Yesterday I was up early with my 4-year old granddaughter and after a pancake breakfast and time with a make shift coloring book, we went on a long, steep hike up to an old mining site behind my cabin. She's a little trooper. Not once did she whine to turn around and go home even after tripping three times with some good slams to the ground. I figure lessons were being learned about how to navigate through a forest full of dead timber with branches sticking out all over the place and the occasional outcropping of rocks. She loves becoming a "mountain girl". I love that she loves it so much.
The place we headed to was where miners had built a “cabin” around their mining shaft to conceal it from other miners. The door in the picture above led to the caved in mining shaft.
My granddaughter felt rewarded for all the steep climing when she found old tin cans and some nails. She promptly made drums out of them. We hauled them back home where her next project was painting her new drum set! An old railroad spike made the perfect drum stick!
I let her mix her own paints to come up with different colors and she discovered, much to her disappointment, that mixing a bunch of colors together turns out a yucky shade of brown. Cheers to hands on learning!
After painting cans for a couple of hours she took a break to feed peanuts to Jasper. I take different opportunities to impart my feelings about animal rights and I've read passages from Jane Goodall's books to her.
I’m introducing insects to my granddaughter as we go on hikes and hoping to stir her curiosity as well as develop her respect for all living creatures. All too often people are fearful and children copy what they see. I want her to look with wonder … not fear ... We saved two house spiders by capturing them in a glass and letting go outside.
The evening ended with a hot bath to soak off all the paint. I turned off the lights and lit candles. She loved the ambiance. I think she would have stayed in the tub for hours if I let her! I introduce the concept of meditation and breathing in moments like that. I use it at bedtime too. She watched All Dogs Go To Heaven and then we read a story about a mommy and her new baby. She went to sleep without another peep. It was a good 4th of July ...
And today, July 5th, is a good day too, even though she had to go home early. We played catch for about an hour. I could see her begin to learn what it means when I would say like a mantra, "keep your eye on the ball." As soon as she actually followed the ball with her eyes, her hands began to grab the ball. It was fun to witness the smile on her face and that twinkle in her eye when she experienced success! Then I let her be my "leader" through the forest and we hiked for about another hour completely off road. She loves navigating up steep embankments! I love watching her work on her balance and persevere. When she reaches the top she beams. Being a grandma is such an amazing experience. I'm more present with her than I was with my own children. I'm more patient. I feel like I see the bigger picture ....
My granddaughter took this of me on July 4, 2010
This is a new bird in the area with a nest of babies in a woodpecker hole that he and his mate have been feeding. The nest is in a nearby tree and I can hear the babies! Check out July 14 blog! I saw the baby bird!
summer of 2009 - her first day fly fishing
"Freedom can't exist without the right to be different."
by Betsy Seeton
Please don't download my photos without my permission. Any commercial use is prohibited. I support educational purposes, but please ask my permission first.I have a lot more photos of these darling animals holding flags. Pictured below is Jasper, a golden mantled ground squirrel, holding the U.S. flag. I have flag photos with Chippy (Jasper's mom) and Albert and Alberta, chipmunks who help Jasper in his campaign for animal rights and welfare. CLICK HERE FOR MORE ANIMAL PHOTOS HOLDING FLAGS. 
Jasper on Flag Patrol - by Betsy Seeton
Photo is for sale as a greeting card, post card, matted print or framed print. Contact Betsy. This is not photoshopped or manipulated. Jasper is really holding the American Flag. He's the new Amabassador for Animal Welfare and Rights. Look for his own blog to begin this week. 
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