Within Our Nature
Our glamping trip into Big Sur has been planned for a long time. At the beginning of the year Jamie booked safari-style tents at Ventana Big Sur, where we anticipated a relaxing weekend amongst the redwoods, the coastal trails, and dinner with stunning vistas.
The glamp sites were truly spectacular - we had comfortable beds with heated blankets, electric fires on the porch, and hot water on the ready. Each tent was nestled in a cluster of redwoods, and so the daylight shone on them in a musky haze.
It turned out to be so special, and so peaceful, in ways we could not have imagined. We did not know that our darling doggy, Boo Radley, would be entering the last phase of her life at that same time. And yet being with her in the depths of Nature, sitting each day beside timeless redwoods, we were able to connect with the thought of losing her, and yet never losing her.
It was a joy for Jane and Jim to also be there and to spend time with Boo. While I did not join them in many of their hikes, I got to sit and read, write, do yoga, and have mid-day cuddles. Blue Jays hopped from low branches to picnic tables, and the courageous ones landed by Boo’s nose. She was so curious of them, her nose constantly sniffing out towards the movement that surrounded her.
Meanwhile the Perins hiked mountainous cliffsides through the low hanging fog. They were able to fit in 3 beautiful hikes: Creamy Meadow Loop, Buzzards Roost Trails, and Partington Cove Trail. Aside from hiking, Jim grew to love sandwich kebabs and Jane only made you coffee when you specifically ask her not to. Together we sat by the campfire, finding out that roasted marshmallows turns Boo into a raving lunatic, as she nearly bit off my finger as I fed them to her.
We ventured also to the Henry Miller Bookshop, which is a beautiful outdoor book venue with live music and cold Coors Light, much to Jim’s pleasure. I bought novels by both Keruac and Miller, and we proceeded to have luxurious dinner at Nepenthe.
Coming back into the city we got to spend more time playing cards, cooking, and showing them the new neighborhood we moved into last year. During the day we played tennis, and Jamie and Jane got to go to her wedding dress fitting.
I look back at our time in the Big Sur, and another chapter in the Perin-adventure chronologies, and it warms my soul having this time with family. Boo is so much of our stories, and she will continue to be even when we lose her. It is within her nature, and our nature, to persist and remember.
