>> click here to read part 1 <<
I am ready to write about all the things I haven’t made time to write about this summer. Growth of tomatillos and children, renovations of home and mental space, plans for this month and in ten years.
I haven’t been here on dig as much because I’ve been there — in the other important places in my life. I do feel nostalgic about this space as it once was, where I holed up late at night to write whatever stories flew out my fingertips every few days. And I do so thoroughly believe in the practice of making time to create without need of it becoming something. I tell my kids all the time to let go of making art that needs to be hung up. JUST MAKE. For this big need to have more unstructured, undeadlined writing, I plan to get back in here more regularly. I lost my time to contribute here for a few reasons:
- At my 36 years, I need more sleep. Two hours more per night. This has been a hard adjustment for me! But, oh, it’s very necessary.
- The impermanence of it all fills my brain with things to write about and forbids me from leaving the story I’m living so that I can write a story about it. That sounds convoluted but I think you get it.
- GEO is growing and requiring more of my attention.
- See next paragraph.
School started last week. Margot at public school, Ruby at home. At home! We, me particularly, have long been interested in homeschooling and am so eager for this adventure. Everyone is comfortable and enthused. It all feels great, which is a relief. I was so torn up about school last year at this time, spinning out over school options, wondering which was best for us. It took me a long period of fretting before it felt right.
Ruby and I biked to get Margot at school a few days ago and she captured Life’s Big Idea with this simple question:
Mama, did you notice that even little things can make great big giant shadows?
I feel hopeful and excited. I feel nervous and invested. I feel as capable as a parent who has never done any of this before can feel.
Before I move into news on the home front, the Blogger in me must finish up our family road trip! In the spirit of brevity (ha!) and simplicity, I deleted all my text and will let photos tell the story of the last five days of our adventure.
trip details:
Day 8:
Radke’s Blueberry Farm, Corvallis, OR: sweet family, sweetest blueberries, screamin’ deal affordable, recommended by my friend Camille.
Alsea Falls Campground: we stayed in site #5. Vault toilets, potable water, private sites.
Hike to Alsea Falls: easy, gorgeous
Trails up mountain over Alsea river: one of the best runs I’ve had in a while
Day 9:
Driftwood Beach, Waldport, OR
Lost Creek Beach, Newport, OR
South Beach State Park Campground: Like most seaside campgrounds, it was huge and packed in. We managed to score one of the last campsites available and it was one of the best! Site H20.
Local Ocean Seafoods, Newport, OR: fantastic. The service, the food. The laughing sea lions on the dock. I ordered the Halibut over soba noodles and chard.
Day 10:
Take out from Cha’ba Thai in Portland. Holy smokes the Pad Thai, Pad Sa Ewe and Masseman Curry were amazing.
Stumptown Coffee, of course
Day 11:
Lunch at Pfriem Brewing, Hood River, OR: wonderful veggie burgers and the IPA is out of this world
The Incredibles: the last day of driving was hard. Kids watched a movie in the car and this is a favorite of ours!
GuestHouse Hotel in Kellogg, Idaho: Unable to find camping, we grabbed a hotel. It was your average place (clean, comfy, basic) made pretty great by the lovely Jayne at the front desk.
Day 12:
Home.
17 Comments
I totally miss your every-few-days posts! I get it, but I hope to see more around here.
1. Big cheers for more sleep.
2. Your photos made me smile.
3. Homeschool that little girlfriend. Even if just for a year. Don’t sweat the details; trust in the power of time together.
4. The knowledge of the insane reality that I used to post three times/week lives somewhere inside me, but I don’t actually understand how it happened.
I might write #3 down and put on my bedside table. xoxo
Well, I’ll second everything Rachel wrote. Can’t wait to hear more about homeschooling just Ruby. I *almost* went for it this year; and might next year.
I love your ability to “write” with your photos! The memories you are building are beautiful!
I love you Burb!
love: “let go of making art that needs to be hung up.”
glad to be back following your blog again after a long absence, and can’t wait to hear about adventures in homeschooling, as we’re contemplating that as well (well, once we have a bun in the oven!). gorgeous photos, even though i live here in oregon sometimes it makes me homesick seeing others’ photos and dreaming of more getaways of our own!
Yes to homeschooling smalls! My little one is doing his pre-K home with me this fall, while big sister is in 2nd grade at public school. It is hard to see all his friends off doing something different with their mornings; here in Iowa we have free(!) 4-year old preschool, and it is a popular bandwagon, but I love that I have this one last year to be learning and growing with him on our own schedule, in our own way. Best wishes to M, R, and you!
Long time reader, first time commenter…. I live in Corvallis. And I was thinking, wow, I wonder where they are? Those beaches look oddly familiar. Local Ocean Seafoods is fabulous. And if you’re ever in Corvallis again in summer: Andersen Blues Spartan blueberries. Big as a gold dollar and so sweet you don’t even want to add sugar when you can them. THE. BEST. BLUEBERRIES. EVER.
I cannot get over the blueberries where you live. Unreal, unparalleled flavor.
Hey Nici,
I am a long time reader but very rare commenter. But I just really wanted to tell you how much you inspire me. Not in a “look at how pretty her house is” way but in a very deep way to the core of who I am as a mother, wife, homemaker, and woman. I never read a post and then leave feeling worst about myself, my home or my life. I always leave feeling refreshed and inspired in new ways, ready to try new things and to settle in just a little more into myself, home and family. Thank you for sharing your stories and voice. They are doing good.
P.S. I have always wanted to learn how to can and this summer was the year I just went for it! I loved it so much and am so grateful for all the emotions those jars of food all lined up stirred in me, blessed, capable, brave. Thanks for always sharing your ways of doing things! I wish I could send you some pickles and peach jam to thank you 🙂
I love that you leave this space feeling refreshed and inspired! That is wonderful. Thanks so much for reading. And YAY for canning! It just gets easier and more satisfying, if you can believe it. xo
Nici, you are so gorgeous, especially in that last photo. Sending you South Dakota love. xoxo
What a wonderful trip! I come from a family of tent campers, and those trips are the core of my favorite childhood memories. You are giving your daughters such a gift. Nici, will you share with us how you prep food and cook meals when you are camping? I have introduced my husband to camping and we are looking forward to taking our little daughter next summer, but the food situation is (for us!) always so complicated. I plan every meal ahead and make prep lists and organize all the various components. It’s so exhausting! How do we make it easier and more streamlined and more natural? I remember my dad cooking all our meals on a tiny two burner stove and with a minimum of fuss and stress. I wish I’d inherited his skill!
I will do a post about this! Many have asked me what our methods are and I do have a lot of fun cooking while camping. And I have a few tricks that I’d love to share.
Thank you for sharing your full, inspiring life!
Although this is an overused comment, I am sure, but I truly love your writing! Your honesty and your priorities make me stop and think. Realizing you need more sleep makes you wise beyond your 36 years. Thanks for your stories and your authenticity.
Molly
in Houston