Why did we stop doing field trips?

The question I’ve gotten a lot recently is: What have you been up to this summer? It hasn’t been the usual ‘where did you go’ or what did you do’…, and the answer that comes to mind is: Field trips! Field trips have been key to creating the life and energy that I crave from summer and the connection with other women who enjoy the field trip vibe: exploring Skagit, learning by being in front of new things and new people. It’s not a day off of work, it’s learning something valuable, but somewhere besides the usual places we learn. My summertime excursions have inspired a plan. I’m going to be scheduling a monthly field trip. A stroll through Edison, a trip to see the latest exhibit at MoNA, a secret nature walk, a visit to a local bookstore, simply a reason to explore Skagit on a particular day and time, and with fun people. Any field trip is exciting (I remember my kids loving the field trip to the sewage treatment plant!), but there is something about our deep connection to this land, to the history, culture and stories of this place. And when we sit or walk together, we share those stories. We end up talking about things that happened that we forgot about, and there’s always an angle that we never knew, about the place, about ourselves, about others. It’s refreshing and grounding. Current ideas:

Last of the summer rasperry picking at Azusa Farms (really, in September!) Swinomish Hats and Kukatali trail Christianson’s nursery fall plant browsing (and advice from John Christianson!) Another visit to MoNA’s Through the Light, the Sublime in contemporary Northwest Art (what a title) A Hamilton “stop to talk about LMM’s brilliance” showing Snow-Shoeing Baker (I have snowshoes) Woven in Wool, Resilience in Coast Salish Weaving at the Burke in Seattle Any other ideas?