We just arrived back from a 10-day long road trip to Colorado for a family member's wedding. It took us days to prepare leaving behind a (very) hungry flock of sheep, too many chickens and a garden and orchard that are struggling in their 3rd month of drought. But we prepared the land and prepped our farm-sitters as much as possible and went off on quite the family adventure. I think 40 hours of sitting in a moving vehicle with a toddler is an adventure in and of itself, but luckily we found some incredible places to camp and rest our weary bones (and ears) from those endless hours of sitting and putting in dozens upon dozens of CD and tape stories.
It's been such a full summer. Full of stressing over how to get enough water to the garden and animals during the hottest summer I've ever lived through, full of berry and veggie abundance from the land, full of swimming, blueberry & peach pie eating, full of visiting friends and family. And now, full of road tripping! It's been a blessed summer and chaotic as well, but really so, so lovely.
This morning I watched the first dead leaves blow from our old willow tree. I noticed the scorched grass all around me and the strange, murky light that comes only when Fall is upon us. Only too soon will the last of the berries be harvestable and the lake too cold to swim in. I still want this fullness that summer brings though. After leaving home for the time we did, I feel more than ever, that I have to make up for lost time and be grounded on this land, doing whatever tending needs done.
Our trip, leading us through Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and finally, Colorado, felt like just the right amount of time spent tucked together as a family in a packed car after a summer of running circles around one another in order to "get it all done". We needed this trip to sleep with limbs draped over one another, sing silly songs, share every snack and watch the sun set and also rise for ten consecutive days. Surprisingly, we did not bicker as much as I expected and even more surprisingly, Lars managed the car rides with not one tantrum!
As I write this blog post, it feels like the end of an era, so to speak…With our first year completed on our new Idaho farm, we will shortly begin our second Fall in this place we now call home. Lars hardly remembers the old yurt he was born in and it's hard to imagine how we managed back in Oregon far from family. So, here we are- so glad to be home from our Rocky Mountain travels- tending to our shriveled tomatoes and relishing in the last weeks of this hot, hot summer.
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