Driving the Coast
Looking back now, I realize how precious those drives were, the adventures, snuggled into our camper, simply being together. “Letting Go”, 36 × 60, acrylic and charcoal on canvas.
When the kids were much younger and we had just moved yet again, we had a crazy idea to hop into our camper (my husband’s lifelong dream to own) and drive from Saskatchewan to California and back again. We thought we would take them to Disneyland and make a few memories along the way, maybe make up for the upheaval and spend some “quality time” together as a family where we weren’t packing, unpacking or renovating. What we didn’t realize was that those little moments, shared, where we learned to dream again and just be in awe, watching the world go by.
We packed up our RV with too much stuff and began our road trip extravaganza. We had some long days on the road, but watching the landscape change before our eyes was incredible. We stretched our legs for a good while watching Old Faithful erupt at Yellowstone, giggling when we saw others stopped roadside to photograph Canadian geese. We road all the rides and watched fireworks at Disney on the Fourth of July before clinging to one another in the crowded mass heading towards the exit. We took our way to big RV down Rodeo Drive and pointed to the Hollywood Sign that the kids claim to this day they never saw.
I think my favourite bit began as we found our way out of LA and to the Malibu shores. Winding along the coast we moved from the mega mansions back to nature. We watched the surf turn wild and pulled off to rush down the cliffside of Big Sur toward the promise of the waves. We wondered across sand flats, pretending to find pirate hideouts in the rock formations jutting upward before scurrying back as the rising tide threatened to make us have to swim. We forgot to follow the detour signs and happily ended up having to turn around at an outcrop loaded with sunbathing seals. We watched their curious elephant seal noses that were to big for their faces wiggle as they honked and climbed over one another to claim the best rocks.
Our campsites were often near the beaches where the water still felt cool and the kids spent hours digging in the sand. We chatted around campfires, recounting the favourite sights of the day then all tumbled into our beds. The smell of those pounding waves and the fine mist mixed with salt in the air soothed us to sleep most nights and made us sad to leave in the mornings.
That trip was a precious one. The views left their mark on my soul. These are memories that I still cling to long after our RV is sold and the kids are done with Disney and family camping trips. Lucky me to be able to revisit these places in my mind, recreating those times with my paints, letting the wonder wash over me still.
We raced into the wild ocean, laughing then tumbling down onto the sand. “Tumbling”, 36 × 60, acrylic and graphite on canvas.
