Hiking in the Riverbed

 After a few days of laying low, due to 3 very potent bug bites, we headed out to a new spot. 

San Francisquito Open Space

I'd been curious about it because so much of the trail is marked "gentle" (as seen in the link above). But, let me tell you, their gentle wore us out! It's hard to tell in the photos, but the trail in the riverbed is very soft soil that has not only been under water at some time, but it is also trod on by horses. There were lots of horseshoe prints! It was kind of like walking at the beach, but way dustier.

 

We always seem to start with locks at an open gate...and off down the trail we go.

It was super, super dry out there and the brush was so tall! I kept my eyes open for all sorts of animals, especially after our last trek down the animal trail. We saw a few lizards (AKA Bills), birds and one cottontail! #hawkcount: 2

Lots of yucca plants in various stages of blooming. This one had big 2 inch long seed pods.

A wide, flat view through tall scrub brush. Then we began to notice bits of man-made materials: cinder block pieces, an odd brick or two, or a length of wood with old, rusty nails still in it. There seemed to be places where there had been foundations or perhaps foundation materials carried by the dam break back in 1928. There are more stories, links back in the blog, as we've traveled this way before.

Being in the riverbed, there was a variety of different plants we don't normally see.

Right after I took this photo of the cottonwood tree, a breeze blew by and made that old familiar sound through the leaves, as they danced and shimmered. A piece of my heart in these trees!

Clearly posted signs declaring NO motor vehicles allowed, did not scare off this man and boy duo. The exhaust smell overtaking the dry, sweet smell of sage for a moment or two. And I was super glad there were no sparks to set off a fire in all of that dry brush!!

Gosh, it sure was pretty out there!

May you just keep going, finding new places & revisiting old places too!

xo

Photographs by NAE ©2021

What's Up??

That's what I keep asking,

"What's up with me?"

I have a few projects that I want to (need to, in my eyes) get done. Two are started, sort of, and there is time for the third (a new Christmas stocking). But, I just keep procrastinating.

I dug out some vintage canning jars "hats" to use in the repairing/updating of Raggedy Ann (who you met recently). Her little pantaloons have new elastic in the waist. Silly her has them on inside out, as I check them for fit :) I then did one of the leg openings, but it didn't work well so I took it right back out. I've been problem solving a better way to make it work and think I've done that, yet my hand is needle-less! I've got two let hole and two sleeve openings to get done.

If I say all of this here, will it push me forward? Let's hope!

Next onto the quilt block, barely in process. I've had some cloth pulled out to make a quilt block for that covid memorial quilt I've mentioned before. I keep considering ideas, moving the pieces around...I even got excited with one of the ideas and ripped a strip. My biggest idea is some weaving, maybe a heart and of course her name and birth/death dates. The white is the size it will be, 8X8 and it may be used for the heart (with name) as well. It has texture. 

But, I just can't get going further. 

Perhaps I need to make myself some deadlines here.

I love this finger paint fabric so much...but you all know that!

Okay, well, that's all I've got. Me trying to get pushy with me and putting that here.

 

May you  complete your self imposed tasks

May you  enjoy the actual doing of it

May you discover other things that need doing along the way

xo

 Photographs by NAE ©2021

Hike & More Haiku

Today's Hike - Failure, You Be the Judge! 

When I found the previously posted haiku poetry, related to computer messages, I also found some that J and I had written around that same time (years ago!). As I recall, we tried to make them as outlandish as possible and used phrases that caught our ears, filling me with delight. Other than that, it was so long ago that I really have no idea why we chose the words/phrases that we did.

I did a bit of research on the Haiku and found this one.

I like what it says about the reader finishing it in their mind. Maybe you can do that with these silly ones below. I hope you enjoy them for the ridiculous that they are!

Old Found Haiku

Dawn of Yellow Dog (N)

Concrete dreams of growing grass (N)

Purple fish laughing (N)

 

(J) Woman cut me off

      I give her big stink eye but

      She no see me cry

 

(J) Song in bloom people howl

      and concrete shiver thunder

      in yellow moon sound

 

(N) Tree stands like woman

       walks between morning and night

        black beneath her smile

 

 (N) Summer evening wind

        tickles through dandelions

        cicada grass song

 

(N) Crazy lives inside

      Breathing in the dark wild place

       I remain outside

 

(N) Life falls breathlessly

       like a whisper of still dreams

       smiling by and by

      

May you find the successes in every failure

May look in close when it is safer

May you entertain the silly at times.

xo 

 Photographs by NAE ©2021

Up, Up & Away!

