PHOTO ESSAY | NATURE | SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION
Globetrotters Writer Spotlight — Divina Grey
Writing and Camping in the Redwoods: Walk with me down to the Lake of Change — where nothing stays the same, and you’re always glad you came.
What better way to introduce myself (and write my first piece for Globetrotters) than to ask you to meet me right where I am and pepper that request with photos of my second time in the Redwoods with my kids last week?
After our two-hour trek, we stepped out of the car and were immediately engulfed in the magnificent beauty deep in the redwoods.
But something was different this year.
For starters, I was officially divorced, an untethered woman in more ways than one.
We got the keys to the cabin, unpacked our bags, and headed down to the lake. If you look carefully, you can see the sunlight reflecting off the rooftop of our 150-square-foot Mini Deluxe cabin just past the slender young Redwoods.
Four days in Paradise: nature, a fresh pot of extra caffeinated coffee, my babes, and my journal.
As soon as I saw this view, I knew we had come to the right place. I waited all year to escape the hustle and bustle of the inner city and the emotional turmoil of this thing called “Life.”
And, oh, boy — what a gripping year it had been.
I gazed out as far as my forty-year-old eyes could reach and saw a new vision for my happily-ever-after: A fresh start and an opportunity to make more memories with my babes one year later; we swam in the lake every day and ate every meal together. And even though there wasn’t a place to set up the hammock this year, when the sunset, we snuggled and horsed around in the tiny little cabin together like the good old days.
As I kept walking, the overwhelming beauty stopped me in my tracks again, and I snapped this picture.
Just me, my babes, and this place?
Ahhhh…
We made it through another year of the ups and downs of life. So what if there’s goose poop all over the picnic table? Poop Happens.
As we were pulling away in my friend’s van, I took a deep, cleansing breath and proclaimed to myself that our first day down at the lake went swimmingly:
- The weather was spicy
- The water was perfectly refreshing
- My babes were in a state of joy (other than dreading the make-up homework when they got home).
Year after year, all I want in life is growth, joy, and safety for my kids and me.
A few more random facts about me:
I love to travel because my kids are stuck in the car with me, and I get to let loose on all my “mom jokes” for at least sixty minutes straight.
If I could live somewhere else, I’d live in a tiny cabin (or house) in the woods with my babes.
My top travel tip is always to know where the bathrooms are and never take your eyes off your kids.
Thank you, to the editor of Globetrotters, JoAnn Ryan — and thank you everyone for reading. You are loved!❤
