California or BUST!

Our vacation in California was magical and...too short.  We spent the first part of the week driving north through the Redwood Forest, stopping at wineries, breweries and a few detours along the coast as we made our way to Humboldt County.  My favorite day was spent hiking in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.  We left our cabin outside of Eureka about 9:00 in the morning, stopped in a quaint seaside town for coffee, chocolate and a bag of ice, and arrived at the state park turn-off around 11:00 am.  We spent the next hour navigating five long miles on an unpaved, extremely dusty and dark road, forged a few 'streams' in the rental car and finally arrived at a sandy parking lot which paralleled the deserted Pacific coast. The beauty of the parking lot surroundings alone was sufficient reward for the beating my full bladder had endured during the last 60 minutes.  As luck would have it, the park rangers were working on replacing the door to the vault toilet. After locating a thirsty tree, we loaded up our pack and headed out to explore the famous fern covered canyon which is surrounded by massive Redwoods.  Words cannot describe the natural beauty of this area.  Various ferns blanket the steep canyon walls, water oozes from cracks and crevices, eventually making its way into a crystal clear stream and finally merging with the Pacific Ocean.  The canyon floor is littered with fallen trees and polished wet rocks magically change colors as intermittent sunbeams dance their way across the canyon floor. It is as if you are walking in a fairyland world. You feel about two feet tall and insignificant.  All the stress of the modern world seeps out of your pores as you soak up the natural beauty around you.  Finally, we ascended a series of tree-root and rock-lined steps which led to the lip of the canyon and a rewarding bird's eye view.  From here we continued to hike (and sometimes stumble) up, down, over, around and through massive groves of Redwood trees and although the sun was shining brightly somewhere overhead, we felt like Hansel and Gretel making our way through the dark enchanted forest.  The first few hours along the trail we met a few friendly hikers and even some runners. Note, we did have enough common sense to travel with a map, a full day pack including lunch, snacks, lots of water and a compass--all things we would end up using throughout the day.  Around 1:30 pm, we found a Redwood stump which doubled perfectly as a dining table, ate our tuna sandwiches, drank a beer (probably illegal to have glass in a state park) and continued blissfully along our journey.  Each time we met a trail junction which led deeper into the forest, we glanced at the map, located north and continued blissfully onward with confidence and not much care.  We were mesmerized with the vastness of these trees and the utter absence of any sound of living things, other than the gentle breezes that could be heard as the tree canopy above us slightly swayed, gently lulling us deeper into the forest. Without a watch, it would have been difficult to judge time because the forest was constantly bathed in eerie shadows. Eventually, we ran out of food and water and stopped bumping into the occasional hiker.  We saw evidence of bear scat and began whistling and making extra noises which echoed back to us. At last the trees grew thin, we recognized bird calls and sunlight filtered down, illuminating the trail head as it dropped us at the beach head located three miles south of the parking lot.  'No problem!' we thought, 'It is only 4:00 in the afternoon. We have plenty of time. We will just walk north along the coast instead of hiking along this white, dusty drab road.'  Big mistake! Every time we took a step in the sand, our feet sank about two inches.  We tried walking along the shoreline and near the dunes, but no matter what path we chose, the effort to walk was monumental.  Around 6:00 pm we spotted the parking lot.  Between us and the car, a male elk stood rooting around for food.  It took some careful planning to navigate through the underbrush, around this massive creature and locate the parking lot. Exhausted, we piled into the car and bounced down five miles of windy, dusty road for another hour until we reached the main highway. Right as the sun was setting, we returned to our secluded cabin in the Redwoods, cooked a delicious pasta dinner filled with fresh veggies from the owner's garden, built a campfire and relaxed under the stars in the outdoor bathtub.  I think we were both asleep by 11:00 pm that night, exhausted but content from a full day's adventure.  Thank you Redwood Forest.  I miss YOU!  Below are a few pictures from our adventure.  

Looking Up

Fern Canyon with Foot Bridge

My Happy Place

Cabin Front Porch

Outdoor Tub

Dinner In

Evening Campfire

Cali Coast-notice deep prints

A Spot of Sunshine Along the Trail

Glistening Stones

Keep in mind, he is 6 ft tall!

Little did we know, what foreshadowing?!

Can You Spot the Elk?

Top 'Ten' Things I Learned This Summer...

1)  Resilience is a great trait to possess, especially in time of crisis.

2)  Life is precious and fleeting...live each moment to the fullest!

3)  You are never too old to learn something new.

4)  Most people are inherently good.

5)  Humanity is here only for a blink in time...WOW!

