Instead of taking him home for lunch after school, I drove to his favorite park. It turns out that I was not the only mom with this idea= that place was packed. The climbing structures were crowded and, although he tried to integrate and play, Robby quickly abandoned the jungle gyms and asked to go on an explore.
I wasn't surprised when Robby began leading the way down to the stream. He loves throwing stones and climbing on the giant rocks in his favorite little hideaway, and with the warm temperatures and the absence of bugs, I knew that we were going to be there for several hours. Luckily I was prepared and packed snacks.
I was also happy that I wore my running leg in lieu of my Proprio. Feeling particularly energetic and motivated, I decided to join Robby on his climbing adventures. Walking across rock structures and trying to hop from stone to stone to cross the water is not an easy task for an amputee. I was constantly looking down and verifying my foot placement. To my delight, I only fell into the stream twice!
Drenched from bum to toes and tired from three hours of exploring fun, I was thrilled when Robby wanted to go home. On the way from the stream back to the park, my little guide noticed a path forking off the main trail. Curious, he decided it would be fun to take the path less traveled.
Within one turn we were in the middle of a densely wooded area. Robby was confident that we were in the haunted woods where the dinosaurs roamed. He was utterly convinced that we were the only humans to have walked this path. Thankfully he was oblivious to the used condoms littering the trail. Apparently the "dinosaur woods" is a favorite stomping ground for teenagers.
Steering him away from the used prophylactics on the ground, I tried to indulge Robby's imagination. He chatted about finding a dinosaur bone and how happy his friends would be if he brought one to school. I agreed that it would be super neat, but warned that dinosaur bones are hard to find.
As soon as those words came out of my mouth, Robby stopped. He began to jump up and down and pointed to the ground a few feet off of the path. "Momom, you are not going to believe this. I think that's a dinosaur bone."
Setting in the middle of a pile of leaves was a large, white bone. Robby is certain that he found a leg bone from a baby dinosaur. In reality it is probably from a dog, but I didn't have the heart to burst his bubble.
We brought the treasure home, where it was soaked in bleach for two hours. When it dried Robby, immediately put it in his backpack to show his friends at school tomorrow. I've sent his teacher an email explaining that Robby found a bone and is convinced that it is from a dinosaur. I'm sure that his little friends will be impressed with his discovery, and I'm hoping that nobody bursts his paleontology dreams.
very good tale. when i was a child nearby my native place mommoths bones were found. i remember playing with them. Now they are in the museum. Geo.
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