September 7

It'd been quite some time since we'd taken a day trip, so we decided to hike up part of Mt. Diablo late this morning and into the afternoon. The description of the Juniper Trail that Adam found online said it was an "easy" path that's "good for small children" and after walking it... hahaha! As if! But anyway, the views were nice, we made it with (relatively) minimal whining, and it was nice to be out of the house together sharing an adventure.

At one point along the way, we passed through a small area that had obviously been scorched by a fire during some yesteryear.

As I passed by, I mused over how amazing it is that life has continued on around those scarred and battered trees; in fact, there are so many other, younger plants and shrubs that surround them that they don't really jump out at you if you're not deliberately looking at them. But I overheard Adam's impression, and I like it much better.

As he walked with Brady, he pointed out the burnt remains and remarked "hey, it looks like they're dancing." Dancing regardless of their terrifying, devastating collective past. Pretty deep thought, if you ask me. And of course, a good reminder to keep dancing no matter what.