waffles and a hike in the rain

the second (and last! because a long weekend trip to california is actually very short) day we spent with anna, jeffrey, lila and elsa was garden day. anna took us to the garden space that she will soon inherit as the executive director of a new non-profit wellness and healing space in the garden. the garden is huge, beautiful, full of spaces to gather and grow, and bursting with potential for all her ideas to take root. get it? "take root". 

the current inhabitants and stewards of the garden have been there 30 years, growing and teaching, mostly about permaculture. their names are james and penny, and it turns out that james is an ace waffle maker. so he hosted us in his home in the garden for a big waffle brunch. 

garden gate peek a boo....look closely. 

big cheeks and fluffy cheeks

anna's soon-to-be garden home. please note bathroom is on the outside.

outside, we drank flower nectar, frolicked under a blooming plum tree, climbed to the top of a redwood, and snuggled chickens.

inside the house, waffles were stirred, hair was braided, brunch was devoured, and tea was served.






despite the mid afternoon gathering of rain clouds in the sky, we decided the best way to get home was to skip the drive and instead walk the 2 miles through cow pastures. it was an excellent adventure.
first we struck out down the road,


then turned to climb a fence to a forestry road,


then marched through a cow pasture while collecting wild irises in the increasing light drizzle.





more fences were climbed,


gates passed through,


and slippery mud hills descended. (please look closely for lila in this picture, as she accepts the gift of rain with her arms--and mouth--wide open.)


a little stretch along the beach, and then up to anna's house in the ever-heavier-rain and we were done.

but you better believe there were lots of selfies along the way!

inside, in dry clothes, huddled near the fire, games were played and little girls were cuddled. 

the next, we had a harrowing mountain drive at 6am in the dark and rain and fog to get back to the airport, but we made it safely. At the airport, we ate a huge breakfast, learned to play sudoku (this kid is a natural), and finally went home to madison.