Piapie

Ten from the Trip

...down to where the trees grow tall.  

 

We Saw

For the past few months the girls have made a variety of requests to which our reply has been, "Well, we'll see."

Well, this past weekend we saw.  Snow.

We sat in it.

We flew over it.

We ate it.

We laughed in it.

We had a grand time.

Lost Lake

In addition to s'mores, our weekend camping at Lost Lake included views such as these:

sightings of the last wild rhododendrons of the year,

long hikes around the lake,

morning yoga under a brilliant sunrise,

(just about the perfect place for sun salutations!)

boat rides,

slippery newts and salamanders,

splashing about in cold cold water,

moments of serenity,

and lots of good friends.

 

On more than one occasion, Funky B took my hand in  hers and said, "Mama, I like camping."  I do too, kiddo.  I do too.

And Then They All Came

...bringing bikes, scooters, popcorn, wine, music, holiday lights, marshmallows, and laughter.

We have good people in our life.

Getting Away

A previously planned weekend away at cabins with friends provided a necessary break for us.  We arrived a day before the others and enjoyed some quiet time in nature as a family.  Bird watching, disc golf, walks in the woods, some puddle stomping....   It offered a brief escape and a chance to ground ourselves, things that are much needed right now.

 

Cove Palisades

Also on my sharing list are a few photos of our trip to the Cove Palisades State Park.  We went for a few days after Christmas and stayed in a lovely little cabin right by the lake.  I'll spare you the details of the harrowing ride out.  And there's really not too much to say about what we did while there other than take walks, play games, read books, be together as a family.  It was peaceful and quiet and full of sunshine.  It was the first time that we have taken a vacation just as a family and it was perfect.

Wow!  That was a lot of photos!  I hope that makes up for being gone all of last week :)

Dry, With a Bit of Blue

Was I complaining about the weather yesterday?  I think that I might have been.  Shame on me.  I should know better.  In between the dreary and rainy days, the sun comes out on occasion and oh, all is just fine.  Turns out that yesterday was a dry day with a bit of blue sky.  I found myself with several hours of unplanned time in the morning and just one child.  Thankfully that one child was willing to sit in a stroller so that I could go for a long walk at a good clip.  I was reminded of all the bits of color and various textures that are out there, even on dreary days.  The yellow and red branches, fluffy white pods, peeling bark,...    

When I am able to look past the cloudy skies, there is beauty out there.

Less Than Spectacular Lovely Day

The rainy season has most clearly descended upon us.  I can hear the rain pitter pattering outside as I type.  It is a comforting sound and I use it as an excuse to indulge in hot beverages and baked goods with great frequency.   That being said, I am thrilled when we have a stretch of dry days, especially when they include sunshine.  I was discussing this with a friend last week and we both agreed that such days feel like blessings once the rainy season has begun.   And blessings should never be ignored.

And so it was that we had a less-than-spectacular-but-still-dry day last week that begged for us to get out while we could, to look at ducks.

We called it "a lovely morning".  Yes, shake that head of yours.  We Portlanders are a strange breed.

Fields of Golden Leaves

It doesn't look to be the most glorious of autumns of this year as the trees are somewhat sparse, but it's still awfully lovely out there this week.    

The trees are changing colors, the sky has been mostly blue, the air is crisp but still pleasant enough to go out in just a shirt, and the afternoon light is just golden. 

You really can't complain about days like these and so I won't.

I am going to get out and enjoy it as much as I can, for soon enough the brilliantly colored leaves will fall to the ground only to be followed by raindrop after raindrop after raindrop.

Is it the knowledge that winter, with all it's dreary grey coldness, lurks just around the corner that makes autumn so stunning? 

Mother Nature's last hurrah can be quite the spectacle.

Hurrah, hurrah, hooray!  We are in heaven running through fields of golden leaves.

Our Peeps

Late last spring, while we were still in Virginia,  I marked October 2nd on my calendar as "Birthday Camping Weekend".      You see, in our core group of friends here in Portland, there are at least eight autumn birthdays to celebrate.  Someone (thank you, West #1!) thought up the grand plan of a group camping weekend, only instead of camping we rented cabins.  But still we called it "Camping Weekend" because "Cabin-ing Weekend" just doesn't sound right.  Anyways, I marked the date and looked forward to it with a deep contentedness.  Not only would we get a good dose of the great outdoors, but it would be a chance to reconnect with our friends.

It was a beautiful weekend with sunshine and a night sky full of stars.  The cabins were awesome (I am not sure when I'll go back to tents, if ever).  The kids had a blast playing, running, biking, hiding, hiking, laughing.  And it felt so good, that deep-down-in-the-core-of-my-being good, to be back amongst our peeps.  

It's good to be home.