In yesterday's post I promised photos of our afternoon in Cape Ann. We went to Stage Fort Park in Gloucester. It is located along the northern coast of Massachusetts and is one of the earliest settlements (1623) in our fair state.
Our children are standing on the most prominent geological feature, a large rock sixty feet high and two hundred feet wide. It gives us panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean and the surrounding fishing village.
The waves gently break on smooth stones and trees grow out of the larger boulders above. There are winding trails through the rocks and a wonderful playground at the park near the large rock. Our children loved being in the rocks and woods above the sea. Max found a hollow in an old tree and claimed it as his own.
It was a quiet time there by the sea in winter. No snow on the ground but, cold enough to wear our winter gear. I found a nice piece of pale blue sea glass. I want to come back to this place again. There is something restorative about the sea for me. I love the smooth stones, the dragon art on a huge rock, the sea glass, the trees growing out of rocks and all the winding trails above the sea. Magical. Healing really.
Our children want to return too. I'm hoping the next warm and non-scheduled day to head back. Max can reclaim his tree home. Grant will fight the enemy. Ben and Charlotte will create imaginary scenarios and play them out and I will search for more sea glass and enjoy the solitude together with them.
My dear friend Rhonda introduced me to this wonderful book by Elizabeth Orton Jones called Twig. It is a delightful book. Our four children would beg me to read another chapter each night. Even our 9 year old son enjoyed the story.
Twig is a little girl who lives on the fourth floor of a "high sort of house" in the city. One day Twig finds an empty tomato can and places it upside down in the bare back yard. She thinks it looks like a pretty little house perfect for a fairy. A fairy queen shows up and is wearing a fur around her neck. There is an elf, a couple of sparrows with eggs, ready to hatch, in a nest, Old Boy the ice-wagon horse, Old Girl the cat, Lord Buzzle Cobb-Webb a magician and humans too. The story is full of magic, fun and fantasy interwoven with reality. It is a tender story and encourages imagination.
Elizabeth Orton Jones captured the innocence of childhood in such a precious way in this tender story. I highly recommend it. She wrote and illustrated this book in 1942. Miss Jones was born in 1910 in Highland Park, Illinois. In the early 40's she moved to a house in Mason, New Hampshire. She bought her first house with her first royalty check from this well loved book.
She named her new house Pickity Place. Miss Jones passed away in 2005 at the age of 95. Pickity Place is a charming place. It is still open today with a gift store, cafe and garden.
In the story Twig, the Fairy Queen is wearing a fur. Elf is very interested in this fur and calls to it, "Here Kitty-Kitty". The fur crawls away. It is a fuzzy caterpillar. When Charlotte found a fuzzy caterpillar this week, she was thrilled.
Max named it "Kitty-Kitty". Charlotte made sure her new friend was safely returned to our backyard after I told her, "No, we can't keep Kitty-Kitty".
What are some books you enjoyed reading or having read to you when you were a child?
My mother and sisters read the Laura Ingalls Wilder books to me and when I was old enough, I read them to myself. My siblings also read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings aloud while we took road trips. J R R Tolkien remains one of my favorite authors to this day. I also loved Nancy Drew mysteries in my pre-teen years. If you want to know more about these books or authors, follow the links. Here's another great book for kids and adults ~ The Dragon of Cripple Creek. It is an intelligent read, with adventure, mystery, and moral. You won't be disappointed.
