Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Our Little Patch of Wilderness

We often go on a hike on a nice weekend morning. It is our favorite place to spend a few idle hours, peaceful, quiet, yet full of color, sound and movement.


Walking along a winding hillside path, we enjoy sweeping views of South Bay Area on one side...


And The Santa Cruz mountains on the other, restful and refreshing, with every shade of cool green and grey, and an intricate pattern of textures.


The hills are silent, and the air is still, yet we are being carefully watched.


There are so many things to see, if you walk slowly and quietly. The wildflowers are blooming after the winter rains.


There are lots of California poppies by the path.


They look lovely in their natural environment.


We are but passing visitors, our presence short and without a trace.


We will leave, and our patient hosts will go on with their lives.


But for us, a pleasant memory of a quiet weekend walk will remain.

Posted by Masha at 9:31 AM
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28 comments:

  1. Dani P.April 19, 2011 at 10:29 AM

    Beautiful greens, beautiful birds ... Wonderful walk.

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  2. DarlaApril 19, 2011 at 10:43 AM

    Such beautiful scenery and you capture it perfectly through your lens!

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  3. MashaApril 19, 2011 at 10:47 AM

    Thank you, Dani and Darla. I am glad you enjoyed the little walk.

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  4. AnonymousApril 19, 2011 at 11:01 AM

    Stunning - I love the mountains!

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  5. MashaApril 19, 2011 at 11:06 AM

    Thank you, Hanni, I love them too!

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  6. FlowerLady LorraineApril 19, 2011 at 11:09 AM

    How blessed you are to have such a lovely area to take a walk. Beautiful vistas, quiet woods, lovely blooms and sweet critters.

    FlowerLady

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  7. MashaApril 19, 2011 at 1:39 PM

    Thank you, FlowerLady, for your sweet words. I believe I am.

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  8. Southern LadyApril 19, 2011 at 3:33 PM

    What a beautiful place to walk! I love your pictures...thanks for taking me along. Carla

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  9. HolleyGardenApril 19, 2011 at 4:26 PM

    Wow! Those mountains are gorgeous! (I love mountains.) Your wildflowers are much prettier than ours!

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  10. MashaApril 19, 2011 at 5:05 PM

    Thank you, Carla and HolleyGarden. I am glad you enjoyed this walk.

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  11. AnonymousApril 19, 2011 at 7:37 PM

    Beautiful images and scenery. The birds especially. I did not recognize them.

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  12. sherryocalaApril 19, 2011 at 8:05 PM

    You can really say that you took the scenic route home. Loved walking with you.

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  13. sweetbayApril 19, 2011 at 8:21 PM

    What a beautiful place! I especially love the pictures of the California Poppies and butterfly.

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  14. MashaApril 19, 2011 at 9:14 PM

    Thank you, Donna, I need to learn more about birds, the blue one I am pretty sure is a bluejay, but I don't know what the other one is.

    Thank you, Sherry and sweetbay. I am glad you got to see these pictures.

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  15. HeidiApril 19, 2011 at 9:40 PM

    Hi Masha,
    Your pics are so beautiful...Happy Easter to you!

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  16. MashaApril 19, 2011 at 9:42 PM

    Thank you, Heidi, and happy Easter to you too.

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  17. greggoApril 20, 2011 at 5:51 AM

    Plan on adding california poppys to my garden this spring, they're in the seedling stage now. Blessings to you this Holy week.

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  18. KelseyApril 20, 2011 at 6:04 AM

    Awesome! This is a great way to excercise in the morning with my coffee! Ummm... do we get to burn calories if we go on a virtual tour like this! LOL! The blue bird looks so neat!

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  19. Jean CampbellApril 20, 2011 at 6:26 AM

    Enjoyed the walk so much. Your bird photos are wonderful and the California poppies are my fav sight on your hike.

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  20. MashaApril 20, 2011 at 7:34 AM

    Thank you, Greggo, for your wishes. Good luck with your poppies and happy Easter.

    LOL, Kelsey, I wish:).

    Thank you, NellJean, for your compliments.

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  21. JessApril 20, 2011 at 8:10 AM

    I always amazed in many cities just how close nature really is.

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  22. MashaApril 20, 2011 at 9:15 AM

    Jess, you are right, although this is a protected area.

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  23. christine @ The Gardening BlogApril 20, 2011 at 11:10 AM

    Beautiful! Thank you for sharing this special place.

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  24. MashaApril 20, 2011 at 11:33 AM

    Thank you, Christine. I am glad you liked it.

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  25. Casa MariposaApril 21, 2011 at 1:00 PM

    Do you know the name of the black, white, and tan bird in the 2nd to last photo? There is a bird that looks similar that comes to my garden every spring. It's not a VA bird, so I think it passes through as it migrates. How amazing that it's on your blog!!

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  26. Sandra GardenerApril 22, 2011 at 7:31 AM

    What a lovely place to visit. I love the mountains! The birds especially ! Thank you for sharing...

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  27. MashaApril 22, 2011 at 7:35 AM

    Casa Mariposa, it is amazing, isn't it? I don't know its name though...

    Thank you, Sandra.

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  28. Alice JoyceApril 27, 2011 at 6:49 PM

    Masha
    Is this not the most lovely time of year for an early morning hike.... from your lovely photos, I would have to say, Yes!
    What sort of blue bird is that... Not a Jay of some kind? I never see bluebirds of any kind here in the North Bay, but maybe I'm not in the right place;-)

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I am so glad you have stopped by!

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