Day 312 - Rocks

Thought of the day: We started our Sunday hike on a very warm morning and ended up coming home in a cool breeze and narrowly escaped a thunderstorm. Hiking in the mountains always made the girls happy beyond words.  At the end of the hike, it had an invigorating effect on Jasmine and a draining effect on Lila as she napped soundly for three hours after we returned home.  It's good to take a hike in the mountains once in a while as it reminds us why we moved here in the first place.

Photo of the day:

Off a hiking trail close to our home where we hiked this morning.

Day 214 - Mossy Rock

Thought of the day: This afternoon, when I was cleaning up the aspen catkins in the backyard, suddenly I felt the familiar urge to travel.  Oh, the care-free traveling days, when you can just leave all your worries behind and enjoy new adventures every day as they come.  I am sure this over-romanticized view of traveling is somewhat faulty and there will be times when I will miss my home dearly, but at least I will no longer need to worry about those nasty catkins (aren't they pretty as they are?), dusty floors (isn't that part of the charm?) and dirty laundries (they can wait) every day.  Going to travel is like pushing a giant pause button on your real life and start a new life every day in a different place - a life that's ungrounded and without consequences as it's fleeting and temporary.  I will welcome the lightness of being for a while.  Yes, in just one more week, I'll be there.

Photo of the day:

Lila was a huge help in cleaning up the backyard today.  But of course, she mostly played.  Here she was trying to climb up a mossy rock near the play structure.