On the Vernal Equinox, we celebrate Ostara!

Ostara marks the Spring (Vernal) Equinox, when darkness and light are in harmony. The day has exactly as many hours as the night, and for this one perfect period, there is balance in the universe.

♥ 12 + 12 ♥

Ostara also means that spring is here! The sun gains strength and is showing herself more and more every day. The sun — our incredible celestial life-giver from no less than 92 million miles away — has been traveling on her annual journey, slowly moving north along the ecliptic. And on this day, on Ostara, she will set exactly and directly due west. And I can’t help but think that you don’t need to believe in magick or gods or goddesses, or anything else supernatural, to appreciate the exquisite symmetry of this moment. The natural is super enough, all on its own. Impossibly big and yet still, always — dependably and reliably — in perfect alignment.

If nothing else, I think that’s something to celebrate.

Ostara celebrates fertility and rebirth. It’s the time for the intentions we set on Imbolc to turn into A C T I O N.

The equinox marks the official first day of spring, and everything around us is coming to life. The last of the winter snow has melted, and in its place the world is greening. Buds have emerged from long-bare branches. The crocus are pushing up through the earth, and seedlings dot the landscape. If you stop to listen, you may hear the return of birdsong in the air.

If we imagine the Wheel of the Year as representing the course of one life, then Ostara is the birth! This is a festival of fertility in celebration of spring, which is why the symbols of the egg and the hare belong to Ostara — to the goddess Eostre — and long predate the Christian Easter holiday.

Ostara has been celebrated in many ways by people of many faiths, for many many centuries. It is perhaps the most universal of the pagan holidays, which means you can adapt it in whatever way strikes your fancy. This year, the equinox falls on March 20th. Some suggestions for celebrating in modern day include:

♥ Reconnect with nature. Take a walk outdoors with no other purpose than just to be in the natural world. ♥

♥ Plant new spring seeds. If you weren’t able to do this on Imbolc, then Ostara is the perfect opportunity to get started on your garden. ♥

♥ For cooking: spring greens or herbs, edible flowers, violet jelly, sprouts, and seeds. (We made veggie risotto and spring asparagus!)
For drinking: sweet wine, warm milk, and flower tea. (We drank French rosé and champagne!) ♥

♥ Ostara is also a wonderful time for “flower divination”. Go to a field (in warmer climates) or visit a florist (in colder climates), and select a flower that speaks to you. Then, take that flower home and learn about what it symbolizes. The flower that you choose, and the magical meaning behind it, will reveal your inner thoughts and emotions . . . because Ostara is the perfect time to get in touch with those inner thoughts and emotions. ♥

In my own life, last year’s Ostara was a very special night. It was the first of the sabbats that we celebrated as a complete coven — we were joined by our fourth!

Four women, four seasons, four corners of the earth. It felt so powerful to finally be practicing in totality.




Our ritual lasted for hours, while our children played late into the night. We built a giant group altar, cast and burnt and built and cried, connected deeply to each other and to ourselves. We did big magic that night. Big magic.




I love this photo. I love the look on Ingrid’s face as she lights a candle and asks for something so, so difficult to speak. I relate to that look. I know that look.

And I love the look on Jennie’s face, just flush with absolute love in that same moment.

God I love this photo.





The candles burn. The nights shorten. The seasons turn.

However you celebrate Ostara (or not!), I wish you a spring of warmth and light, the birth of new beginnings and a season full of love. Happy Vernal Equinox!

On February Eve, we celebrate Imbolc!

Imbolc (pronounced ihm-bulk or ihm-bulg) is the festival of Midwinter, beginning on the evening of January 31st and continuing on though February 2nd. If we imagine the Wheel of the Year as representing the course of one life, then Imbolc — translated from Old Irish as “in belly” — is that peaceful, hopeful period of gestation. Pre-Awakening. Pre-Sprout. Pre-birth.

This time of year, the earth is still asleep under the heavy blanket of winter. But come February Eve, we begin to feel something stirring. Thus, Imbolc is simultaneously a meditation on the stillness and quiet of the barren season, while also preparing to welcome in the new life of springtime.

