Last Saturday David, Amelia, and I met my family up on the Mogollon Rim to pick wild raspberries. It was the first time Mila had spent any real time outdoors and she loved it. It’s a little sad that she hadn’t gotten to play outside for the first three months of her life, but when you consider that it’s still nearly 120 degrees here I think you’ll agree that staying inside all summer has been a wise decision.
The weather was beautiful when we arrived, but no sooner had we set up the canopy my dad had brought and fixed ourselves some sandwiches than we were hit by an enormous thunderstorm. I shouldn’t have been surprised; it is still monsoon season, after all. Still, I’d expected warm weather, so the cold downpour caught me very much unprepared.
The whole family huddled nervously under the canopy as the the lightning came closer and closer. We kept hoping the worst of the storm would pass us by, but before long we found ourselves right in the middle of it. Storms don’t usually bother me, but our location had me very worried. I just knew that the metal canopy frame would attract a bolt of lightning and we’d all die horrible fiery deaths. The booming thunder didn’t even faze Miss Mila, though. She sat happily munching her fists during the worst of the storm and had a snack in the truck once the rain slowed enough for me to brave the walk to it.
Eventually the rain stopped and we could wander the forest searching for the last of the season’s berries. As David noted, berry picking is such a great activity because it’s so slow and enjoyable that you don’t notice how hard you’re working, with all that walking and bending and fighting with brambles that keep grabbing at your clothes and hair. Even though most of the fruit was dried up and the bushes had been pretty well stripped by the deer and chipmunks, we were able to get a little bucketful to bring home. I think next year we’ll go earlier in the season; maybe we can get enough to make some jam or a pie or two.
Spending time as a family and getting away from the oppressive heat makes our adventure a double win in my book. Gazing out from what feels like the edge of the world was just icing on the cake.
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