I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs this last week, including an epic meltdown. Still recovering from being sick I was on the brink of complete exhaustion and I COULD NOT GET ENOUGH SLEEP. It seemed every time I finally got my eyes closed my ailing grandmother would need something. In a moment I am not proud of I laid on the floor and cried, begging to just go to sleep, trying to convince her that it had all become more than I can do given my current situation, hoping she would finally understand she needs around the clock care. Care that is beyond what I can provide her. A couple days after my shameful breakdown there was more drama, right as I was getting ready to head out to Point Reyes (more on that in a bit). My grandmother decided that she wanted to go to the hospital because she could no longer even get out of bed on her own. After a couple of days it was decided she would go live with her daughter until she could be placed in a care home. This is really what she has needed for a while, I just wish she had realized it sooner so things didn’t happen the way they did. So now, for the first time in while, I am on my own, looking for a new place and preparing to clean out the old. Yes, I am ready for a fresh start.

      In the midst of everything I decided to go ahead and proceed as planned on a three day trip to Point Reyes. It didn’t really solve or fix anything, but the experience helped a little. The first night my companions and I stayed at Coast Camp. It was a Saturday night so it was a bit crowded, mostly with tweens and hippies, but I was so tired I didn’t care. After I set up my tent I slept for a while then wandered around on the beach for a bit before eating dinner. Afterwards I relaxed by reading and listening to some old time radio shows. I passed out before 9 o’clock and slept for ten hours. I did stir a couple of times in the middle of the night and saw more stars than I have ever seen before in this area, even catching faint glimpses of the Milky Way.

     The next day another companion joined our merry band at Wildcat Camp. We hiked about twelve miles, which included a day hike to Alamere Falls. We ascended to the top of the falls and on the way back encountered an adult seal that appeared to be sick and lethargic. It seemed a little embarrassed to be caught in this situation, occasionally putting it’s flipper over it’s eyes as if saying, ‘don’t look at me!’. Further down the beach, on the way back to camp, we encountered a second seal. This one was a pup that appeared to have an injured rear fin. It was more ambulatory than the adult we saw though and went into the water for a moment before deciding to come back to the beach. Realizing there was nothing we  could do though, and that we must let nature take it’s course, we headed back to camp. Not too long after dinner I retreated to my tent and promptly fell asleep listening to the waves of the ocean crash on the beach below us.

That was amazing!

     The last day was 31°F outside when I awoke, just before sunrise. After the sun came over the ridge and lit up the camp though everyone warmed quickly. It was a relatively quick hike back to the trailhead and civilization. We stopped in Fairfax for a decent burger at that place with the old red F-100 outside. I enjoyed it as much as I could, knowing reality was just ahead on that road home. On the drive back I thought about how frail my grandmother looked the last time I had seen her. I thought as well on the reasons why people need the distractions we create for ourselves, so that if even for just a little while we can take a break from the constant struggle of life…

     Which brings me to this installment of entertainment recommendations. The Kingsman. It’s an over the top and self aware action movie based on a graphic novel.  There were twists that I did not see coming, and a brilliant and hilarious performance by Samuel L Jackson. It’s got some interesting commentary about people and technology as well.  Definitely worth a watch.

     This week I went into the wild to be inspired by nature and came back with another shameless selfie guaranteed to make everyone want to run away to their own special place away from social media!

Selfie #8

     Until next time readers, remember no one is perfect so