From the Editor: Being a Kid Again

What are some of your earliest memories of experiencing the great outdoors – nature, wildlife, cabins? Putting together each issue of this magazine, I sometimes come across a story that takes me back a handful of decades to my childhood. Two such stories in this issue are “Must … Go … Boating” (p. 24) and “Create Your Family’s Garden Memories” (p. 26).
    The little boy in the boating story reminds me of how I adored boat rides in my grandpa’s runabout when I was a young kid. As we slowly idled through the narrows and the channels between lakes, I liked to drag my index and middle fingers through the water as if my hand was waterskiing.
    And the garden story? It reminds me of my grandparents’ vegetable garden and raspberry patch. My grandparents taught me how to gently pull the berry from its white center core and stem without breaking the tender branch. And they taught me that a carrot tastes best when you pick it, wash it off with the garden hose, and pop it in your mouth. “A little dirt never hurt anyone,” Grandpa liked to say.
    Besides reading stories like these, another way to recapture your youth is to spend time with kids at the cabin. A few years ago, my nephews Quinn and Max were visiting us. Of all the things we did, what did Quinn and Max enjoy the most? Not fishing, not boating, not making s’mores. The most fun they had that weekend was catching frogs in the nearby pond, in the tall grasses, and in the egress window wells. Hmm, reminds me of a kid I used to be.
    Here’s to reliving youth.