Resting in northern California after 3 days of driving through amazing countryside. Desert landscape dry with tan-coloured sands, sculpted dunes, and plants coming into bloom gradually transformed into acres, and acres, and acres of farmland, some posted with brand-names familiar from my local grocery store in Wilson Creek. A few stops to purchase ripe strawberries, red with taste and freshness; a tasty summer treat 4 months early for our BC mouths. Then on to rolling hillsides of avocado trees, fields of artichokes, hundreds of workers, and sprinklers splashing the ever-important irrigation to the fields. Coffee enjoyed on a small, protected bay just north of Monterey, Lucy digging furiously in the sand for a rock-treasure. The California coast never fails to impress and is a fabulous drive. . . especially on sunny days.
California poppies in their bright colours, alongside daisy-like blooms, punctuate the greens and rusts of succulent plants that pattern the roadside. The rolling hills, especially near Santa Barbara, look like the Great Seamstress has thrown bolt after bolt of sage green suede, draping the hills in soft colour, a fold here and there darker as the material dips into valleys.
Our last night before tucking in to our rental in Brookings for a few weeks. It will be good to unpack the car, set up house, and wiggle the toes in the beach close to the house. If only Lucy knew what was awaiting her tomorrow . . . .
Rita is with me here, and then there, in this memory, and that recalled story. Always with me as I journey on.
I love the norther California coast!
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