Walking in Savannah

Dear Little One:

You fix on the tree tops and  sky with your far-off gaze, you're  swaddled close and tight: hot bodies walk under dark green leaves. You smash your nose against me.

My legs are getting stronger from all this walking. We circle blocks and allys. I flex my back muscles too as I hold the weight of you in swathes of stretchy pink jersey.


I wear athletic shoes, and while you napped I squatted a few times to stretch. Plump children need a strong mother.  

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I've never worn the shoes that are supposed to recreate the muscle action of walking on sand. I'd like to find them cheaper than a cnote though. Or relocate to sand.

This is baby carrier/sling I use. Mostly in the "kangeroo" hold. It's a dreamy spot for a newborn.

Wild child

I like Anne Hart's blog: SouthernMamas.com. She always has the scoop on things to do in Savannah for families, and lots of other relevant content for moms. For example this post: Skidaway Island outdoor activities listed for this week.

Thanks, Anne, we're overdue for a trip to a state park - great listing!

I'm jump at an excuse to go in the woods, long ago realizing that city kids need their nature-time scheduled. Though it does feels odd to me, the same way playdates felt like an awkward way to socialize. But here in Savannah, we have no kid neighbors or cousins, and all our friends with children live in far-off areas of town. So we schedule free time for running around and playing pretend. And we schedule for trees and dirt.

Luckily, Savannah is tucked between a lot of wild environments. The beach landscape is a festival for the senses no matter how many times you experience it. And the marshy forests that bridge the barrier islands are dramatic and fertile. Skidway Island State Park has a trail we love to trek for our dose of moss-draped palms, muddy crab homes and a cycle of blooming brush.

It's too hot for the newborn and her milk supply to attend the events this weekend;  but a springy, muscle-growing five-year-old is soon going to spend his days in a kindergarden classroom, now is the perfect time for a wilderness visit with dad.

Related:  Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder   if you're not already inspired to make sure kids you know get their regular diet of nature, this book will remind you of the importance of spending time under the trees.

Walking in Savannah in the very early spring

Futuraligist Ray Kurzweil says:

"The first step [to living decades longer than your regular life expectancy] involves adopting a good enough diet and exercise regime to live long enough for biotechnology to unravel the ageing process and for nanotechnology to be capable of slowing it down and ultimately reversing it"

I had already gone on my morning walk and eaten raw food when I read this.

Inhaled a lot of asphalt and diesel too.