On the Trail of Fairies

If you are in the company of a wonderfully imaginative, almost 4 year old, granddaughter, and find yourself in near magical settings anyways, fairies are bound to come to mind.  Well, bound to come to MY mind anyways.  Part of my job at the nature center was to lead birthday parties and thanks to the popularity of Tracey Kane’s books on Fairy Houses and how to build them, they were growing ever more popular.  So here I was, back on the Cape, in the “Seashell cottage” with lovely tupelo’s providing the base tree so OF COURSE we would be building one here.

If ever you are looking for a way to inspire kids to take hikes through the woods, and to play outside, this is the ticket.  They use only natural items, cones, bark, nuts, rocks etc. that they gather while walking and then they do the building.  So easy, so entertaining.  So Elena made a grand one while we were at the Cape, grand in her own eyes at least, and that is the beauty, they build it, they think it is grand. 

Then when we left for Maine, and had to entertain ourselves in the new yard while the movers delivered things, what better thing than to build another here, under the apple tree. 

We took walks daily, often more than one a day to gather something new for the ever- expanding way these houses have.  The yard has raspberry bushes and apple trees, so making “stews” and “soups” for the fairies became a daily pastime.   Again what could be simpler, and her Mom and Dad could keep unpacking.  Each day, a “gift” of a flower would appear and she was delighted.  I loved it, she loved it, an old “sprite” and a new sprite having such a grand time.  We even watched the charming movie  “FairyTale- A True Story” although at her age, I sped through some of the more historical parts.  It’s a sweet, sweet movie and might tempt we more sentimental types to join the ranks of believers.

So sad to leave her, to leave this idyllic setting, but interestingly I didn’t leave the “fairy theme” altogether.  My first stop that night was with a friend from Zoo days who lives in Tenants Harbor across from the island of Monhegan in ME where Tracy Kane saw her first fairy houses which inspired her book series. 

 

  

Next night, I was in New Hampshire with a friend there, a school librarian, who pointed out that Tracy Kane lived nearby.  Amazing.  So should I ever be called on to lead a “Fairy Expedition” this is the route I would take again, Cape Cod to Maine to New Hampshire.  Any takers?

But now I am back in TX, the heat has melted the sparkle off my wings a tad, and how I miss my builder-in-arms.  Growing up is never easy, even when you are in your 60’s!