning sunshine, Diamond Peak dominated much of the horizon in front of us. “When I was up here four weeks ago, there was so much snow on that mountain,†I told you. The snow had reached in unbroken slopes from the summit ridge to treeline. “There is still so much snow up there,†you countered. I said I might climb Diamond Peak next weekend. You looked up at the mountain. “I want to go with you.â€
I smiled. I do want to hike and explore with you; I want you to climb big mountains with me in ten years. Honestly, though, I’ve avoided hiking with you in the past couple of years. Preschool whininess has defeated me, I’m sad to say. But you and I hiked the trail alongside Crescent Lake last weekend, following far behind Grandma Diana with Elena on her back. You displayed curiosity, wonder, and pure joy. You, the Toadmaster, found FIVE toads, three in one little tunnel-burrow (or barrow, as you say). You bounded up the mountain bike jump and soared off it. You told Grandma Diana, Elena, and me a story on the way back about the driller bug dinosaur, the fossil of which was right in front of us on the trail. You described its eating habits and that the holes in it (this upturned, silvery stump – shh!) were how it had been born.
You’re becoming interested in dinosaurs, more as a concept than a category. That they’re extinct gives you something to think about. How long ago were they here? How can you put 265 million years ago into context when you’re not even four? I’ve given in twice now and let you watch Barney on Netflix as I put Elena to sleep. You liked it, which I just can’t understand, but what you said to me was, “Barney’s a dinosaur, but he’s around at the same time as people.â€
You, Elena, and I traveled to New York last month to attend a couple of family reunions and visit Gramma Mia and Grampa Dick. I needed you to be a big boy, a good traveler, and you didn’t disappoint. You traveled like you’d been flying since you were four months old. Okay, you have been. In fact, when we went to the mall, the Galleria in Poughkeepsie, you asked if we were at the airport. We must be doing something right if you recognize an airport but not a mall.
Love,
Mommy
