yeah I totally get what you mean about needing a break from the city routine. last weekend we drove up to the blue ridge mountains and it was exactly what we needed. the leaves were just starting to turn so we caught the very beginning of the color change. we hiked about four miles up to a waterfall and the trail was pretty moderate nothing too crazy. the water was ice cold though. CIluNmhQud we brought sandwiches and ate them sitting on a big flat rock near the base of the falls. there was a family with two little kids who were throwing pebbles into the water and the kids were laughing so hard it was contagious. honestly I forgot how good it feels to just sit outside and do nothing for a while. we got back to the car right before a light rain started so timing worked out perfectly. anyway if you want the trail details let me know I can send you the alltrails link. I think we are planning another trip in a few weeks maybe somewhere with a longer loop.

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so I finally tried making sourdough from scratch after talking about it for months. honestly the first attempt was a complete disaster because I think my starter was not active enough. the dough barely rose and the texture was really dense like a brick. but I tried again with a different recipe and it came out way better. the key was feeding the starter twice a day for about five days before baking. I used a dutch oven for the bake and the crust got really crackly and golden. my roommate said it smelled like an actual bakery in the apartment. I brought a loaf to work and people actually asked for the recipe which felt pretty great. next weekend I want to try adding rosemary and sea salt on top. I have been watching a lot of baking videos on youtube and it is surprising how much technique matters with the folding and scoring. anyway if you ever want to give it a shot I can share what worked for me. it is honestly pretty rewarding once you get the hang of it.