I was glad and sad to read the last installment. These light, non-literary science fiction novels held my interest for the whole series.
I flew home this morning from a business trip to Fresno. I had had to fly out on Easter Sunday for a Monday business matter. When I arrived on Sunday afternoon,I headed to Woodward Park, Fresno's large gracious city park. I quickly changed my plan to walk there, because thousands of people had thronged the park. I was impressed with the community spirit, but I wanted something a little less crowded.
I hit upon a plan. I hopped on the highway to Yosemite. Yosemite was an hour away. As it happens, I have never been to Yosemite. I did not plan to go there Sunday. Yosemite on a holiday sounded like a recipe for crowds.But I knew that if I drove towards Yosemite, there would be signs directing me to other, less-popular parks. So it proved.
I saw a sign saying "Millerton Lake". This proved to be a Sierra foothills state park.
It was low elevation, so that it had lots of open spaces and some oaks. Along its beach, people played and boated. I drove up a lovely winding road. Soon I was at McKenzie Point, which was high above the action.
I walked on a flat, safe canyon-ridge trail called the Blue Oak Trail. I made a 3.6 mile round trip to Winchell Cove and back. The state park brochure advised that in Winter over 100 pairs of eagles stay at the lake. But in April, I saw no eagles. I did see red-tailed hawks, tree swallows, cottontail rabbits, ground squirrels, California quail, western kingbirds, turkey vultures, western scrub jays, lupine flowers, live oaks,blue oaks,chipping sparrows, gulls and blue water.
After my Monday business meeting, I went to a public library in Clovis to work on another matter. Then I began to drive. I ended up driving down a highway called 168. I passed farms and foothills and oak trees. Western kingbirds flew everywhere. Then I saw a sign that led me back to Millerton Lake. I figured it must be fate.
At dusk at the lake, I saw a western bluebird and more western kingbirds. Then I grabbed a sandwich, and spent the night at a Holiday Inn.
Today I ate Chinese food and saw a barn swallow.