Fires raged in the Sierra mountains this summer, forcing my husband and I to cancel our long-awaited backpacking trip. So, what did we do instead? We thought “local!” We found Pantoll Campground located on Mt. Tamalpais that seemed like a good alternative for a peaceful getaway. Only a forty-minute drive from home, we felt like we had traveled hundreds of miles, entering into another world. Mt. Tam is a popular tourist attraction, but with packing up all the gear and necessities for camping, we always wanted to drive farther into the mountains. It’s funny how one setback unexpectedly leads to a pleasant surprise. Here’s a glimpse into our weekend…
A visitor quietly joined us in our site.Our cozy accommodations.Site #1 presented an open concept of a raised dining and great room with a rustic fireplace.Our backyard, perfectly landscaped. Hiking nearby with views of San Francisco Bay.Boiling water in minutesfor our freeze-dried feast. Our only fire because of the red flag warning for the following day.Our first beautiful sunset.Coffee and a gorgeous sunrise. Ahhh…..A different perspective.Our once-a-year bacon splurge, using my mom’s cast iron skilletthat must be about 100 years old!We hiked to the outdoor mountain theater – a wonderful, summertime cultural experience.After hiking uphill a few miles, our legs were ready for a break.Back on the trail, views of the SF bay entertained us again.It’s all downhill from here. 🙂 Must be 5 O’Clock. Cheers! Nature’s architecture.
Did you enjoy the scenery? I hope so! We’re glad to have found a local option now, maybe not for backpacking, but at least for camping and hiking. Here in sunny and drought-ridden California, everyone waits for some precipitation to reduce fire danger. We hope to slip on those backpacks next year…
Thanks for popping in and stay safe, Lauren ❤️❤️❤️
I am delighted to share the first two reviews for More than Coffee, both written by two fantastic writers. And I’m still dancing the happy dance! The first is by Balroop Singh atEmotional Shadows.
More than Coffee: Memories in Verse and Prose by Lauren Scott is a heart-warming memoir that captures lovely moments of childhood, of parents’ love, of attachments, of campfires and hiking with the love of her life. The blissful moments come alive as Scott revels in the good times, letting nostalgia transport her into time machine, to watch the reel unfold like “pictures on a camera roll.” She talks about the value of some priceless gifts that are handed down from one generation to another; she takes pride in the stories that such “gems” tell to evoke fond memories of parents. Only the happy times have been shared in this book.
Written in a simple and straight-forward style, Lauren’s poetry is realistic. ‘To My Babies’ tugged at my heart and I am sure all mothers can relate to this delightful poem. Fragrant memories of “Earthquake Cake” made me smile. ‘Simple Existence’ is thought-provoking and made me pause to comprehend the depth of words that dance across “desert dunes and boundless oceans.” ‘Forever Steady’ too gives you a reflective message to take a breather, look at magical wilderness of nature and see how “delightfully birds sing and trees welcome our company.”
I loved this book and finished it within an hour. If you value relationships and family bonding, this book is for you.
This highly recommended and quick read is a compilation of a number of Scott’s personal and precious memories conveyed in both short prose and freeform poetry. A lot of those memories come with the luxury of a hot cup of coffee, but not all. They capture bits of time from idolizing Barbara Streisand as a kid to camping in the Sierras, and lifelong encounters with spiders. Embedded within many of the stories are heartfelt relationships with parents, spouse, and children.
Some of my favorite stories were “Silver Heirlooms” about how simple hand-me-downs become filled with meaning, “Ascent” about grief and the solace of nature, “Laughing Spiders” about big hairy arachnids, and “1989” a romantic relationship initiated by, of all things, an old refrigerator.
I’ve read poetry books by Scott in the past, and the poems in this collection are some of my favorites. They follow along the same lines as the prose pieces and are in many cases reflections of the same topic. My favorite poems were: “The Right Time”, “Simple Existence”, “To My Babies” and…
The Teacher
Its canary boldness rises up to the sun alone, yet not lonely, fearing nothing, but wearing bravery on each petal – standing tall with spirit in lean green attire as if soaking up the day’s endless possibilities.
If you haven’t met my wonderful blogging friends, Balroop or Diana, please pay them a visit. Their talents span from penning profound poetry to creating fabulous fantasy. And thank you for stopping by. If you’re interested in purchasing a copy of my book in paperback or e-book format, simply click “buy” on my right sidebarimage.
As most of you know from my post on Friday, September 17th, I have released my new book, More than Coffee: Memories in Verse and Prose. So last week, I had the privilege of being featured on several friends’ blogs. Jane Sturgeon was the first to invite me over on Tuesday. She has been a lovely friend for years now, so I invite you to check out her original post.
I’m not able to reblog, so a little farther down the screen is the linkto her post.
