This morning the whole family took a walk at Edwin Warner Park, one of my favorite places to go with the stroller. Oliver walked almost the whole way, and Emmeline did a bit of jogging alongside the stroller, too. Zola fussed, then played with a leaf, then napped for a bit. All of us went down to the creek at the end of the walk to throw rocks (which the other dogs then tried to find in the water) and let Lucy get a nice long drink.
About midway through our walk we heard the sounds of a nearby train. There are tracks on the others side of the main entrance from the park, which the kids have often commented on, so we knew where the train was. We were just walking down into a curve on the path, and Wes asked Oliver if the train was going to come around the corner and run into us. I kind of giggled, but at the same time, Oliver got really nervous and moved over near me on the side of the path, looking anxiously to see if the train would come. Wes and I both quickly asked how we would know if the train were coming, but then sensing his anxiety, assured him it wasn't. Once Oliver realized there were no tracks -- and that the train would need tracks to come our way -- he calmed down and started to understand why he need not worry.
I've been reminded several times recently that as smart as Oliver is, he's still a little boy and cannot always tell reality from fiction. He and Wes and Grandma Kay were talking last night about their favorite Star Wars moving in the original trilogy. Oliver always wants to watch Star Wars itself, and last night -- on the verge of tears -- he told us that he doesn't like The Empire Strikes Back because Darth Vader chops Luke's hand off. Poor kid. I remember having nightmares about the Emperor myself.
