Blue River of the North

I used to spend hours and hours in the woods when I was a kid. Practically whole days. And autumn was hands down the best time there: the river is down inside her banks, it's just cool enough to get rid of mosquitoes, not too muddy, and leaves and critters and dappled sunlight all made it feel like home to me. So I brought my daughter to a nearby park yesterday. Here she is drinking her after-school milk. In the woods. By the river. In the dappled sunlight.
Though she hasn't been fighting the name of this river much lately like she used to, she did insist it was blue yesterday. She pointed up the river and she was right: the sky was reflecting just so.
One thing I love about V is she isn't scared of bugs yet. "Oh, there's a bug, Mama."
"Ooh, hold still, honey. Let me take a picture."
"Okay." And she did. Shaun would've been squealing like ... something squealie. I was gonna say "a little girl," but V IS a little girl, and she obviously doesn't squeal like that.

The she climbed a rock, slid down it, and we went home. It was a fabulous day.