Childhood Escapes

The abandoned vacant lot next to our backyard was my favorite place to play when I was a child. A carpet of yellow, purple and white wild flowers along with the tall and short dark green grasses covered the entire lot. I would always pick several flowers and take them home with me. Hundreds of small, yellow butterflies were flying freely from one flower to another. Whenever I would catch one, I would place it in the bottle and I watch it with fascination. But, my greatest enjoyment came from chasing high-hopping, fast-flying grasshoppers. No matter how fast I ran, my short legs never could catch them. This is made catching them a great challenge. The abandoned lot was full of excitement and wonder. This is where I spent most of my time when I was a child.