Look UP!

I'm back.  I had a mostly restful few days, although I did 'force' myself yesterday to do some clean-up at home.  Not actual cleaning, mind you (that'll have to wait for another day), but cleanup.  (Although I've kept the place fairly tidy while J's been gone.)  I spent a good four hours yesterday sorting through paperwork--getting stuff ready to mail, filing, making files, organizing bills, tossing junk mail, etc.  I also did a bit of (inexpensive) shopping this weekend and picked up a few things for the house, including some plants that I repotted.  I love our kitchen--it's a 60's-style kitchen and I love it.  And after all the clean-up and adding the new purchases and plants, the kitchen's looking quite homey, if I do say so.  It's my favorite place to sit in the summertime. Eastern exposure, facing the street, huge tree at the curb, lots of windows and light.  I can sit in one of our big wicker chairs by the window as the breeze wafts in and have coffee and read or listen to the radio. Other than my clean-up session yesterday, I had a thoroughly relaxing three days off.  Napped, read, biked, lounged, went for a couple of country drives.  Yesterday I rode my bike through the greenbelt on the north side of town and then headed south to the Arboretum to my favorite spot in all of Davis:  the redwood grove. (They're coastal redwoods and they remind me of home.) By the time I arrived, the grove was nearly empty.  It was very warm yesterday (90).  I parked my bike and laid down on one of the picnic table benches and looked up.  And I laid that way for awhile--I could have easily fallen asleep.  And I wondered how on earth I could go so many years without lying on my back looking up through redwoods, because surely that's one of the best things in the whole world to do.  I love all trees, but, for me, there's something especially sacred and magical about redwoods.  Because they don't make sense--how do they not topple over?  Their roots are shallow and their skinny trunks are so very tall.  And I laid there looking up at the blue sky and the canopy formed by the tree branches and watched the top of one tree in particular move in the breeze.  And it made me think of the Golden Gate Bridge, because it, too, moves with the weather, but most people don't notice the movement.  Walking through those redwoods most people would have no idea that the tops of the trees are swaying--not just the branches moving in the breeze, but the entire tree swaying.  I grew up around redwoods (and my parents have some on their property), so I know they move, but maybe that's my lesson for today:  don't forget to look UP...because there might be something happening that I'd otherwise miss.

J has our camera on the road with him, so no photos from my weekend.  But here's a shot of the Arboretum grove.  Not a very good picture, but it gives you an idea of what it looks like.

P.S.  I'm reading Gilead right now. Ohmygosh, now I understand what all the fuss was about.  It's just so...beautiful.

P.P.S.  And speaking of the Golden Gate Bridge, it celebrated its 70th birthday over the weekend.  Click here for a live webcam.

Comments

[leah]

the fiansor and i were just talking about trees this weekend and how much we love them and how nice it would be to go visit the redwoods. hopefully we'll get to do that soon. :-)

[megg]

I've never actually seen a redwood - how tragic is that. I have it on my plan! By next summer I will have seen one! I loved this line the most:
"And I wondered how on earth I could go so many years without lying on my back looking up through redwoods, because surely that's one of the best things in the whole world to do." It sounded like the opening line from a novel!!

[Jana]

I've never seen a redwood, but from the picture they DO look amazing! Congrats on letting yourself enjoy your time off! :o)