retreat

well, nobody really wants to hear a summary of our trip, do they?

sorry.

after a week in mendocino county swimming in rivers, playing on beaches, sipping on cider and bloody marys, cooking on fires, making shrinky dinks, being carless and chauffered, i felt a little bit, um, calm and relaxed. ahhh. we then headed to russian river for a stay with my mom and spent a day way back in time at johnson's beach taking turns kayaking, canoeing and paddle boating up the lazy green river with miles, checking out the swallows darting and swooping around. then 2 cheesy days in santa cruz, stuffing ourselves with crappy boardwalk food and then going on rides that swished or jerked the crappy food around. on our way home we stopped in at costanoa and ended up staying one extra day there, in a little cabin, soaking in a hot tub with a view of nothing but hills and sky and trees. i did end up sleeping outside on the floor of the deck because rich's snoring was so loud but it was actually pretty cool listening to the wind and ocean and random animal sounds. yesterday we celebrated my bday with julia and family as well as andy d, and julia and i snuck off for a trip to kabuki hot springs, with massage. i could spend all day in that room....wet sauna, cold plunge, hot pool, sit down showers, lotions and cucumber water everywhere, the gong of silence occasionally being rung.

now things are back to stress and worry--choosing maya's preschool, being audited (randomly, lucky me) by the state speech and language pathology board, looking at unrepaired and painted objects, piles of bills, a still unpacked duffel bag of dirty laundry.

but this getaway time was good, very good. i was kind of shocked to find myself not thinking and worrying about much at all. was it being in the country? possibly. or maybe just stepping out of the usual patterns that are so easy to fall into.

the kids were well-behaved!

i am trying to hold onto the peaceful country nature vibe. and also to appreciate those people and places around me, while not denying the part of me that longs to be with people far away.


i still love point arena. who wants to buy some land up there with me? we can build some tent cabins and a hot tub in the woods and hide out from the small town politics and enjoy the retreat.