Sunday, January 11, 2009

Home :: Found

Day after the storm
These Foothills are my Home.

I have always felt them welcome us when we return. Tim and I grew up in the shadow of these Foothills, their silhouette a sign that we had reached the end of a journey, whether it was down the freeway to the beach or returning from Africa, Australia or Oregon.
The boys :: Dec 08

Along with the familiar rolling lines always comes the unmistakable scent of home. It is from the chaparral, the native bushes and plants that grow rampant over the foothills, shrouding them in light golden green brown that turns to a dusty dry dun color as the heat approaches.
Home
The release of their unique scent is strong, and smells to me like instinct. I cannot descircbe it other than sweet and dry, smoky and somehow cleansing.

I have explored those Foothills since I was small; walks with my Mom, excursions on bike with my group of teenage guy friends, a night trip to view an abandoned coyote den with the boy that would become my husband.
Hills
Endless experiences that have accumulated so much depth I sometimes feel the hills are as intrinsically home to me as the structure that lives at its base.

We brought the boys up for their first home hike of 09, marveling at the way time changes them so quickly.
The Foothills
The short loop we have designated as walk-able for them is not very difficult anymore, the uphill no longer challenges their balance and the downhill is a source of delight when no hand holding will suffice, they must run down it themselves with full speed, shouting ‘More!’ before they even reach the bottom. The only reason it took a long time to do the loop was their insatiable need to pick up every rock in the path and throw it off.
Hiking
Watching their ease and familiarity there strikes a chord in my heart. I want them to grow up in these Hills. I want them to feel welcomed and comforted and joyful in their exploration and discovery of the nuances. I want them to be there more than in front of a TV screen, have more time there gathering findings from Nature than from the aisles of a box store that promotes gathering of a different sort.

I want so much for my boys, but I think we are on the right start. I love giving them time and space to explore. I love the way we share what we love with them. They are already fascinated by the mountain bikers that scream by, by the animals we spot, by the smell of the chaparral.
Chapparal
I guess one finds home by learning of it from the time they are born. We find it by connecting. I hope you have found a place to call Home, one in the open, in the light and full of joy and discovery you might be able to share with your little ones. Home found.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your words always touch me so much. You, your boys, your family are so happy and gorgeous and together and well, awesome.

Thank you once again for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Ahhhhh, I miss the LV! I wanna move back. Miss you.

LauraC said...

While both the words and photos are lovely, I think the loveliest part is you wanting them to get outside more and stay inside less. Love it. That is a big part of why we moved from Chicago, so we could raise our kids appreciating nature. And also why we moved to Cary, where they have thoughtfully integrated nature with the town.

Em Natural said...

i love this amiee. you are so good at making me want to move back! love you muches!

Claroux said...

Goodness..you did it again! This is such an eloquent and touching post. It could be my raging pregnant hormones but I actually teared up while reading this....it's just such a beautiful post. It also made me think about my "home." I'll often talk about how I hate living in the "middle of nowhere" but I have so many wonderful memories of growing up in this small seaside community - and I cannot wait to show my girls the same things I experienced. I, unfortunately, do not have any photos of where I live - all those are pre-digital camera. But I think I am definitely going to work on stealing your idea and try to take some photos of the beauty that surrounds us and then write my own "home" post. And I LOVE the fact that you are raising your nuggets to appreciate the natural beauty they are surrounded with - that is one of my BIG goals with our girls. I want them to be in touch with the earth that they live on. It's so much fun to foster a love of nature in them isn't it? Especially at this age when they are so full of wonder! *hugs*

Anonymous said...

Your words and your home are both beautiful makes me long for the home that I left and look forward to the new home that we hope to make our own soon.

Alisa said...

Beautiful.

Anonymous said...

What beautiful pictures and words you posted! I love the pictures of your family with the beautiful mountain and nature right behind them :)