Treasure hunt

(I wish I had photos for this entry, but the battery in my camera was dead)

Last evening the boys came home to the little red flag on our mailbox standing straight up.  That makes them excited all of itself, because they think the idea of putting the flag up when there is something in the mailbox is so cool.  Unfortunately, our mail carrier sees the practice as outmoded and never usually complies.

Nevertheless, it stood at attention and begged little hands to discover what the black box held inside: a treasure map!  Dotted lines traced a path through a neighbourhood of imaginatively named landmarks such as the Friendly Fowled Forest and the Land of the Doomed Diggers.  The boys went crazy for it.  We packed some water and snacks, and with Colin stretching the scroll out in front of him, squared off at the angle the direction required.

As we made our way down the street, Colin and Caleb read all the markings of the map.  The Haunted Car Hotel gave Caleb pause, a little worried what that might entail considering the treasure was very close to it.  He asked us to pause in the middle of the sidewalk to kneel and pray for protection and peace.

The first landmark we hit was the Big Mountain of Fairy Dust.  The boys ran up the pile of construction dirt and examined every inch.  Caleb proclaimed: "Yes, it appears that this is fairy dirt.  Do you see how fine it is?" (he pinched a bit of dirt, rubbed it between his finger and thumb, and let it float in the air.)  "Yes, if fairies used this dust it would definitely be magic.  It isn't when I hold it because I'm not a fairy, but for fairies, it definitely would be."

Colin's excitement grew with each piece of the puzzle he put together.  He figured out how to turn the map in the direction he was walking, and he figured out what each piece was long before it came in sight.  We finally arrived at the X (our friend's house) and joined them to open the treasure chest and partake in the treasure of cupcakes.

It was a good reminder about how a little imagination can breed so much fun and excitement.  A big thank you to great friends who came up with the idea, rode around town to create the map, and included us in such a great summer memory.