 Back to East Walker Ranch trail head...which is where we've gone the past few walks.

The trail map in the link above (I've posted before, I believe). I've yet to really make sense of these city maps, where North seems South and moderate seems steep, but I keep trying. Today we went up the path we saw last time, again an old paved road. It started off going UP! It continued going UP and we ended up on the top of a mountain, with beauty all along the way.

Come along, won't you?

Up!

Above the big space from the last walk

A far away stand of pines calls my name! Someday, maybe.

So many flowers and bees today!

Lone oak tree stands towards the top.

Low above this yellowed grassy hill, a hawk flew. It flew low, much lower than my little camera can capture. Hawk completes the day for me.

White tree in the sun.

Big wide views. Bigger and wider than my little camera can capture.

But, you can imagine.

This time there was a key on the Locks box. I hope whoever lost it finds it here.

This lil old Raggedy Ann, mine from a million years ago, is getting cleaned up for another generation. She looks pretty happy about that!

May you hike higher that you knew you could

May memories from the past delight you

May each new day bring some very fine experiences

xo

Photographs by NAE ©2021

Nature & Human

Yesterday was a walk day. The air didn't look great, but it felt better. It was also a day that morphed into a new project.

We walked on an old paved road above the old parking lot of the Mother's Day post. It was a very curious spot, for when we got to the top, we found another large flat space with ancient asphalt, old pottery and glass. Something had been there. There were also curious white lines painted in a pattern that did not give away what it had once been. Two things we considered is a landing pad for helicopters or a staging area for firefighters, so a place to address emergencies?

The project is one that began with record keeping related to my recent renewal of my work permit. As I did this, I was prompted to pull out 4 flash drives, labeled long ago. The labeling is clear, but what they held was a lesson in redundancy!  Oy! Time to purge, delete, combine and organize. It seems to be my ongoing desire to rid myself of anything and everything I no longer need! The following quotes from long ago were found among the chaos. I found them to be fitting for all of the online troubles or computer troubles going around. Have I put them here before? Deja' Vu!

This also led me to to remember to alert any of you who follow by email that the FEEDBURNER option is no longer available. So, if you have signed up to follow this 'trail' via email, that will no longer happen. Instead, you'll have to come find me in a way of your choice. I sincerely hope you'll do that! They did offer new and different ways to get around this, but frankly with the few people who read here and my lack of desire to figure it out, I thought 'why bother?' Some of you can no longer comment here, so there's that too. Maybe I'll change my mind about this. Or not.

Okay, so off we go...

"Subject: Zen and the computer.

In Japan, they have replaced the impersonal and unhelpful Microsoft error messages with Haiku poetry messages. Haiku poetry has strict construction rules - each poem has only 17 syllables; 5 syllables in the first, 7 in the second, 5 in the third. They are used to communicate a timeless message, often achieving a wistful, yearning and powerful insight through extreme brevity. Here are 16 actual error messages from Japan"

Your file was so big.
It might be very useful.
But now it is gone. 

The Web site you seek
Cannot be located, but
Countless more exist. 

 

Always the locks!

 

                                                        Chaos reigns within.                                                               

                                                      Reflect, repent, and reboot.                                                 Order shall return

                                       

             

               

Program aborting:
Close all that you have worked on.
You ask far too much.

 

 

Windows has just crashed.
I am the Blue Screen of Death.
No one hears your screams.

 

Yesterday it worked.
Today it is not working.
Windows is like that.

We sat on this wall a while

 

First snow, then silence.
This thousand-dollar screen dies
So beautifully.

 

With searching comes loss
And the presence of absence:
"My Novel" not found.

 

 

The Tao that is seen
Is not the true Tao-until
You bring fresh toner.

 

Stay the patient course.
Of little worth is your ire.
The network is down.

A crash reduces

Your expensive computer

To a simple stone

 

Three things are certain:
Death, taxes and lost data.
Guess which has occurred.

 

 

You step in the stream,
But the water has moved on.
This page is not here.

 

Out of memory.
We wish to hold the whole sky,
But we never will.

 

 

Having been erased,
The document you're seeking
Must now be retyped.

 

 

Serious error.
All shortcuts have disappeared.
Screen. Mind. Both are blank.

Isn't that better than "your computer has performed an illegal operation?" 

 

 This one wasn't the longest walk or the clearest skies, but it was enough.

It also wasn't the most immersed in The Great Outdoors hike, but the decaying paved road is an easier surface to navigate. So, it is all well and it is enough.

 

May you walk in health

May you walk in outdoors calm

May you walk with joy

 

xo 

 

Photographs by NAE ©2021