Deep underground, the tiniest root-buds gently strain against the thinning walls of the seeds that surround them.

Snuggled safely in burrows and nests and dens, bellies swell as the babes inside begin their quickening.

Metamorphosis is everywhere, invisible but universal. Imbolc is the time to ready ourselves for the journey ahead.

In that spirit of preparation, this is a holiday centered around purification and cleansing. It’s a good time to hunker down and figure out what you really want. Make a giant list, build a vision board, or draw the dream you wish to manifest. Focus on concrete plans, but do whatever it takes to find your inspiration. Because Imbolc is the perfect time to take charge of your life!

Imbolc is called “Midwinter” but here in southern California, spring is already showing itself. Last year, I was grateful to be able to dress my altar with fresh flowers and herbs that I gathered around town, along with the more traditional elements of snow/salt, seeds, and milk.

One of my favorite things about practicing witchcraft is that the rules are bendy and blurry and pretty much open to your own intuition. So, you can mark the holiday in whatever way speaks to you. However, traditional themes around Imbolc include:

♥ Breaking bread with friends ♥
♥ Honoring hearth and home (anything from protection magic to simple spring cleaning) ♥
♥ Divination (watch for omens) ♥
♥ Dressing and blessing candles, or any kind of candle magic ♥
♥ Taking a Ritual Bath. (In ancient Ireland, sacred wells were visited during Imbolc, and water from the wells was used to bless the home, the family, and the fields) ♥

In Neo-Druidity, Imbolc is considered the “Women’s Holiday”, and ruled by the divine feminine. Imbolc is the time when new witches are initiated into the coven. This seemed especially relevant to me last year, as Imbolc was the first gathering of what has become my own little coven of magic-making women. As I said in my last post, my only real New Year’s Resolution of 2018 was to create tradition and community around the 8 pagan sabbats.

Imbolc was the first.

We make our own traditions. On February 1st last year, I arrived to pick Waits up from school, and found him carrying a pink plastic flamingo. He told me that his school was going to throw it out, and he couldn’t bear the thought of it going to waste, so he’d rescued it. He named it Reggie. And he asked if Reggie could be part of our Imbolc celebration.

Well . . . why not?

We make our own traditions, and now forevermore our Imbolc will include Reggie, the Imbolc Flamingo, centerpiece of our party. Reggie calls to mind midsummer’s sticky heat. Florida-hot beachy bright days. A perfect compliment to the bite and the bluster of midwinter. In this way, Reggie reminds us that there is always balance.




Are you feeling excited to organize your own Imbolc gathering? This year February 1st just so happens to fall on a Friday — the perfect day for a party! So, here are some of my favorite ideas (some traditional, some non-traditional) to bring a little Imbolc spirit into your modern Midwinter celebration:

1) Burn a candle in every room of your home, to clear out negativity, and to call in the light of spring.

2) Smash a geode! This one is super family-friendly. Kids love it, and your own inner child will love it as well. Geodes are a beautiful metaphor for the Earth in winter — barren on the outside, but bursting with beauty right beneath the surface. Let that beauty out! *Smash* *Smash* *Smash* It’s so fun! (Pro-tip, put your geode in an old sock before going at it with a hammer. That way when it breaks, the pieces won’t go flying.) I bought my geodes at my local metaphysical shop, but you can order them online too. This kit from National Geographic looks really cool!

3) Plant new spring seeds! Start your seedlings inside, and remember that even when the world is cold, we can always nurture new hope with a little bit of light and a little bit of love. Keep your seedlings in a warm spot under a sunny window. (For more on starting seeds indoors, check out this series I did ages ago, here and here and here.)

4) Cooking: food with friends, especially something with seeds, something with peppers, anything bright or spicy, or something with onions, leeks, or garlic. I made mixed pepper tacos, and my friend Jennie made kitchari which was beautiful and delicious and I didn’t take any pictures of it, booo. Drinking: full-bodies white or spicy red wine. We shared a bottle of dark, peppery syrah, and it was perfectly rich and warming on a midwinter night.

5) Pulling tarot, throwing bones, or reading tea leaves (any type of divination).

