DW and I had a lovely time in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. We didn't get to spend much time in Kings, but my impression was that it was not altogether different from Yosemite valley, which, of course, is beautiful beyond words, despite the crowds that always stuff it to brimming in their capitalist frenzy for tacky gift shop merchandise. We would have liked to do some hiking there, but we didn't have time. We couldn't leave the dogs in the car, anyway, so we reluctantly left it after only a cursory glimpse of its rushing streams and towering granite structures.
We did pass an entire day in Sequoia, treasuring our brief contact with the largest trees in the world. In fact one of them, the Sherman Tree, is the largest living thing on the planet. Think about that for a moment. Larger than whales, larger even than the dinosaurs. AND it's about 2,200 years old. In this tree's incredible span of years, our fleeting visit would not even register on its timeline. To it, we were truly insignificant. We've been in Giant Sequoia groves before, but certainly none of this magnitude. Everywhere we looked, massive living pillars held the sky aloft and held me enthralled.
And yet, I couldn't help but be put off by the masses of humanity, crowding around, snapping pictures, rabidly purchasing souvenir t-shirts, as if this thing of natural majesty, this awesome work of God, were only another in a series of life's spectacles, the next intangible commodity to consume while muttering perfunctory lip-service to "life-changing experiences" and moving on in a desperate attempt to quicken a vacuous existence. How pathetically small it all is.
Returning to our home in the Central Valley, however, was completely unfulfilling. It has grown hot here, and the dry summer has set in. Everything seemed dusty and cramped. The sweeping grandeur of mountain landscapes with their space and cool air had forced an unflattering comparison to the flat little huddle of stucco homes that make up my community.
Yes, it is time to go home.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
And Be One Traveler
Darling Wife and I recently watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and I found it to be an amusing little story. It did not have the profound affect on me that it seems to have on others, perhaps because the concept was not new to me. Nonetheless, I was affected by the story's setting.
We have decided to alter our cross-country route to cover Texas and some of the South, including Louisiana and New Orleans. New Orleans was also where DW and I spent our honeymoon. So as the trip and our anniversary nears, my longing to touch that landscape is almost physical. I find myself preparing Southern meals and seeking out other movies set in the South. These things call to me in the voice of Home.
And yet, even as I think I will begin to write about the things I look forward to rather than the things I will miss, I am again confronted by the splendors of my present life. This weekend DW and I are camping in the Sierras and communing with the Giant Sequoias. In a few short weeks, we'll be deep in the coastal redwood forest, my favorite place in California.
How can I leave this place? Certainly I have been brought to tears repeatedly by my desire to get out of here and return to all the things I love in the east, but like it or not, I have acclimated. I no longer view things here as abnormal, something I actually thought would never occur.
It's funny, when I moved to Boston, I melted into it from the first day and embraced it like an old friend. It was only time that made me need to leave it. As much as its crooked streets and layers of history will always reside in my soul, I needed more space, less competition. When I moved here, the effect was the complete opposite; I held it at arm's length as something distant and alien from myself. Time has endeared it to me.
Now I wish I could return and stay. Frost wrote, "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, / And sorry I could not travel both / And be one traveler, long I stood / And looked down one as far as I could." I suppose that is what I am doing, standing and looking. If only the distance, that distance which is the primary reason for our relocation, were not so prohibitively great. If only...
We have decided to alter our cross-country route to cover Texas and some of the South, including Louisiana and New Orleans. New Orleans was also where DW and I spent our honeymoon. So as the trip and our anniversary nears, my longing to touch that landscape is almost physical. I find myself preparing Southern meals and seeking out other movies set in the South. These things call to me in the voice of Home.
And yet, even as I think I will begin to write about the things I look forward to rather than the things I will miss, I am again confronted by the splendors of my present life. This weekend DW and I are camping in the Sierras and communing with the Giant Sequoias. In a few short weeks, we'll be deep in the coastal redwood forest, my favorite place in California.
How can I leave this place? Certainly I have been brought to tears repeatedly by my desire to get out of here and return to all the things I love in the east, but like it or not, I have acclimated. I no longer view things here as abnormal, something I actually thought would never occur.
