deep springs reunion

Summer came and went.  Now fall seems to be racing by.  We started the school year and it's more packed full of co-ops and teaching commitments than last year.  It all seemed really great on paper, but it's been a bit overwhelming to me. The kids seem to by liking everything though.

Amelia turned 16 last week which blows my mind.  She'll be going off to college in a few years and that makes me nervous, excited, sad and proud.  We've managed to challenge her with homeschooling and our plan is to take it all the way through with the help of tutors and classes at community college.  This semester she's loving her first college level English class.  It seems like just yesterday we were sitting with her while she felt like giving up on her first grade research project.  I remember it so vividly, the table we were sitting at, the thoughts going through my mind, the real pain she was feeling.  She is really an exceptional writer and I wish I could take some credit for that, but it's all her hard work and desire to express herself with words that's gotten her to where she is today.

This past weekend we went to a Deep Springs reunion which was the last camping trip we had planned for the year.  It's the 4th time we've had the privilege of being invited to experience the magic of this valley.  (Jonathan went to college here in the 80's) The first time, Amelia was tucked safely in my womb as we visited this isolated, all male college back in the summer of 1998.  She hopes to go to college here in a few years if co-education is passed.  We're crossing our fingers.

We arrived after dark on Friday night and set up camp near the dairy and promptly went to see if there were any calves.  Sure enough, Richard and Frederick, two bulls born to the dairy cows were curled up in their shelter.  They shyly came to the fence to meet us and we fell in love.  Richard was born only 7 days prior and Frederick was a month old.  They are the sweetest things ever.  

The next few days were spent exploring the farm and the college, going to talks with other alumni, hiking, eating excellent farm food, and getting to know the students.  Of course, a lot of our energy was consumed by the farm animals and wildlife.  We were after all camping near the alfalfa field where the coyotes hunt at night for rabbits and we slept under the tall, ancient trees that the owls perch in.  The first night in fact was so exciting with the chorus of the coyotes hunting that we barely slept a wink.  And, it didn't help that the air mattress failed miserably and the tent blew every which way from the strong winds.  Then the dairy boys wake up at dawn to milk the cows right next to our tent.  So, between the coyotes yelping, the dairy boys milking and the owls hooting and everything else, I felt a bit ragged in the morning.

We were pleasantly surprised however to spend time talking with some students.  Usually, they are extremely stand-offish.  Most of the year, unless they get a visitor from town, these kids are completely isolated from the outside world.  It's the isolation policy that makes this college so unique and while I understand, in the past it's been a bummer to feel like an outsider.  I really want to get to know them and learn about their studies and life at Deep Springs.  We were invited to plant garlic with them while we were there and had a really awesome conversation with one of the students.  It really made me happy to see Solomon and the him chatting it up while planting garlic. It was a really awesome change from past trips and an appreciated shift.  

Jonathan took us to see the petroglyphs near the college.  What a cool place.  It's hard to be in a bad mood (from lack of sleep) when there are so many unforgettable and special things to see. Of course a nice, (cold) shower in the basement of the main building didn't hurt.

Who had the most fun on our trip?  Zephyr of course.  He met the cows and wanted to go in and play with them which I highly discouraged him from doing.  He met a new dog friend seen above.  Her name is Annie and she belongs to one of the students.  Her mama was abandoned in the valley while pregnant with her.  She's the only one who got to stay while the others were adopted out.  Annie and Zephyr were good friends and spent many a meal begging together under the dinner table.

We had to sadly say goodbye to the valley on Monday morning and on the way home we drove up the mountain to see the oldest trees in the world.  The Bristlecones are pretty amazing trees, some here are 5,000 years old.

I'm glad to be able to write in this space again.  Amelia has this agreement with me that if she writes in her blog, I have to also.  So, you may see me here again soon.  Happy Autumn to you!

play

I thought these blocks were never going to be played with again.  They had been collecting dust for a few years and I really thought I would put them in the garage, otherwise known as the toy graveyard.  It seems like these days my boys would rather play on the computer than do anything else and I had really reached my breaking point the other day.  They were fighting and I just yelled, "play with the blocks dangit!!!"  (or something like that)  And they did.  My blood pressure lowered a bit and I realized how beautiful it is to have a mess in the family room.

