home again, home again...

well, we've actually been home again for a few days, but the weather has been so winterlike there's been a whole lot of nothing going on. which includes wading through photos. nine o' clock bedtimes are surprisingly refreshing... and addicting!

the same terms can be used to describe our short getaway to the lagunitas redwoods last week. such a short drive from home--a mere 45 minutes--but really a world away. we were surrounded by ancient, hollowed out trees, tons of wildlife (20+ raccoons was actually too much wildlife for me, personally) and a lovely, sparkling clear creek that was the perfect depth for wading.

we went with my friend molly, who has children the exact same ages as lucy and hudson. automatic playmates! the kids were never bored and rarely squabbled--there was simply too much to do.

from crawling around in the dirt...

to gathering dirt...

to eating the dirt... dirt was the #1 toy of the trip. we hardly needed to pack anything else.

lucy kept herself busy gathering "fairy wood" for the evening fire. we hadn't brought enough wood to last the entire stay, but were luckily able to pillage empty sites for logs left behind by other campers instead of paying $7 a bundle. this girl was a true worker, hauling BIG logs up BIG hills! i couldn't believe it.





we spent lots of time hiking the paths around the campgrounds...
and sought out the sunshine wherever we could find it...


shade comes early when you're surrounded by trees!
from-scratch chicken noodle soup was a good "warm up" meal...

our last day lent a bit more sunshine (plus short visits from some very special daddies) and we were able to hop down to the creek for some wading and rock-collecting. empty beer bottles = good toy #2-perfect for holding all of those tiny stones.




we were (mostly) packed up before the rain rolled in. the "soggy six" pulled away from camp taylor with promises to come back often in the spring.

all in all, a fabulous trip. the kids were fantastic, we were pretty much warm and very well-fed despite brazen raccoons who opened our coolers and made off with a pound of bacon, a half pound of salami, and a half pound of turkey. in addition to a container of sweet potatoes, a jar of oats and other bits and pieces--an egg here, a snack bar there. i did not see them make off with any cash from my wallet but in truth, i would not have been surprised! we drank lots of tea and even got to enjoy a few glasses of wine while the kids slept soundly in the tents, no doubt plum tuckered out from all of that dirt. i was even able to sit 'round the fire with another special visitor (my brother--and king raccoon shoo'er) and listen to the giants win game #4 on a crank radio. perfection.

so much fun was had, and yet i will say this: it's always nice to come home from camping. especially from a cool-season trip. we got home and i herded the kids into the bath and we just--soaked ourselves back to reality. ahhh!