It's funny, when I moved to Boston, I melted into it from the first day and embraced it like an old friend. It was only time that made me need to leave it. As much as its crooked streets and layers of history will always reside in my soul, I needed more space, less competition. When I moved here, the effect was the complete opposite; I held it at arm's length as something distant and alien from myself. Time has endeared it to me.
Now I wish I could return and stay. Frost wrote, "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, / And sorry I could not travel both / And be one traveler, long I stood / And looked down one as far as I could." I suppose that is what I am doing, standing and looking. If only the distance, that distance which is the primary reason for our relocation, were not so prohibitively great. If only...
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Family Outing
He strutted, proud but wary, at the head of the group. His dark eye at the top of his long, black, snake-like neck following me cautiously as I biked past, but he was not to be completely distracted by my presence; his attention darted back and forth from the bike path on his left to the field on his right. Puffing up for an instant, he made himself larger, more menacing, and hissed softly, just to be absolutely sure I knew he would not be taken easily or allow his family to be approached. Determining I was not a threat, he calmed himself down with a rapid shutter and ruffle of gray and white feathers and continued on his course. He would make certain the way was safe before leading his loved ones farther along it. That was his job, and he was good at it.
She followed behind, clicking and honking, guiding her precious babes with her large breast and slightly spread wings. Her head flicked momentarily in my direction, but she trusted her mate to keep protective watch. Her task was to make sure no one strayed from the group. She knew from experience that there is always a curious or dawdling one in every brood, and she was determined not to lose him or her this time.
Between them, small green-gold balls of fuzz scurried around unsteadily on tiny webbed feet. I can hear them excitedly beeping, eager to explore this new world, but not entirely convinced it is their own. It will be some months before these frightened and anxious goslings will resemble their powerful parents.
Perhaps not all of them will survive to make the transition. But that is not for us, or them, to say. Today, there is the creek waiting, and it's time for a swimming lesson.
She followed behind, clicking and honking, guiding her precious babes with her large breast and slightly spread wings. Her head flicked momentarily in my direction, but she trusted her mate to keep protective watch. Her task was to make sure no one strayed from the group. She knew from experience that there is always a curious or dawdling one in every brood, and she was determined not to lose him or her this time.
Between them, small green-gold balls of fuzz scurried around unsteadily on tiny webbed feet. I can hear them excitedly beeping, eager to explore this new world, but not entirely convinced it is their own. It will be some months before these frightened and anxious goslings will resemble their powerful parents.
Perhaps not all of them will survive to make the transition. But that is not for us, or them, to say. Today, there is the creek waiting, and it's time for a swimming lesson.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Ruining Everything!
And then, God sends me a not-so-gentle reminder why we have to Get... Out... of... Here. Today, it's supposed to be around 90 degrees, and tomorrow, 100! You say, "But it's a dry heat, which isn't that bad, right?" Yeah, right. While it's true that dry heat is not as bad as humid heat in some ways, 100 degrees is still f-ing HOT!
Dry heat feels cooler on the skin when there is a breeze. It also allows the temps to drop dramatically at night. Neither of those things is helpful in the middle of a sweltering afternoon. What's more, our house, which stays pretty cool for most of the morning, almost chilly even, builds up heat in the attic when it's so hot, and then radiates that heat into the house for most of the cool nighttime hours... while we are trying to sleep. Nice, eh?
And the sun... that wonderful California sun that people rave about and come here to experience, it will burn you to a cinder if you are exposed to it. I've never felt anything like it. I know that those of you back east have been suffering through constant rain for some time, so this may sound like a blessing from heaven, so allow me to enlighten you a bit. In more humid climates, the atmosphere filters some of the heat from the sun's rays, so while the air itself may be hot and sticky, the sun is not unfriendly. So as long as it's not raining, you can be outside, enjoying the summer, except for those few weeks in late July and August when it just gets too hot to move. Without the atmospheric filtering provided by moisture in the air, the direct beams of the sun are scorching hot. I mean, even if the temperature is only in the 60s or 70s, your skin will burn in the sun. And I'm not talking about getting overly tanned; I'm talking about growing hot, as if you were holding it up to a heater or a fire. You can feel the direct heat almost melting or searing away your flesh. Lovely image, isn't it?
