24-Hour Vacation

 

Yesterday we took a trip to Malibu Creek State Park to go camping.  This was William's first time camping so we wanted to go somewhere near enough that we could go home if things didn't go smoothly, but in fact we all had a great time.  And even though our campsite was only 38 minutes away from home, it felt like a real vacation.

We picked up the kids from summer camp at noon and headed to Malibu.  Once we got to our site, we ate lunch and then Dev set up our amazing new tent.  I've never liked sleeping in a tent before and though I never quite articulated it this way, I realize now that tents made me feel claustrophobic, especially when I couldn't stand up inside. 

Not a problem with this giant new tent - I can stand up easily, and even with four sleeping bags, two dogs, and a portable crib inside, it felt completely open and roomy.  It even has a closet!
 

Arthur sets up his bed

Tent closet

Then the kids flew kites and drew pictures before taking a hike down to the creek.

 

After the hike, we made dinner.

 

Guarding the van

The kids used our ice cream ball to make chocolate chip ice cream.

 

Chocolate chip ice cream

Dinner with head lamps

We had S'mores and told stories and played with glow sticks, and then Dev gave the kids an astronomy lesson with the aid of a laser pointer.

Then off to bed. Beatrice slept easily through the night without a fuss, just like last year.   William was fine, too - we started him off in this portable crib but then I moved him into my sleeping bag with me when I went to bed so that he wouldn't get too cold.  Arthur had a hard time getting settled - sleeping outside in the dark still makes him anxious - but once Dev spent some time calming him down, he slept through the night and late the following morning. It was a big improvement over last year, when Arthur cried hysterically the entire night.

The next morning we got up early, made pancakes, and then packed up our camp site and headed over to the Malibu Lagoon State Beach tide pools and sea bird preserve.

Crab

 

 A tiny octopus

A sea hare

Another sea hare, squirting ink

 

Two giant sea snails

We saw tons of sea life, including crabs, snails, sea anemones (Arthur calls them "sea enemies"), sea cucumbers, sea hares, and even an octopus.  And of course dozens of birds.

We also watched a group of older kids taking surfing lessons nearby (before releasing the kids into the water, the instructor had them all sit in the lotus position and meditate).

After exploring the coast we had a big lunch of squid, clams, and oysters at a nearby seafood restaurant, and then headed home.

The whole trip took only 24 hours and we never even left L.A., but it felt like an excursion nonetheless.

Later this summer we're doing another camping trip in Sequoia, only now William will be a pro.