If it seems like we have been absent, it is because we were away from civilization for a few days. And how wonderful it was to not be 'connected' to the world, but instead to nature. We slept in a small tent, all together like sardines. We ate by a campfire each night, listening to the birds, and watching little critters waiting for our crumbs.
Going from the California coast, into the Sierra Nevada mountains felt like entering a different piece of land all together. The air got thinner, and the mountains rose high into the brilliant blue sky. Mountain streams created a musical symphony and serenity unsurpassed by anything man-made.
Each of our children brought only one belonging with them: Momo brought Brown Cloud (his bear), and Claire brought Pink Pink (her bear). I intentionally did not bring any other toys because I knew that they would sit untouched as the children explored their surroundings where they were sure to find many more interesting things than manufactured plastic items.
Lucky for us, a lovely family was camping across from our camp site. Their 8 year old daughter and 6 year old son played wonderfully with our children. The four kids would disappear into the rocks and trees for what felt like an eternity, only to come back asking "Can we play some more?"
As an icing on the cake, Grover Hot Springs State Park where we camped had natural hot springs. We were spoiled with a hot pool and a cool pool right next to each other for swimming. We tried to remind the children that this was a special treat, especially when you have a 10,000-foot mountain as your view from the soaking pool.
We hope to return to the same spot next summer! For now, I am happy to be sharing these memories and photographs with you.
No comments:
Post a Comment