Finding joy in nature

If you have followed us for a while, you know that we live and breathe for and in and with Nature. Nature is our spiritual renewal, our reason for being. If there's a day when I can't go outside, I get grumpy.

That's one of the reasons we lived tucked away in a wilderness valley for so long, and that's why we chose our next place to live, which is filled with diverse natural beauty. We are spending as much time in it as we can.

Steve and I are lucky to be self-employed. We live simpler than many people, so we can get by with less, and spend our time playing outside.

For example, this past week was filled with many different activities - either squeezed in before or after work, or when the kids had a snow day. The best thing about this is that these adventures also serve as a way to connect as family.

The first few pictures below are from two different hikes to lakes in the area.

 

We also had a day of fun at Mount Baker with two of our kids. The third kid has been missing on our outings more and more, since he turned 18 and is much more self sufficient, finishing his Senior year and working. We miss him but know that this is a normal part of separation from his boring, old parents and annoying little sister and brother...

We usually only to go to Mount Baker in the summer and fall for glorious hikes, but we decided to check out the ski area. We don't downhill ski, mostly because I'm too cheap to pay for it, so we concentrate on cross country-skiing, snow shoeing and sledding.

I can't believe how wonderful this area is in winter, especially when you go during the week instead of the busy weekends with lots of skiers.

 

And then there's the ocean! Oh, the ocean! And so many lakes to put your kayak and canoe in! And islands stretching to the horizon! 

Every direction you look, there's a new playground!

If you are looking at these pictures asking yourself, "Do these people ever work?" the answer is YES! We work a lot and really hard. And then we play really hard.

I want to share these pictures as inspiration to nudge you a little bit: to go outside more, breathe more deeply, find joy in the very, very simple things.  It doesn't have to be expensive or complicated. 

I will leave you with images from our week:

* Steve bottling the hard cider we made from all of our Marblemount apples

* Me modelling two of my sweaters that I knitted this month

I hope you are getting outside and that you're finding joy in the little things!

What are your favorite things to do outside in the winter?