09/09/2013

Yesterday we sunned ourselves on a tiny beach at a place called Boulder Bay. The weather was perfect, it was warm and the breeze was scented of pine, dappled clouds passed overhead and the water was warm enough for S to swim, Families set up near us, kids and dads splashing each other, people exploring the small bay in kayaks and on paddle boards or walking their dogs along the edge of the water. I read my perennial book on the mysteries (which always causes me to fall asleep for some reason), played with pastels (I need a dark green) and watched people with endless curiosity.

At midafternoon we left to hike a little bit. We followed a dirt road high up into the mountains to a place where the map showed the road intersecting an established trail. On the way there we passed through some beautiful areas, giant stands of trees surrounded by beds of ferns. I expected to see Ewoks (chubby, furry Star Wars characters) emerge from the forest. At one point, we came to a small side road that veered off to a high point that looked like it might have a good view of the lake. We parked and walked up. It was a granite outcropping with trees growing from it. We scrambled to the top and were not disappointed by the view. We stayed a while and watched birds soaring high above, listened to the wind and the bird songs and, of course, I captured a few images to work on.

Later we found the intersecting trail and hiked for a bit. We shared the trail with mountain bikers who came flying by at alarming speeds. How they negotiate the giant roots, sandy or muddy low points and hairpin turns is beyond me. When the first one (of several groups) passed they would say how many were following. "Three more behind me!" We are curious hikers, stopping to look at sugar pine blister rust (an invasive fungus that looks like a hardened loaf of bread on the side of a tree) and tiny purple flowers that look like miniature daisies. It gives our breath a chance to catch up to us. There are still bears and mountain lions here but we see none, instead we see lizards and ground squirrels (and birds, of course).

This visit has been a nice respite for us, for S, from her care-taking role with her mom, and for me, from Thom’s death and from job searching. I come away with a better sense of balance and a hundred photos to work on. Below, a few I have already tackled…

Boulder Bay

Big Bear Valley