The Sierra foothills have a distinctive order that immediately brings me back to childhood.

Mountain misery (Chamaebatia foliolosa), madrone, ponderosa pine populate this part of the world, as well as blackberries and wild sweet pea.

It's a heady mix of smells. 

Friends of mine who joined me for camping trips on my Grandparents' land will instantly recognize this smell.  We were lucky enough in our last two years of high school to be able to camp in paradise during the summer.

We were a bunch of hippies and we enjoyed the languorous days and star studded nights.

Going into the wee town of Placerville for groceries was like entering the lion's den after weeks alone.

 Here are damsel flies mating, an entire 'flock' of them - would one call them a flock?  Doubt it.

I have taken many photos of this meadow over the last couple of years.  It can be seen along our regular hiking trail and its marshy lushness changes dramatically with the seasons.  As you can see, the berry vines are in full swing (foreground).

I'm here for several days, and have been looking forward to it for weeks.  A retreat of sorts.  Quiet.  Green.  Verdant. 

The Republic of Bolinas

This weekend the GF and I made a lovely trip to Muir Woods, Stinson Beach and Bolinas, California.  A few hours drive and a world away.

The folk singer John Stewart wrote of Bolinas

Time in Bolinas is so very small
The clock on the courthouse ain't workin' at all
And the Mayor of Bolinas is digging for clams
But the folks of Bolinas
They don't give a damn.

And that's the truth of it. There is a number of artists and musicians here, poets, too, and the place is as about off the grid as you could hope for.  You can't find it by following highway signs, as the locals used to tear them down as fast as they went up, so the state just stopped puttin' 'em up.

It took my Iowa GF to get me to these prized California sites.  55 years spent in California and never had I been.

This was a good scene:
Matt Lundy for Precedence.  Turns out, Matt was in the adjacent park roasting peanuts to sell for $2 a bag.  We introduced ourselves, bought a bag and GF took his photo.  She wrote down his address with the promise to sent him a copy.  He was jovial, and he made absolutely no sense.  Soon, another local looney joined him with a beat-up shopping cart and a large sign reading, "Crabs for Sale."  Nary a crab to be seen.  They had a good laugh over that one.

This was my favorite little scene in town: a small shrine next door to the cafe.  A little hand written sign declared it "scared space" with the request to "respect it."  This little closet of a space was wedged between two buildings on the main (and only) street in town.

As we drove through the hills to and from this town, we spied many little farms that looked idyllic.  I could imagine myself here, out on the fringes, far from the crowds and far from the valley heat.  Puttering in my vegetable garden, tending to the animals and the domestic chores.  Snug there with my GF.  Happy as a clam. 

Saturday Travels

On the last day of the month my girlfriend and I returned to Point Reyes where we went a month ago.  This time we went to see the lighthouse -- which is waaayyyy out there through cow farms and ranchers that began in 1865.  Spectacular country, despite the smell of cow dung that was overwhelming as we passed through some of the ranches.

The climb down to the lighthouse from the cliffs is a daunting one.  Not so much the climb down as the walk back UP. L., ever mindful of my bum knee, said if that I was not up to the trek that it was OKAY.  But I felt adventureous and said "Let's do it!"  I'm so glad we did.  The lighthouse was a real treat, even though the fog obscured any views.

Here's L. as we are a third of the way down.  We spent some time poking about the lighthouse and looking at the Fersnel lens that is decommissioned in 1975 but still put through its paces from time to time.  It was a wonderful looking assortment of gears and pullys.

We both had fun taking photos -- her with her regular camera and me with my iphone.  My regular camera was out of battery life, which I discovered only moments before leaving for our day trip.

old pump house

 Another glorious adventure with my favorite traveling companion!  What fun to find someone who enjoys traveling as much as I do.  We put 300 miles on her car yesterday and were so weary we actually had to nap before dinner.  A very good day.

Pt. Reyes National Seashore

Yesterday, a glorious hike at Pt. Reyes seashore.  I was born and raised in California, mostly northern, and still, I had never been here.

Tomales Bay

Blowin' in the Wind

Stopping for photographs - Lori had good luck with her long lens -- I suffered with a wide angle.

