Reason to Celebrate ~ Nature

National Nature Photography Day

GoodGrandma℠ loves Mother Nature! Especially the trees! Today is National Nature Photography Day and it is Reason to Celebrate! Sharing with the grandkids my love of nature is something very important to me. Papa Rich took me to see the trees! We went to Muir Woods National Monument where see saw tall Sequoia trees. We also went to Sequoia and Kings Canyon where we visited General Sherman, the largest living tree.

The General Sherman Tree is the world’s largest tree, measured by volume. It stands 275 feet (83 m) tall, and is over 36 feet (11 m) in diameter at the base. Sequoia trunks remain wide high up. Sixty feet above the base, the Sherman Tree is 17.5 feet (5.3 m) in diameter.

National Park Service

In addition to my love for trees, I love the formation of rocks. They are fascinating! There are several photos of rocks on my phone. I believe my daughter, Paige, inherited my love for rocks. One of her favorite classes, while attending college, was Geology Rocks.

Daughter, Madison, also has a special place in her heart for rocks. Long story short, Grandpa Bob and Madison have an on-going joke in sharing rocks with one another. It all started when Grandpa simply gave Madison a rock while on a walk and said, “Don’t say I never gave you nothing.” Madison kept the rock for awhile and then sent it back to Grandpa Bob with a stuffed ant “Dot” from Disney’s A Bugs Life (see movie for explanation). Grandpa then sent the rock back to Madison, mounted inside a small box with a plaque that read, “Madison ROCKS!”

You get the IDEA! This went on for years. In the end, Madison wrote a college paper about this experience, which brought tears to my eyes. Grandpa Bob visited the Rock of Gibraltar and while there found a small rock to bring back for Madison. The rock now hangs in a shadow box in her home.

Nana Jan, Papa Rich’s late wife, absolutely loved the blue sky and the blue ocean, as well as the contrast of the blue with white; the clouds or snow. Our grandchildren know how much she loved these colors in the world around us. They remember their Nana Jan from the beauty around them. They feel a closeness to her when they see blue and white in nature.

My hope in sharing my love of nature with our grandchildren is that when I am no longer with them, they too will remember me when they see magnificent trees, the leaves on a Quaking Aspen, the formation of rocks, and the colors of lush green and earthy brown, and feel a closeness to me. Side note: In regards to flowers, Nana Jan loved Forget Me Nots and Grandma Colleen loves Tulips.

What do you love about nature? Do you share this love with your grandchildren? Where are places you have visited to see the beauty of the earth?

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