Researching summer camps for my 8 year old, round about last March/April, I became frustrated:

1. Sports camp in triple digit heat? No.
2. Great white shark and hammerhead shark sightings along our southern coast. Surf camp? No.
3. Science Camp? He loves science! But I want him outdoors, exploring nature. Triple digit heat. Man-eating sharks. Helicopter parent. Sigh.

I vicious-circled all spring, until we left for here. Best 10 day vacation ever.

But we had to come home! And with more than half the summer yet to come, continuous shark sightings along the coast, triple digit heat–the vicious circling continued. I came up with:

1. Roadtrip to visit friends-with-kids in Santa Rosa: deer at the end of our friends’ sweet street, 1200 yr old redwoods, kids climbing plum and other trees, creatively made organic ice cream in Guerneville.
2. The drive home: Hwy 1, hiking my beloved Pt. Lobos trails, experiencing a humpback whale sighting as we ocean-gazed from a grove of cypress trees (looking for otters, 3 whales instead, flukes on display).
3. Zuma Beach (w/mom in the water, too–keeping watch–every second), museums, parks and Pokémon Go. Taking advantage of our teeming metropolis. And Santa Barbara. Why not.

I ached to be the non-taxi mom this summer, the do-the-Kindle-with-breakfast, the let’s-explore!, mom. Accomplished. (I’m tired)

I made time, every day, to write/revise. Which should always be a given, but, you know, sometimes just isn’t because I live in a zoo.

Hoarding these accomplishments as the school year commences. Must remain, at least in part, Adventure Mama, Fun Mama, in addition to the ever-present: Writing/Day-dreaming Mama who sometimes forgets to brush her hair and wears her yoga pants inside-out by mistake.

Ready, set, goal.

Valley Meditation (with Palomino)