Dorothy and I recently returned from a 3 week tour of the state of California.  I had been once before when a young lad but it was so long ago that not much was remembered.  I, like many people, are not sure what to make of the state.  I think I have come across a way to describe what California really is.  It is GOD”S button box.  Remember that our mothers and grandmothers had a box that contained buttons of every shape, color, and kind that could ever be needed for anything.  California is that and more.  It has everything and one of every type of person.

We saw most of the state and I have a favorite place.  It is Sequoia National Park.  Yep, the big trees.  Redwoods are the tallest trees on earth, Sequoia are the largest.  The park was not as crowded as Yosemite but still had a number of people looking around.  However, even with all the visitors there was a quiet, serene atmosphere in the park that was palpable.  Sequoia can have bark that exceeds 2′ in thickness.  This is a fire-retardant as well as some type of sound suppression, I guess.  I sat on a bench at the edge of a small clearing where one of the giants grew and it was every bit as quiet as being alone  in a cathedral.  Even when other people walked up there was not much talking or other noises. I assume everyone was as awestruck as I was.  Many who know me well understand how much I like nature and the things that God surely made.  I am moving the giant trees to the top of the list and would certainly recommend that should you have the chance , you should not miss it .  Go see the big trees.  Sit quietly and listen to them breathe.  Then wonder, as I surely did, how anyone ever harvested one of these magnificent wonders and turned it into picnic tables.  Shame on our ancestors for such a waste of such a miracle of growth.  3500 years old?

Gary