Honestly, I miss the days when my kids just played with toys.  I feel nostalgic about those days when I had an ever present little one on my hip and the house was a disaster zone most of the time.

My kids, at the moment, are playing flashlight hide-n-seek with dad.  My heart is really happy.

more

This time last year we had already been skiing for a month.  It's been a really bad year for snow in the Sierras.  I see all the pictures of the snow falling in other parts of the country and I feel envious.  We need the snow, not only for fun, but for the precious water it gives us.  I want MORE snow!  I don't know if we're going to get lots more.  It's starting to feel like spring.

I called the Sky Tavern office this morning to see what their plan is. I have lots of planning to do myself. This snow situation has really put a wrench in my plans.  And if the ski program is really going to happen, I have a huge problem on my hands.  Because, I have a lot MORE going on this spring. Do you feel my stress?  All three kids are signed up for soccer and the first game starts on March 29th and practices usually start two weeks before that.  Between soccer practice 4 or 5 nights a week and soccer games on Saturday and skiing all day on Sunday....Well, I can't even go there.

I had a talk with the kids this morning and asked them how they felt about all these commitments and they agree that they like their afternoons free to play, read or just do nothing. I don't like this overlap of activities.

This weekend is a no-go for skiing which means that I'm free this Sunday for a walk out in the desert with my people or just to catch up with life.  This last picture shows Mount Rose in the distance.  That's close to where we ski.

Time will tell how this all pans out. Meanwhile, I still wish for MORE snow and I still hope for MORE time in the day.

winter hike

This space here has seemed like a far off distant life I used to live.  Where did I even find the time to post so much?  I found myself going through this blog and the previous one last night and I felt kind of melancholic.  My kids have grown up so much.  Amelia is in high school!  In a way, when the kids were littler than they are now, only a year ago even, life seemed simpler to me.  Cuter almost and most definitely more tender.  There seemed to be more art going on, although much of our days are spent drawing, painting and being creative. It's just different. We stayed home a lot!  These days we are involved in so many activities outside of the house.

One thing I can say is that I've found my home school groove.  Five years ago when I started this journey of teaching my kids at home, I really struggled with what kind of homeschooler I was.  Was I an unschooler?  I kind of was/am.  Was I a Waldorfy kind of mom?  Most definitely I feel drawn to that style.  I can't even remember how many years I've been homeschooling but it's definitely been at least 5.  I think it takes that long to feel confident. If you would have told me that I'd be homeschooling my daughter through high school, I would have laughed in your face!

We went for our hike this weekend along a canyon just east of Reno.  We'll be skiing soon and we won't be able to do much of it in the next couple of months.  It was a beautiful day, sunny but cold enough to need layers the first mile.

I'd like to get back into posting pictures and words here.  At the moment I feel a bit rusty.  But, I'm going to give it a try.

lazy summer

These lazy summer days.  Yesterday I had some things to do and I totally blew them off in exchange for staying close to home.  We did a little laundry, a trip to the farmer's market and a stop by the post office to send Amelia a care package (a duffel bag, gluten free lemon bars, toothpaste and a card).  But mainly, we did much of nothing. I'm not much for packing my schedule full of activities because we do enough of that during the school year.

Summer = LAZY

Not that my summer has been uneventful.  Amelia has been away at summer school for 5 excruciating weeks.  The boys and I have been sprinkling our days with fun activities while she's been gone.

Months ago when summer was just a page on my calender, we applied for a two night summer camp for Solomon.  That happened last weekend and I envisioned that page on my calender in my mind and checked it off of our summer plans. I'm now looking forward to Amelia coming home in 12 days.

We still have plenty of summer left and I'm happy about that.  I need that recharge time in the summer to think and plan for the school year coming up.

on our way to Solomon's summer camp

I hope you're summer has been fun!

mountain cool

This is up in the Sierras and part of the Pacific Crest Trail.  We've been here many times and have backpacked on this same trail.  It's a beautiful spot and because it's up in the mountains, it's cooler than the valley floor.  Summer hiking has officially started!