6)  Regardless of science and technology, some secrets of the past will always remain a mystery.

7)  'Hot' is relative...not 'a' relative...but 90 degrees in Bozeman is nothing compared to 82 degrees in Katy...just saying.

8)  It is always best to follow your gut instinct.

9)  Patience is a virtue, and it is mandatory and polite....be patient...good things come to those who wait.

10)  You can't always judge a book by its cover!

Shadow Selfies

Shadow Selfies

Enjoying life in Bozeman, MT.  Meeting new friends & learning new information.  Took a study break this evening--a walk through Burke Park prior to a brief rain shower.  Lighting on the hill Sunday evening was spectacular.  These pics taken with iPhone are untouched.  Amazing scenery! 

Rain Clouds

All Hail the Helianthus!

Summer has officially arrived.  Here is proof--sunflowers in our school garden in full bloom. Just like the amazing Helianthus, I will bend toward the sun...headed west to big sky country for the next month. Will post pics and thoughts throughout the journey as time and modern technology collide. Would like to thank my family and friends for your support and encouragement.  Feeling truly blessed (and a little nervous) to have this opportunity to travel and study.  Thanks everyone!  

"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows.  

It's what the sunflowers do." --Helen Keller

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thankful for my many blessings...good health and a roof over my head!  Although missing my Laura, enjoying the week off and time with family and friends.  Just about to start the massive Thanksgiving food fest.  Good thing I love to cook and be in the kitchen.  So what is on the menu?  Will be preparing a few of the regulars-dressing recipe passed down three generations, special cranberry sauce and traditional pumpkin pie.  New this time around chocolate caramel nutella fudge & bitter chocolate cherry biscotti. Working on perfecting a crepe recipe and planning a few creative turkey leftover meals.  Definitely in my element!  If only a house elf lived with me to clean the kitchen and do all the dirty dishes.  

Happy Thanksgiving all!  Gobble gobble!

Fall-Finally Here!

Fall, my favorite time of the year...cool crisp days, yummy baked goods and finally a respite from the Texas heat!  

Autumn also ushers in a constant reminder that not all things last, and so the cycle of nature continues. But for the moment, we rejoice in the bounty of the season and all things orange!  Yeah for pumpkins and shorter days and windows open.  Thank you, mother nature, for the marvelous display of fall color.

 

"Oh, What A Tangled Web We Weave...

 

 

...When first we practice to deceive."  Sir Walter Scott

from the epic poem, Marmion published in 1808

As it is now raining outside, today seemed like a perfect day to clean out the cobwebs, both literally and figuratively. 

 

Let's see...it is noon now and I have completed my run, sipped coffee & caught up with current world events (a favorite Sunday pastime), cleaned the kitchen, folded laundry, and finally found time to remove the curious cobwebs which mysteriously appear underneath my lower kitchen cabinets.  Also disturbed a few spiders while doing so.  Didn't have the heart to eliminate them, so these little guys have been gently relocated to the great outdoors.  Now feeling guilty as the temperature has dramatically dropped and my friends may not be used to outdoor living.  After all, they enjoyed the creature comforts of controlled climate and had access to unlimited food sources.  Should I have spared them a prolonged pain & suffering?

 

For some reason, the little spiders I released into the wild this morning made me think of the 'big guy' I literally ran into while visiting Cains, Australia in July of 2005.  For years, I have obsessed over its scientific identification.  Besides being very large, as in about the length of a dollar bill, I know little about this spider--or do I?  Over the years, I have obsessed about its true identity.  Perused several arachnid reference books and still am at a total loss as to its genius and species. 

 

In reviewing this photo which was taken about 2 feet away (with a very unsteady hand mind you--remember this thing is BIG and I don't know if it is poisonous), I made some interesting observations:

 

1)  Beauty is present in everything.

2)  Nature provides us with complex patterns of symmetry. 

3)  Looks can be deceiving as what appears to be delicate & fragile can actually be strong & resilient. 

 

In contrast with the torn webbing, I simply love the coloration and symmetrical banding on the legs.  After seven years of trying to associate scientific meaning and a name to this spider, I am hereby officially letting it go.  Instead, I am content with having met this creature.  I am thankful for the lessons this 'big guy' has taught me.  Nature does not lie.  She speaks only truth.  It is not necessary to associate a label to every fact.  Instead, accept the wholeness of the unknown and relish in having the privilege to participate in such an experience. 

 

Oh, and I thought if I posted this pic on the web, maybe some kind soul out there just might be knowledgeable enough to correctly identify my 'big guy'.