But first let me introduce you to Jane by including an excerpt from her blog:
“Our modern society bombards us with images and impressions that things happen instantly and this is a constant source of stress for many. However, as all gardeners know, seeds need to be planted in fertile soil and nurtured with patience, love and care. Courage is sometimes needed to re-arrange your life plants, even removing some completely. Life is about learning which plants suit and experimenting on the creation of a life garden that nourishes you. There is no right or wrong, as you are an individual and have needs that are yours and yours alone.
My hope is to help you discover your inner gifts and the plants that nurture in your life garden through my series of courses and books.
On my blog, I craft stories and share thoughts, life perspectives, creativity, interviews with fellow authors and book reviews.
It is all about the joy of exploring, discovering, learning new things and working with love to support you to live the life you choose.”
From the early woes of childhood and teen years, this collection of stories and poems paints a picture of young dreams and fears. But as adulthood sets in, these dreams and fears change. More than Coffee touches on love and loss, nature and endurance, marriage and parenting. In these memories, humor diffuses fear and taking risks proves to be a powerful method in boosting self-confidence. Through it all, whether in the wilderness near a sparkling lake or in the comfort of home, there’s nothing like a good cup of coffee. A poignant and reflective collection of verse and prose that is best enjoyed sipping your favorite coffee roast.
An excerpt from my book:
The Teacher
Its canary boldness rises up to the sun alone, yet not lonely, fearing nothing, but wearing bravery on each petal – standing tall with spirit in lean green attire, as if soaking up the day’s endless possibilities.
If you would like to purchase a copy of More than Coffee, the links are below, or you can click on the sidebar image of my book.
Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you take the time to visit Jane’s post and her lovely blog.And thank you again, Jane, for your loving generosity!
I am very excited to announce the release of my new book, More than Coffee: Memories in Verse and Prose.”
BOOK BLURB:
From the early woes of childhood and teen years, this collection of stories and poems paints a picture of young dreams and fears. But as adulthood sets in, these dreams and fears change. More than Coffee touches on love and loss, nature and endurance, marriage and parenting. In these memories, humor diffuses fear and taking risks proves to be a powerful method in boosting self-confidence. Through it all, whether in the wilderness near a sparkling lake or in the comfort of home, there’s nothing like a good cup of coffee. A poignant and reflective collection of verse and prose that is best enjoyed sipping your favorite coffee roast.
If you would like to purchase the paperback or ebook, below are the links:
On Labor Day, my husband and I wanted to escape the heat, so we drove into West Marin to pick up sandwiches at our special deli. Then we headed for Taylor Park to picnic among the Redwoods where the air would feel a little more welcoming. We savored those delicious sandwiches to the last bite, chatted about life, read for a bit, then we strolled through the park, enjoying the sights and sounds. I hope you’ll join me as I reminisce…
Looking up to the majestic Redwoods from ourpicnic table. A view of the park.In the late 1800’s, this park was known as the resort, “Camp Taylor.”The old fish pond.Time to cool off in the creek! Be on the lookout! Don’t be fooled by the gorgeous fall colors. Poison Oak is toxic to humans, causing a very itchy rash. The old outdoor theatre. “Welcome, Everyone. Today we’ll learn about the nighttime animals that wander through the resort.”On the trailagain!Anybody home? The soft-looking texture of ferns.
And now I will leave you with this beautiful poem of mindfulness by Kaveri Patel:
Dear You,
You who always have so many things to do so many places to be your mind spinning like fan blades at high speed each moment always a blur because you’re never still.
I know you’re tired. I also know it’s not your fault. The constant brain-buzz is like a swarm of bees threatening to sting if you close your eyes. You’ve forgotten something again. You need to prepare for that or else. You should have done that differently.
What if you closed your eyes? Would the world fall apart without you? Or would your mind become the open sky flock of thoughts flying across the sunrise as you just watched and smiled.
Spending time in this tranquil park made us pause. We listened to birds chirping, children laughing, and the soothing babbles of the creek. I invite you to ponder these words of Kaveri Patel. Will you allow yourself to simply watch and smile? I will certainly try…
I stroll in the yard, dry as an arid desert. Drought drains most of life, but they persevere, soaking up occasional showers.
Follow their guidance, no surrendering, joy imparts effortlessly. Even through difficulties cause to celebrate sweeps in.
So much is happening in the world to feed anxiety. But there is also cause to feel the joy that nature offers and to learn from her messages. And the desire to celebrate always sweeps its way into our lives to help keep our minds balanced in order to move forward. For my husband and I, today we celebrate our beautiful daughter’s 30th birthday. 💞 Wishing you all a wonderful weekend, and one filled with joy and Cause to Celebrate!
Slivers: Chiseled Poetry by Balroop Singh is an enchanting collection of micro-poetry inspired by haiku, tanka, and senryu, also including acrostic poems. Nature, love, and life itself have inspired the growth of these poetic blossoms. Balroop reveals her graceful way of stringing words together, forming vivid images for the reader, inciting a myriad of emotions.
