Brannan Island (6)

Yep. Camping.

Well that seemed almost like a normal weekend! For the first time since March, I came home from work (like I’m actually working at school, minus the kids) and we hitched up Friday afternoon, just like we always used to.

Bobcat Strong

I have to say, being back in my school space, even if it’s really different and super sad without kids, feels so much better. It is normalizing, even though it’s still not normal. Coworkers are there, isolated in their rooms, sure, but we see each other and we can talk to each other in person outside. I put up a plastic doorway barrier between two of the rooms in Learning Center so that I can talk to my aide on the other side and pass materials under the divider. And even that feels normal. Ish. There’s still a terrible amount of planning and preparing that needs to happen, but the rooms don’t need to look nice for distance learning. Do mine? Yes. I had to put everything back the way it’s supposed to be, all ready for students, or I can’t concentrate. But having my Learning Center space back feels really good. There has been so much tragedy, and heaviness, both globally and locally, but feeling part of a community helps.

So nice.

This is a repeat visit for Brannan, but I think it was my favorite. It was hot, but we had hookups. I had some work to do, but I also got my boat in the water. How lovely to just let my hands dangle in the cool, refreshing water of the San Joaquin River on a hot summer day. Richard went on a bike ride along the Delta Loop, like he does. The park did a nice job of distancing the sites by only allowing every other one to be reserved. So it felt safe, and refreshing, and replenishing, just like camping always used to feel after a work week.

Bridge into Rio Vista

We took a different route home on Sunday, mostly because the entrance to the park was so backed up with cars waiting to come in, we couldn’t see to make a safe left hand turn into traffic. So we turned right. And then figured, let’s just go a whole different way home via Highway 12. It was nice. Nothing remarkable, but lots of yellow delta plains and windmills.

It was kind of a same old, same old weekend. But these days, that feels pretty profound. And so needed.

Total miles: 39.2, 1 hour 22 min, 17.1 mpg. Site 113 hookups. LTE or 5g for both.

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