MY ROOTS LIE HERE

  I grew up in Paradise California.  Yes, it is all its name implies.  A quaint little town nestled between oaks and pines, where the dirt is red and the stars are oh so much bigger and brighter then where we live here in Washington.  The instant you stroll in to town, time lapses to a slow molasses pace, where nothing is worth hurrying for and no one is willing to give into demanding pressure to do anything "quickly."  It is Paradise as far as I'm concerned.  It's a different way to live life, and a different mentality that is excruciatingly rare to find up here in the bustling Seattle area.

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My Dad still lives in our old house at the end of a dead end street, where herds of dear mozy past your window, sometimes peeking in.  He has quite the pact of wild animals that show up throughout the day for whatever treats my Dad may leave them in the back yard or in the old cat dish on the porch... (He hasn't actually had a cat for several years now.)  He does, however, have pet skunks, Hawks, Jackrabbits, Blue jays, and my favorite Mr. Fox.  He tends to keep the shop door cracked, to let the lizards in to eat the bugs, but we've caught a few skunks taking warm evening naps inside from the rain.

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There is an old tree in the back yard that someone, some years back wrapped a hose around, that is now just part of the tree.  There are canyons to explore and iced over ponds to scurry across.  Tadpoles to catch, and june bugs to run away from.  We even have a peacock farm not too far away, so sometimes the occasional peacock will find its way onto our deck.

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My roots lie here. Where the dirt is red and dusty.  Where the cars are covered in yellow dust during the spring.  Where ducks cross the road.... and where people stop and wait for them.  Where the heat is dry but the people are not. Where my family and closest friends are 5 minutes away.  Where we can jump in the flume and let it take you on a wild ride.  Where our favorite secret swimming hole is so deep, you can't even find the bottom.  Where our skin is tan and itchy from poison oak.  Where love and cortisone cream is all around.

My Roots Lie Here.

"Beep Beep" from The Little Road!