Floating Upstream: fall nuggets: connected

I love to hear my kids say, "Mommy, I don't know what we should talk about." It only ever happens when we go walking in nature, and it is my signal that--through the fog that is our daily grind (excuse the pathetic mixed metaphor)--they are reaching out and trying to connect.
This school year has been our most challenging so far. Where last year we often had the opportunity to go on hikes but chose to cozy up at home instead, this year--for the first time in our family history--doing a hike on the weekend is a logical impossibility. Between tennis, ballroom dancing, math, and piano, there is no obvious stretch of free hours to spend time together as a family. That last sentence breaks my heart.
Our solution, arrived at three weeks ago during the birthday trip to Point Reyes for Raya? To take one day off every three weeks, when we cancel all "activities" and head together for the outdoors. I am not sure that once every three weeks is going to be enough, but at least it's a start in the right direction. Today reminded us, much as expected, that nothing binds us together more tightly than time spent together in the outdoors.
We've had our first rain of the season already, and there is more on the way tomorrow. We knew, heading out to one of our many favorite hiking places around here, that there would be signs of renewal everywhere. This is the very beginning of "spring" in the Bay Area. The earth smells of dampness and the ground sports a very bright shade of green--more dense in places where grass has been mown recently and spare but unmistakable everywhere else. Today one set of storm clouds moved away as we started our hike and another moved in as we got back to our car. In between, we got buffeted by the wind and moisture of a swathe of fog. It was one of our most invigorating hikes in recent memory. And while Raya needed some coaxing to finish the four miles without collapsing, while Sava practically ran through most of it, we all felt a sense of elation by the end. I let the pictures tell the rest.

The way the green peeks through the yellow and brown makes me unspeakably happy.

The exceptional thing about this hike is the double view it offers of the Bay to the east and the coastal range to the west.

And while I am at it, let me share all of those elusive moments from the past three months that our phone cameras and, occasionally, my trusty Canon captured. Starting backwards, with the most recent--Raya's birthday trip to Point Reyes, which began with a hike (Chimney Rock Trail) with some of our favoritest people.

Elephant seals napping!

the only one missing is Mike, who is taking the photo

Followed by play at Drakes Beach.

yes, the adults are jumping rope with kelp

Tule Elk on the side of the road!

Limantour Beach:

The hostel we stayed in, with a fully equipped kitchen, in the middle of Point Reyes National Shore and just two miles from Limantour Beach:

Second visit to Limantour Beach: the warm, overcast weather was perfect for celebrating someone's birthday. October 11:

Kayaking on Tomales Bay:

Breakfast and dinner at the Station House Cafe in Point Reyes Station--a favorite new place to eat.

Steak salad for her birthday dinner!

And last but not least, a stop at a pumpkin patch on the way back:

Before Point Reyes, we went kayaking at Elkhorn Slough, where otters and seals danced all around us. That place is phenomenal. We are definitely going back.