Rainy Day*

A giant oak tree behind our neighbors' house was uprooted, wrenched out of the ground, landing on the exact spot where she had been playing with her granddaughter the previous evening. Even prostrate on the ground, it blends seamlessly with the other trees around it. The oak trees, as numerous in Northern California as palms in the south, are stressed by the drought, making them more susceptible to disease. Their massive branches are brittle and their roots no longer grip the soil. Cows graze beneath them in the hills from the Bay Area to Humboldt County. We have a dozen on our property alone.

Our neighbors on the other side have a large stand of Eucalyptus trees, which she loves. and I don't. In the 1989 Berkeley/Oakland Hills firestorm, 80% of the fuel for the flames was provided by the Eucalyptus trees. We stood in front of our house and listened to the trees exploding. But they have nine lives. It is said that if you don't poison the stumps within 20 minutes of cutting them, seven little trees will grow out of it.

Our weather is what I would call unsettled. Pouring rain, bright sun, fluffy white clouds, wind and fog all vie with each other for the limelight. I couldn't resist photographing the brilliant picture of a man on a bicycle with an umbrella, which appeared in our local paper this morning. The colors are worthy of Van Gough. I offer it today for Lady Findhorn, well known for her red umbrella pictures.


*PHOTO BY Kent Porter, Santa Rosa Press Democrat