As my family and I headed back home from our trip, we drove along the Pacific Coastline on Highway 1. This trip never gets old for me. We wind and twist our way back home and it’s always breathtaking. As the passenger, I am on the cliff side, which makes me wince on and off as we hit hairpin curves and descend down the rolling hills of Sonoma County. I’m pretty sure I say my fair share of Hail Mary’s each time we descend.
It’s easy to get swept away in life (and yes, this may sound a little girlie) but I’m pretty sure I’m good at it. I can easily fall in and out of my thoughts and drift away. I chalk it up to being too imaginative. I’m glad to be busy again – back doing the things that I love best…listening.
At the coast, I kept thinking about all the different sounds I heard while at the ocean. The limited interference of city sounds enhances Mother Nature’s voice and ohh my…she has a lot to say. Sunday night the ocean whipped up some incredible sound. As I was lying in my bed, I could hear the grinding bass of the ocean chewing down on the shoreline. It wasn’t just the sound of the crashing waves – it was deep rumblings and heavy shifts in the earth that worked across the land and met me as I lay on my pillow.
Earlier that day my husband and I hiked to view the “lawn mowing crew” that had been hired to clear off the grassy hillside. This crew was loud and yes…child labor was working at its finest. Hundreds of sheep and goats of all kinds were snapping away at the landscape. I will never forget the sound of these guys snapping at the ground. The baby lambs were so naughty as they head butted each other and postured themselves to be “King of the Mountain” on the smallest little cluster of rocks in the patch. Nonetheless they still wanted to push to the top – I know the feeling. I named their patch of rocks – “Baby Mountain”. It was very entertaining to watch them hop around on all four little hooves like little hop frogs.
Challenge:
Think of a sound that is unforgettable to you. Close your eyes and think hard. My favorite sound will forever be when my son was little and he would start giggling so hard he would (like clockwork) start to hiccup.
Good Luck,
~m
Filed under: California, family, Life, Sonoma County Tagged: California, coastal, family, life, memories, Mendocino County, nature, ocean, sheep, Sonoma County, soundscape, vacation
