*Please Note*
As of July 2015 many photos have been intentionally removed.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Like Father.......?

Aiden has taken to watching countless episodes of Man Vs Wild. By and large, this has become something his mom and I are comfortable with and to some level, we encourage it. No matter how much human urine is consumed, or how many raw goats testicles are eaten, this show has many great lessons to impart.
With the exception of AJ wandering about the house in search of tinder to start a fire in the living room and setting random snares in the bathroom, there has been little downside to his obsession with this show.
With the weather warming up, Aiden has seen fit to take his new skills outdoors.
Enter....the hole.
This multi-functioning hole now graces our backyard, just off the deck, so if you come over, watch your step.(Note the Aiden sized shovel)
AJ has demonstrated how this hole can serve many survival purposes:
A shelter from the wind
A snare (that's snare, not trap) to catch dinner
A means to get to clean water either by digging deep enough, or by catching rainwater.
Evan seems concerned that the size of the hole could spell trouble for someone of his particular stature.

**********Now, Rewind about 30 years***********
(click on photo for better view)
The house on the right is where I lived when I was Aiden's age.
Small as any house can be, my brother and I shared bunk beds in a walk in closet for more than a few years. I would also like to point out, while we lived here there was no spray painting on the fence, and no car on the lawn. There was a bathtub, but that's another story I suppose.
What you cannot see from this photo are the narrow spaces on either side of the house. One side was straight up dirt, the other was patio brick. My entertainment of choice for these formidable years was Indiana Jones And The Raiders Of The Lost Ark.   To that end, I became fascinated with all things booby-trap. Not a soul alive had any hopes of approaching us from either side of this house. From trip wires, to holes with broken glass at the bottom, to gravity snares, I set traps every few feet all the way around the perimeter.
When people have asked me why I am not upset at what Aiden has created in our yard, I think back to a house on Sweetwater Ave. and all the fun his dad had there.

2 comments:

Barbara said...

The good old days and the good new days. It's all good!!!

Mother said...

I still have the "screen cross" you made in the basement all by yourself. The screen represented the sins of the world, as you explained to me. I still can't believe you did that yourself!!! How old were you? I am thinking 4 but that's impossible!!!!