Camp Biltmore Lake

            Austin said his day today was a 9.5 on a scale of “1 to Universal Studios”, my daughter-in-law, Jessica, wrote me in an email the other night after our Arboretum Nature walk. 

            Yesterday, at the dinner table when we were all together Hayden asked, “how was your day today?”

            “Universal Studios,” Austin replied enthusiastically. 

             Ever since Hayden, Jess, and Austin were in Orlando in February and visited Universal Studios and Harry Potter World, this has become the standard for the BEST EVER experience. Being a passionate Harry Potter fan,( having been read six of the books, listened to them all on Audible books, and watched all the movies,)  visiting Universal Studios is Austin's most exciting experience ever…up until now.

  

            Since Austin arrived with his parents in Asheville for a three-week stay from summer in Washington DC, Art and I feel like camp counselors. While giving Hayden and Jessica much needed uninterrupted work time we have been doing activities with Austin.   Evidently our ratings are high so far.  Each evening Art and I spend time thinking about “what shall we do with Austin tomorrow?”  It hasn’t taken long for us and for him to settle into a routine which begins with an outdoor activity in the morning.

             Monday it was a Nature Scavenger Hunt in Spanish along the Biltmore Lake Pink Beds Trail. Shady and cool under the tall trees, we looked for hojas(leaves), mariposas(butterflies), ramas (branches), insectos (insects), hongos(mushrooms), un nido (a nest), and other things on the list while we practised saying the words. Austin is interested critters and plants and his head is full of animal facts. He told me he learned them all from the TV Show The Wild Kratts.  He has statistics and facts about bull frogs, ants, bears …anything he happens to see.  Tuesday was an outing to the North Carolina Arboretum to hike the one-mile Nature Trail looking for any unusual nature sights.  Austin, with his digital camera ready, was intrigued by oddly shaped stumps of trees or roots of trees that had fallen over.  He lined up his shots just as the pros do to get the most artistic photo and snapped away.

Photographing on the Nature Trail

            Wednesday was an excursion to the Biltmore Estate to bike. Entering the estate we saw a long line of stopped cars with people watching a big black bear walking down the edge of the road looking lost. This was Austin's second bear sighting since coming to Asheville just 10 days ago.  Parking at the lagoon Art and Austin rode the paved bike trail. I walked in the shade by the river.  Austin sailed along like a pro and he was amazed when Art told him they had biked five miles each way.  “That’s my longest bike ride,” he announced proudly.  Austin is very competitive especially when it comes to sports or any physical activity.  He cooled off afterwards by the French Broad River which runs along one border of the Estate property.  He was fixated on the strong current that swept everything he threw in it, downstream and out of sight quickly.

Biking at the Biltmore Estate

            Thursday’s activity was swimming in Biltmore Lake. We have to avoid the beach area which is closed because of Covid19 but could get in the water closer to the boat house. I met a friend and her grandson there and both boys paddled around in the water. When Austin’s lips starting to turn blue and we had to get out and warm up. “I’m just like a popsicle,  I’m so cold getting out of the water,” he told me. His metaphors are delightful and his descriptive language more poetic than many adults I have conversations with.

            We were back in the water again till a black cloud appeared and dumped a drenching rain on us. Austin helped grab our towels, bags, and beach toys, and we ran to the car.  He was delighted declaring it was “just another adventure”.  

            Back at home after each of our outings we had indoor time.  Art started an elephant puzzle with Austin.  They both like puzzles but Austin is best at putting a few pieces together, walking away to do something else, then coming back to suddenly find he can do more on the puzzle.  Watching him was like writing my blog posts where I set down my ideas, put my writing away for a day, come back to it, Then I can see the finishing touches easily. How does he know this intuitively at aged 6?  

            We got out the “Little Passports” kit which Austin brought with him and we chose to focus on Japan and do activities on that country.  Austin painted a water color of a bullet train with Mr. Fuji in the background and I read a story about Japanese Macaque Monkeys.  We learned and practiced some Japanese words and set up a museum display.  Grandpa Art pulled out his enormous stamp album to show Austin and gave him some Japanese stamps for his “passport” which he was delighted with. Austin likes geography and learning about other countries.  He has been exposed to the world through Hayden and Jessica’s many international travels and his own family vacation experiences in foreign countries. 

Puzzle doers...

Grandpa's Stamp Collection

            If asked how my summer has been on a scale of 1 to 10.  I’d have to say a 10 because it’s been the longest and most fun visit with Austin. I will miss our conversations full of  “actuallys” or “basicallys”, Austin’s poetic metaphors, and his unexpected but keen observations   While playing outdoors in Black Horse Run in the street he said, “it’s a good thing you guys own a parking lot..”   I like knowing that we are rated right up there with Harry Potter World so they will all be back.