6) Taking a ritual cleansing bath. I gave my friends each a bottle of Florida Water at the end of our celebration, and sent them off to take their own ritual baths. I love Florida Water for cleansing, blessing, and protecting (you can find it at any botánica, or most metaphysical shops) (this is the one I use), and it seems especially appropriate for an Imbolc ritual bath. Florida Water is named for the fountain of youth — perhaps the most sacred of Sacred Wells, I’d say!

Create family traditions around the 8 sabbats: Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lughnasadh, Mabon, Samhain, and Yule. Include the coven and close friends. Create community. 8 parties this year!

It was an ambitious goal, but for the most part, I was totally successful! 2018 was the year that my magical practice fully bloomed and rooted. It feels so deeply ingrained in my everyday life, now. And as I’ve finally begun to feel more comfortable sharing this part of myself (mostly on Instagram stories), I’ve gotten so many private messages from others out there, on a similar magical journey . . . or wanting to be!

Which makes a lot of sense. One of the reasons I’ve always been drawn to witchcraft, is because of the way I feel that it connects me to the natural rhythms of the earth. Now granted, there are a million ways to be a witch, and mine is just one of them. But I think this sense of connection is calling to a lot of people, these days.

In my own practice, I am a secular solitary green witch, which means that my craft is based around natural cycles: the monthly waxing and waning of the moon, the slow but steady changing of the seasons, or even the daily passage of the sun, from dawn into dusk. Attuning myself to these natural rhythms bring me a profound sense of connection. It helps to settle the existential angst that’s otherwise always humming softly in the background of my mind. We are each of us small and insignificant, yes — but we are also intimately woven into something unimaginably large and exquisitely beautiful. What a gift!

And that’s why witches celebrate The Wheel of the Year. To remind us of this.

Imbolc — February 1st(ish) — Mid-Winter
“First light in the dark of winter”

Ostara — March 20(ish) — Vernal (Spring) Equinox
“Spring’s arrival”

Beltane — May 1(ish) — May Day
“The fertile earth”

Litha — June 21(ish) — Summer Solstice
“The longest day of the year”

Lughnasadh — August 1(ish) — First Harvest
“Abundance between lightness and dark”

Mabon — September 21(ish) — Autumn Equinox
“The harvest is home”

Samhain — October 31(ish) — Final Harvest
“The witches New Year”

Yule — December 21(ish) — Winter Solstice
“The shortest day of the year”

I’m planning to do a series of posts about the Wheel of the Year, and how I celebrate each of these 8 sabbats, over the course of 2019. I’m so very excited to share them with you!

Lots of Love,
~Sayward

But! I’ve been doing a lot of magic around the Winter Solstice, the full moon, and the New Year, and now, clutching my trusty Scolecite (my official stone of 2019 — it opens the heart, ushers in transformation, and facilitates communication), I think I’m finally ready to sit down and write.

I was planning to say goodbye. Like, officially and forever.

2018 was such an incredible year for me! I feel like 2018 was really hard for almost everyone around me both in real life and online, and hard on the world in general. But in my own little universe, 2018 was hands-down the best year I’ve had in as long as I can remember. This is the year I really stepped back from all the extra stressors (including, for the most part, blogging). I worked on myself a lot and I grew a fucking ton this year. And after an amazing trip to Belize in August, I completely rearranged my priorities. Since then I’ve been parenting better than I ever have before, and my relationship with Waits has grown and deepened in the most beautiful ways. And about a month after I got back from Belize, I got the job! Officially and permanently! I now have a career that supports me financially as well as intellectually and emotionally, and I’m still coming to terms with how totally cool that is. I am so grateful. This year I also reconnected to my corest group of friends, and strengthened my magical practice. My soul feels nourished. I love my life!

And so, I’d thought, maybe its time to let go of blogging for good. This January 28th, 2019, I’ll celebrate 10 years of blogging. And I think that’s got a pretty nice symmetry to it.

