Tag: nature

A Rainy Drive to a Lookout

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I really love driving in the rain. I plug in my music and crank up the volume. I pull out of my driveway and hear the rain begin the patter on the roof. I open my sunroof and let the droplets project shadows and shades across the interior of my car. Under the cover of clouds, I drive. I drive to friends’ houses, I drive to school, I drive to the store, I drive to the beach. My favorite drive to do is to any lookout. I drive up and up until I reach a spot that presides over the land below. I park and take it all in. I turn up my heater and turn down my music. The sound of the rain soothes me as I look out onto the landscape below. I am calm, I am happy, I am thinking. I find that this particular circumstance is where I think the best. I cry out all the sadness that reaps my heart. I laugh out all of the giggles trapped in my lungs. I relax, letting the sounds flow through my ears. All of my emotions seem to be soothed in a rainy car at a lookout.

Picture Credit- Google

Sitting on the rock under the oak tree

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I just noticed how nice the air smells. I think it is the smell of orange blossoms from outside the school gate. The wind is bringing the sweet flowery smell up the hill. I can hear the creek flowing. It is the sound of a hundred little crashing splashes overlapping into a constant white noise. I thought to write a thousand, but I feel the creek is small to be thrashing that much. The rock I’m sitting on is cold, but my cheeks are warm. As I write this, a wind is blowing across my face as if to cool it down. I am grateful for all this sweetness. The wind silently moves the leaves in the trees in a way that the trees don’t move so much as breathe, change. 

I don’t often appreciate things this way, but I wish I did. For some reason, I can only see the things in front of my face when I’m forced to consciously decide to. So many things in our modern lives are made to tune things out, and when the smothering noise fades, it’s easier to stuff our ears with cotton or pick up cymbals than to process the unpredictable or unpleasant.

Picture Credit: The Editorial Board of the University Society Boys and Girls Bookshelf (New York, NY: The University Society, 1920)

Silent Oranges, A City Soul’s Retreat

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The pink mountains gazed down at me from above as I walked among rows of flourishing orange trees. A silence I had never experienced enveloped me.

In the residential area of the city where I grew up, I lived next to a metallurgical plant, so even in the depths of night, I could hear the humming of motors. In the cities where I lived, the concept of silence became relative. Even in the night, I could always hear a passing car or an ambulance. But at that moment, amidst the oranges, I heard only silence, the kind you read about in books, a deafening silence.

In the last six months, my life seemed to have come to a standstill. I ran from country to country all my life, trying to escape my problems or family. I flew across oceans, hoping that my past thoughts would leave me alone, but they always sat with me on the plane. And now, my life suddenly froze in its tracks. I, a city rat accustomed to dirt and noise, found myself in a small, sunny grove where it’s clean and quiet.

But unfortunately, I cannot find peace in the calmest place in California. My brain tells me to run across the continent as far as possible. I need the dirt, the noise, the people, the movement. But now, I am frozen, stuck in time, unable to understand what I am doing here. Days merge into weeks, weeks into months, months into years, and I gradually go insane among rows of juicy and bright orange bushes.

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My break.

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The year-ending and New Year’s holidays are always very busy. Three weeks fly by and I wish I had one more week off. I saw my family and many friends during my vacation. I feel a sense of relief when I go back to my home country.
Eating delicious food, going shopping, and sleeping in my own bed all make me happy.
At the beginning of this year, I participated in my old school’s New Year’s kickoff party, and it was a great time to see friends I haven’t seen in a year and teachers I haven’t seen in a long time.
The most fun thing I did during this vacation was going skiing with my family. My brother and I went snowboarding and my sister, dad and mom went skiing. I hadn’t skied since the 6th grade, about 6 years. At first I was very worried if I could ski well, but when I finished the first run, the old feeling came back. I had a few sore muscles, but more than that, I was able to spend time with my whole family, and everything was fun and we had good times.
Next time I see my family, I want to go on another trip to a different place.
I have wonderful memories of this vacation to see not only my family but also a lot of friends. When I was in the second year of junior high school, I had a takoyaki (octopus dumpling) party with five of my best friends from the same class. I also met friends from my current school when I went to my grandmother’s house. It was such a busy vacation that no matter how much time I had, it was never enough. I am already looking forward to going back to my home country and seeing my family again.

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What I miss already

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If I leave home, these are a few things I will miss about it:

My sister. It is scary knowing that she will keep growing and changing as a person, and I won’t be able to see her everyday to see that happen.

The weather. 40s and 50s is cold enough for me. I can’t imagine going about your day when it’s any colder than that; the image of walking around outside, going places, while your face and hands hurt from the cold is kind of sad.

Friends. There are still so many things to do together, and it feels there will never be enough time.

The food.

The mountains. When I first came here, my parents oohed and ahhed at the scenery, but I never saw what the big deal was. Now, I feel there is something comforting and familiar to feel wrapped up in the hilly earth. The places where everything is flat feels so lonely; in even large cities built in flat middle-of-nowhere desserts, you can look out on the horizon and see nothing. It almost feels cut off from the world. However, I imagine those cities are more closely knit internally.

