I’m constantly amazed at the schizophrenic terrain on this rock. Water, yes, all around (thus making it pretty hard to get lost for too long). But then there are vast acres of old forests, thinner younger ones, meadows, barren wind-beaten bluffs, rocky cliffs, and miles of rolling pastures that go on forever and look as though they are part of the Midwestern U.S. landscape. I never get bored with all this stimulus.

Friends were visiting from, you guessed it, California this weekend and I took them on a drive around some of my favorite spots. Best of all, I discovered a new one to add to my list. We randomly pulled into a parking lot on the south end of the island, and walked through an enchanted forest, above. Dark canopies of old cedars and Douglas firs decorated with mosses, lichens, ferns and mushrooms of all kinds kept the sunlight out and the throbbing scent of life pulsing. Part of the fun was not knowing how long the little hike-ette would last. We chose a fork in the path and walked a little more, until the dense woods abruptly stopped at the water’s edge and and we were greeted with this expanse:

…listen
…about the music

Reflect.

I never get bored.