September comes to a close today, and I ended it with a 1.5 hour hiking in the morning, a sound nap in the early afternoon and some readings afterwards. After supper, I started my mooncake preparation, much thanks to the recipes and enthusiasm on WenXueCity.

 

The morning hike takes on a different route , as I joined a new team nearby. They started at 7:30, and I was actually late, as they changed the parking place and starting point. Luckily, I met an acquaintance from the team, who parked at the same place and led me the way. We hiked briskly trying to catch the team. Fast paced and steep sloped, the first 30 minutes hike turned out to be strenuous. I would not be able to do that if I had not had the 3 years buildup. 

 

On the way, I met an old friend of mine, and we hiked and talked briefly, before she turned back and parted.

 

When we reached the summit, it was still misty.  The panoramic view of the city was thus dented by heavy marine layers from the seaside,  shrouding the hill tops but creating a heavenly sentiment as the clouds drifted quickly in front of our eyes.  Soon the sun came out, and along came my sweat.

 

Being new to a team of six other  moms,  I was mostly a listener, attending to their conversation with occasional comments. The topic among us is invariably, and without any exception, about our kids, who are now basically at college or at work. Given the same background and similar ages, we see eye to eye on a lot of issues, unanimously. They told a story of a friend's kid,  an MIT graduate, who was hired by Apple and then got an offer from Snap before its IPO. The kid chose to stay with Apple for a bit more experience, and thus missed the opportunity of being a young millionaire. We talked about how as a generation, we are filial and meanwhile great parents ourselves. The love must be in our blood. 

 

As we joyfully talked on, the 5 miles hike seemed a wink,  setting a tone for a happy day, the last day of September.