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04/17/2003: "Eggstra Special"

Who says Easter Egg Hunts are for kids? I recently read a lament about how Easter Egg Hunts are for kids only and someone should create an Easter Egg Hunt for adults. Heck, we’ve been doing it for years.

In our combined family, everyone hunts eggs--kids, adults, teens, cats, dogs. No exceptions. This year the hunt is at Mel's older sister’s house. It's a great yard for hiding eggs--it backs up to a creek and there are lots of nooks, crannies, rocks, and knickknacks to hide things in, around, and under.

Mel and I usually are the egg-hiders. I love hiding the eggs. It's always a challenge to find just the right spot for the golden egg. The goal is to make sure the golden egg is the last egg found and we've been successful more times than not.

The trick is to hide it well, but still leave a tiny bit of gold peaking out. One year, we stuck it inside a watering can filled with water. The egg floated *just* under the lip, so that if you looked in at the correct angle, you could see it, but if you just glanced at it, you couldn't.

We have 101 eggs filled and ready to go, including the golden egg. Prizes in the little plastic eggs range from tiny toys to more practical things such as key rings. This year, we worked hard to find trinkets for all ages. We even found some things our male participants might like, such as pocket-sized levels and small clamps. Our goal was no candy, since none of us need any. We succeeded. Almost. We have eggsactly one egg filled with candy.

We have two prizes--one for the golden egg and one for the most eggs found. If you think kids are eager to hunt eggs, you should see the adults. There's practically a stampede out the door and once the kids are old enough to hunt for themselves, there's no quarter given.

My mother, usually a mild-mannered first-grade teacher, is merciless. As we go through the countdown, she gets that wild-eyed look Bub gets when he’s about to pounce on something. I wonder what's going to happen this year, now that her two-year-old grandson (and our nephew) Nathan is old enough to participate.

Next year, the hunt will be at our house. If you're lucky, you might get an invitation.