California, or at least the parts I have seen in detail, always seem like spring to me. I can probably say this, and am probably believable, because I grew up in a place with drastic differences between the seasons. But I have spent two years here, or two winters anyway, in northern California, and I notice differences from autumn to winter to spring. It is always green, always. And some plants have blooms I can notice any time. But spring is a special time, because some of my favorite flowers come out (bright, flashy rhododendrons, sunny yellow daffodils), and we have more clear blue days. Honestly, everyone should see the contrast of the redwoods against the blue sky. It is absolutely amazing. I am so lucky to be able to enjoy it all the time, either on my way to class or during the days I have off to spend more time outside.
My spring break is on it's final day. I am back on campus (and behind the redwood curtain) again now. This week has been so full of activities though, I have been busier than I am when class is in session. I spent the first part of my week off with my boyfriend David in his hometown, Martinez. I hadn't heard of Martinez before. It's one of many towns in the San Francisco Bay Area. Apparently John Muir used to live there. It is very hilly, and green also, but not like the redwoods. The trip there took most of our Friday. We left Arcata early in the morning, and we got to Sacramento around midday. We did stop for breakfast along the way. The diner was small, full of locals or regulars. It seemed like a setting for a movie or a book, how the waitresses knew the other people dining, talked to them like old friends. The regulars looked at us with some curiosity, but not a whole lot as the place was right off the highway.
Sacramento was not our final stop. David told me it was about an hour and a half away from Martinez...by train. I have not been on a train since I was young, and on the Amtrak we boarded I must admit I acted that way. Young, I mean. I was pointing at everything and bouncing in my seat. Nobody sat near us, but that wouldn't have mattered to me. It was exciting, to see the cars on the highway, the hillsides of wildflowers, the glimpses into people's backyards. The driver (conductor?) must really have liked sounding the horn, it went off repeatedly at every intersection. Passing trains going the other way made me a bit nervous, both locomotives were going fast and the tracks were very close to each other. Near Martinez David pointed out refineries. I don't like the principle of those, but I recognize the need for them in today's society. One had quite a bit of it's structures painted green. I thought it looked like Oz.
The reality of Martinez was not so fanciful, but it was fun. I went to a farmer's market with David and his parents. We ate huge crepes and listened to a guitar performer. I spoke to a soap vendor, she made all her products herself. She said usually the colors in her soaps were natural, but sometimes she had to doctor them. Like chemistry. Another vendor sold flowers, daffodils and narcissus. He was really interesting to speak with. He said he cut all his flowers by hand, off of large fields. He couldn't use gloves, because you have to be able to feel what you are doing. He couldn't use scissors, because it is better not to cut the leaves. He said that the stems of the narcissus have some properties that bother the skin. He also said he had a friend who taught him how to graft flower genes to make the daffodils and narcissus have different petal colors, but he didn't have much time to use that skill because he focused on selling the flowers. David's mom bought some and let me hold them. They smelled wonderful.
A while back for my environmental law and regulation class, we learned about the case going through about Point Reyes National Seashore and the oyster farming going on there. I was really interested in it because it was something real that was happening, not some example made up in a book. So when I found out how close Point Reyes was to Martinez, I was really hoping I could visit (my new facebook profile picture was taken there). I was very, very glad when we (David, his dad, and I) did. It was very windy there, but it was clear the day we went. We saw the lighthouse, even got to go inside. It was a lot of steps down to get there. Inside the lighthouse were plaques with information, and a guide was there to answer questions. The light of the lighthouse was made with 1,032 pieces of glass. We didn't see any whales that day, the ones that migrate back to Alaska (yay home) around this time of year. But we did get to see elephant seals--from a safe distance. Dairy ranches were still in operation there, on the shuttle back to the main visitor's center we passed a cow giving birth. We didn't stop to watch. Before we left, we stopped by the oyster farm (which will have to close down soon, changing the area from potential to designated wilderness). Nobody bought anything, but we looked around. The ground everywhere was littered with old oyster shells, and there were bags and bags of them in stacks too.
Last winter, when my parents and I took our road trip through the southwest, we stopped in Santa Cruz for a couple days. It was my favorite part of that trip (okay, one of my favorite parts). So, I was thrilled at the chance I had to return. David and I went to visit his sister, JJ, who goes to school at UC Santa Cruz. The three of us had a great visit (with plenty of good food) and a bit of an adventure. We went to a beach called Seabright, that had a lighthouse on one end and a large rock on the other. There was more beach on the other side of the rock. We decided to go around the rock to get to the other beach. There was a creek on the other side. Wading through, I got my skirt wet. At first I wasn't happy, but it dried fairly quickly and wasn't a huge deal. Along side the beach we were on was a boardwalk though most of the attractions were closed for winter. We still walked though part of it and on the pier at the end (where we saw sea lions). We must have spent a couple hours there because when we got back to the rock to get to the other side, the tide had risen.
This is where the adventure part comes in. There was no bridge or sidewalk to get to the other beach. Basically our options were to go around the rock or over it. I didn't really want to get wet again crossing the river...so I had a piggyback ride from David. JJ decided to brave the deeper water and go around the rock, to meet David and I on the other side. David and I climbed over the rock. At the time, I will admit, I didn't like the situation much. We did make it back to the car, but with slightly more stress on my part than I would have preferred. Now though, looking back, I realize what I great story it makes, getting past that obstacle. Also I knew at the time that it would make a great story.
I got back to Arcata on Wednesday. I took the Amtrak bus from the station at Martinez. I needed to get back to work on my school work, David stayed to visit more with his family. I've been pretty productive indeed, and have enjoyed going back in the redwoods. Still I don't know how ready I feel for classes to start up again tomorrow, but so they will and I will go. These past few days have been a great time to get caught up and to get ahead...so I can prepare for my mom's visit. She comes Thursday, and I am very excited....about as much as I was to visit Martinez.
