Camping on the Nisqually

5/6

We hiked down to the river after breakfast today.  It was chilly and sunny.  Samantha stayed the night with grandma at the hotel.  We took the right turn at the end of the camping loop- and followed the signs for "tent camping and fishing".  We went a ways and found the tent sites.  Further along we found the fishing spot.  The sand bar fishing area-which was really a river rock bar- was utterly gorgeous.  I walked back and forth along the long rock bar while the kids collected and threw rocks into the river.  After I brought my walking total to 15 minutes I stopped and just sat and soaked it all in.  The early morning light.  The shallows moving slow and bumpy- like a a fabric sheer with sequins glittering and flitting.  The depths moving fast and strong and quiet, like dark wet glass.  

There were birds- I believe they were a type of sparrow. They skimmed the water and did fantastic turns and loops and dives.  I assumed they were catching bugs. Their bellies were white and their under wings started at grey near their bodies and towards the tips became rust colored.  Their tails were black and the top of the base of their tails had a white spot.  Their backs were like a blue birds wing and their heads were black and white.  I kept trying to take a picture of them but they were too far away and always flying so fast.

I fell into putting myself in the presence of God.  It's not hard to do here on the banks of the Nisqually.  I started doing the Ignatian Examen at night before bed during lent- it was what I "gave up for lent".  I really enjoy the first step - put yourself in the presence of God.  I often fall asleep before I get to the second step, it's so relaxing.  So anyhow I sat on the rocky shore and opened myself to the stirrings of God. 

All the beauty- I just took it in.  And then after awhile I started thinking about my brother.  And how he is dying.  Slowly.  Just getting eaten up by cancer.  And it sucks.  And I'll miss him.  And how I'm so far away.  And I just breathed all of that out.  And let it flow away down river.  Because none of that is in my control.  And neither is the water.  

And the water- just watching it move was so healing to me.  Recalling it now is bringing back that peace.

We walked back and john biked into a puddle that was a bit too deep and his bike jerked to a stop and he fell in.  He was upset but as the day was warming up I took his jacket off and he jumped back up on the bike and avoided puddles for the rest of the walk(there are many here as it's mostly gravel/pounded gravel roads).

Back at the campsite I walked a bit more around our immediate loop while the kids put their hammocks back up after last night's rain.  We then played hide and seek tag.  And I believe laughing and running is so good for the core- just a really good and strong and happy feeling.