JB told me months ago about how he was in his tree stand near the cabin and the sound seemed to fill his body from the inside out. At first I thought I was having a stroke, he said, shaking his head. I couldn’t imagine such a thing until we were out in that same area yesterday and the noise grew from the pine-scented air around us, escalating in intensity until you felt it like the heartbeat of the forest. It did seem oddly internal, the bass from a concert, somehow both foreign and intimate. My brain skittered around trying to associate it with something familiar: a helicopter coming in for a landing, a mallet striking a drum, a rubber ball losing energy as its bounces become shorter and faster.

Like this, but deeper, louder, everywhere.

We never saw it, because the woods are thick with a million green secrets. That was AWESOME, the kids shouted. I worriedly imagine freaky heartbeat-monsters descending from above to devour us in ravenous gulps; they tumble through the endless blackberry-choked paths and press eager fingers into muddy animal prints. They dive comfortably into the mystery of the trees, fearless and happy and curious about it all.

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JB left for Japan last Friday — a whirlwind of a trip that involved bullet trains and, apparently, HORSE SUSHI — and instead of sitting around getting increasingly eye-twitchy from the lack of adult interaction, I packed up the boys and hit the road. We drove to the cabin where we played with Riley’s cousins, we drove to Coos Bay where we stayed two nights with JB’s parents, and we drove to Florence to spend a night on the beach. It was hectic and gorgeous and loud and amazing and oh, you guys, we just had the very best time. What a great age these (obnoxious, maddening, completely awesome) kids of mine are.

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