It has been a whirlwind of a week! I got to spend time doing many of my favorite things.
Sunday was Mother’s Day, which unfortunately I did not get to celebrate with any of my children, but I did go out for dinner with my mom and one of my sisters. I spent the day collaging, reading and playing catch with Javi at the park. Not a bad way to spend Mother’s Day if I can’t be with my kids.
I spent Monday doing job search work, editing my gap year guide and doing other admin tasks.
On Tuesday, Mom, my sister Lori and I went to visit Mom‘s best friend in Sonoma. Every time we see her she seems smaller and more frail, but always has the same happiness and enthusiasm to spend time with us. I know it’s so good for Mom to be able to see her in person and hug her. She has a loving, fantastic caretaker, which I know helps set Mom‘s mind at ease.
That night I got to listen to Anne Lamott talk about her writing, including her latest book, Somehow, at the Mill Valley Public library. I just love her, she is so open, honest, raw and funny. It’s great to hear from an author who grew up in Marin – in fact, living near the library when her son was young and spending lots of time there with him, and is a normal person. She doesn’t try to be anything that she isn’t – which is one of the things that she talked about. The crowd was probably over 95% women, I only saw two or three men, and the vast majority of women were like me – over 50, more natural looking without makeup, unstyled hair, many had long, gray-blonde hair. I ended up sitting in the front row because there was a free seat next to a young woman in her 30s. I was happy to get such a great view of Anne. I chatted with my neighbor and found out she and her family had moved to Mill Valley last year after living for several years in Tokyo where her husband was working. She’s originally from the Midwest so it’s been a big change, though one she’s happy with. She likes the schools and the beauty all around. She mentioned it was a transition for the kids and her at first, she said it took her while to stop automatically bowing when a car stopped at crosswalk to let them go across! Wow, I never thought about that kind of cultural transition. Several things Anne Lamont said really struck me:
- What don’t I know now that I knew back then?
- The value of powerlessness
- Remember to breathe and go outside
- Community is so important even if you prefer being alone
- Earth is forgiveness school
- Be who you are right now
- This is what being alive looks like.
I’m so glad someone like Anne Lamott can make a living writing and expressing herself. We need to support more people like her.
On Wednesday, Julie and I hiked a 6 mile section of the Ridge Trail on Mount Tam. We have now completed all of the Ridge Trail sections on the mountain! It was very foggy, in parts we were being rained on by the dripping trees overhead, and being blown by wind in other sections. We saw over two dozen banana slugs, ranging in size from about 3 inches to close to a foot long! While the fog prevented any views of the coast, the sights in the forest were just as beautiful.
After that, we hiked up to the West Point Inn where we spent the night. I’ve stayed there several times before, but this was Julie‘s first time. We started off bundled up because we were still in the fog and wind, but soon the fire road rose above the weather and we emerged onto a sunny warm path that led us to shed layers as we hiked uphill. The fog was still heavy over Sausalito and San Francisco, but we had a great view of Mill Valley, Tiburon and across to the East Bay. We settled on the Inn’s shaded porch and happily ate our lunches as we watched dozens of hummingbirds flit around the feeders.
It was a full house at the Inn with several different groups in attendance. One was a family of three that Julie and I helped with a crossword puzzle. They were stuck on a Gilda Radner clue when I was sitting nearby. When they came back to that clue a third time and the daughter asked who Gilda Radner was, I offered Roseanne Roseannadanna and then apologized for butting in. They welcomed my intrusion and the daughter came over with the crossword book to show me where they were stuck. I was able to help them out with a couple of other clues that led us to the answer ‘Baba Wawa’s avatar’ and Julie remembered about Gilda Radner‘s impression of Barbara Walters. So much fun!
Early in the evening we saw a rainbow in the fog, I’ve never seen anything like that before. The sunset was gorgeous too, seeing the fog turn pink and the shadow of the trees climb higher. I was mesmerized watching the fog swirl and dip at times like waves at times like a pulsating, breathing living being, just incredible. It’s great to have the opportunity to just sit and watch it.
There were two different groups of four older women both groups enjoying wine and snacks while marveling over the view. At one point when Julie and I were having dinner one group was sitting at the table behind us talking about hiking socks, which led one woman to mention the cute guy from REI who helped her buy a backpack. She thought he was close to her daughter’s age, but then she talked about how cute he was and his nice butt and then showed a picture to her friends that she had surreptitiously taken of him – lol! There was a large group of 20 somethings who had rented the three rustic cabins to celebrate a birthday. The birthday girls mother had a room in the Inn – I’m sure she wanted to go to sleep a little earlier than the rest of the group! They made a delicious vegan meal from scratch in the kitchen and later several sat around the piano playing and singing songs accompanied by a guitar and a banjo. It was wonderful! They played some Beatles, Carole King and a few songs I didn’t recognize but seem to be 60s vintage. Julie and I and a few others sat in the comfy chairs and couches in the lounge soaking it in, such a treat.
I just love being at WPI – I’ve been there at times when I’m the only one in the Inn, which is lovely and peaceful and I’ve been there other times when it’s been very full and lively. I’ve also been there in stormy weather, which I think is my favorite, especially when the fireplace is going.
The next day, after we both fueled up with coffee, we hiked to the Mountain Theater, another place Julie has not been to before. We got to watch the set up crew putting together the set for this year‘s play, Kinky Boots. We only saw two other people on the hike there and back.
After we ate breakfast, packed up our things and did our chore for the day (sweeping and tidying up the member lounge), we headed out for a hike up to the fire lookout. Unfortunately, the fog was a lot heavier that day, and there were no views at all of San Francisco or southern Marin and we could only see the very top of Mount Diablo. Once we got to the top and walked around the Verna Dunshee Trail we saw gorgeous views of San Rafael and Fairfax.
We headed back down to our vehicles almost exactly 24 hours after we had hiked up to the Inn. It sure seemed like a much longer period of time than a day! My feet were very tired by that point and I was happy to get back and just take it easy.