Anne and the Fallen Redwood

Here is Anne standing in front of a fallen old growth redwood tree, in Redwood National and State Parks. Earlier some kids had climbed on top of the tree and subsequent to this picture Anne did the same. Not up through the roots, pictured right behind her, but around its side are a series of other fallen trees that form an almost natural staircase. This was in the Simpson-Reed Grove, along CA 199, in the Jedediah Smith State Park portion of this National/State park system. We were killing time, waiting for a ranger led hike to begin. The ranger showed up and looked ready to go, making me feel compelled to hurry her up getting down from the tree. The ranger led a group of us on a one-mile stroll through this old growth grove of Northern Redwoods. The trail took us around the redwood grove, with its salmon and trout filled streams. When we visited the water flow in these waterways was little more than a trickle, but with the coming of the winter rains, the separated water holes are reconnected with an inundation of rain and last year’s fish are flushed to the sea. Other flora that populates this grove include nurse logs, fallen redwoods that in death give new life to other trees. There are also ferns, hemlocks and huckleberries.

Today was way more prosaic. It was laundry day, but with a twist. For some reason Harry decided to make a 9:30 appointment for Bubs at the beauty parlor. This compressed the normal morning’s schedule and led Anne and I to rise at the unheard-of hour of 6:30, just to have enough time to shower, before the bathroom became occupado. We did it and were at the laundromat even before its sole attendant arrived. I joked with him that I had thought he lived there, which got a smile. After laundry and the beauty parlor, Bubs and Harry joined us for lunched at Karl’s. Although, we had to wait fifteen minutes for it to open, because we had finished laundry so early… After lunch, Anne and I shopped Meijer’s. Arriving back at the cabin and after the initial flurry of putting away food and laundry, everyone save I went to couch. At one point this afternoon, I was the only one left conscious in the cabin.