I've been doing a lot of driving in the last couple of months.
We had the long summer road trip which I wrote about,
and then it was back to Sacramento to work.
After that, I drove the 300 miles south to pick up my
mom and bring her back to NorCal to spend about
three weeks.
Interstate 5 in California is my main thoroughfare,
and I am enjoying seeing the seasons change through
the various activities going on in the Central Valley
which has often been called the "Breadbasket of America.
It's watered by the California Aqueduct which you can
see snaking its way alongside the highway.
There are acres upon acres of fields growing both livestock
and produce:
Also lots of orchards growing everything from
almonds to oranges and other citrus
It's tomato harvest season, and we've been joking that
it's "salsa season" because we see not only
tomato trucks on the road...
but also onion and garlic trucks as well,
all seemingly headed in the same direction...
Of course, evidence of the severe drought we've been experiencing
can be seen along the highway as well,
but what really depresses me are the orchards
that are left to die...
I have a stupid sentimentality about trees
and their being living things since I read the
"Chronicles of Narnia" which talked about the
dryads who were attached to their trees and
died whenever their tree was cut down.
I see these fields and think of all the
fallen dryads...
Yeah, a lot of crazy things pass through
your mind when you're traveling along the highway.