Leave it to my friend Lori to lead us out here, to the wind swept hills where Tule Elk dot the landscape, hawks hang on the wind searching for their next meal, and hearty hikers bundle up on even the most temperate of days.  This is a stretch of land on the Pacific Ocean where the wind keeps the flowers beaten down close to the ground.  We were fortunate indeed that the sun was shining.

Didn't Lori get a great picture of me in all my wind-blown glory?  I was on top of the world this day -- goofy with exuberance for the hills, the ocean, the birds, the mammals, and for Lori. After our 6 mile hike we treated ourselves to a scrumptious lunch at the Pine Cone Diner in Pt. Reyes Station.  I had the fried clam sandwich with coleslaw slathered on it

I'll be back to Pt. Reyes, there is so much to see.  It might be possible to see it all in one day, but then you wouldn't take the time necessary to really enjoy it.   There are miles and miles to walk along this stretch, and there are beaches to discover, and an old Lighthouse to tour if you can make it down the 300 plus steps to get there.  And then again, I might like to find a beautiful hilltop where I could sit for hours contemplating my navel.

Looking north -- the end of the land

Daffodil Hill and Beyond

This is the scene at a working farm near Volcano, CA.  It's called, "Daffodil Hill" and it is a farm that opens to the public for 3 weeks every year to show the 300,000 daffodils that are in bloom.  It's quite spectacular, and I drove up there with the family today.  We were going to drive up last weekend, but the farm was not open due to recent rains which made the parking areas and pathways impassable.  So, this is not the farm at its best -- the rains took out a lot of the blooms.  Still, it was impressive and beautiful.

After our farm visit, my brother-in-law asked if I was up for a little trip.  "Sure!" says I.

We ended up driving nearly 300 miles round trip, into Nevada and some beautiful high country where there is still plenty of snow and this frozen lake.  From here we drove over the pass and dropped down to Lake Tahoe, which is always spectacular.  If you've never been, you've got to put it on your bucket list.  It is a deep and very blue body of water.  It straddles the border between California and Nevada and has been a vacation destination for a very long time.  Both my parents worked in Tahoe resorts when they were in college.

Imagine our surprise when we came out of the snowy mountains and into the valley towards home.  91 degrees!  At 7 pm.

A grand day, albeit exhausting.  The news is forecasting another very warm day tomorrow.  I'm escaping back into the hills, to the little historic town of Coloma.  Another day of site-seeing in the California gold country.  Life is good.

My Weekend in Napa

These two little cuties are just 4 days old.  They live at the winery Tres Sabores just outside St. Helena, CA.  The winery owners raise sheep both for their wool and for weed/grass control.  The little black one allow herself to be held for quite awhile -- I was in heaven.  Lots of sheep hanging out, and I was surprised at the individuality of their voices.  They had quite distinctive bleats which said (to me) much about their personalities.

The wine produced here is from their own small vineyards -- notably Chardonnays and Zinfandels. Both were uncharacteristically light, fruity (without being sweet) and clean tasting.  I think they call that a "clean finish."

Dinner was fantastic on Saturday night, at Alex.  I had a delicious dish, Fettucine al Sugo Bianco di Coniglio, egg fettucine with white wine braised rabbit sug.  One of my friends had Guance di Maiale Rosolate,  glazed pork cheeks over soft polenta -- it was fantastic!  Very much like short ribs.  For starters we all had a creamed broccoli soup, which, with a little help of fresh ground salt, was lip-smacking good.

Dinner ended with quite an entertaining sight:  a group of about 8 older folks - well into their 80s, sauntered in.  They were well dressed, as in the women wore furs and dripped with jewlery, and the men had double breasted navy blue blazers with gold buttons.  They bore tote bags, and emptied them onto their table:  battery operated candles (dozens), small vases of flowers and one large floral arrangement which they placed at the end of their table, between us and them.  A nice shield.  The women looked as if they had all had plastic surgery.  They really took over the joint, and many patrons were staring openly.  The kicker was, the women all had jumped into vats of perfume.  It was quite overwhelming, and one of my dinner companions had to excuse himself because the chemicals were giving him an honest-to-god asthma attack.  I looked around the room wondering if we were on Candid Camera or something.  Outside, we spoke with an employee who said this was a regular group, very nice people, and great customers.  Indeed.  I'll bet they dropped a lot of green.  Very old school, old money.

