Mailbox to Mailbox
Inching across the US
A long distance hug
One letter and one postcard have made it an exceptional week for snail mail here, and this makes me very happy. There is something wonderful about a handwritten note traversing the US to share news and smiles. I encourage everyone to try it.
Special thank you to Brittany B. and Cady E. for making this post possible!
Wildflowers create
purple, yellow, white brushstrokes
on verdant hillsides.
On Saturday, February 28, David D. and I visited North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve located near Chico, California. The reserve is known for its annual wildflower display, and it did not disappoint. I hope we can return in the coming weeks to see what new flowers are making their appearance. I would also encourage you to seek out wildflowers in your area when the time is right. There is something magical about seeing a hillside painted in color by a vast number of flowers, particularly ones that have not been planted or tended by human hands.
Disclosure: my wildflower identifications are my best guess.
Nesting great horned owl’s
yellow eye speaks without sound,
‘I am watching you.’
Observing wildlife is one of the chief perks of my internship, and seeing this – my first owl in California – was unforgettable. When that yellow eye fell upon me, I felt my heart jump. I had the sense that the owl was looking straight into my soul, an unnerving and exhilarating experience.
What also struck me was the nest, how well camouflaged it is and how dense the vegetation is around it. I know owls are agile flyers, but to navigate through the needles and branches to this site without rumpling feathers seems impossible. Perhaps the view is more open from above? Or perhaps my raptor nest blueprint needs revising? My framework is based mostly on Michigan bald eagle nests, which are large and obvious from a distance. The great horned owl bird cam in Savannah, Georgia that I have been watching seemed to confirm this would be true for large owls too, but given this nest, I think I must reconsider. Thankfully, this opens a whole new world of possibilities for nest sites!
Frosty Fun Run Champ –
Eight races to test myself.
Bandito Power!
The Frosty Fun Run Championships took place on Saturday, February 28, and I brought home the gold. This was an eight-race, Saturday morning series with courses ranging from 3.7 miles to 5.5 miles. Participating was a fun way to meet community runners – I was the girl the guys didn’t want to lose to – and to test my speed. I joyfully represented The Banditos (I wish “Banditos Represent!” was five syllables), and look forward to running with them in two weeks for the Palmetto 200. Super pumped!
Next chapters revealed.
THE overarching question:
Will it all fall down?
I thought I would address the delay between recent posts: House of Cards, Season Three was released on Friday, February 27, and my discretionary time was immediately prioritized to include one (or three, but who’s counting?) episodes every night. This in addition to running, yoga, and trivia meant blogging would have to wait, but I am glad to be back at it.
Natural beauty
of Northern California –
the place I call “home.”
This post is really about the pictures. Before I moved, my east coast friends would ask me where I was going, and I would tell them Redding, California. They replied with a blank look. Then I would say “it’s in Northern California,” and the immediate response was: “Oh, it’s beautiful!” They spoke the truth.
I have included the dates because this is also a celebration of California weather.
