Exploration # 6
Collect objects that relate to your childhood or inspire memories. Write a brief story to accompany each object.
Alternate: Re-create objects from your childhood using found objects or readily available materials. You may choose to re-create your childhood room on a miniature scale using found materials.
My first one is a house of books. To re-create, I used hardback covered books in my possession. As a child, I used to make this all the time out of children's books, including those by Dr. Seuss. My brother and I would play pretend, and the subjects entering the multiple "houses" (with secret passageways and many rooms), comprised of Barbies, army men and farm animals, lol.
Another thing my brother and I would do while indoors is create our respective forts, made up of bedsheets and surrounding furniture. While inside, we were transported to other times and places. Sometimes we'd take turns visiting each other's forts to chat about fanciful kid stuff. :)
For as long as I can remember, I've been an animal lover -- especially, a dog lover. This is Novie, our second family dog. Our first one, Blackie kept escaping from under our yard's surrounding chainlink fence. His last escape was the last time we saw him. I think it's because my parents were too tired of retrieving him from the pound. My family considered Novie my dog because whenever I was around, he would stay by my side and bark at my other family members. He disappeared one day, as we noticed our yard gate was open ... similar with what happened to my last dog, Shadow ...
Seeing the chainlink fence (Novie is biting) also reminded me of I how would habitually climb those fences, walking across them, as if walking on tightrope. I had soooo much fun doing that.
The last picture is one of mollusk shells, collected from my backyard. They were left, compliments of my backyard friends (Green Herons and Limpkins), who pull the mollusks from the pond/lake and dine on them on the grass -- The action of pulling stuff from the pond brought back memories of me and my relatives hanging out near ponds and ditches, collecting tadpoles, minnows and small critters resembling crawdaddies ... I'm also reminded of the time I lost my balance and toppled in.
Lastly, it also reminds me of how bucketfuls of oysters were brought to our house for our family and relatives to feast on. It's where my love for raw oysters originated. As it takes time to shuck them, my impatience would have me attempting to shuck them myself but my dad never allowed me, fearing I'd cut myself.
Speaking of impatience, my impatience is having me wish I were nearly done with all my explorations, and sighing a breath of relief that I'm one step closer, lol ... ;)
