The Redwoods

The Redwoods are so calm, as soon as you enter their world a hush settles around you. Their enormity quiets all the white noise we are used to, even the nearby bloated rushing creek is swallowed in. They seem to slow time, your footsteps are muffled by the duff of needles they leave on the ground. Even if you shout it seems to meander upward then get entwined in the branches. Everything suspended in the damp breath of the forest.

I want so badly to take a photo that truly depicts the forest, but I have realized it isn't possible. Even with the idea that I can do anything I set my mind to and my stubbornness to do so has given in. It just cant compare with actually being there. I love thinking about what the trees may have been thinking about...after all they have been there for longer than I can comprehend. It would be fun to ask them questions!

I have met the Redwoods a few times after being out here for nearly a year now, I've been down the Avenue of the Giants twice, the the Drive Thru Tree twice, and up to Humbolt Redwoods State Park and down to Muir Woods. I really can't get enough! I think my best friend Nicole may understand why now too! Can you see her in the top photo??

Every time I see them my heart swells, my chest feels full and happy, and a giant smile grows across my face. While in Muir woods we were on an Owl walk where we were allowed in the park after closing to see if we could spot and hear owls. In fact we did hear some Barred Owls and a Saw Whet Owl, then on the way down the mountain out of the park, the nearly full moon was glowing through the fog in the redwoods. It was beautiful, being able to be in the park so late and watching the moon beams through the trees...sigh...I think I'm in love...or I at least have an idea for my next tattoo! sorry mom! :)

...annnd we're back!

Hey hey all! Ready to give you another dose. Since I last wrote I have been up to much mayhem, madness and a ridiculous amount of painting! I moved into a different house on the great Emandal Farm called the Vineyard house. which I was in charge of painting, not the exterior however, I really don't think it would have had a chance to dry anyway. It's been raining quite a lot...with some beautiful sunshine in between. Here are some photos of the changes! Oh and that is our lovely ancient cat Lady Scruffington (5th picture down she's black and white), or as we call her "Scruffles" she is approximately a million years old and has a gimpy leg, so we love her and feed her treats. In turn she yowls, attacks our doormat and makes us laugh. Us being me and my awesome roommate Karin!!
The after shots are the red and gold living room, the green and cream bathroom and the green cream and red porch, the hallway is gold now too! Hopefully they are an improvement!

The brown cow belongs to a friend of the farm, she and her friends followed me home one day thought I made it clear I had no food for them. Then they proceeded to drop land mines all around our cars... turds! (literally)

I'm not so good with, times, dates, and numbers in general. And apparently comma usage.

It has been a spell, but give me a break! None of my recent days off have been spent on the farm. I've been making trips to Santa Rosa to help a friend with her nomadic pizza oven where just last night I had to be the front person dealing with money AND people. I know giving change should be a simple task but never ask an art student to do it! There were several blank stares given to customers especially when they give you a 100 dollar bill for one slice of pizza! (I went into art to avoid math...) There were many hysterical things that took place starting off with the owner of the farm giving me a cooler with money in it and a scale and telling me a toothless woman has something for me to weigh. Blackberries, wild frozen blackberries it seemed sketchy though right? (she was in fact toothless as well) I've also been hanging out on the coast, just something about the ocean ...And who uses computers anymore anyway, right!? You can ask my parents how much I've used the phone lately too... I love living in my little farm bubble!

(meet Delilah and her crazy eyes...and her back licking habits, she really does lick her own back)

A Painting!

(read the following post with a slow Texas drawl) Hey hey I did an art project!! Ok one of many but I'm real proud of this one! This is the epitome of farm life, a barn, a tractor, a farmer and a red plaid shirt. Yup! When I saw Casey driving that tractor I knew I had to paint it. And this is what it ended up being. Strangely enough I think its the first time I have painted a face and I LOVE IT! Casey and his gal Diane loved it too, Casey said, "It'll do my mom's heart good to hear about this" in his little slighly texas drawl. Yep Casey is a mixture of willy nelson and santa clause...haha and he's full of one liners! Diane thought it be best to be named "Grump of the Farm" Here' to Casey, aka Mr. Fixit!

Animal Activities

So During Environmental Education at Emandal (ahah alliteration!) from April to June I was the animal chore master! Yes thats right I was in charge of 120 or so chickens, 2 pigs, 2 ostriches, 6 goats, and the cows well they kind of took care of themselves. We have new additons however, like a set of 4 cute little kittens that were invited into our house and eventually peed on my roommates' bed! Then there is the goats you see. That big one in the middle is the only female of the crew, and she has a nice little goatee! haha And she also has the best bleat ever MMMAAAHHH!
You may be wondering about the cat. Meet Dumpster Kitty. She was found in a dumpster and given to Tam the keeper of the farm. Dumpster Kitty recieved several different names during the Environmental Ed season. Such as Shenanigans, because she was always up to somthing usually consisting of running through a circle of children and completely distracting them from the lesson. Letter B, this was a trifecta name. We wanted the children to LET HER BE, it sound like the song by the Beatles called Let It Be and also the letter B. Lucy was another one, short for lucifer. And to this day I still refer to her as Turkey Head. She got this name because Monica the Gardener was working outside the hoop house on day and D.K. (dumpster kitty) jumped up on the table and into a bunch of potted plants, and to this Monica replied, "aw you Turkey Head!"

