California Girl

Planes, trains and automobiles and far too much stress to get out to CA, where we wondered if this was possibly one big mistake. Why were we here again?

A week along, I remember why. Running yesterday on a trail I'd xc skied in the winter, down into the Euer Valley, it was like an old familiar friend, but new. What last I saw as a winter wonderland, sparkling snow trees and and an undulating desert of white, was now green and gold, the mountain tops purple-grey, the smell of pine and the sweet-sharp scent of something else I can't yet identify, though I've plunged my nose into any number of the scrubby bushes along the way. I half expected a cowboy to appear and tip his hat to me graciously before continuing on his way.

A great run, a gorgeous ride, these things aren't going to make the real live challenges we face of sorting out how CA fits into our East Coast life, but breathing in the beautiful world through all my pores as I'm borne along by my own two strong legs somehow makes it seem more manageable. I can only take one step at a time, whether it's running or living.