{story} messenger geese

early one morning, i was driving through the rolling hills of napa on my way to school. the sun was just coming up over the mountains. the landscape was awash in pink light. lush vineyards, golden grass, and gnarled oak trees were all bathed in a rosy glow.

as i drove, a song started to play which reminded me of my dad. he had died two years before, and the pain of missing him was still fresh. witnessing the beautiful view and hearing the memory-filled music created an instantaneous ache in my heart.

full of this feeling, i rounded a curve onto an empty stretch of road. my arrival there startled a huge flock of canadian geese who had been resting in a field. my presence caused them to excitedly launch into the air, a chaotic flap-fest of wings...

{print by caitlin heimerl}

my mouth dropped open in awe. canadian geese were my father's favorite bird. he absolutely adored them. we had prints, photographs, sculptures of these creatures all over my childhood home. i could not recall ever seeing them in napa, yet here they were in this spectacular moment.

tears started to fall as i felt longing and sadness for my dad. i regarded this as a small sign of our timeless connection. it made me miss him terribly.

suddenly, the entire flock of geese, who had been flying away, switched direction and started to fly toward me. i was dumbfounded by this and could only stare in amazement as they approached my car. my heart almost exploded from the majesty of the whole scene.

and then...

they flew directly overhead and a giant load of goose poo hit my windshield.

a truly enormous amount of poo.

in fact, it was so much poo that i had to use the wipers and a significant supply of cleaning fluid to be able to see the road.

this made me laugh with total abandon.

my dad was a hilariously funny guy. he loved laughter, teasing, jokes, and fun.

this incident was just the sort of silliness he created whenever things got too serious. if i had been a sniffly mess over something as sentimental as this scene, he would have done something ridiculous to make me smile.

hence, the goose bomb.

i laughed all the way to school.

i laughed while i wrote this.

i'm still laughing...

{note: this is the second story i have written involving otherworldly communication through bird excrement. in case you missed the first one, here it is.}

{harvest} purple poetry

i strolled through the vineyard at the reid ranch last week, singing sweet songs to the cabernet sauvignon grapes. they are full of slowly simmered indigo juice and soaking in the last golden rays of the season...

garden slumber party

one of the great joys of my weekend was camping in the vineyard garden at the reid ranch...

i adored sleeping amidst growing plants, misty dew, redwood trees, and softly singing birds.

walk with me through a few magical moments...

{zucchini blossom}

{artichoke blossom}

{zazen}

{beans + barn}

{sunlight + sunflower}

{full foliage grapevines}

{onward + upward}

{vine + sky}

{tendrils + tiny web}

{sunset glow}

{grapes growing}

{glowing gnome caves + dancing blue flames}

{reid ranch} blues + greens

yesterday was spent at the reid ranch celebrating the birthday of my beau-père.

(joyeux anniversaire au fromage grand!)

strolling through my pictures this morning, i noticed many shades of beautiful blues and greens...

{end of may vineyard}

{tiny merlot grapes}

{i'm taking a lichen to you via grandpa great}

{artichoke}

{hayloft door}

spring @ the reid ranch

a warm spring morning walk around the reid ranch on sunday revealed a multitude of blooming and growing delights...

{a row of onions + a newly green vineyard}

{a sweet onion nestled in the dirt}

{the bright foliage of brussels sprouts}

{a trio of baby pears}

{delicate cherry blossoms}

{an antique bathtub overflowing with flowers}

{clusters of wisteria}

{camp cozy} day eleven: holiday moments

it has been a flurry of activity here at {camp cozy}.

the week of christmas was filled with:

a trip to see cavalia in san francisco...

{horses + humans -> poetry + performance}

snuggly evenings at the treehouse...

{starry night}

beaucoup baking...

{slicing cinnamon rolls}

{whipping up marshmallows}

a journey to pop's house for his ninety-seventh christmas eve...

{pop's handmade sign + classic game}

a beautiful christmas day at the reid ranch in napa...

 

{my christmas quiche * since 1989 * via madame shiptenko}

{daria by the reid ranch tree}

{preparing for the feast}

{musical crackers}

{hannah's horse by the hearth}

{s'mores platter with my homemade marshmallows}

mucho merrymaking + happy exhaustion...

{sleepy pup}

we spent the day after christmas in our pajamas by the fireplace eating popcorn and hanging out together in true {camp cozy} style.

i am very thankful to have spent this time celebrating with those i adore and love.

autumn @ the reid ranch

we spent yesterday in napa with my belle-mere + beau-pere at their home which is affectionately called the reid ranch.

have i mentioned that the reid ranch is one of my favorite places on earth?

because it truly is.

we wandered around the property after lunch and i captured a few scenes from a warm fall day...

{wine press}

{vineyard}

{grape leaves changing}

{summer squash}

{pumpkin tendrils}

{pear}

{green man}

p.s. did you spot my pup, daria?