I"m not joking.  Today's guest blogger really is a mermaid.  You'll see . . . .

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<span style="font-size: large; color: #339966;"><strong>Childhood Play Planted the Seeds of an Outdoor Explorer</strong></span>

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[caption id="attachment_2010" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<img class="size-large wp-image-2010 " alt="Walking the line - on a BIG Cottonwood tree along the Arkansas River" src="http://mtnmermaid.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/me-standing-on-tree.jpg?w=500" width="500" height="666" /> Walking the line - on a BIG Cottonwood tree along the Arkansas River[/caption]

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As a kid exploring outside was a natural - there was the <a href="http://www.business-services.upenn.edu/arboretum/index.shtml" target="_blank">Morris Arboretum</a> to get lost in for the afternoon, the <a href="http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/fortwashington/index.htm" target="_blank">park down the street</a> to explore and rock hop along the creek, and there was <a href="http://www.schuylkillriver.org/Detail.aspx?id=138" target="_blank">Valley Green Park</a> - with the 'bridle path' (more like a dirt road) and all the trails that ventured off from there.

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Exploring outside is a big part of my life today. It wasn't until recently that I made a connection between my childhood play and my adult passion for exploring outside. Playing in the parks as a kid planted the seeds for me to become an outdoor explorer.

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As I wander along the river near my home, scrambling over big old trees or onto huge river rocks, my mind wanders back to the creek at the neighborhood park.

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[caption id="attachment_2011" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<img class="size-large wp-image-2011 " alt="Arkansas River near the 'F' Street bridge" src="http://mtnmermaid.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/river-under-bridge.jpg?w=500" width="500" height="429" /> Arkansas River near the 'F' Street bridge[/caption]



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[caption id="attachment_2013" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2013" alt="feet" src="http://mtnmermaid.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/feet.jpg?w=300" width="300" height="225" /> These feet are made for walkin'[/caption]</td>
<td>As I hike along the trails, and off piste, I remember my childhood games in the Morris Arboretum.</td>
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<td>As I scramble up a rocky hillside I recollect exploring in Valley Green.</td>
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[caption id="attachment_2012" align="alignright" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2012" alt="scrambling" src="http://mtnmermaid.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/scrambling.jpg?w=300" width="300" height="238" /> View after scrambling up (in the Arkansas Hills near Salida, CO)[/caption]</td>
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[caption id="attachment_2014" align="alignleft" width="300"]<a href="http://mtnmermaid.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/whale-rocks-color.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-2014" alt="Colorful found art" src="http://mtnmermaid.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/whale-rocks-color.jpg?w=300" width="300" height="226" /></a> Colorful found art[/caption]</td>
<td>As I inspect colorful rocks the colors of my suburban Philadelphia childhood stomping grounds return.</td>
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Exploring outside is one of my favorite things to do - whether I have a quick lunch hour 30 minutes, or a few hours. It releases my mind from all its to do's and deadlines, gets me moving, and reminds me of how much I love to be outside…just as I did when I was a kid.

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I hope you'll give exploring a try – there's always some place to explore, even in familiar territory. I'd love to hear how it goes.

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xox,

Lisa, aka the mountain mermaid

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<img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-1575" alt="LisaDeYoung" src="http://mtnmermaid.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/lisadeyoung.jpg?w=127" width="127" height="150" />
Lisa, aka <a href="http://mtnmermaid.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">the mountain mermaid</a>, is a creative, independent spirit who loves to explore and play outdoors. She lives in the Colorado Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Embracing her creative life is an ongoing adventure, and a journey that she loves and trusts more each year – and hopes to inspire others to do the same. She is also an <a href="http://lisadeyoung.com/" target="_blank">entrepreneur</a> providing innovative business support, including graphic design services, for passionate creative entrepreneurs.

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