300 Hours of Summer

Now that fall is here, it is lovely to reflect the warmth and memories created during the summer.

Having the mindset to get outside as much as possible really fell into place as the year got warmer (except during the "heat dome" and low air quality days). It felt natural to plan our days around outdoor activities even if that meant just "heading out" in the morning, armed with plenty of snacks, water, and extra clothing, to see where the day would take us (and excitingly, what it would feed us).

I kind of let "counting hours" slide this summer. Although, looking through photos, it turned out to be easy to approximate the number of hours we spent outside during the summer months. It was exciting to discover that since the last time we posted an hour count, we had accumulated approximately 301 additional hours (yes, the 1 feels important to include!).

Here are some of the highlights:

We traveled for the first time since Covid!

We spent time with family at the farm ...

... in the garden planting seeds, tasting fresh peas, carrots, berries, and lettuce ...

Van Gogh, Flowering Garden with Path, Summer 1888

... and at the lake

"If you truly love Nature, you will find beauty everywhere."

Vincent van Gogh

We had special adventures with family who visited us

“All that we are is story. From the moment we are born to the time we continue on our spirit journey, we are involved in the creation of the story of our time here. It is what we arrive with. It is all we leave behind. We are not the things we accumulate. We are not the things we deem important. We are story. All of us. What comes to matter then is the creation of the best possible story we can while we’re here; you, me, us, together. When we can do that and we take the time to share those stories with each other, we get bigger inside, we see each other, we recognize our kinship – we change the world, one story at a time…” ~Richard Wagamese

We stayed up late and enjoyed many sunsets ...