Well we have a resident mouse at the Bunkhouse (although our house is currently called the Funkhouse because we like to get down!) whom we don't really want to catch in a trap, so I decided that we could use some natural mouse eradication techniques, so Dumpster Kitty came to the rescue, or so I thought. Ok this kitty is really hilarious when its isn't E.E. season. She's simply just nuts. So when it came time for be she was wandering about on my bed and attacking my feet when they wiggled under the covers. I was petting her for a bit and she got all frisky and was biting (yes Jolene and Kelly pretty much all cats bite me...true). So then I began to do something else and she ran straight up to me latched onto my arm chomped it and ran away. (HILARIOUS RIGHT!?) Then at approximately 5:18 am she was screwing around with my shoes and attacking my feet.. and she had no mousey little snack either... little bugger. But at least she was cute and entertaining. The picture details her mischeviousness. She is inside a drawer at our house hanging out with the cereal. Gotta love her.

San Hedrin Saved by the Gatorade

This is the story of the triumph of a rag tag group of super humans who decided a mountain must be conquered. It was a lovely Friday afternoon when we began the trek. Our goal: to conquer San Hedrin, the highest nearby point in the area. Nearly a vertical mile in elevation with the summit being around 6,700 feet. By far the largest mountain I will have tried to climb. The summit was 9 miles away from the Farm. Though we managed to take a slight detour amounting to about 2 miles total which makes the round trip to be approx. 20 miles for the entire trip. It also roused the suspicion of the neighbors who owned the land we inadvertently camped on (and started a large fire!). It so happened the night we camped we also were visited by some unidentified 4 wheel vehicldes and men speaking. Laying in the tent with a pulse rate rapidly increasing, and hearing these vehicles outside sent our minds in the motion pictures, where strange vehicles show up and whats left in the aftermath is relatively gorey...(ill spare you). We kept on the next morning, we all survived the 2 visits from 4 wheelers but still not knowing what or who those vehicles were. We finally found the logging road leading to the top. This road....hmm. Well lets just say it was aprox. 9 miles of extreme uphill switchbacks. We did manage to stash our packs so we weren't wearing those on the summit run. The views were amazing, we could see the farm from some vantage points and the top was glorious! We did it!! Then there was the down...prepair your kneecaps.... We also ran out of water at the top, we were told there was a spring that we could find (ha ha) nope! So we were eating snow and thats when the gift of the mountain was bore upon us. A bottle of unopened GATORADE XTREME FRUIT PUNCH! WE are SAVED!! We were so thrilled, what a gift! We then proceeded to make Gatorade slushies with the nearby snow, ya hoo!!! An amazing trip, though the excitment was far from over. After letting ourselves loose, flying down the hills hopeing there is enough strength left in our legs to stop ourselves on the corners. We come to where our packs are stashed. But there are a few more things there then when we left. Including a Jeep, a 4 wheeler, 2 dogs, a pair of shot guns, and 3 male humans. The asked us if we knew where we were going (we did at this point!). Basically what they told us was that they had trail cams out and we were on them and they thought we may be and I quote "mexican dope growers". (i thought this was histerical...). Well of course we were not but they didnt give us a ride either, Monica was very upset about this for quite some time...heh. But my friends it was a glorious adventure and my first backpacking experience, one for the memory books, afterall it isnt everyday that you get mistaken for fugitives...haha!

California =

I have trouble trying to find the words to describe my trip and experiences thus far in California. Maybe love, because love is something that is difficult to define but still universal. I love it here, I love what I am doing and I love the people I work with! I couldn't be happier! Amazing happens to be a work we have begun to overuse along with: unbelievable, beautiful, crazy, oh my god, and blank stares and deep soaking inhales while making a mmmm noise while exhaling. I am so blessed, lucky and appreciative. Nothing but big smiles and laughter from California!! (and some guitar playing too!!)

The photos are not in any order, but the first is the naturalist doing "quick act like a tree". Some cranes from Nebraska. My friend Hiro in Colorado, some trees in Utah. The skyline in Utah or maybe Nevada. The tall tall trees of California, the plum blossoms of Emandal Farm. A rescued Brewers blackbird. And a shot of the farm from Inspiration Point.