Another Lazy Summer's Day

Today the grandkids and I took off to the park.

The kids road their bikes,

I walked with the 14 year old Yorkie.

We have lots of parks to choose from in our neighborhood.

We hadn't been to this one is quite a while,

but the kids chose this one today because they could ride their bikes to it.

At first they wanted me to go ahead of them because they forgot the way.

We turned the corner at the end of our block and started down the street

when Brenden suddenly remembered how to get to the park.

I was struck by how much they both have grown since we started visiting this particular park.

I used to have to pull Rachel in a wagon,

and help Brenden ride up and down the little hills between my house and the little park

(that's what we call this playground now). 

None of those things happened as we made our way. It was a smooth, quick trip. 

We even brought some bread to toss at a lucky duck or two.

Today, Brenden was even doing pull ups on this bar

all by himself.

We have devised several games while visiting the park.

One of them is timing B as he rides around the grassy area on the cement walkway.

His all time record is a minute and thirty,

give or take a few seconds.

Today, as he raced around on the sidewalk he apparently noticed something different.

"Hey grandma! There is a mystery we need to investigate!"

"A mystery?"

"Yes, there are some weird tracks on the cement over there. Come with me, please?"

Well, if there is a genuine mystery afoot, I am your man, or grandma as the case may be.

Both Rachel and I followed the boy as he led us to the mysterious spot of the sighting.

Sure enough, it was puzzling.

There were several human footprints, in black paint, leading out of the swampy area.

Then they stopped,

and became giant deer prints, still in black paint.

After about six sets of huge prints that look like prehistoric deer hoofs,

 the human foot print suddenly appeared again.

There were many theories posited.

"Maybe it was a horse."

After we discussed the logical explanation that the tracks actually looked like deer hoof prints

and not horse hoof prints at all,

we were, for a moment, stymied.

We noticed the direction where the prints were coming from

then heading to,

so we started searching our brains for other reasons the prints were there.

Suddenly, it all came clear to me.

"Well, I can tell right here is where the swamp creature walked out of the water.

See the nasty swampy water? That's why it is black.

Then, for some weird reason, the shape shifter wanted to become a gigantic deer.

Of course, it felt really weird for the creature to be walking on four hoofed feet 

instead of upright on only two feet.

Or maybe a dog came along and barked at him,

and being scared for his life,

decided to become the swamp creature that he was again 

in order to scare the barking dog away."

"Yeah, I think that is it," the kids chimed in together.

Eyes wide open.

"Well, another mystery solved. Are you ready to head on home now?"

"Sure, but let's keep an eye out for that swamp critter! Okay?"

"Swamp creatures only come out at night. That is why the footprints are black."

Brenden, the oldest replied, "I knew that."

 Of course he did, he knew it all along.