16/52

"A portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2013."

the 52 project: 16/52.

[52 project participants who inspired me last week: still moving swiftly, picking wild mountain berries, rebekka seale and of course Che and Fidel]

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Ever since first watching the trailer for Project Wild Thing a few months ago, I've wondered what steps I can take to help Gracie fall in love with nature (the free wonder product!). "Forest": the place and all that it represents - a word that I ache to hear spontaneously emerge from the mouth of my 22 month old. Last weekend as we were wrapping up a family dinner at Grandpa's (who lives in the heart of the city), I told Gracie we were going out for a short walk before bed. She responded to the news with "forest?", warming my heart. Into the woods we went (a few days later), to explore, gather rocks and pinecones and wear flowers in our hair. Happily venturing off the beaten path, our Grace is becoming quite the little nature lover.

Asking to have her finds tucked safely into a pocket ("zip it"), deviating from the trail on her own for the first time, smelling as many purple flowers as time would allow, the soft glow of late afternoon sun - these are a few of the things I will remember about this day.

A forest frolic in Pacific Spirit Park, Vancouver, B.C.