64. GARRETT COUNTY

Garrett County, Maryland

10/1/2010

Unexpectedly we had to make a trip to Maryland for a very tragic reason. One of Laura’s college circle was killed in a car accident and we decided to go to the funeral. Although the purpose of our trip was a sad one, along our route were two of the “Places”, which we briefly stopped at to break up the 14-hour round trip.

Right at the Pennsylvania-Maryland border is Garrett County – idyllic countryside centered around Deep Creek Lake. After four and a half hours the four of us were glad to stretch our legs at the beachfront at Deep Creek Lake State Park. Being October it was slightly chilly, but still quite comfortable. Nevertheless the beach was completely abandoned that evening, so we had the whole park to ourselves.

Philip – his usual casual self – enjoyed lying in the sand, cooing, smiling and kicking his feet around. He left behind a nice Philip-shaped crevice in the sand, defended by a wall of sand he had built up by his rigorous kicking.

Daniel immediately tried to climb on the jagged rocks and jump into the lake. That’s because Mommy was setting a bad example.

Actually, Daniel invented a game. While playing with the sand he discovered for the first time that he could clump it together. Not soon after, he discovered he could toss it on me. This is where Daddy set the bad example. I tossed some back. From then on it was war. In between volleys, Daniel would rush over to hug me, giggling all the way.

This was a powerful moment for me. Although Daniel and I play all the time, this was different somehow. Although I know he loves his parents, during play he does sometimes treat me as a “toy.” Like all babies, he sees himself as the center of the world. For the first time I sensed he was starting to see me as a human being like him – he was getting enjoyment out of my enjoyment. Instead of him playing with me, I felt like we were finally playing together.

This was a sad weekend, but I’m glad we stopped to play.