It's a trip I've taken since our 2006 engagement--out to the San Francisco area during Christmas break. Because several months have passed since I've updated this blog, I thought that, before posting anything more recent, I would report on a wonderful trip Thomas and I took to the Marin Headlands....last January.
Overlooking the sapphire blue of the Pacific, tower the majestic Marin Headlands. Here, Mewok Indians once lived and several thousand 20th-century farmers sought to revive life but were stopped when the federal government decided instead to preserve the magnificent landscape for a national park.
Thomas, his childhood friend Nik, and I hiked several miles
into the Tennessee Valley last January, enjoying the expansive view of San Francisco
from Hill 88. From our lookout at
the crown of the hill, where test missiles may once have been fired, we noted
various significant parts of the city landscape. The Golden Gate Bridge peeped in and out behind the large
green hills, displaying a foil of splendid contrast—the engineering mind of man
and the creative display of God.
I loved the beach, where black sand, drenched with moisture
from the tide, cushioned our feet and large, incoming waves announced their
arrival, crashing against the rocky bluffs. A rock precipice hid our view of the other side; so in a
quiet moment, as the waves breathed from their continuous clamor, Thomas ran
like an excited schoolboy to the other side. Within seconds, Nik had followed him. I wish I could have captured on video
Thomas emerging from behind the rock precipice, where he had sat on a large
rock to view the mesmerizing sequence of waves beating upon the coast. The massive tidal waves disintegrated
into miniscule soap-like bubbles, which two laughing children jumped to avoid.
A wide array of wild flowers dotted the trails, including a 5-headed daffodil, its slender stem bowing from the weight of such a number of flowers; a smiling California poppy, which I could not refrain from ogling at because of its unique beauty; white yarrow, vibrant poison oak (to which Nik is highly allergic), and oodles of Himalayan blackberry vines sprawled in the foliage.
(Above: Thomas and Nik) What a day--60s and warm!--but the reality of Wisconsin winter would greet us once again...after our plane touched down in Milwaukee just a few days later.
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