4.2018

Zion Nat'l Park, Columbine

Wild and Scenic River

The Yuba River. Wild. Scenic. Majestic. Powerful. Spirited.

Living in the Sierra Foothills offers consistent reminders of life’s blessings. I am surrounded by exquisite, simple, natural beauty: trees, flowers, birds, cool sweet air in the morning, dazzling stars at night, and the Yuba River…the jewel of the Sierras. Yesterday morning found me at Hoyt’s Crossing, on my well established summer river schedule–my car is parked by 9, I’m at the beach by 9:30, I luxuriate in relative solitude until 11:30-ish, and I am hiking back to my car before noon, just as the crowd begins to amass. Grace is by my side, thrilled to be on the trail, and she knows exactly what side trail to take to our beach.

The roar of the river was impressive as I hiked to Hoyt’s. Glimpses of the water through the trees brought views of high, fast flow. Our beach was not covered by water as several along the trail had been, but there was much less beach available. I’ve chosen this beach over and over again for its fabulous deep, calm swimming hole and the perfectly shaped rocks at the upper end of the hole are inviting to scramble up onto for warming up in the sun.

Not yesterday. The rocks were not only completely underwater, but had created a sort of break point for the flow so that the river crashed into the rocks then split in two as it aggressively flowed downstream. The current was so strong up to the shoreline, that I knew immediately that tossing Grace’s ball into the flow would carry it away and into the next set of rapids at the bottom of the hole. She sensed too, the intensity of the river flow, choosing to stay at the water’s edge instead of jumping right in to swim with delight.

So we ended up hanging out on the beach, barely dipping in our toes, watching the trees and bushes sway in the wind, and simply enjoying the gorgeous river without getting wet. A divine morning.

Next time, we’ll swim.

Robin Mallery

Robin Mallery

Robin Mallery is passionate about food! Starting from where and how it's grown, to how far that food travels to the dinner table, to how it is prepared and savored...Robin blends shopping, cooking, and eating tips with her unique Kitchen Zen and mindful meals approach to enjoying real food.

While you are waiting for her to finish the upcoming book, "Kitchen Zen: The Journey to Nourish Body and Soul in Our Changing World", you can find Robin's sporadic blog posts here or on FaceBook.
Robin Mallery

Leave a Reply

CommentLuv badge

"The Holiday Survival Cooking and Eating Class exceeded my expectations. It was so enjoyable to learn new ideas for healthy snacks and meals, taste the delicious treats we created and leave with an inspired hope that this will be my healthiest holiday season yet! I am impressed with the knowledge and care that Robin (and Wendy from In the Kitchen) both possess and I look forward to taking more classes in the future. Thanks again!"  --Rose M.   “What a wonderful, yummy class! Not only did we participate in creating several easy-to-make, delicious, nourishing dishes for the holidays and every day, we also learned strategies for surviving and enjoying the upcoming holiday season. Both Robin & Wendy were delightful and imparted their cooking and eating knowledge with love, humor, and enthusiasm. I highly recommend their classes to anyone who is interested in developing a better way to look at food, using thoughtfulness with mindfulness to learn some very valuable strategies for eating any time of the year!” --CAM   “I found the class delightful with great ideas for the holidays. In the Kitchen is a warm and welcoming place and you and Wendy were great teaching collaborators. Good new recipes. I appreciate your healthy eating information. I recommend this class to anyone wanting to enjoy the holidays without stressing over food. Actually, the information isn’t just for the holidays. I want to stay healthy all year and eat well.” --Pat B.   "I’ve participated in several classes at In the Kitchen, enjoyed them all immensely, but it is always a special treat when Wendy teaches a class. The recipes offered in The Holiday Survival class were easy to make and so delicious. And what a plus to have Robin co-teach the The Holiday Survival class with Wendy. Thank you, Robin, for all your great information on healthy eating, which was delivered so professionally, dovetailing beautifully into Wendy’s presentation. Hope you two team up again for more classes of scrumptious, healthy recipes. What a fun evening!!" --Carol B. _______________ I love this positive feedback! How gratifying it is to touch the lives of others in a meaningful way…and to be able to do so around a topic that is so dear to me, is just the icing on the cake (right—pun intended!). Wendy Van Wagner and I will continue to offer seasonal cooking classes in addition to the occasional specialty class…stay tuned!
Blog Categories