How’s everyone doing? It’s been quite a week (or two). I received many nice messages checking in on how we are out here in California. The fires were very close, and many of our county neighbors were evacuated for a time or—worse—lost their homes. The air grew thick with ash and orange skies greeted us each morning for about a week, keeping us all inside once again. And fires are still burning throughout much of the state, including around Big Sur. Fortunately we are all safe and only had the inconvenience of frequently refreshing air quality apps. But it did also coincide with the end of summer and the start of school, and made the transition to sitting inside for hours in front of computer screens even less auspicious.
Watching first graders introduce themselves on Zoom has been a little heartbreaking, if I’m honest. The kids are handling it all pretty well and so I’m trying to focus on the positives and remain upbeat, but it’s incredibly sad to watch the children try to have their school day on Zoom. Some hid behind stuffed animals, parents, or under desks as their turn came to turn on their microphone and say “Me llamo es…” There are no happy, post-summer reunions, no moments of silly chatter or games of chase. There is no chance of sitting down next to someone whose shoes you like and perhaps making a new friend. With each day, the experiences they will be lacking only come more to my notice. I’m trying to prepare myself for the likelihood that this entire year will be online, but we are three days in and there are definitely some big feelings around here. This photo of a kindergartener on his first day really resonated this afternoon.
Skyler was given a number grid for her to type on—which we will instead be printing out for putting pencil to paper—and it made me think that all of the devices and apps that are making distance learning possible are really limiting our creativity. What would we do if we couldn’t all be online? I can’t help but keep coming back to those old photos of kids in outdoor classrooms during a previous pandemic. We will, however, be starting to meet with a few kids in person next week, so I’m grateful for that… our pod to be.
Everything is much easier with Hudson, who can be more independent and whose Spanish is strong enough to conduct conversations on a computer more easily. But I’m concerned for him as well.
In addition to these all-consuming domestic concerns (literally, all-day), today marks 57 years since the March on Washington March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (August 28, 1963) and yet here we are listening to law and order justifications from the GOP after a black man is shot seven times in the back by police, and after an AR-15 toting 17-year-old militia kills two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
California is on the brink of a dangerous heat wave (high of 114 here on Tuesday) so naturally we’re pulling out some slushy drink recipes right now. Rosé frozé (pictured) remains a favorite, but the kids and I went for frozen yogurt and Skyler chose the pineapple dole whip flavor, so my mind has gone more tropical. But in all seriousness, here’s hoping everyone stays safe. Stay hydrated and cool! I found this graphic on recognizing the symptoms of heat exhaustion versus heat stroke. It’s especially difficult considering all of those usual places of respite—movie theatres, malls, etcetera—are closed.
Actually, we escaped to the coast yesterday to cool off. The kids were so excited to play in the waves at Stinson Beach. There are sand crabs galore and they were busy moving them into cups, dumping them out, finding them again, and on and on for hours. I grew up in southern California going to Seal Beach and Huntington Beach and the wide strip of hot sand reminded me of that. I helped Hudson catch a few waves body surfing and he called me the master of it. That couldn’t be farther from the truth, but I still get excited about impressing my kids. We stopped at Shake Shack on the way home, rounding out the day quite nicely. But I did realize that I’d missed posting Friday links!
So here’s a few of note that I’ve been holding onto…
We spent last week in Lake Tahoe and went on lots of hikes and bike rides, all made so much easier with these hydration backpacks for the kids. No more stopping every five minutes for water breaks! We now make them take them everywhere at home, too. There’s a little pocket big enough for some snacks, too.
We also got lots of questions about the kids’ kayaks. Here’s an old post about them.
I’ve been listening to a lot of audio books on walks lately. Right now, Meryl Streep is reading Heartburn to me. It’s lovely! Just before that was Kevin Kwan’s new book, Sex & Vanity. That one, by the way, is a retelling of E.M. Forster’s Room With a View (or at least the Merchant Ivory film version, which I LOVED)—even if most reviews I’ve read don’t seem to mention it. Any audiobook recs for me? I’ve learned these more fun reads are pretty motivating.
I finally watched… er, binged… Indian Matchmaking. So many thoughts! Meanwhile, Aron and I finished and loved Babylon Berlin and are in the midst of watching Quiz. Anything you’re watching lately?
We wrapped up a very full camp week today… at-home clay camp, zoom ballet, virtual Spanish, and two days of swim lessons. Somehow they all came at once. I’m looking forward to a more relaxed time next week—and a return to the beaches of Lake Tahoe soon. I’m hoping to go on some bike rides, a float down the river, and on some mountain hikes. Hope you have some fun in store!