What I find noteworthy is her admission of thinking these forms would be too simple to write, therefore, her interest had waned. But when she met the challenge, she realized the task was anything but uncomplicated. And she met the challenge flawlessly. As I turned each page, more favorites appeared, too many to list, but here are a couple that resonated:
clasping trees beam/in the misty morning breeze/a glorious sight
These lines evoke backpacking memories of waking up in the morning in our wilderness home, greeting the majestic trees.
I heard melodies/of crescent moon that hung above/Darkness melted with the lilting sound/that merged in the symphony of sun/I chose life.
In this poem, I am reminded that our lives are not without strife but hope always prevails. Life is so much bigger and glorious than we realize.
Through Balroop’s magical word-weaving, she expresses the gift of surrounding beauty not to be taken for granted. She reiterates that we should persevere through the darkness because the light will shine again, and a heart that finds the deepest of love is a heart of gratitude. An exquisite poetry collection to be treasured and read over and over again. Highly recommended!
DEAD OF WINTER Journey 1-4 by Teagan Riordain Genevienebegins with Journey 1 in the first of a series that continues in monthly novellas. I have only recently begun reading the fantasy genre. But many wonderful authors have enticed me into their fantastical worlds of writing, and Teagan Riordain Geneviene is one of them. I was easily pulled into Emlyn’s world, the main character who is only twelve years old. A world with its restrictions appearing seemingly true to life for many.
Emlyn’s story starts in the Flowing Lands at Forlorn Peak, but her life is not all giggles of a twelve-year-old for she lives with a secret only her teacher, Osabide, is privy to. Emlyn can see spirits, but the controlling radical society called The Brethren view her as a disgrace. Because of this, her tale is one of mystery and suspense, of her trying to find her way, discerning who she can trust and who she must run from. Additionally, she keeps hearing the words, “Winter is Coming” which places the reader in a nail-biting position of mystery, wondering what those three words indicate.
Teagan’s writing is so compelling that the readers are invited into feeling emotions of love, acceptance, fear, and oppression, to name a few. This series is captivating with wonderful world-building, a well-developed setting, and characters that either charm or get under your skin. I have enjoyed the unfolding story through Journey 4, and I look forward to continuing the journeys to follow. If you appreciate great fantasy novels, or even if fantasy is not your go-to genre, I encourage you to give Teagan’s series a try. I highly recommend “Dead of Winter” for all readers!
Thanks for stopping by!I hope you’ll add these books to your libraries – simply click Buy on Amazon. For Teagan’s books, the link in this post is for Journey 1, but you’ll easily find the books to follow. Happy Reading!
The year was 1978. It was my best friend’s father’s birthday, and I was invited to go out to dinner with the family to celebrate. When we arrived at the popular restaurant, we had to wait for a table – it was crowded even for a weeknight. But the lobby was decorated in reds, oranges, golds, and greens – a warm atmosphere, inviting us to sit down while we waited. Most of the group found seats, including me. I sat on the edge of a comfy sofa. One you can sink right into and wonder how on earth you’ll get out of. On my right side was an end table with a slim glass vase holding one single red rose.Very dainty and pretty.
My friend’s father – the man of the hour chose to sit next to me. I scooted to my right a couple of inches to give him a little more room. What I didn’t realize was the comfy sofa had no arm and the end table was so close that this fact was camouflaged. Before I knew it, before I could shift the direction of my body, I slid off that sofa, landing on the hardwood floor! What seemed like slow motion, that beautiful end table skidded a foot across the smooth surface, prompting that dainty, pretty vase and rose to tumble off into a dramatic crash! Footsteps of restaurant patrons dodged scattered rose petals, shards of glass, and tiny puddles of water. And there I laid, stunned, wanting to melt into that hardwood and disappear for a few months. Long enough for everyone watching to forget about this mortifying moment.
Mel, my friend, offered me a hand. I must’ve stood up, accepting her help, but what actually happened honestly remains a blur. That event, though, from over forty years ago, stays vivid in my camera roll of memories. The difference between then and now is that I can laugh about it.To just laugh and let those silly giggles escape with delight is always a great solution!
Thank you for reading and remember to give those giggles some freedom! Do you have an embarrassing moment to share? 🙂
Lauren Scott (c) 2021 ❤️❤️❤️ Vase photo: Google “Just laugh” photo: dry erase board on my fridge. 🙂
Built with tender hands and love for his daughter, she happily rocked through childhood. Then with tiny fingers wrapped around books, they rocked like her – smiles spreading across their soft cheeks. Adorable animals enhanced the white finish – charm never to be erased. As memories of her father flooded her mind like a scrapbook of Polaroids, Grandma watched her grandchildren with a full heart, for that special rocker embraced new generations with the gentlest rhythm of love.
Our son in 1997, enjoying Grandma’s rocking chair that her father built. This precious little rocker has been passed down through our family for each new grandchild to feel the love.
Baydreamer ~ Lauren Scott 