Imagine Childhood : Magic & Memories That Last a Lifetime

... tell me a story: back in time

 I spy with my little eye a very tiny time machine...

... a pocket sized passport into a time long since past.

... where Brachiosaurus and Triceratops roam freely. Horny Toads or Horned Lizards are one of those creatures that appear to have taken one of the shrinking pills from Alice in Wonderland. This youngster definitely looks more like a dinosaur than the sun loving reptile he actually is.

 But who is to say he's not a mini dinosaur that survived all this time? Or maybe the time machine he used to get to the present shrunk him down so he wouldn't scare us?

Maybe all the Horny Toads out there, including this Papa toad, have time traveling passports just so we don't ever forget how amazing the dinosaurs were? Or maybe they are just fun to catch...

It takes so little to travel up and down, backwards and forwards, near and far. All you need is a little inspiration, and in my case, one very cute little Horny Toad.

Happy trails!

~Jordan

*Last time in Books and Stories: Children of the Forest

... barn stories: ready, set, go!

Iggy has just turned two and is still a stud colt not quite a stallion. He is getting easier to work with now that his hormones are settling down, I think he is going to become quite a gentleman when he grows up.

Rocky is back and they are just starting to get to know each other again. Both are not quite sure they like each other. But one thing they both like to do is run like the wind. Here they are pretending they are not going to run, then all of a sudden one of them will take off.....

... Iggy is more compact and can get a quick start, they both use their shed as a starting gate. Nostrils flaring, a look of determination in the eye, Iggy has one thing on his mind.

Head down the last few strides, going for the finish line, a make believe one, but a finish line just the same. I think Iggy crossed it first by a nose!

Then a reach across to his new friend, possibly saying "do you want to do that again?" My husband came  back from the barn a little later and said Iggy was standing there in the middle of his run sound asleep. One too many races today...

To Iggy and Rocky and to all horses who love to run wild and tame.

~ Deb

*Last time in Barn Stories: Native Garden

 

... knowing green: new adventures

Throughout my whole life the mountains near my family's cabin have been a magical unknown world of wonder, and place for my imagination to run wild. The cabin itself is about an hours drive from the base of the amazing Sangre de Cristo peaks, which makes for spectacular views from the cabin's back door. The woods surrounding the family home provided ample room to run, dream and explore. My imagination would still wander and dream about what it would be like to be in those mountains. In recent years, the imagining turned into  plotting and planning of grand hiking expeditions and climbing in the mountains I hold so dear.

Finally, many years in the making my dreams came true, and happily the real life version was more than my imagination had ever hoped for. 

Towering feats of geologic effort loomed high above my head while wildflowers bloomed along my path...

 ... mountain runoff from three peeks flowed down picturesque waterfalls...

... into two high mountain lakes that reflected the moving clouds above. The world magically shrunk into the swirling energy of the peaks that surround this beautiful valley, and the blissful assortment of botanic life that flourished on the valley floor.

I could feel my heart beat heavily as the summit came into view, each step like moving through a wading pool of molasses, but then there I was, at the top, looking out above mountains that have always held such wonder. Peak after peak leapt up into the sky. The sun beat down upon miniature versions of the wildflowers from the valley below, and I couldn't help but marvel at that the magical place I spent so many years dreaming about. This far off unattainable world, felt just like home.

With abounding gratitude...

~Jordan

*Last time in Nature: After the Rain

... jewels of july

From handmade card games to...

... magic bubble paintings...

... to beautiful bugs...

... treats for well-travelled trails...

... and imagination in every corner.

Welcome July, we're so happy you're here!

Here's wishing you a wonderful holiday weekend!

~ Sarah

P.S. Click Here to see the winner of last week's book giveaway: Children of the Forest!!

*Last time in Crafts and Activities: Cowboy Roll