As soon as you step in the shade, you experience relief, but who wants to live their life in the shade? Not me. I'm an active kinda guy, and I like to get out and do things in the summer.
So, this weekend, we'll have to abandon the sweltering cauldron of the Valley and seek the cooler climes of the mountains or the coast. That will provide some temporary respite from the fury of Helios, but we don't always have the freedom to do that. Besides, once the heat sets in and the rain stops, this land will become baked and burned like a terracotta pot. All that is beautiful and green will wither away, leaving dust and misery.
Yep, our departure for the east can't come too soon.
Dry heat feels cooler on the skin when there is a breeze. It also allows the temps to drop dramatically at night. Neither of those things is helpful in the middle of a sweltering afternoon. What's more, our house, which stays pretty cool for most of the morning, almost chilly even, builds up heat in the attic when it's so hot, and then radiates that heat into the house for most of the cool nighttime hours... while we are trying to sleep. Nice, eh?
And the sun... that wonderful California sun that people rave about and come here to experience, it will burn you to a cinder if you are exposed to it. I've never felt anything like it. I know that those of you back east have been suffering through constant rain for some time, so this may sound like a blessing from heaven, so allow me to enlighten you a bit. In more humid climates, the atmosphere filters some of the heat from the sun's rays, so while the air itself may be hot and sticky, the sun is not unfriendly. So as long as it's not raining, you can be outside, enjoying the summer, except for those few weeks in late July and August when it just gets too hot to move. Without the atmospheric filtering provided by moisture in the air, the direct beams of the sun are scorching hot. I mean, even if the temperature is only in the 60s or 70s, your skin will burn in the sun. And I'm not talking about getting overly tanned; I'm talking about growing hot, as if you were holding it up to a heater or a fire. You can feel the direct heat almost melting or searing away your flesh. Lovely image, isn't it?
As soon as you step in the shade, you experience relief, but who wants to live their life in the shade? Not me. I'm an active kinda guy, and I like to get out and do things in the summer.
So, this weekend, we'll have to abandon the sweltering cauldron of the Valley and seek the cooler climes of the mountains or the coast. That will provide some temporary respite from the fury of Helios, but we don't always have the freedom to do that. Besides, once the heat sets in and the rain stops, this land will become baked and burned like a terracotta pot. All that is beautiful and green will wither away, leaving dust and misery.
Yep, our departure for the east can't come too soon.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Miss-cellaneous cont. cont...
Have you ever had fresh avocado? I mean, really fresh, like picked on the farm that morning? It's unlikely. See, they spoil quickly, so fresh ones aren't even available in most grocery stores outside of the southwest, and the "avocado dip" you get may not be real avocado, or it may be loaded with so many preservatives that it bears little resemblance to the real thing. Check the label. You'll see.
And this is the case with most of our grocery store produce, even here. Produce in grocery stores is usually picked while it's still green so it can survive the journey to the market and sitting on the shelf for days. That prevents the fruits and veggies from storing the sugars, vitamins, and minerals that will give them their fullest flavors. Grocery stores also generally stock produce that LOOKS good, regardless of it's taste. I, for one, think that peaches should be soft and sweet instead of perfectly plump and colorful but tasting like plastic.
Fortunately, I have alternatives to the grocers, easy alternatives that don't require a drive across town or to another town. I know I've already mentioned this in my first post, but I have to rave a little more. Yesterday afternoon on my way home from running an errand, I stopped by the farmer's market to pick up a tomato for a salad for dinner. I ended up getting a tomato, two avocados, and a half-flat of strawberries for $15! Then I dropped into the food co-op for an $8.99 bottle of terrific local zinfandel... mmmm... and a delicious organic dressing.
As Darling Wife and I ate dinner on our back patio, I reveled in these tasty treasures and mourned the loss of them we will suffer when we return east.
