Friday, October 12, 2007

The Road Taken


It's not a long drive to get out in to the country, to the foothills, up around local mountains. It's not a long drive, but it does get you a long way from the usual sights, which is just what I needed. Sadly, everything is much drier than I had hoped for. The ground looks thirsty, the trees parched. Those trees that do change color seem to be withering more than transforming. The scars of the deadly fires of '03 are still evident, and I recall the fear and anxiety of that terrible time.



And still, Julian hold her charms. We walked all over town, taking in shop windows and anticipating our pie. It's apple season and a number of places claim to make the best pies. We have our longtime favorite.


It was very cold and windy this morning, and in the buildings we could hear the whistling eerie sound of wind that wants to get in. We say it's the miners, calling from their haunted mines, and the only way to keep them from haunting you all the way home is to eat pie. Don't you love a happy ending?

We stopped at the used bookstore and paid Coco a visit. She only comes inside in the mornings and that's when she likes to be pet too. The rest of the time Coco is a mountain cat, living by her wits and mousing in the pioneer cemetery.


She is the exact color of powdered cocoa; a color I've never seen in a cat.


I've been coming to Julian for many years, and though it's changed a lot, I can't help being sentimental about what I remember, what I believe. Some of my best bed-time stories for my children come from those times when my brothers and I were little kids, running around, finding treasures, making fun.


So, we got chilled, and we enjoyed small town walks and bird-watching. We got our pie: Apple Boysenberry Crumb! We stopped in the hardware store, and we tried to find an apple orchard that wasn't completely picked-out, but no luck... something for next time. I just love next time.

4 comments:

Julie said...

THanks for your nice comments on my blog. It looks you had a nice outing, despite the fear of fires. That is one thing we don't have to worry about too much unless it is an unusually dry summer.

Coincidentally, we are going apple picking today. What kind of apples were in your photo? We like Macintoshes here in NY.

Tarie said...

Yum, apple pie!... Have you ever considered letting Maria do some modelling? She's this gorgeous little thing!

Anna Banana said...

Oh how very different our trip up to Palomar Mtn was from your trip to Julian. Not as bad as our last trip to Julian, but a definite second. If I don't blog about it tomorrow because I don't want to remember it, remind me in person to tell you abou it. Happy ending at Buca di Beppo tho.

Chicken Recipes said...

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