Tuesday, March 17, 2015

A little limerick to go with my Jameson

Long Ranch (SW), Simi Valley

There once was a girl who went for a hike
She hit the trail on foot, not on a bike 
She admired the flowers
And big rock towers
And after the day, it was good for her psych(e)


She wandered up and around the trail
Lizards following close on her tail
She ran toward the setting sun
The wind in her hair -- so much fun! --
Like an ocean breeze catching a sail
 

She looked to her left, and excitement arose
When she spotted a trail as narrow as her nose
Up, up, up she climbed
Anxious to see what she'd find
Anticipation swelling from the tips of her toes


At the top, the view caught her by surprise
The first hues of pink across the sky 
She admired it for a sec
Then panic grasped her chest
As she thought, "where the fuck am I?"


She told herself it would be okay
And promised never again to stray
A half hour back to the street
(And a pretty manhole at her feet)
She made it home, poured a drink, and called it a day

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Remember, not all who wander are lost...but sometimes they are. 

Monday, March 16, 2015

Hello, 7:03 Sunset!

Long Canyon (NE), Simi Valley

Thanks to daylight savings, I now have the time to get up in the hills while the sun is still out.  


It wasn't until I'd wandered up to the grassy top that I realized I was hiking solo for the first time in a couple months...and I'm okay with that!


I did what any normal person hiking alone would do: took some selfies (as documented above), sang to myself, and rehearsed what I'd do and say if an attacker sprang out of the long grass. (Super glad no one appeared...my makeshift plan was impuissant.)



I made it up to my little bench just in time to watch the sky turn orange. 


And back down in time for the purple skies. 

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Pi Day, Hike Day!

Challenger Park, Simi Valley

It was way too beautiful out to stay indoors today! We dragged ourselves off the patio furniture and over to Challenger Park.


The grass was green and the flowers were in bloom!



At the tippy top, we soaked in a little sunshine where one of us got burned (it wasn't me) and took in the great views. 


On the way down, we passed the strangest fruit!


And met our new St. Patty's Day friend: Guinness the Green Gaterpillar. He told us to go home and drink more, so we did. 


Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Storm clouds may gather

Rainy weather makes it difficult (read: I don't like getting wet) to go out for a hike, but the silver lining to rainy weather is amazing clouds. 


The ripples across the sky were the best part! It makes it look like I clipped this out of a magazine and set my condensating Diet Coke on it. (Although "condensating" may not be in the dictionary, I think it ought to be!)

Not a bad place to get stopped at a red light. 

And my favorite: the view outside my classroom.