Have you ever had fresh dates? What about asparagus? Persimmons, mushrooms, olive oil, figs? I've had all of these things before, but I don't think I'd ever really known how marvelous they could be until I bought them fresh on the day they were picked, ripe and luscious, from the farmers who grew them.
And this is the case with most of our grocery store produce, even here. Produce in grocery stores is usually picked while it's still green so it can survive the journey to the market and sitting on the shelf for days. That prevents the fruits and veggies from storing the sugars, vitamins, and minerals that will give them their fullest flavors. Grocery stores also generally stock produce that LOOKS good, regardless of it's taste. I, for one, think that peaches should be soft and sweet instead of perfectly plump and colorful but tasting like plastic.
Fortunately, I have alternatives to the grocers, easy alternatives that don't require a drive across town or to another town. I know I've already mentioned this in my first post, but I have to rave a little more. Yesterday afternoon on my way home from running an errand, I stopped by the farmer's market to pick up a tomato for a salad for dinner. I ended up getting a tomato, two avocados, and a half-flat of strawberries for $15! Then I dropped into the food co-op for an $8.99 bottle of terrific local zinfandel... mmmm... and a delicious organic dressing.
As Darling Wife and I ate dinner on our back patio, I reveled in these tasty treasures and mourned the loss of them we will suffer when we return east.
Have you ever had fresh dates? What about asparagus? Persimmons, mushrooms, olive oil, figs? I've had all of these things before, but I don't think I'd ever really known how marvelous they could be until I bought them fresh on the day they were picked, ripe and luscious, from the farmers who grew them.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Oh, trespass sweetly urged! Give me my zin again.
Darling Wife's brother (and possibly her sister) are coming to visit this weekend. They would like to visit some wineries, which begs the question, which ones?
California has over 100 American Viticulture Areas (AVAs), as many as all other US states combined. Some of them are quite small and located near each other. For example, the Napa, Sonoma, and Suisun valleys run parallel to each other; each valley is its own AVA; the north and southern parts of each valley are also separate AVAs, as are the ridges between them and many of the spur valleys that branch off of them. It has to do with the climate and the soil. Because of altitude, ocean breezes, etc., each type of terrain is appropriate for different types of grapes or produces different and distinct flavors in the same grapes, so each area gets its own AVA, even though they are within a few miles of each other.
Obviously, we aren't going to go down to San Diego county to visit that region's wineries because it's much too far, although I hope to drop into some of them on our way out of the state next month. It's the same with Santa Barbara and most of the central coast. We don't want to travel more than an hour or two, I think. But there are several wine regions near us, each with its set of distinct AVAs.
We could easily visit Napa and Sonoma, which are only about 45 minutes south west of where we live. The wineries there are beautiful, and many of them are famous. And they make some excellent pinot noirs, a grape that doesn't grow anywhere else close to us. But their popularity makes them expensive and incredibly touristy. Some of the wineries there charge you just to visit the grounds, let alone taste the wines.
There is also Lodi in the Central Valley just south of us. Darling Wife and I have never been wine tasting there, and I'd like to do so before we leave CA. However, Lodi is having a big Zin Fest this weekend, which means the normally less-crowded wineries will be packed, and many of them will not be conducting regular tastings because they will have booths at the Fest. Plus, it's supposed to be over 90 degrees in the valley this weekend. Mmmm, no. I don't think so.
Which leaves the wineries in the Sierra foothills. They're a little harder to get to, taking a little over an hour each way, and we did take DW's sister there once before. But they are hardly ever crowded, are inexpensive, and produce some of the finest old vine zinfandel I've ever tasted. The spicy flavors stimulated by growing on granite for 100 years or so are incredible. And there are 27 wineries in the same 10-mile area.
I guess it will depend on what types of wines my brother-in-law favors, rich French wines like those produced on the coast, or fiery Italian and Spanish wines like those made in the foothills.
California has over 100 American Viticulture Areas (AVAs), as many as all other US states combined. Some of them are quite small and located near each other. For example, the Napa, Sonoma, and Suisun valleys run parallel to each other; each valley is its own AVA; the north and southern parts of each valley are also separate AVAs, as are the ridges between them and many of the spur valleys that branch off of them. It has to do with the climate and the soil. Because of altitude, ocean breezes, etc., each type of terrain is appropriate for different types of grapes or produces different and distinct flavors in the same grapes, so each area gets its own AVA, even though they are within a few miles of each other.
