On Saturday we had planned to pick up a car in Sacramento, and we duly set off, but about a third of the way there, the dealer called to cancel. Our first thought was to turn around and go home. We have a lot to do. But happily it was a long way home, so we stopped and ate at San Pedro Square Market, a hopping indoor-outdoor restaurant collection with gourmet food and umbrellas for the unshaded tables. While dining under a tree with tiny, tiny flowers wafting down on us, we formulated a car acquisition plan, then turned our thoughts to what to do with our newly-free day.

Being the responsible workhorse-type people we are, chores were first in our minds, but the festive environment, good food, and pleasant atmosphere opened up our distractible sides. Could having this chore removed grant us some choreless time?

We decided to take a winding, back-roads drive home over the hill,  ending with a stop at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. I had visited HCRSP during our scouting visit in February, 2015, one afternoon while Bill was practicing violin. I was having a sunny, pine-scent-infused, worry-free stroll through huge trees until I heard a twig snap, leading me to wonder whether I could become prey. During this visit to the park, I was able to learn that while there are mountain lions, they only hunt at night.

Probably what I heard was a deer. We saw one grazing, then bounding away, and heard reports of a deer family wondering nearby. We also saw a sign alerting us to banana slugs. I grabbed a stick and stirred the ground cover eagerly, but remain sans slug sighting.

There was a bay tree, with piles of bay leaves on the ground underneath. We were able to crush handfuls to release their odor–which was amazingly refreshing. Addictive. I tried this at home with bay leaves from the spice rack, but it gets expensive quickly.

The main event is the giant trees, majestic and calming. Redwoods are especially nice because they grow in family circles, with the generations concentric, so when one dies it is surrounded by family. Several of these trees were over 1000 years old, so the family can be quite extensive.

I forgot to mention that one option for admission was to purchase a Golden Poppy annual pass, which was on our to-do list–so we finished a chore after all!