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I’ve missed being here. It’s been a longer pause than I usually like. The reason? Hmmm. Life with three children is always hectic. Even when we get away, as we did just after Christmas. To be honest, the holidays kind of kicked my butt this time, and I’m not exactly sure why. I (and especially my kids) love the family Christmas/Solstice traditions we’ve created, I love celebrating with our friends and family, and as someone who loves to cook, I usually don’t mind the marathons of mealmaking that come out of my kitchen. Part of me just wasn’t as prepared as I would have liked. Part of it was trying to work through it all. And there was a low-humming virus that kept vibrating though the house for what seemed like forever.

Anyway. Enough of that.

Here it is January, a new year. We are back at school, back at work, back to the comforting rhythm of our days. It’s nice to look back on these photos now of San Fran and Leonard Lake, as evidence that we really did escape for a few days. Leonard Lake Reserve, nestled in the redwoods north of San Francisco, was like a sweet spell of quiet, of mittens and wool hats, simple meals that warmed the belly, and a wood stove that warmed everything else.

Perhaps another reason for my absence: my camera’s been broken. It broke half-way through our trip. Which explains why half of these pictures are taken with my phone, my usual last-resort for photography.

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We spent one night in Morro Bay, hoping for a last-minute campsite at Montana de Oro. When we figured out it was full, we took the last spot at an RV park. The folks in their big campers looked down at us and chuckled. It was kind of funny.

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SF chinese at it’s best @ King of Noodles.

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DSC_4288Here’s to a year of new goals, of being kinder to ourselves, of nourishing ourselves, of continual exploration and discovery. And hopefully to a more peaceful world.