Make a Wish

While camping with my Dad and step-mom on our second night in New Mexico, we stumbled across the most perfect valley full of aspens and Ponderosa pines. The valley was especially beautiful because this summer has been the wettest on record in New Mexico. There is green everywhere, from bushes and wildflowers in the usually brown foothills to the lush carpet of field grass that cropped up on the floor of the hidden valley. Truly a beautiful time for Ricardo to get to know my home state.

The valley was full of purple asters, mushrooms of every conceivable size and shape, small white daisies and dandelions - both the bright yellow blossoms and the puffballs of their seeds. I asked Ricardo if he knew what to do with a dandelion puff and he said no, that he'd never even seen one before. So we both picked a dandelion and I walked him through the make-a-wish ritual.


We carefully thought abour our wishes, then blew off all the dandelion seeds at the same time while my Dad caught the whole thing on the camera.


I was courteous and blew my seeds down wind, but Ricardo blew his dandelion directly into my face and down the front of my sweatshirt. I was reminded of those sycamore "itch bombs" that we used to crush and put down each other's pants and shirts in elementary and middle school in Albuquerque. Needless to say the rest of the hike was an itchy experience for me, but my wish did come true - the black clouds and thunder in the skies didn't materialize into a downpour before we were safe and dry under the super tarp my dad had rigged back at our campsite.