A surreal ending to the evening, for sure.

Fire

There is nothing quite like a roaring fire to inspire my primitive side.

Except, perhaps, the stars at night, way out in the middle of nowhere with no city lights intruding.

It was so dark last night that I could not see my hand in front of my face, until I looked up.  Low on the horizon was the Belt of Orion, and off to my right, I think, Jupiter.  Brighter and bigger than anything else in the sky (the moon had yet to rise).

I stood there craning my neck, feeling dizzy by it all, inhaling the sharp scent of the pines all around me.  The burning logs from inside the house marked my olfactories as well. 

I was outside of Time.  My senses were awash in experiences shared by billions of souls over time.

I slept deeply, soundly, dreamlessly.

Rainy Day

It's a rainy day here in North Carolina.  A day that begs one to stay inside and settle down with tea, fruit and biscotti.  I have socks on that are made with Aloe Vera - really! - topped with big wool socks and my feet feel sublime.  We went to the sock outlet today - Christmas presents!    

Virginia Apples, Mount Airy, NC 2011

Late morning we went to the Snappy Lunch, which was referred to in the  television show Mayberry RFD.  This little town was Andy Griffith's inspiration for the show, and they have learned to capitalize on that here.  Which is good; the town is small and needs the tourist dollars.

Yesterday we drove to Greensboro to tour the International Civil Rights Center and Museum.  Truly inspirational.  It is housed in the actual Woolworth building where the lunch counter sit-ins happened.  You can stand at the lunch counter and feel the electric charge of history.  Our young guide, 22, admitted that of course he wasn't around during any of this, and that he had done a lot of research.  But we had oldsters in the group who offered up their experience of the time.

And how's this for diversity?  For lunch we went to a Vietnamese restaurant and had pho for lunch.  In Greensboro North Carolina.  

While Jim Crow laws and lynching are a dark legacy of the south, many people don't understand the history of other parts of the U.S. regarding racially inspired violence.  In California, 163 Mexicans were lynched between 1848 and 1860, mostly because they were successful in gold mining and that raised the ire of white miners.  Chinese immigrants were killed and lynched in California as well.  Father Serra traveled up and down California killing native peoples and 'converting' them to Christianity.  So, while I mourn the past here in the American south, I am also proud of all those of every race who risked their lives to stand up for equality.  A lot has been accomplished; there is still much more to do.  

In Alabama recently, laws kicked in to persuade farmers not to hire illegal workers - which means Mexican, Central and South Americans who have traditionally come to work our fields.  So guess what?  Farmers could not get reliable help from US citizens, who found the work too difficult and the pay too low, so they abandoned the field work after a solid two hours of labor.  Fruit and veg is rotting, unpicked.  Guess we really did need those immigrant workers, didn't we?

The beautiful apples, above, were picked in Virgina by my hostess and friend, Regina.  Of course, she got to keep the fruits of her labors.  And I was lucky enough to make a pretty picture of it all.  

North Carolina In My Mind

Hushpuppies, catfish and fried green tomatoes.
Collard greens and sweet tea.
"Obama's March to Washington" and "Pretty Polly" on the fiddle.
Acorns popping on the rooftop and forest floor all around us.
Chickadees and woodpeckers; heron and bats.
Tomorrow, a drive to Mayberry a.k.a Mt. Airy -- Virginia
A stone's throw away.

Small Creature

tree frog, at Robin and Roger's in Grass Valley

This little tree frog provides a good representation of how I felt up in the mountains of the Tahoe National Forest: small and alone in a sea of green.  You on your reed, me in by black Prius.  I was hugging the winding mountain road: up, up, up Hwy 49 further into the mountains then falling back down into deep gorges.  Going where the road took me, down along the Yuba river with the vertical green mountains above, studded with evergreens, everywhere.  Even the Yuba was green -- iridescent and clear down to the rocky bottom.  Rapids, too, seen from afar, reminding me of how treacherous they can be.  (I was sucked into a whirlpool once.)

