Adeline Ropion
La Maison De Provence
an unexpected estuary
The estuary that we stumbled upon... There's nothing like taking an unexpected turn at a road sign that says Gray Lodge Wildlife Area. We were wowed upon arriving at this amazing sanctuary at the foothills of the Butte Mountains south of Chico, California; Just moments form the busy roads, was it a mirage? - it was poetic, peaceful, gorgeous, and blessed with serenity.
discovering Mt. Diablo
A windy drive along the eastern fringes of Mt Diablo on a late stormy summer day. The back road meanders along soft rolling hills through open countryside dotted here and there with lonesome oak trees, back-country wild flowers, and grasslands now turned a soft yellow. Mount Diablo dominates the eastern horizon of the San Francisco Bay Area. It was a beautiful discovery to catch it from the back.
A different day, a different summer. This time the sky was pristine blue; the hills were golden yet again; the shaded creek bed had dried in the blistering heat. The pleasure of a Sunday drive. The joy of a morning hike up and down the soft flanks.. The bold blues and yellows; the wisps of soft white clouds. The proud oak trees standing guard.
