Excellent Birds

The photo really doesn't do the experience justice, but I want to provide you a visual image of my recent visit to Gray Lodge Wildlife Area near Colusa, California to watch the wonder of a million birds in migration.


I would like to call them Excellent Birds, but that's been said before.
They arrive by the thousands and drop from the sky,
landing in groups of two, three, or six sometimes and all at oncce.
A Pintail circles around another,
one other takes to flight.
A cloud of Snow Geese grace
the liquid surface of the world.
The sound of wings uplifting is like a sudden burst of inexhaustible joy.

~T.
                                                           

The American River

The rains that started on Wednesday finally stopped today.  Despite the mild flooding in our back yard and seepage into a couple of rooms in the house, we are no worse for the weather.  Everything is plush and green now, and we enjoyed our walk along the swollen Río de los Americanos. 

I am thankful for this place.

Writer's Block

It has been months since I've felt compelled to visit my blog and express myself in words but now that December has arrived, think I will feel more inclined to do so.  Just not right now.

Funk, out.

I'm Not In Kansas Anymore

Good day, good reader, and apologies to the state of Kansas for neglecting to include you in the list of states that were visited as part of my transamerican tour 2012. How could I forget the 417 mile drive in 103 degree temperatures that scorched your vast fields of sorghum, wheat, and acres of wilted sunflowers? And although it was not made of yellow bricks, the road that led us to Wamego was a pleasant nine mile ride to a "small town, big experience".   Had we not seen this sign, we would have driven right by:

How could we not visit a museum dedicated to George's favorite movie and, as a bonus round, grab lunch at Toto's Tacoz?  It was settled.  We were off to see the wizard, and with our little dog too.

We parked in front of the museum which I thought remarkable considering the popularity of the movie classic and allure of the signage:

Since little dogs were not allowed inside the building, George suggested that swag procurement would be the most sensible use of our time.  It was difficult to choose which item was most worthy of my cash, but was satisfied with my choice: 

 The caribiner broke somewhere between Kansas and Nevada but otherwise, the vessel works just fine.  We may not  be in Kansas anymore, but there really is no place like home.

Until the next time, have courage enough to funk things up with as much joy that you can muster.

~T.

A Blog Revisited: Where the Funk Have You Been?

 

Hello dear reader, and welcome back!  A lot of shift has happened in my life since my last post and considering that I promised to only share my thoughts here when I feel like it, think an apology isn't necessary.  If you need an apology, I'm sorry that you won't get one.   Just know that you've been missed, and I'll make more of an effort to stay in touch more often. 

So, where the funk have you been since my last post? 

If you are familiar with the United States, you are probably aware that it is a pretty big country.  Not the biggest, mind you, but a BFC just the same.  How big, you ask?  Approximately three million and seventy-nine and four-tenths of square miles, and that includes water which you definitely want to take enough of before you set out to measure a nation. 

During the course of measuring America in July, George, Stella and I stopped many times for water and ice to keep ourselves hydrated. A triple-digit heat wave had gripped most all of the mid-western states which made the trip "pretty, pretty dang hot" as some disc jockey's in Missouri might say. 

To see massive fields of corn and soy beans wilting in the heat was, and still is, a significant concern for farmers who, according to signs posted along the highways of Missouri, feed an average of 128 people a day.

It took ten days to drive a fully loaded Ford Focus from Vermont to California, which included stops in Rhode Island, West Virginia, Ohio, Missouri, Colorado, Utah and Big Basin National Park in Nevada.  Camping at 10,000 feet above sea level gave us a long overdue respite from the heat and despite my nosebleed, had managed to stay in good spirits over the entire course of our journey.

I am still actively adjusting to my new environment and think that Sacramento will eventually accept me as a Californian.  Until then, I'll do my best to funk with people in a joyful way to let them know I'm here. 

~T.