Summertime

Summertime means camping! As a teacher, I usually have a large portion of the summer free, and now that we have a 3 1/2 year old son, camping is a great way to vacation. We travel on a budget but with flexibility, so that on the occasion when we don't plan ahead but want to stay out for another night (early July, central coast, and not looking forward to a 6 hour drive back from Big Basin with a cranky toddler), we can stop at an additional campsite or hotel if necessary. We try to plan ahead and we try to be organized, but despite our best efforts (and refusal to use a spreadsheet for something we see as a vacation), we usually forget many things.

Hilarity (and sometimes tears) ensue. 

In any case, we are seeing California! From mountains to oceans to deserts to forests,  California has it all, and in abundance. In this drought year, getting out of a hot town and into cool air is a lovely escape, so we have already had a busy summer. The unexpected hurdles (and sometimes straight calamities -- hail in July??!!) are great life lessons for my son -- and for us (pack an umbrella, geez!). Also, and above all, the experiences of camping get us all out on the trails and into fields of wildflowers, forests of Redwood Giants, undergrowth thick with banana slugs, other-worldly sunsets over (sometimes) shark-infested waters, and finally, into sweet, warm sleeping bags in our lively red tent. We never have enough fire-wood but we always have extra foil. We're learning. Slowly. 

I like red checkered tablecloths. I like wine. I like spending time with my people. I like reading. I like red lipstick. I like vintage clothes. And I like all of those things out with me, on the road, adventuring and exploring.