Obviously, we aren't going to go down to San Diego county to visit that region's wineries because it's much too far, although I hope to drop into some of them on our way out of the state next month. It's the same with Santa Barbara and most of the central coast. We don't want to travel more than an hour or two, I think. But there are several wine regions near us, each with its set of distinct AVAs.
We could easily visit Napa and Sonoma, which are only about 45 minutes south west of where we live. The wineries there are beautiful, and many of them are famous. And they make some excellent pinot noirs, a grape that doesn't grow anywhere else close to us. But their popularity makes them expensive and incredibly touristy. Some of the wineries there charge you just to visit the grounds, let alone taste the wines.
There is also Lodi in the Central Valley just south of us. Darling Wife and I have never been wine tasting there, and I'd like to do so before we leave CA. However, Lodi is having a big Zin Fest this weekend, which means the normally less-crowded wineries will be packed, and many of them will not be conducting regular tastings because they will have booths at the Fest. Plus, it's supposed to be over 90 degrees in the valley this weekend. Mmmm, no. I don't think so.
Which leaves the wineries in the Sierra foothills. They're a little harder to get to, taking a little over an hour each way, and we did take DW's sister there once before. But they are hardly ever crowded, are inexpensive, and produce some of the finest old vine zinfandel I've ever tasted. The spicy flavors stimulated by growing on granite for 100 years or so are incredible. And there are 27 wineries in the same 10-mile area.
I guess it will depend on what types of wines my brother-in-law favors, rich French wines like those produced on the coast, or fiery Italian and Spanish wines like those made in the foothills.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Miss-cellaneous Cont...
I think the thing I will miss the most is Davis, the city I live in. Darling Wife and I have liked Davis since we first visited it four years ago. We've often wished that we could pick it up and transport it to the east coast... but of course, that would ruin much of its distinctive flair.
Davis used to be a farm town, and it still retains some fairly conservative roots. But it's also home to one of the largest universities in the UC system, fostering a general atmosphere of liberalism and tolerance that is refreshing. It is not uncommon for me to hear three or four languages spoken on any given day. Everyone recycles, and most people support sustainable living practices while promoting a focus on family, friends, and community. There are over 67,000 people living in Davis, meaning it's large enough to boast a decent array of restaurants and shops, but it's still small enough to have a small-town feel. Everyone seems to know everyone, and you always see the same faces at community activities and downtown venues.
I've mentioned that Davis has a thriving farmer's market. It also has a successful art center where children and adults can take a class in making pottery or attend a play by local troupes. There is a great library, as well as many parks and greenways, bike paths that surround the city and run throughout it, numerous art galleries, a bakery, a train station, and a great bus system. You can get anywhere in town or travel out of town without a car. The city discourages and controls suburban sprawl, preferring to encourage in-filling and preservation of the surrounding farmland. Consequently, it's pretty dense and pedestrian/bicycle friendly.
And there is always something to do. You can drop into the Raptor Center for a Hawk Walk or attend a performance of the Moscow Symphony Orchestra at the Mondavi Center. This weekend, Darling Wife and I passed an afternoon at the Whole Earth Festival after the successful completion of our yardsale and enjoyed perusing the vendor's stalls while listening to some great music on the main campus quad. As we walked to the event along a path lined with olive and citrus trees, we passed a small strip mall with two department stores and a Starbucks, St. Martin's Episcopal Church, the Chinese Christian Church, the Islamic Center of Davis, and several frat houses. You gotta love that kind of diversity.
Plus, the university has a world-class arboretum; its own butcher where two days each week you can purchase low priced, quality beef, lamb, pork, or chicken, raised at the university's many farms; and some pretty good sports teams.
And sometimes... when the wind is right and the springtime jasmine has stopped blooming... the air smells like rosemary and sage.
