"To the bat cave!"
11/26/04
I’m sitting on a deck that overlooks more than a few miles of valley on the outskirts of Branson Mo. It’s a cool 48 degrees and a full moon hangs overhead veiled in thin clouds that move quickly across its light. Atop one of the distant hills, I can see a 10-15 story observation tower. It's draped in a curtain of lights all the way around, and is putting on a beautiful light show to Christmas music that sounds strangely haunting as it bounces off the hills around me.
Today has been a good day.
The first time a child experiences something new is a truly magical moment. I’m not taking about a new toy or movie, but something that makes the world a little bigger for them. Today my older daughters and I went to the local them park in Branson; Silver Dollar City.
K, Nana and Short Round went shopping.
The girls and I played games, and rode all the rides, but at the end of the day, all the girls wanted to talk about was their visit to Marvel Cave. Not a ride, but a massive natural cave beneath the park. Each day the park has several walking tours through the cave. The starting point is the Cathedral room. This vast area is 20 stories in height, and the circumference of a city block. Ten years ago they set a record by floating five full size hot air balloons in the chamber all at the same time. In all we walked half a mile and descended to over 500 feet below the surface, to the base of a huge underground waterfall. It was truly a world my girls never knew existed.
As a parent it seems I spend so much time getting on to my kids:
“Clean up your room!”
“Finish your homework.”
“Don't put your sister in the dryer!”
But experiences like today are the memories I hope they’ll hold in their hearts and keep with them.
I’m sitting on a deck that overlooks more than a few miles of valley on the outskirts of Branson Mo. It’s a cool 48 degrees and a full moon hangs overhead veiled in thin clouds that move quickly across its light. Atop one of the distant hills, I can see a 10-15 story observation tower. It's draped in a curtain of lights all the way around, and is putting on a beautiful light show to Christmas music that sounds strangely haunting as it bounces off the hills around me.
Today has been a good day.
The first time a child experiences something new is a truly magical moment. I’m not taking about a new toy or movie, but something that makes the world a little bigger for them. Today my older daughters and I went to the local them park in Branson; Silver Dollar City.
K, Nana and Short Round went shopping.
The girls and I played games, and rode all the rides, but at the end of the day, all the girls wanted to talk about was their visit to Marvel Cave. Not a ride, but a massive natural cave beneath the park. Each day the park has several walking tours through the cave. The starting point is the Cathedral room. This vast area is 20 stories in height, and the circumference of a city block. Ten years ago they set a record by floating five full size hot air balloons in the chamber all at the same time. In all we walked half a mile and descended to over 500 feet below the surface, to the base of a huge underground waterfall. It was truly a world my girls never knew existed.
As a parent it seems I spend so much time getting on to my kids:
“Clean up your room!”
“Finish your homework.”
“Don't put your sister in the dryer!”
But experiences like today are the memories I hope they’ll hold in their hearts and keep with them.
posted by Justa Dad at 2:47 PM
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