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!