Winter: Snowboarding fresh powder, blue skies, Radiohead playing on my headphones. After, beers on an outdoor patio, air not too cool, my husband and kids are with me. The family all goes swimming in an outdoor hot spring. Snow is gently falling. Dusk hike in the forest with Ripley, my late Great Dane. She’s zooming around and gulping up snow. I’m clapping my hands to get her excited.
Evening, dinner at home, something hot, like soup. Wood fire in the fireplace, Ripley lying in front. Music playing softly in the background. We play board games, then reading books and cuddling on the couch. The kids go to sleep without drama, and my husband and I stay up. We hang out in the hot tub, talking and laughing. The stars are bright and the night is hushed.
Summer: Backcountry camping on a lake with my husband, kids, our friends, and their kids. No signs of other people. After breakfast the adults sit on the shore drinking coffee while the kids explore. Take the canoe out for a day trip around the lake. The water is like glass. Local wildlife is going about their day as though we aren’t there. Fish are jumping. We all reel in a fish, and throw some back. Catch a good size rainbow trout then row to a nearby island and cook it up for lunch. We take a swim in the lake after lunch. I’m floating on my back, basking in the sun, listening to the sound of my ears under water.
The wind is at our backs as we canoe back to our campsite and our canoe is surfing on the waves. Back at camp we explore the forest. We pick and eat wild berries. I find a fine stick. I journal while periodically looking out at the lake. After dinner, we build a fire, then collect marshmallow sticks. We sit around the fire telling stories while the kids cook marshmallows. The sun sets and the sky is clear. The kids catch toads while we put out the fire and hang our food. We hang a light near shore, a beacon to lead us home, and canoe out into the lake to star gaze. The night is black except for the light of the moon. I can see the milky way. The stars are reflected in the water and it feels like we are floating up among them. The northern lights appear in the distance. They start small, and soon are taking up half the sky. Nobody speaks. We head home and crawl into our sleeping bags. It is cool now, and we all fall into a deep, peaceful sleep.
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