Nephew, Great Nephew

Here's my nephew, Mark Cooper. He has three kids: Harris, Madison, and Nolan. Mark has to be just about the greatest dad in all the world. It's uncanny what a great father he is. Recently, on a camping trip, we took my canoe to the head of a lake where there's a waterfall (that was used in a scene in Mann's LAST OF THE MOHICANS).

When we got to the waterfall (Hooker Falls) we decided to all go swimming in the plunge pool there. The pool at the base of the falls is pretty deep--ten feet or so at the deepest points. Which was great for swimming. Other people arrived down a hiking trail to also enjoy the waterfall and swimming hole.


After a while, I noticed that Nolan was shivering. The water seemed to be a bit too cold for him, despite the warm temperatures of the day, and despite the fact that he was having a great time. So I told Mark that Nolan was getting cold. At that point, Mark dried Nolan off and swaddled him in a huge beach towel and tucked him in the front of the canoe. I figured that was quite a photo and got a nice shot of Nolan sitting safe and warm in the canoe with his dad:


Here's to sweet children and great dads like my nephew, Mark. I hope every kid should have a father like Mark.