Davis used to be a farm town, and it still retains some fairly conservative roots. But it's also home to one of the largest universities in the UC system, fostering a general atmosphere of liberalism and tolerance that is refreshing. It is not uncommon for me to hear three or four languages spoken on any given day. Everyone recycles, and most people support sustainable living practices while promoting a focus on family, friends, and community. There are over 67,000 people living in Davis, meaning it's large enough to boast a decent array of restaurants and shops, but it's still small enough to have a small-town feel. Everyone seems to know everyone, and you always see the same faces at community activities and downtown venues.
I've mentioned that Davis has a thriving farmer's market. It also has a successful art center where children and adults can take a class in making pottery or attend a play by local troupes. There is a great library, as well as many parks and greenways, bike paths that surround the city and run throughout it, numerous art galleries, a bakery, a train station, and a great bus system. You can get anywhere in town or travel out of town without a car. The city discourages and controls suburban sprawl, preferring to encourage in-filling and preservation of the surrounding farmland. Consequently, it's pretty dense and pedestrian/bicycle friendly.
And there is always something to do. You can drop into the Raptor Center for a Hawk Walk or attend a performance of the Moscow Symphony Orchestra at the Mondavi Center. This weekend, Darling Wife and I passed an afternoon at the Whole Earth Festival after the successful completion of our yardsale and enjoyed perusing the vendor's stalls while listening to some great music on the main campus quad. As we walked to the event along a path lined with olive and citrus trees, we passed a small strip mall with two department stores and a Starbucks, St. Martin's Episcopal Church, the Chinese Christian Church, the Islamic Center of Davis, and several frat houses. You gotta love that kind of diversity.
Plus, the university has a world-class arboretum; its own butcher where two days each week you can purchase low priced, quality beef, lamb, pork, or chicken, raised at the university's many farms; and some pretty good sports teams.
And sometimes... when the wind is right and the springtime jasmine has stopped blooming... the air smells like rosemary and sage.
Friday, May 01, 2009
Miss-cellaneous
I'll miss...
-The jasmine
I wrote about this last year, but it never ceases to blow me away. If you've never had the experience of breathing in the intoxicating aroma of this plant's small, white blossoms, I haven't the words to describe the pleasure. If you have, imagine what it must be like to be enveloped in that scent, that heady fragrance that surely must come from Olympus itself; for, I know the greedy gods would have kept something this good for themselves.
Here in the central valley, there are two types of jasmine in abundance. The first grows incredibly fast with thin, clinging vines that climb swiftly and cover fences, lattice, shutters, etc. with lacy leaves from spring to fall. It has pink buds that open to creamy white blooms from late February to late April.
The other type of jasmine has thicker vines. It's almost shrub like with dark, glossy leaves that are ever-green. Its blue-white blossoms open in late April and last through the month of May. It can be found in almost every parking lot, highway median, and home landscaping, and when it blooms... it perfumes the entire town.
Combine that with the citrus blossoms that are also in full array right now, and basically, we have about two-to-three months of heavenly breezes.
Then the dairy reclaims its position as our number one aerator. But we won't go there. Stay with the jasmine...
-The jasmine
I wrote about this last year, but it never ceases to blow me away. If you've never had the experience of breathing in the intoxicating aroma of this plant's small, white blossoms, I haven't the words to describe the pleasure. If you have, imagine what it must be like to be enveloped in that scent, that heady fragrance that surely must come from Olympus itself; for, I know the greedy gods would have kept something this good for themselves.
Here in the central valley, there are two types of jasmine in abundance. The first grows incredibly fast with thin, clinging vines that climb swiftly and cover fences, lattice, shutters, etc. with lacy leaves from spring to fall. It has pink buds that open to creamy white blooms from late February to late April.
The other type of jasmine has thicker vines. It's almost shrub like with dark, glossy leaves that are ever-green. Its blue-white blossoms open in late April and last through the month of May. It can be found in almost every parking lot, highway median, and home landscaping, and when it blooms... it perfumes the entire town.
Combine that with the citrus blossoms that are also in full array right now, and basically, we have about two-to-three months of heavenly breezes.
