First Fathers Day

My first Fathers Day as a father has been a happy one! We had pancakes and bacon for brunch and spent a little time in the yard this morning, watering the plants in their various stages of flower and fruit. Summer gave me a grill and grill accessories so I can begin cultivating one of the most glorious and exalted of the paternal arts. And some gifts found their way to Madeline, too; she liked them.

We did a bit of investing in our local economy before undertaking my requested Fathers Day hike. First I got myself/Madeline a couple of toys in honor of the occasion (you'll see one later in the post). Then we got ourselves/Madeline a super-cheap kiddie pool and swim diapers for hot summer days. Next came the mid-afternoon meal that becomes necessary after an intermediately timed brunch. Parked between us at the table, Madeline spent her time looking back and forth at each of us, her smile growing bigger and warmer with each turn of her head.

And then it was hike time at Parker Woodland Wildlife Refuge. We'd only visited Parker Woodland once before, and that time an unexpected thunderstorm's onset drove us off the trail early. But there are neat things on the site, like an old farmhouse foundation, abandoned quarries, and mysterious cairns, so it deserves much more exploration.

Parker Woodland is one of the more densely vegetated Audubon sites in Rhode Island, so Madeline had a lot to look at.

I tried to introduce her to some interesting things like a sassafras sapling and this pine cone.

She seemed a bit overwhelmed, but in an absorbing way and not a fussy one.

Of course, we interrupted the nature appreciation to pose for a group picture, and by a historic stone wall to boot!

Turning back to the path: where the trees were sparsest and the earth very damp, the ferny ground cover was lush and green.

Madeline seemed especially interested in the path's swampiest parts.

To keep little Madeline absorbingly rather than fussily overwhelmed, we went only as far as the first large cluster of cairns. We parked ourselves on a split rock and enjoyed the scenery.

Madeline especially enjoyed this part.

On the return trip, Madeline kept looking warily from side to side as if she thought something might spring out of the woods and eat her. Maybe she was right to be nervous -- look carefully back at the picture with the information board and see the word "COYOTE" emphasized (and labelled "captivating") just above Summer. But the most interesting creature we saw was a chipmunk, and the largest a squirrel.

Madeline was happy to be back at the parking lot and away from the scary potential coyotes.

We didn't take off right away. There was a feeding and a diaper change, and then Madeline showed great interest in the Corolla's steering wheel. Not for a few more years, I hope...

The trip home was quicker than expected, and Madeline played with one of her Fathers Day toys on the futon as we set up paternal/grandpaternal video calls.

And so passed my first Fathers Day as a father -- a happy one. Tomorrow we visit Madeline's daycare, and she gets both a checkup and shots. Yikes!