San Jose 09 -- Sept 6nd-7th photos (time with Cara & Doug)
There's only one from the first day when we went wandering about a street festival in San Jose and I need to give it a little backstory. I've been looking for a serpent/cobra ring for at least two years. It had to look realistic (not stylized, no gemstone eyes) with a full body (not body in the front regular band in the back), scale patterning, and have an open mouth but no tongue sticking out. And it had to fit (no easy task as I have very thick fingers). My rings all have spiritual meaning to me; the ring I sought would represent my cobra spirit as well as Sia, the Egyptian Deity/concept of a flash of intuition which brings full understanding. So, after years of searching, I spotted a serpent earcuff with just the slightest hood (which is appropriate for the breed of cobra which I most resonate with) which is EXACTLY what I was looking for. I'd never considered an earcuff but it's so right that ze cling to my ear! Buying meaningful jewelry is really important to me -- I suppose in a way it's a sacrament, an outward expression of something sacred. And after finding and buying a piece, each time I put it on I remember its meaning and feel more connected to what it represents.
sorry, not a very good photo -- I didn't take any closeups! but you can see how happy I am about it :D
---
---
I loved this so much.
---
I love the combination of signs here! "stop the 'one way' attitude" ;-)
---
I thought the CA seal was interesting
---
San Francisco is SO HILLY. I could never live there with my car -- those hills demand an automatic.
---
typical tourist shot, woot!
---
I like the shadow ;-)
---
such naked hills!
---
skate @ own risk
---
at the entry to Muir Woods -- oh I loved this tree!
---
this lovely deer posed for us :D
---
---
---
---
---
---
---
---
---
I loved the deeply furrowed bark ♥ but didn't think to put my hand in for perspective :-p
---
I was near tears and my heart was beating so fast
---
---
---
I want to live in a hollow like this!
---
---
---
Cara wanted a portrait for zir website -- I took quite a few but late afternoon in deep woods means low light, so this is the only closeup I liked.
---
the root was worn all smooth there from people touching it ♥
---
Doug & Cara gaze into the creek (I'm SO ENVIOUS of that rainbow-sleeved jacket!)
---
Doug & Cara
---
---
a rare mostly-treed section of hills
---
---
---
---
these trees (Eucalyptus I think) smelled SO GOOD on our drive by.
---
The large brown areas that are so typical of California hills are brown mostly because of invasive annual grasses introduced from other parts of the world. Before Europeans arrived in California, annual grasses were much less dominant on California's hillsides, with a variety of annual and perennial wildflowers dominating those areas instead, along with scattered perennial grasses that tended to turn a dull blue-green when they went dormant over the summer, rather than the brown of the annual grasses that die every summer.
The presence of these invasive annual grasses from other parts of the world interferes with the ability of California's native oak trees to reproduce. As a result, new oak seedlings no longer survive in large enough numbers to replace the oak trees dying of old age, so California's native oak woodlands are gradually dying out.
The pictures are all very lovely. I must go visit those woods one day.