Then the dairy reclaims its position as our number one aerator. But we won't go there. Stay with the jasmine...
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Moving On
It’s always exciting to move. There are so many new things to experience, so many new things to get to know. Even the word “move” denotes action and activity, change and motion. But no matter how much I want to go to a new place and how much I disliked an old place, part of me is always sad at the loss. I’ve blogged about this before, so I won’t belabor the issue. It’s just that our impending move is really starting to sink in now, and though I have never felt like I fit in here, in this land with few pubs and an overabundance of exotic flora, there are so many things I will be sad to leave behind.
I will miss:
- wine
It is everywhere, cheap and good. I thought I knew a bit about wine before coming here, but now I have an entirely new depth of appreciation that can only be achieved by touching the landscapes where the grapes are grown, seeing how they differ from each other. There is wine at every public function and in every store. People drink it casually without puritanical hang-ups or snootiness. No matter how much wine flows at a gathering or dinner back east, it can never be part of the culture in this way.
- bicycles
This is particular to Davis to some extent because everyone bikes here, but I see more bikes in general in CA than I ever did back east. I think this is in large part due to the climate. But for whatever reason, I go everywhere on my bike, and I love it!
- climate
It’s one of the things I have most disliked because I’m a guy who likes rain. But I must confess that after 4 years, it will be hard to go back to considering the weather whenever I make plans. It’s nice to be able to plan a BBQ without having to have contingency plans for rain. For nine months out of the year here, it just ain’t gonna rain, so you don’t have to even think about it. We also have really pleasant evenings with low humidity and light breezes that make you want to live on your patio.
- produce
I grew up having vegetables and fruit from my grandparent’s farm. So unlike most kids, my parents rarely had to persuade us to eat our veggies. This was normal for us, and we didn’t even think about it. We just ate them. I’ve always loved produce, but I’ve never had the absolute wealth that is available in CA… all year long. The Davis Farmer’s Market is twice a week, every week, all year. Darling Wife and I cook and eat in ways that we will never be able to replicate back east. :(
- landscape
Again, this is one of those things that I have a love/hate relationship with. The landscape is grand on a scale that is beyond compare. But a person can only be in awe so much before he longs for something more comfortable, more homey, like the rolling green hills and pastures of the mid-Atlantic. I am sick of everything being the hottest, driest, highest, lowest, longest, tallest, biggest, and on, and on. Besides, I only really get to enjoy the landscape when we have visitors or leisure enough to engage with it in a meaningful way, otherwise it becomes an obstacle. The breathtaking mountains are a pain when they add an extra two hours to a short-distance trip, etc. Still, I will miss the cool quiet and timelessness of the redwood forest, the powerful fragility of the miles and miles of coastline, the magnitude and grandeur of the Sierras. And I feel honored to have lived among them.
I am sure this list will grow over the next days and weeks.
I will miss:
- wine
It is everywhere, cheap and good. I thought I knew a bit about wine before coming here, but now I have an entirely new depth of appreciation that can only be achieved by touching the landscapes where the grapes are grown, seeing how they differ from each other. There is wine at every public function and in every store. People drink it casually without puritanical hang-ups or snootiness. No matter how much wine flows at a gathering or dinner back east, it can never be part of the culture in this way.
- bicycles
This is particular to Davis to some extent because everyone bikes here, but I see more bikes in general in CA than I ever did back east. I think this is in large part due to the climate. But for whatever reason, I go everywhere on my bike, and I love it!
- climate
It’s one of the things I have most disliked because I’m a guy who likes rain. But I must confess that after 4 years, it will be hard to go back to considering the weather whenever I make plans. It’s nice to be able to plan a BBQ without having to have contingency plans for rain. For nine months out of the year here, it just ain’t gonna rain, so you don’t have to even think about it. We also have really pleasant evenings with low humidity and light breezes that make you want to live on your patio.
