Small Wonders.17
Admit it: your first thought is this is part of some crumbling old building’s brick wall, right? Wrong! You’ve already seen another angle on this item, in a post last month, here: https://somuchworldsolittletime.com/2021/01/01/12443/#jp-carousel-12467
Olompali – Views & History
Olompali State Historic Park fits into northerneasternmost Marin County where it meets Sonoma County, along Rte 101. North of the town of Novato, it’s a place I’ve driven past often whether in public buses or in private cars, but hadn’t ever explored until last month, when I and a friend in SF chose it as our park-in-the-middle to explore, so as to both see each other and remain relatively covid-safe through outdoor socializing. We went again earlier this week, along with a beloved member of the next generation, and I’m putting a lot of the larger-vista photos in this post. (You’ve already been seeing some close up shots from both trips in various other series.) Olompali is a place where California’s layers of history are present: farthest back, as an important local hub for the Coast Miwok, who were the indigenous first humans to settle in this region. Later on, it became the only place we know of in California where a Miwok received from the Spanish colonial government a land grand to stay on and work the land. Later still, it was the only place recorded where a Mexican solider died during the Bear-Republic conflict that was a local manifestation of the war that took control of modern-day California (plus a whole lot more of the current American west) away from Mexico. Later still – hey, the Grateful Dead hung out there for a while in the late 60s or early 70s.
Fascinating place, and good to be reminded of the complex layers of human-habitation history that surround us here. For the moment though, enjoy the photos from one trip in late December, another in mid-January. Mid-January photos, though taken on a scary-warm day, are generally greener because at least some inches of rain fell between the two visits. From the heights, one can see several regionally-important peaks: Mt Diablo in the east bay; Mt Tamalpais in Marin (which you saw from the south, in the Hill 88 post recently); Mt St Helena peaking over a ridge in at least one of the shots. You can also catch a few of the highest towers in SF peeking over the Marin headlands behind the town of Novato in one or two shots, if you know where to look. Enjoy – and may all our vistas be clear, but with enough clouds to bring the rain we need to grow…
Small Wonders.10
OK, so yes, these little guys sit in a very protected, sunny part of one of the warmest parts of the north bay…but still, even for us, this is unseasonal. Since I can’t much control climate change, though, might as well enjoy these beauties before the next wave of wildfires rolls around, eh?
Small Wonders.1
A new series for a new year: little things that bring to mind how beautiful and remarkable is this interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. To start, a few close-up views of succulents and moss that are hanging out on the sedimentary hillside whose large-scale photo I put in yesterday’s “Golden Gate Vistas” post. In case you’re curious, their home is on this hillside: https://somuchworldsolittletime.com/2021/01/01/12443/#jp-carousel-12467 🙂
The View from Hill 88
In the midst of those beautiful hills & vistas I showcased to start our year yesterday sits Hill 88. On which sit these abandoned buildings from some past military radar or other installation about whose purpose I know nothing more. These buildings, while being slowly eaten by natural processes, for now provide ample canvases for graffiti artists. The first photo above, I must say, makes me think of Keith Haring and what things were like in NYC in the 1980s… (If his name is new to you, look him up.) To orient you, in the panorama just above you see – from left to right – the east bay with Mt Diablo (two bumps just to the right of the graffitied building), running to the SF skyline (including tops of the towers of the GGB, if you look closely enough) then the hills and Pacific Coastline along the peninsula.
Errant Masks.11
Yes, today’s errant mask was also photographed during the same hike from which came the photos for this morning’s post. And yes, we all know we’ll clearly still be dealing with covid, masks and all that they imply for quite some time to come. Ugh. Welcome again to 2021 :-).
(so much world, so little time....) 