Buuuuut then. Then! I did the thing that I always do when I’m contemplating quitting the blog. I started reading back through my own archives. I read about our family Spring Break desert road trip adventure this past year (and remembered that I’ve still never shared the pictures and stories from our day of mining for crystals). And I read about when I got my Masters degree and all I could think to do was go to the great salts flats in Death Valley, to sit in the wind and wonder. I found this absolutely adorable story, about Waits and a popsicle, that I had completely forgotten about. And I read about when I was really, seriously depressed, but at least could find flower fields and a little bit of perspective, at least for a day.

I thought about how much has changed, and how extremely, immensely grateful I am that I have all these thoughts and photos gathered here, so that I can revisit them, and remember.

I thought about future-Waits reading these posts someday, and having that window into his early life, through his mother’s eyes. I thought about, and always think about, how much I wish I had something like this from my own mom. How much it would mean to me to be able to peer through that window into her mind, to see what was going on for her during my early life. It would feel like the greatest treasure.

So okay, maybe I’m just not ready to give up on blogging completely. I want to continue to write our story.

2019. The little blog slowly marches forward. In fits and starts, with extended hiatuses and absolutely no schedule or rhythm to speak of. And thats okay. I’m excited to continue to share, little bits and pieces of my heart, here and there, when I have the time and the energy. Which isn’t much of ever these days. And that’s okay.

I’m really excited about 2019. My year to NOURISH, in every possible way. Everything is moving in the right direction and for the first time, I’m not holding my breath anymore.

I think it’s going to be okay.

Much love to you,
~Sayward

So here I am, in the middle of November and posting a summer recap. But better late that never, I say! It’s important to me to pin these pictures on my piece of the Internet, suspended here forever. So I can always visit them and remember — “Ahhh, it was a good summer!”

It started with the lemonade. It was the end of spring, and I had a bunch of lemons from our tree that I wanted to make sure and use before they went bad. And the weather was finally warming up, so I thought — Lemonade! I’ll make lemonade with Waits and it’ll be fun. I wrote it on the chalk board that covers our spice cupboard in the kitchen, so I wouldn’t forget it.

The next day I came into the kitchen and Jeremy had added to my list: “Camping”

And then a few days later, he added another: “Dodgers Game”

Oooh I love a good bucket list, and I could see where this was going! So I began adding my own ideas to the board, and before we knew it we had ourselves a solid summer plan. And I’m happy to say that we hit every one of our goals (some with more pictures than others, but all of them accomplished nonetheless). It was little things and big things. It was simple pleasures and grand adventures. It was us — our list touched on all our favorite summer traditions.

So here it is — a summary of our summer! A bucket list in photoessay form . . .

Lemonade

Camping

Dodgers Game

Berry Picking

Outdoor Movie

Ocean Kayaking

Hike 7-Falls

Lake Day

Fireworks

Yeah. It was a really, really great summer.

Belize is the most beautiful snorkeling and diving destination you’ve maybe/probably never heard of. The majority of people I talk to have only a very general sense of the country (“Is it somewhere in Central America?” (yes) and “They speak Spanish there, right?” (no) is how the conversation usually goes). I feel like Belize is sort of still a secret, which is why I’m so excited to share my Belizean adventures here. I fell completely in love with this country, and I want to share that love!

Belize is an equatorial paradise, with a rich melting pot of people and culture, lush tropical jungles full of incredible wildlife, pristine Mayan ruins, that crystal clear Caribbean water, and of course — some of the very best snorkeling and diving in the entire world.

The barrier reef off the coast of Belize is the second largest in the entire world. But even though it’s a developing country with limited resources, Belize has taken great care to preserve and protect the integrity of the space. This reef is practically pristine, because there are strict regulations in place to protect it. It’s inspiring!

You can access the reef from many parts of Belize — it essentially spans the entirety of the coastline. We were in the north, staying on the tiny island of Caye Caulker, and we did a lot of research for our snorkeling trip. With over 1,200 reviews and maintaining a 5-star rating on Trip Advisor, Caveman Snorkeling Tours was the clear winner.

We booked the full day tour, which promised a minimum of 7 stops. It didn’t disappoint.


First Stop: The Coral Gardens

Perfect for our first dip and to test our gear, the Coral Gardens is a sprawling and diverse collection of corals in relatively shallow water, with a mellow, gentle current. I didn’t even know you could see so many different types of coral all in one place.

