A Stand of Oak Trees

I took this photo from almost the same place as yesterday's picture...Los Alamos Road at the top of our field. The white structure is OilMan's garden shed. The stand of oak trees runs all the way from Los Alamos Road to Wildwood Road. They are deciduous and have lost most of their leaves. The green you see is mostly Lichen and  Spanish Moss.  I Love the way the dark structure of the wet trunks and twisty branches stands out even in the mist.

The land drops down to a swale on the other side of the trees which is running with water just now. The main creek across the street is in full spate and we can hear it as soon as we open the door. Drainage is tricky around here. The houses are widely spaced, the ones on our side of the street perched on the hill, while the ones on the other side are right on the creek. The water runs down the hill heading for the creek. Were it not for a series of open ditches and swales which guide the water around the houses on the creek it would run straight through them. 

OilMan enjoys walking the perimeter at this time of year to make sure that the system is working. His engineering skills awaken at this time of year and he   enhances the system from time to time with extra ditches filled with gravel. He also checks all the rain gutters on the house to be sure they haven't become blocked with acorns.

With the homestead safely secured we headed out to the dreaded big box stores with a couple of specific gift objectives in mind.  We were early enough to be able to find a parking space within walking distance of the store and people in all departments ready to help us. 

Presents purchased, we rewarded ourselves with Aztek Mochas and watched the SMART train do its practice runs in front of the Santa Rosa station. The inaugural service has been delayed for months because all the brand new engines have to be replaced, but a mere faulty engine on a brand new train doesn't seem to stop them from practicing....