Are Child's Eyes Made of Plastic?
By Paul Lavallee
16 May 2008
Two important events in my life happened in 1971, the Enchanted Forest children's amusement park opened in Hope Valley and, coincidentally, I was born. My parents drove me to this woodland wonderland a few times every summer of my youth to ride the rides and enjoy a fun family outing. When you are a young Rhode Islander, and live in a state that is only 37 miles across, a 25 mile ride is an all day excursion!
I enjoyed the simple fairy tale inspired rides, the bright colors, the sweet cotton candy, and most of all driving the little trucks on tracks with my brother and our cousins. It was a wide-eyed adventure and I will always remember those summer days.
When my first daughter was born, I took her to this small park also. She loved the rides and the mini-golf, but in my eyes it wasn't the same place. It's funny how things look different though a child's eyes than an adults. It didn't look like a magical place anymore. It looked faded, run down, and falling apart. Nevertheless, I got my enjoyment of the park through her young eyes.
Two years after the park closed, I went back to it to see if I could capture through the lens of my plastic cameras what my adult eye could no longer see on its own. Could my mind be fooled by the lens of Holgas, Dianas, and Clacks? Can I visually simulate the way the park appeared in my minds eye?
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