Alas, none of my pics could accurately capture the beauty of the wildlife. So, no flora and fauna photos here.

However I did learn an important snorkeling lesson: your mask will seal fine, you don’t need to make it THAT tight.

Hol Chan is Mayan for “little channel”. The Hol Chan Reserve is Belize’s oldest marine reserve, and was established by Belizean conservationists who were concerned over the unchecked fishing and diving on the reef.

This stop was absolutely incredible: a 45-minute guided snorkeling tour through the reef. We saw barracudas and moray eels and sharks and turtles and rays, dozens of beautiful and brightly colored tropical fish, and about a hundred different types of corals.

Chatto’s Place is a shallow area in the middle of the ocean, where an old conch fisherman (that’s Chatto) used to come every day to clean his catch. Which means that the entire sea floor, in this one particular place, is covered with discarded conch shells.

We didn’t get any pictures from this spot, but it was totally unique.


4: Shark Ray Alley

Another spot in the middle of the ocean, this is an area where all the fisherman used to congregate to clean their catch. The sharks learned to come to the sound of the boats idling there, knowing that the water would be full of the fishermen’s throw-aways. And now, so many years later, they still come.

YOU GUYS! It was an actual sunken shipwreck! I die.

All of my life I’ve dreamed of swimming with manatees. They live all along the coast of Belize, but they’re transient and seasonal, so you never know if you’re going to get to see them. And man oh man, I sooo wanted to see them! Crossed all my fingers and all my toes, and then there at the very end — there they were!

There were two more stops on our trip — one to hand-feed giant tarpons, and one to visit a seahorse preserve (we saw wild seahorses!), but I didn’t take any pictures of those. Bad blogger. Sorry!

All in all, this day was absolutely magical and completely exceeded my expectations.

It was a long day in the sun with tons of swimming, and by the time our boat docked, we were utterly exhausted. Jeremy and I wandered out to the farthest point on the island, found a large stump to sit on, and watched the sun set over the Caribbean.

Perfect.

We always bring our big cast iron skillet when we camp, but we mostly reserve it for tofu scrambles and breakfast taters on the little Coleman stove. We’ve never cooked with the cast iron over an open flame, and neither of us had ever made paella before. So, paella seemed a natural choice, to finally try our hand at high-brow campfire food.

And oh boy, it was. It really really was.




Paella is perfectly suited for campfire cooking, because it’s a one-pot meal that’s actually super easy (but feels really sophisticated). But traditional paella usually includes seafood and sausage. We chose mushrooms and soyrizo to make this vegan gluten-free version, and we couldn’t have been happier with the results. It was so good!

Credit where credit is due — this recipe is very much based on this Artichoke and Poblano Paella from Fresh Off The Grid.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup white rice, dry
2 cups vegetable broth
1 medium yellow onion
3 cloves garlic
2 poblano peppers
1 package cremini mushrooms
1 package soyrizo
1 can artichoke hearts
1/3 cup Tempranillo (or other dry red wine)
pinch of saffron
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste





Instructions
Place the cast iron skillet directly onto the grate over the campfire.

Dice the onion. Add the tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, and begin to sauté the onion.

Dice the poblanos and cremini mushrooms, and peel and crush the garlic. Add the poblano, mushroom, and garlic to the pan, and sauté until the peppers soften. Stir in 1/2 the package of soyrizo.

Add the dry rice and stir continuously for a few minutes. Once the tips of the rice begin to become translucent, add the wine. Stir and continue cooking until the wine has evaporated. Add the broth, saffron, and salt. Stir to combine all the ingredients, then allow the pan to cook undisturbed and uncovered, for 20-30 minutes.

Once the liquid is almost entirely absorbed, stir in the artichoke hearts and the other half of the soyrizo. Make sure to do this while there’s still a bit of moisture in the mix. Once everything is evenly distributed, allow the pan to continue cooking. The crispy socarrat — the best part of paella — will develop over the next few minutes. Listen for the crackling of the rice. Once you can hear it crackling, cook for 2-3 more minutes, then remove from heat.