Downieville Hwy 49

Yuba River running through the town

After climbing the hills for quite some time, you come down the other side and start your descent into the gorge that cradles the tiny towns of Goodyears Bar and Downieville.  All around are steep mountains, heavily treed, and some of the deepest blue skies I've ever seen.

At night the stars come up in numbers that I rarely see.  Next time I must remember to bring my binoculars.  The crickets and the katydids, the frogs and the raccoons, all making their racket.  Not to mention the bears...and the mountain lions.

I slept with my windows open so I could fall asleep to the sounds of the night.  There were the occasional late arrivals of mountain bikers and miners that added a raucous human element to the sounds...seems there is no where to avoid that.

The wedding I attended was set in a lush garden out 'in the country' and as usual, the deeply green treed hills all around us.  Musical processional and ceremony accompaniment by Alisa Fineman and Kimball Hurd, friends of the brides.  The band that rocked the reception was Mumbo Gumbo, eclectic and talented beyond description.  The brides are their biggest fans, and they played their fannys off for all assembled.  What a great time!

The air in the mountains is a singular pleasure: sharp with pine scent, red dirt, river mist.  My last day there it became overcast with high grey clouds, and raindrops.  Moisture landing on the Madrone and Sage is another blissful smell.

Winter is hard in these mountains...wouldn't like to be up there then.  Lots of snow.  Hardship.  Generators and power outages.  Freezing your tush off.  More power to the town-folk, I say.  A hardy bunch.

Today, home to my urban nest.

A Day Around the Bay

Still waiting on baby Eden. In the meantime, life goes on and amusements occur.  We'll take him here one day, just as we took his mama, to look at the sea creatures that live in a rich world mostly out of our sight.

click all to embiggen

This is a seahorse of sorts -- a leafy dragon.  Caught the show at the aquarium (thanks Paul) and must say these tiny creatures held my attention the longest.

Of course there was a shark for good measure.  And some spunky penguins that made me think of my SIL's obsession with all things penguin.  I wonder if he will pass that on to his son?

These are for you Josh. :-)

Road Trip!

I'm happy. Can you tell? Road trips usually make me giddy, and this is a good one: driving up to see Roger and Robin, see Lynn, possibly stop in to see my sis if the timing is right. I'm headed to places I've never been before: Grass Valley and Downieville, CA. These are the boonies, boys and girls. Yes, California has boonies, and lots of them.

Driving Labor Day weekend is a bit nutty, I know, but I figure the traffic will be less on Sunday. Right? Yes?! If not, I will be one unhappy camper.

Lessee...got my cooler, my coffee making supplies (apparently I am the only person on the planet still drinking the stuff), my RXs, my own pillows, camera, all devices electronic to keep me in touch with the world, swim suit for those streams and lakes, and scant clothing because I expect it will be warm up there in the wilds of northeastern California. Got my ipod, that's a must for when decent radio is not to be found. We're spoiled locally with great radio, and I'm usually disappointed with the on-air offerings when I travel.

The Pièce de résistance is a batch of homemade tomato soup that I froze specifically for my friends (hence the cooler). We're going to eat well, drink wine, laugh our assess off. I'll finally get to see their new home, and all the work they've done to get the farming set-up complete before winter. I may even do some weeding or hoeing for them. Who knows? More power to 'em if they can get my lazy ass moving in service of their future gourmet meals.

Here's to clear roadways, beautiful vistas, glorious tunes and laissez le bon temps rouler!

P.S. Trip made possible by my dear sweet wife who will be holding down the fort and beating, er, feeding the animals for me.

Tower Bridge, Sacramento, CA, outside our hotel.

After a couple of days in Napa, I'm now in Sacramento for a couple of days. Getting out of Dodge and traveling around has been a real boost to my spirits. Just being in a new place, with new visuals and new faces, is refreshing. The only downside is eating out most of the time - you are at the mercy of strangers and untested food. But tonight, a home-cooked meal at my sister's house. Yes!

This morning, while sitting next to the river, a steam train went by, stopped quite near, blew its whistles and let off steam. It was exhilarating. It's the age-old lure of travel, and I could get the bug real easy. I have a niece who spent a summer in Yellowstone, working for the park service. Now there's an idea....