Picture Credit: Johanna Zender

The World

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The world is just actually so beautiful. The colors flood through the ocean, the mountains, to the empty plains. The blossoming flowers, bloom over the mountaintops. The sun rising turns the sky a flume of pinks purples and oranges. The admirable ocean blue hues. The twinkle of the waves as they break along the shoreline. At night the stars light up the sky creating a pattern and light shining down on the quiet night. The sun shining at the perfect angle to light up the perfectly imperfect flower. The wind blowing the grass of the field where the horses run. While the rain pours it pounds down on the wet cement the clouds create a gray glare along the wet world. The pollution us humans bring are destroying the beauty of the quiet earth we love.

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Alabama Hills

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Alabama Hills was so pretty.

I went on the Alabama hills trip and it was so beautiful there. Everywhere we went, we were surrounded by boulders, and the horizon line on all sides was made up of either distant blue mountains or interesting rock formations in the shape of cashews, mittens, or huge stone hands. 

When I was little, I never really appreciated nature much. Whenever I went hiking to a scenic spot with OVS or my family, I focused my attention more on my tired feet than the beauty in front of me. I never saw what was so great about sunsets or mountains.

However, on this camping trip, I couldn’t stop feeling so grateful to have the opportunity to be out there, and I couldn’t help taking pictures of all the mountains and sunsets and little caves to hopefully take home a little bit of the wonder I felt out there. There was even a pink moment out there, where all the white stone mountains turned pink in the morning. It was so pretty that it was worth unzipping the tent and braving the freezing air to watch the sunrise.

Picture Credit: Mike Reyfman

Camping trip

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I went camping last Wednesday through Friday. I like camping, but not being able to get in the shower is a bit of a pain. I hate feeling like I am dirty all the time. I have a routine before I go camping. I get up two hours before the camp leaves, and first I wash my bedding. While I am waiting for the laundry, I take a shower. I always miss the shower when I know I won’t be able to shower for the next few days.
After the shower, I wash my clothes before drying my hair. Then I get dressed and go.

This is my first visit to Santa Rosa. I had only been to one channel island, so I was very excited because my friends told me that the view from the beach there was exceptional. The morning of the camp was very early, leaving at 6:15 a.m. We went to the harbor early in the morning and spent several hours on the boat to get there.
If I were to describe everything that happened at the camp, this vlog would never end, so I will write about my favorite part of the camp and the hardest part.

My favorite part of the camp was going out at night to take pictures of the stars. The sky was so clear, and the stars looked so clear and beautiful. My friend taught me how to take pictures of the stars, and I feel like we became closer friends. The hardest part of the camp was walking over 13 miles on the second day. It was hard, but I enjoyed talking with my friends and singing with them. I also saw a fox along the way; it was very cute. I also enjoyed napping on the beach with my friends. We also played card games on the boat and on the beach, regardless of where we were. I learned two new card games at this camp.
We also saw whales and dolphins on the boat, both on the way there and on the way back. Those things made us feel like they were inviting us to the island.

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Weather

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In my last blog, I wrote about clouds. That is my favorite weather story. In this post, I’m going to continue that and write about my dislike of rainy days. Of course, rain is an essential part of life, but I feel a little down when it rains. Some people may find the sound of rain soothing and cozy.

I dislike rainy days not only because of the overall atmosphere but also because of the bad memories I have.
In Japan, where I live, it is normal for it to rain, and we are usually prepared for it, whereas in California, it doesn’t rain as much and we are not as well equipped. Especially where I am now, even a little rain can cause flooding.
I have a bitter memory of a time when I came back to the U.S. from Japan and could not go back to school because it was raining. I had a lot of bad luck, my cell phone internet was not working, and the hotels nearby were full, so I had nowhere to go. Finally, my friends invited me to their house and I was able to survive this misfortune.
For me, rain is not my favorite weather, as I have some bitter memories of it.　Rainy days are not my favorite, but perhaps they have their own beauty and charm. I am not saying that I dislike rain, but I hope that one day I will be able to appreciate its charm.

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Cloudy day……

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The most popular weather may be sunny, but for me, clouds in the sky make me happy.

One of significant factor that captivates me about cloudy days is the ever-changing canvas they paint above us. Unlike clear blue skies, where the sun rules with its unyielding brilliance, clouds offer a dynamic display of character. Each day, the sky becomes a work of art, with clouds as the artists.

What I find most appealing is the unpredictability of it all.Clouds can change their shapes at whim and sometimes look like animals. It is as if they are trying to tell us something. These constant changes fascinate me, and I look up at the sky intently. Many people do not find clouds alone to be that fascinating, but the sky becomes a living, breathing entity that tells its own story.

Cloudy days remind me that change is a beautiful and essential part of life. They teach me to appreciate the transience of moments and the artistry of the natural world. I am grateful for these unpredictable cloudy skies, for they remind me that beauty can be found in the impermanence of life and in the constantly changing patterns of the world above.

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