Scrape scrape scrape and serve! The deliciously crusty bottom is best when it’s piping hot. Enjoy!

♥ ♥ ♥

When I began the draft of this post, I titled it “Spring Things [2017]“, and I worked on it for weeks, returning to it, adding a bit here and there (that’s how I tend to blog these days) before I realized that it’s not actually 2017 anymore. I almost published it with the wrong year, and I think that’s indicative of something. Don’t ask me what, but something.

Life is moving quickly, and I used to say that with the subtext “too quickly, I can’t keep up” but now everything is different and the subtext is more like “WHEEEEE this is awesome!”

Life is moving quickly because it’s very, very full and everything that fills it is happy and good. For once, and finally. Things are so good.

While I was organizing this post and putting all the finishing touches in place, I couldn’t help but notice how many of these photos were taken outside. In nature. In the wild, wide open. And isn’t that what spring is all about? Re-emerging, and re-embracing that wild, wide open?

Here are a few of my favorite moments from Spring:

On May 4th, Jeremy and I celebrated our 5-year anniversary — an anniversary that was very hard earned. Through moving to a new city, starting a small business, starting and finishing graduate school, opening a wine bar together, closing the wine bar and the business, moving in together and then moving again, bouts of depression, finding new jobs, constant financial struggle in this ridiculously expensive part of the world, and of course parenting our way through all of it — well, it hasn’t been easy. I don’t talk about it much, the details of our relationship, I guess because it feels like they aren’t just mine to share. But I will tell you this: we’ve gotten here by the skin of our teeth. 5 years. And there were so many times I was sure we wouldn’t make it. Relationships are strange things, and this one is particularly so, because it involves two emotional, eccentric, opinionated people (and one very, very spirited child). But I don’t know, man. We keep working and trying, growing and learning. And we keep on loving each other through all of it, despite all of it, and also because of all of it. I am so proud of what we’ve been through, how far we’ve come, and how we’ve both made the commitment to keep showing up for this relationship, again and again, no matter what.

5 years.

We went camping, of course.

It was a wonderful weekend, and a perfect way to celebrate our 5 years together. But of course, all good things must come to an end. Back to real life . . .

This little person, who is not so little any more, finished second grade. It was a bittersweet beginning to our summer vacation, because his lovely little charter school, where he has gone for kindergarten and 1st grade and 2nd grade, and has had the same amazing teacher the entire time, is closing its doors for good. It was a hard goodbye; the loss of a wonderful community, and a real shaking of foundation for Waits.

Which, you know, I guess that’s life? Endings and beginnings, love and loss. Spring turns into summer turns into autumn. Little baby boys turn into charming young men, and grow up way too fast and it breaks their mothers’ hearts (am I right?). That’s the way of the world.

As it should be.

And now , because it’s been so very very long — the one, the only, Le Love List!

Waits cooked Jeremy and I dinner, from start to finish, with very minimal help, and not only was it amazing to see him so careful and focused, but it was GOOD. It was a damn good meal. // Homegrown anti-anxiety tea. // My garden in general, it’s so pretty this year. // The way the cold night air hits me when I leave my office after dark. The whole world smells like ocean. // Waits singing at the top of his lungs when he’s in the shower. // Painting Vesper’s toenails. // Burning candles every night (this one really makes Jeremy happy). // Jade. // I didn’t shave my legs for 2 whole months during winter, and it was awesome. // When Waits lets us sleep in waaaaay late on the weekend. // Jeremy and I getting down and dancing to Salt ‘n Peppa in the kitchen. // Childish Gambino (duh). // Juicing pineapple. Every. Day. // WE ARE GOING TO BELIZE!!! Jeremy and I have been talking about traveling together internationally since the day we met, and we have been planning this trip for soooo long. But life always got in the way — it was always something coming along that would make us have to change plans, and postpone and postpone and postpone. Until now. Now, the flights are booked and the work leave is scheduled and the beachfront cabana is reserved and we are GOING TO BELIZE in August. 1 masters degree, 2 small businesses, 3 big moves, and a million obstacles overcome later, we are going to Belize. And damn I think we deserve it. ♥

So alright, that’s it for now. I miss all of you and I’d love to hear about your spring, what you’ve been up to, what’s been hard and what’s been good — all that stuff that makes up a life worth living. Leave me a comment, let’s catch up!

