Wednesday, August 07, 2013

The Summer of Two

My son turned 2 years old in the middle of June, and he came down with signs of "hand, foot, and mouth disease" the day before. It's sort of like chicken pox in that it's just a virus that has to run it's course, and you usually only catch it once in your life. It affects (big surprise) your hands, feet, and inside your mouth with small sore blisters. Henry didn't want me taking many photos of him when he felt his worst, but here's a shot I grabbed of his feet from under his highchair a few days into his ordeal:



Fast-forward a few days... Henry's feeling much better, but he's still contagious. So he can't play with the neighbor girls across the street, we can't go "burn off some steam" playing with other kids at the Y while I workout, and we can't even go to a public park for fear of infecting someone else.

What to do?

I thought I'd take Henry to more secluded areas where he would still be interested in his surroundings and be able to run and play. So we headed for the Mississippi River.

(Click any images to enlarge it in a new window.)


First trip to the water's edge.


Studying a fuzzy caterpillar.


Kaposia Landing.


Running in South St. Paul.


Spotting airplanes.


Watching barges.


Damp shadows.


Reacting to low-flying military helicopters.


Washed-out roots.


Pedestrian bridge.


"Come get meeeee..."


Pee-a-boo bench.


Running through Grandpa's bean field on a windy evening.


Visiting Great-Grandpa.


Reflections.


Deep into Mississippi Gorge Park.


Rest break.


Hidden Falls.


Stone staircase.


Wet shoes and pant cuffs.


Behind Shadow Falls.


Washing the mud off his shoes.


Looking from St. Paul towards Minneapolis.

I don't know if this will officially turn into a project or not. It could morph into a project about all people who spend time in / around the Mississippi River. It could be about little-known areas like these in the heart of the Metro area. It could really turn into anything at this point.

Or it could just remain about Henry's adventures with me over the summer. For now, I'll call it "The Summer of Two" referencing 2 things: Henry just turned 2 when this started, and it's all of the adventures with just the 2 of us.

For now, I'll take any feedback or thoughts you have. Thanks!

3 comments:

  1. Steve,

    This is great!!! Keep this up and take many more pictures of Henry enjoying the wonders of nature and the comfort of solitude in our busy world. All of your photos should be put together in an album that you can give to the grandparents OR, better yet, save and give them to Henry when he graduates from school.

    I am so lucky to have many of the pictures that my dad, a professional photographer, took of me as a child and to be able to look through his eyes and see what he saw in me.

    Keep the project going!

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  2. I love these. I love how it tells many stories. The photos by the water are especially beautiful. This series shows such a realness of everyday life with a toddler.


    Monica

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  3. Sweet pictures and great views of the river. Our guys are 4 and 6 this summer and we spend a lot of time on the river doing similar things.

    Check out North Mississippi Park if you haven't already -- great prairieland and river access!

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Any feedback or thoughts will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!