up north

hi

today in anchor bay/gualala/point arena

the kids are up by themselves in the morning and i hear them being fed breakfast and then playing outside in the huge huge fenced in yard--maya, miles and toddler kevin. there are tall pointy redwoods, and blue sky and sun by 10. sam the black and white terrier is in love with us, especially miles. we load up and visit the anchor bay beach right down the hill. a small curved bay with rocks to climb on jutting out of the sand and surf, a few blond and red-haired kids digging a booby trap, a tidal pond to splash in. houses on the cliffs above with long skinny staircases down to the beach. a fisherman shows off his pile of orange rockfish. hawks are circling overhead and i bury the kids and cover them with sand: maya a mermaid with little sand boobies, miles a torso being swallowed by a shark. lisa tells the story of a tourist up here for a meditation retreat sitting on a rock in the sea, being swept away forever by a rogue wave.

in the afternoon we go to the gualala river and swim in the cold clear swimming holes. miles jumps off a rock, i even take a dip. kevin throws rock ofter rock to hear the plop, maya is miserable about the lack of a toilet as i help her crouch on rocks under flowers which turn out to be covered by buzzing bees, and we capture a tadpole in a cup with tiny tiny legs.

afterwards i treat us all to dinner in a child-friendly restaurant. the kids are perfect with two huge tvs to watch, and we bump into our one friend up here with a kid miles' age. they play tag on the outside deck looking over the huge pacific and no one cares.

it is huge and clean and beautiful up here. much as i dread and don't enjoy the journey from sf, it is worth it. it is midnight and dead silent and dark. if i stop typing i can hear the quiet ringing in my ears--do you know what i mean?

sweet dreams