Exploring. . .

A day off of school = A day of exploration

Destination: Elephant Rock

There are massive deposits of granite there.

Two of the quarries are abandoned.

This very cool building was the firehouse where the fire response train was housed.

Elephant Rock got it's name because on the top there are a string of large granite boulders which resemble a train of pink circus elephants.  Many of the boulders have names and dates carved in them. 

Every time we move we get a chance to redefine our family, keeping or losing things from the previous places.  This trip it was fun to have a picnic together, have Jeremy chase the screaming girls around the playground, see Caden in his new tall body take on a new roll as "big" brother.  It was awesome to explore without a baby in a stroller or in my belly. 

In 2 years Jaycie is leaving for college.  Sometimes I still wonder what our family is going to be. . . and now the oldest is leaving before I feel like we've established who we are.

To wax philosophical. . . This quote from Sai Baba reminds me that the moments of every day create who we are, that the moments of the past 18 years have molded our family, and the future moments will continue influencing it.

"What matters is to live in the present, live now, for every moment is now.  It is your thoughts and acts of the moment that create your future.  The outline of your future path already exists, for you created its pattern by your past."