NEVADA CITY

FIRECRACKERS. Solid gold in the summer garden.

A blended family celebrates July birthdays.

The magic of inflorescence captured on the iPhone.

Wintery Saturday afternoon at home left time for book restoration.

On a January afternoon I was absolutely captivated by the surface of this classic 1955 International Harvester truck.

Winter Solstice, December 21, 2019

Spring at the Point Reyes National Seashore: a swift trip to heaven and back with a stay at Point Reyes Country Inn and Stables.

On a golden October afternoon, if you know where to look, you’ll find a congregation of scarecrows, not to mention pumpkins and angels, evergreens and antiques, french soap and old machinery.

Late summer in Penn Valley. There is a cool dew in the morning, followed by a white heat at midday. Sundown is all crickets and frogs. Evening: moonlight and barbed-wire stars.

Light and color in abundance on April 1, Easter Sunday. Also picturesque children on the hunt for hundreds of eggs hidden within a huge fenced garden at Milk Ranch in Hidden Valley. Spring is here!

Winter arrives at the Solstice, December 21, 2017. The new/old flat on South Pine is dressed for the occasion with its flourishing natural holly and ivy.

Lower Salmon is protected by two large metal gates along a twisting rocky and rutted road. We had the keys. Our destination was a privately owned mining claim along the south shore. 

I have never forgotten my first visit to this tiny bookshop. It was some 16 years ago. This may be a small town, but it holds many hidden treasures. Nevada City was not stumped by my desire to locate twin copies of a vintage children's book in both French and English.

This morning was overcast and cooler, which made the phenomenal produce look even fresher than it already was, if that is possible. I filled my basket with vine-ripened tomatoes, a fragrant 'Ambrosia' melon, arugula, rainbow chard, and fresh-baked bread. I filled my camera with the all-natural, eye-popping colors of organically grown fruits and vegetables, flowers and herbs.

On a quiet afternoon, with hardly anyone there, it was possible to clearly conjure these gold-rushed lives, the brutality of the conditions, the extraordinary courage of the men, the grit and clamor and claustrophobia.

Twice a week, I've been making this one hour trek that starts right outside my door. Called the Tribute Trail, it takes me in a loop down to the suspension bridge over Deer Creek.

At the top of Spring Street, where it meets Broad Street, the hilltop is watched over by a group of towering Ponderosa pines and Black Oaks, both California natives. Pioneer Cemetery is the resting place of early residents of this Gold Rush town, some distinguished, others unremembered, but for these fading stones.

The pick-your-own strawberries were implausibly perfect and ridiculously abundant. Also grabbed freshly cut lettuce, chard, turnips, yellow squash, zucchini, and basil.