♥

Recently, I’ve been sharing photos and stories from our week-long spring break road trip adventure (part I here and part II here). It was such an incredible experience, and it really lit a fire inside me! Camping, being outside, wilderness adventures — these are some of my very favorite things. And after a long winter of hunkering down and hibernating inside, nothing feels better than untamed outdoor exploration. We’ve already done a whole other weekend camping trip with Waits, just 2 weeks after we got back from spring break. Our goal is to camp a minimum of once every month through October. *M I N I M U M*

I’m so excited!

And from the feedback I’ve been getting, y’all are just as excited as I am for camping season! I’ve continued to share my camping tips and tricks, outdoor hacks, and firepit recipes on my Instagram stories, and I’ve loved seeing all of your enthusiastic comments.

So here’s another super easy, totally delicious tried-and-true campfire recipe. Personally, I think potatoes are the perfect camping food because they’re filling and comforting after a long day of hiking or swimming or whatever it is your family likes to do in the great outdoors. Taters never fail to satisfy, and this recipe is 100% kid-approved, parent-approved, and even reader-approved. That’s right — I’ve already had a number of readers tell me they’ve made and loved this recipe!

I like to use thin-skinned potatoes, though russets will work just fine. Cut the taters into strips, roughly the size of steak fries.

Spread the potatoes on a large piece of tin foil (I actually double layered it) and add a few spoonfuls of vegan butter (coconut oil or olive oil work too, if you don’t do processed stuff).

Sprinkle the potatoes with a bit of salt and pepper, and a liberal dusting of nutritional yeast. Then, wrap it all up to make a little packet. It should be snug and well sealed.

Set the packet over the campfire. You can put it directly into the flame — you want it to get hot. Potatoes need a lot of heat to cook, so it’s okay to put it right into the flame.

Timing is tough because potatoes can be so finicky. Cook for at least 15 minutes on each side, but you may need to go 15 + minutes more after that. It all depends on the size of the potatoes and the strength of the fire.

And that’s all there is to it!

These pics are all from our camping trip in the Anza Borrego desert, which is when I first Instagrammed this recipe. But we love it so much that we made it again last weekend camping in Ojai. So trust me when I say, this simple, wholesome, no-fuss recipe does not disappoint!

♥ ♥ ♥

I love waking up in a strange place. I love seeing unfamiliar sights and smelling unfamiliar smells and feeling brand new things. I love camping and hotels and motels and cabins and lodges, I love fancy suites and I love quirky fleabags. I love driving on that endless highway. I love when a road stretches so far in front of you that it feels like it’s going to go on forever. I love campfire cooking and I love finding new vegan options at random restaurants along the way, and I even love desperate meals constructed from convenience store finds. Kettle chips, smokehouse almonds, and iced tea for the win. Truly, I love it all. I just love exploring the world so much.

On our last morning at Tamarisk Grove, Waits helped Jeremy make a fire, then scarfed down a quick breakfast before running off to say goodbye to the campground friends he’d made. I took Vesper for another skate around the loop. I gave our bouquet of daffodils to the family one site over. We broke down our tent and packed up the coolers, loaded everything into the car, and were back on the road by mid-morning.

It was day 3 of our trip and we had yet to bathe. But no worries, we were pointed towards the perfect destination: Desert Hot Springs.

The city of Desert Hot Springs is positioned at the northern tip of the Coachella Valley, and sits above two enormous, disparate aquifers — one hot, and one cold. Thus, the region includes the largest collection of natural mineral springs in all of America. And better yet, the springs are unique in that they are completely odorless. The spas in the area tap their wells directly into both aquifers, allowing them to mix hot and cold springs in various concentrations, to create warm swimming pools, cool refreshing showers, and piping hot soaking tubs. All natural.

It’s pretty incredible.

