Getting the Old Folks Out

One of the best things about geocaching is that we spend a lot of time with my parents.  It's a great way to get them out of the house and moving around.  Believe it or not, my Dad is going to be 80 years old next month and my mom is in her late 70's.  I have to say they are in pretty good shape.

Most of the time we'll try to pick one day a week, choose 10-20 geocaches in an area and head out.  Dad buys us breakfast and we supply the car and gasoline.  Sometimes we'll call them up after dinner when I know my dad is all settled in his easy chair, reading the paper and watching television.  He'll pick up the phone and yell "No speaky English!"  We just laugh  and say we're heading out to grab 5 caches and ask if they'd like to come along?  My mom will always toss her crocheting on the floor and grab her caching bag.  The other night I e-mailed her a list of 10 geocaches, said we'd be over in 20 minutes and if anyone wanted to go they should be standing out at the curb.  They were!

Mom and Dad's caching name is Papanonny and everyone in our area knows who they are.  I really think they are the oldest cachers in the Chicago area.  They're very active in general as it is, but geocaching really gets them out and about in nature, even more so than they usually are.   Let's take a look at some of their geocaching antics....

Here they are discussing which end of the bridge was north.   This helps with their directional observations.

Dad then gamely got down on his hands and knees and crawled around in the dirt.  Some guys never grow up.

Here dad is teaching us the proper way to count off paces in order to determine where the cache is hidden.  This shows his teaching and counting abilities.

 Here they are defying haunted locations in order to score a cache...

 

 

 

They still like to have sex in the woods.  Ok, I'm just kidding about that, but I couldn't resist. LOL!

 

 

They enjoy playing with children's toys...

 

And poking things with a stick....

 

 Geocaching encourages them to stretch and reach new heights....

 

It also makes them think outside the box and look at everyday objects in new ways....

 

They visit historic locations and learn new facts about our country's history....

 

 

They meet and make new friends....

Mom keeps up with her accounting skills...

 

Dad still likes to play with rocks....

 



 

...and pretend he's a river boat Captain!

 

 

Mom keeps her sleuthing skills sharp....

 

 

 

 

And dad still enjoys climbing trees. (that's where I got that habit from!)

 

 

They like playing in the sand....

 

 

 

And most of all they enjoy reaching new milestones!

 

 

We enjoy spending time with them and visiting new locations.  Geocaching is a great way to encourage your parents to get out and play!