- produce
I grew up having vegetables and fruit from my grandparent’s farm. So unlike most kids, my parents rarely had to persuade us to eat our veggies. This was normal for us, and we didn’t even think about it. We just ate them. I’ve always loved produce, but I’ve never had the absolute wealth that is available in CA… all year long. The Davis Farmer’s Market is twice a week, every week, all year. Darling Wife and I cook and eat in ways that we will never be able to replicate back east. :(
- landscape
Again, this is one of those things that I have a love/hate relationship with. The landscape is grand on a scale that is beyond compare. But a person can only be in awe so much before he longs for something more comfortable, more homey, like the rolling green hills and pastures of the mid-Atlantic. I am sick of everything being the hottest, driest, highest, lowest, longest, tallest, biggest, and on, and on. Besides, I only really get to enjoy the landscape when we have visitors or leisure enough to engage with it in a meaningful way, otherwise it becomes an obstacle. The breathtaking mountains are a pain when they add an extra two hours to a short-distance trip, etc. Still, I will miss the cool quiet and timelessness of the redwood forest, the powerful fragility of the miles and miles of coastline, the magnitude and grandeur of the Sierras. And I feel honored to have lived among them.
I am sure this list will grow over the next days and weeks.
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
On the Road Again
While trying to stay on top of my coursework and plan our upcoming cross-country move, Darling Wife and I are also on a whirlwind tour of California.
A couple of weeks ago, we spent the weekend camping in Pinnacles National Monument. It is not a place I'd recommend during 75% of the year; it is dry, hot, and utterly inhospitable during our long summers and falls. But right now, it is beautiful. Wildflowers were everywhere, and we saw TWO condors! When I was a child, I watched a program about California condors and the frenzied efforts to reverse their declining numbers and belay their impending extinction. At the time, condors were remote and unreal to me. They lived, the 22 that still lived, in the extreme west in areas that existed for me only in old westerns from my grandfather's day. And even today, though their danger of extinction has lessened, they are hardly common. I never thought I'd see one, especially not in the wild. We caught a glimpse of one a few summers back from a shuttle bus at the Grand Canyon, but this was radically different. After a three-mile hike up the sloping side of a mountain, Darling Wife and I broke onto a bare ridge and saw first one, then another condor soaring almost at eye level over the canyon below. The distance obscured the beasts enormous size, the largest of all raptors, but it was still an amazing sight.
Last weekend, we hiked to the broad valley that was the subject of my last post. We took our dogs and had a picnic under an enormous Valley Oak by the side of a pond. The dogs played, happy to be free of their leashes, and we sat on a blanket drinking sauvignon blanc and eating strawberries and hummus. Mmmm.
This weekend, we are going to Death Valley. I'm not sure if there is symbolism to be found in that, give that this weekend is also the Easter holiday, but if so, it is not intentional. I'll let you know how the trip goes next week.
A couple of weeks ago, we spent the weekend camping in Pinnacles National Monument. It is not a place I'd recommend during 75% of the year; it is dry, hot, and utterly inhospitable during our long summers and falls. But right now, it is beautiful. Wildflowers were everywhere, and we saw TWO condors! When I was a child, I watched a program about California condors and the frenzied efforts to reverse their declining numbers and belay their impending extinction. At the time, condors were remote and unreal to me. They lived, the 22 that still lived, in the extreme west in areas that existed for me only in old westerns from my grandfather's day. And even today, though their danger of extinction has lessened, they are hardly common. I never thought I'd see one, especially not in the wild. We caught a glimpse of one a few summers back from a shuttle bus at the Grand Canyon, but this was radically different. After a three-mile hike up the sloping side of a mountain, Darling Wife and I broke onto a bare ridge and saw first one, then another condor soaring almost at eye level over the canyon below. The distance obscured the beasts enormous size, the largest of all raptors, but it was still an amazing sight.
Last weekend, we hiked to the broad valley that was the subject of my last post. We took our dogs and had a picnic under an enormous Valley Oak by the side of a pond. The dogs played, happy to be free of their leashes, and we sat on a blanket drinking sauvignon blanc and eating strawberries and hummus. Mmmm.
This weekend, we are going to Death Valley. I'm not sure if there is symbolism to be found in that, give that this weekend is also the Easter holiday, but if so, it is not intentional. I'll let you know how the trip goes next week.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)