We spent the entire afternoon in the water. It was the perfect potion to wash away the layers of desert residue. It felt like breathing new life into my body.

Theres just something about those minerals, man.

That night we found a nearby vegan restaurant, brought takeout back to our hotel room, and had a picnic on the bed. We stuffed ourselves to the gills while watching a movie on the computer, then promptly passed out in a big family tangle. It was awesome.

The next morning, we were back on the road.

Our final destination that evening was a tiny truck stop hotel and casino up north, just over the border into Nevada. But we didn’t have any timeline constraining us, so we spent the day detouring through one of the prettiest places in all of California . . .

Joshua Tree is a magical place, and our day trip detour didn’t really do it justice. It’s somewhere we plan to return very soon.

But this time, we were back on the road after a few hours, heading north through the Mojave desert. The Mojave is as vast as it is extreme. It’s the driest desert in North America, and sometimes it seemed like we’d been driving for ages without seeing another car. On that afternoon drive through the Mojave desert, I wrote this little mini Love List:

1. 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall. Jeremy and I sang the entire song, start to finish.
2. My ongoing road trip prank of covertly turning on Jeremy’s seat warmer. Waits would erupt into fits of laughter every time Jeremy realized his butt was hot.
3. Speaking of hot, Vesper hot-boxing the car with dog farts. Okay, that’s not actually something I *love*, because eww, but it was pretty freaking funny.
4. Tortoise patrol.
5. The Drawing Book of Animals by Ed Emberley. Just as good as I remembered it being when I was 8 years old.

North. Nevada. We spent the night in a strange truck stop hotel/casino. It smelled like stale cigarettes and spilled beer. It was not cute. But it was okay — the hotel wasn’t the reason we were there. It was just a convenient meeting place.

We spent the entire next day deep, deep in the heart of desert, and I’ll write about that adventure in a post all its own. In the meantime, here’s a teaser:

I can’t wait to share that adventure — soon! But suffice it to say, it was pure magic. And after a long, grueling day toiling under the desert sun, we made our way back to that same strange border town hotel. We crawled into the hot tub to soak our weary bodies, scarfed down a quick dinner, and immediately fell sleep.

The next morning we woke up late, exhausted after our long and laborious adventure in the desert. It was Friday, and it was the last scheduled day of our road trip. We had no reservations that night — no hotel and no campground.

But it was only Friday.

So we held an impromptu family meeting, and collectively decided that we were NOT ready for the fun to end. We didn’t want to go home! Instead, we packed up the car, checked out of the stinky hotel/casino, and pointed ourselves in a vaguely southwestern direction.

I drove and Jeremy scoured the internet. It was a Friday and it was spring break. Last minute bookings were not going to come easy (or cheap).

But somehow, by sheer persistence and maybe a little magic dust, Jeremy managed to find us an adorable little cabin with a full kitchen and a fireplace . . . in Big Bear. Which is the mountains! From the badlands to a the alpine, I mean why not?

It’s a good thing that wanderlust seems to run in the family . . .

Another day, another stretch of open road. Before we knew it, we were winding our way through the San Bernadino National Forest, up, up, up into the mountains.

Honestly, it was the perfect little end cap to our week of adventuring. Our cabin was cozy and clean and sweet. We were able to skate around the parking lot, take a leisurely stroll through Big Bear Village, hit a local gem shop, and of course, finally grab a quality restaurant meal.

That pic of us up there, in the Big Bear Lake Brewing Co, is pretty much the only pic of all three of us from the whole trip.

I love it, and I’m grateful we thought to snap it. Fresh air, green towering trees, great food, and my family. It was a good final night.

The mountain air felt cleansing. It seemed an appropriate place to decompress after our wild week of sand dunes, whipping wind, glaring sun — that desert feeling of being so exposed is at once both exciting and exhausting. That’s what I love about the desert, I guess. It’s just so raw. There’s nowhere to hide and it goes on forever, you feel absolute freedom and utter vulnerability. And that touches something really deep inside, something long since past. The desert gets to the heart of you, and I think that’s why the desert calls to me.

I’d like to get to the heart of me, some day.

♥ ♥ ♥

Until next time . . .