1•18•2021
Joshua Tree National Park
Dear Nature,
Dr. Seuss wrote:
Think and wonder.
Wonder and think.
This magical place called Joshua Tree is a wonder indeed, that makes me think about what a wonder it is. The namesake Joshua trees are something out of a Dr. Seuss childrens book. They are wild, weird and absolutely wonderful. The landscape they inhabit is all contrasty. All soft curvy boulders and sharp pointy leaves. All blazing hot days and sparkling, cold nights. All deep purple shadows and warm orange lights.
A place of wonder to sit quietly and think.
With Love, Kelly
1•19•2021
Hiding in Plain Sight
Dear Nature,
“The early bird gets the worm.”
A truer adage might not exist! Getting up early to see wildlife is a must. Dawn & dusk are the best times to see critters moving about; some ready to hunker in somewhere after hunting all night, and others, relieved that the night hunters are going to sleep, like the rabbit. Unfortunately this poor creature has to be alert all hours of the day and night as they are prey items for hunters of both day and night.
Early every morning we saw rabbits in Joshua Tree. Surprisingly they were unafraid of me as I quietly watched them greet the new day, enthusiastically cleaning their sensitive ears, happily rolling in the sand, and nibbling at a desert breakfast. But just in case, a thorny hiding place was only a hop away.
With Love, Kelly
1•20•2021
Channel Island National Park
Dear Nature,
A year ago today, we were on a tight schedule; a visit to your unique, isolated Channel Islands was not an option. Instead we spent the morning on a whale watch. With the shimmering mirages of the islands on the horizon, we were surrounded by many pods of common dolphins, playfully leaping around us. To our enchanted delight, they brought their children to greet us. We saluted the incoming squads of patrolling brown pelicans and we greeted one very curious sea lion. But the breathtaking moment we saw an enormous barnacled covered back roll above the surface near us, we were mesmerized. And as we watched the gray whale’s tremendous tail rise above the water and wave a greeting, we were spellbound. Thank you, Nature for reminding me that your treasures are found everywhere. And thank you to the three mighty gray beings that graced us that morning.
With Love, Kelly
1•21•2021
Sunrise at Pixley
Dear Nature,
While touring California’s National Parks last year, we had also planned to bird national wildlife refuges in the Central Valley. They are hidden gems, tucked away in nondescript agricultural landscapes blanketed with orchards and crop fields. Centered around wetlands, the refuges are oases of wildlife. Arriving later than expected at Pixley NWR, we were surrounded by the susurration of hundreds of wetland birds settling in for the night; the swoop swoop swoop of hundreds of sandhill cranes’ wings flying over our heads combined with their amplified honk, honk, honks as they settled into a nearby field. Right then & there, we decided to change plans and return before sunrise the next day. We arrived to the reverse happening; the sandhill cranes were leaving for a day of foraging; swooping and honking, but this time into the soft sherbet colors of a Central Valley sunrise.
With Love, Kelly
1•22•2021
Sequoia & King’s Canyon National Parks
Dear Nature,
My family took a trip around the country when I was five years old. I don’t remember a whole lot from that trip, but one of my memories is visiting the “really BIG trees!” Like every tourist family my father took pictures of all four of us posed in front of the venerable ones; Generals Sherman and Grant.
Fifty four years later, my sister & I might look a little different (!), but the giant trees remain seemingly unchanged; time moves more slowly for these ancient ones, both thousands of years old. They are stoic chroniclers of our earth; their forests are your cathedrals. The very air inside is diffuse and charged with your grounding, healing energy.
And yes, my sister & I had our pictures taken in front of each tree, just like our father did, a ‘blink in the eye of time’ ago if you count in ‘BIG Tree’ time.
With Love, Kelly
1•23•2021
Snow Geese Cacophony
Dear Nature,
Earlier, a ranger at Pixley NWR told us about the 10K + wintering snow geese and Ross’s geese at Merced NWR. Immediately, we rearranged our schedule, switching an afternoon in Yosemite for a trip to Merced. It was out of our way, but being intrepid road warriors, we left King’s Canyon and hurried, arriving in time to witness one of the most magical, nature moments I have ever experienced. Like a planned ballet, groups of thousands of geese would lift off in sync, after their leader honked out their orders. The din of thousands of honks and wingbeats was deafening, the very air vibrating against our eardrums. The skies filled with thousands of tiny silhouettes like an endless swarm of buzzing bees.
The setting sun was turning the sky into painting of deep pinks, oranges and purples. AND then we witnessed our next magical phenomenon, a sun pillar! A glorious pulsing pillar of light shimmering in the vibrant colors like a flaming sword.
With Love, Kelly
1•24•2021
Yosemite National Park
Dear Nature,
Yosemite National Park is full of iconic features: Half Dome, El Capitan, Bridal Veil Falls and Horsetail Falls as the setting sun sets it ‘ablaze.’ What a treat to see them in person, but my day in Yosemite was all about the flora and fauna. I had encounters with some of my all-time favorite birds; a pileated woodpecker, a pair of my spirit birds- ravens, and my absolutely favorite, but elusive mountain bird, the American Dipper!
My exhibit opening was the following day; we had many miles still to go that night. As we exited the park, we were graced with the presence of a grizzled, elderly coyote, another of my spirit animals. She stopped in the woods beyond the road and looked back at us. With a nod and an unspoken greeting, we acknowledged one other, before we both resumed our own singular journeys.
With Love, Kelly