JOURNAL: Five Things I Will Miss About California - A Test Entry

I leave for Seoul in about two weeks, so my first few postings will be about other ecclectic matters.

Following is a list of "Five Things I Will Miss About California."

5. Clean, sweet, and fresh produce. Nowhere else in the United States have I ever experienced the succulent, large, and delectible fruits and vegetables you can find here. There are frequently farmworkers on the street corners who drive up from Watsonville (the community where I grew up) selling strawberries the size of your fist in reasonably inexpensive flats. The fruit never needs sugar, and is always in the prime of ripeness. Yummy!

4. The sheltered valley. I live about a quarter mile from the gently rolling east foothills of Silicon Valley. I am always inspired when I look up at the hills; in the winter, they are emerald green, and in the spring and summer, they fade to a multi-faceted golden brown. Wildflowers appear all year round. The best part about the valley is, though it is an urban center, there are pockets of quiet nature all over the place, and the Santa Cruz Mountians about 20 minutes away. It is still easy to find nature.

3. The diversity. Silicon Valley is home to almost every nationality, creed, and religion on earth. There is a beautiful Buddhist temple just down the road from me; a rather incongruous but breathtaking sight amongst the functional utility buildings and residential areas. There are opportunities for all sorts of foods, festivals, and events. I love the constant and peaceful interactions of cultures in our valley; although there are sometimes "incidents," they are usually solved without much blood spilled!

2. The old orchard on the hill on Piedmont Road. I pass by it every day on my drive to work (thus bypassing the parking lot on the freeway) and it always somehow lifts my spirits. I often see people getting out of their cars and taking pictures of this lovely landmark. Sadly, I have discovered that this old orchard on the hill is to be sacrificed to another McMansion project; these rather boring large houses on the hill suck all the life out of the green belt surrounding our cities (if you are going to build a mansion, for God's sake, let it be unique and not detrimental to the landscape).

1. The Weather. Summer is a bit toasty and dry, but deliciously cool in the evening. Winter is rainy and grey, but the hills turn green and lush, as well as the other plants and flowers. A visitor would do well to visist during the winter. Best of all, there is NO SNOW; I appreciate this, having spent winters in Wisconsin holed up for six months out of the year in weather so cold that your nosehairs freeze! Spring is brief, and rather muddy, but the wildflowers come out. Fall is also brief; the trees do their leaf show only for a couple of weeks. The diverse immigrants in the Silicon Valley have also brought various interesting plant species with them; there is always something blooming or producing at various times of the year. The downside is the extended allergy season, but it is well worth it.