Walking On The Mother Of Waters

We walked around atop the greatest mountain on earth today. Seriously, Mount Rainier is one of the most perfect sites I have ever visited, the sheer size and beauty of the place is enough to choke you up. I have been to a lot of places that hold great natural beauty, and only the mountains of Switzerland, and certain unspoiled islands in the Seto Naikai in Japan even come close to the power of Rainier. It is a must see place.

Due to the size of the kids and the general difficulty involved in my one man parenting tour of Washington, we didn't hike today. We parked, and walked around a bit. I took a goodly few photos, all here, as usual. (I'm going to need more albums for Fall; I'm taking way more photos than usual.) The kids were feeling very photogenic, so they actually stopped and let me take pics of them. I can't resist getting a ton of images of the mountain, of course, and the fields around Sunrise are wonderful places. We even saw some ground squirrels, a deer, and either a grouse or a pheasant or something. A chicken-y bird. (Arkaedi: "Crow? Quack?" No, and no.)

It is the biggest trip of the summer, and maybe the last. I'm starting to feel a little overwhelmed by my extensive driving. Tomorrow we're staying home, and I think the next week will involve some nearby trips, with fewer two hour drives. The kids have been fantastic, and they really handle everything well. Viri asks to go potty, and he's had zero accidents. They share food in the back, and don't make too much noise. I'm just tired of being in the car. For now; maybe when the weekend passes I'll want to trek around the state again. We'll see how bored I get just going to the park and the library tomorrow.

I definitely was glad to make my yearly trip to Rainier. It's an overwhelming place, and I can't imagine living much closer to it, but I have grown fond of it. It doesn't feel as intense and alien as it did when I first moved here. Perhaps it's just acclimation over time. I've come to accept a lot about this area, and I think I've grown to appreciate the harshness of the volcano as stark beauty, and not just harshness. It's not the easy rolling hills of my youth, but it is powerful and lovely. I'm okay with that, I guess.

Day at Beach, with Rainier Looming

Another bizarrely perfect day today. Chilly, but great. I took the kids to Golden Gardens and we watched the trains. Well, me and Viri watched the trains, and Arkaedi was obsessed with the ocean. To the point of saying "WA! WA!" which is incredible interest from an 11 month old baby girl. This nice weather may actually carry me through the winter now. I can possibly hold out until May!

It got me thinking of what my friend texted me about being parents: our kids do get such a range of experiences, and it's great when we can really bring them something that expands their world. Living here, I have the opportunity for mountains, rivers, the ocean. In the natural environment alone there is a daily reminder of the beauty and power of life. I'll never forget my first time seeing the ocean. Due to geographic and financial circumstances it was tough to get there, but my kids can see it every day. Easy to take these kinds of things for granted, and we do. But it's wonderful to be reminded of these things.

After that we came home and Viri and I played puppet shows with Arkaedi. I really am enjoying this stage of my life immensely. I make some mistakes, I get irritated and fail my kids in little ways, true. But I still make sure they get a quality of life that is very good. They learn, play, and grow. I hope I am doing my part to guide them to their destiny.

One amazing aspect of this recent weather is that we get to see Mt. Rainier every day. It's incredible. I do wish they had kept the native name, Tacoma or Tahoma. I forget what it means. I think it's "One who comes here to loom menacingly over the horizon and make glaciers, and is all out of glaciers."

I may be mistaken. Still, having Tahoma standing watching you would be better than Rainier.