Scott Valley.
Coming upon a clearing in the woodland these waving grasses quite took my breath away. Like living velvet. Balm for the heart and no mistaking it.

Twas a great day out.

For armchair travelers see Fort Jones, a small and historic town in the Scott Valley.

From The Central Garden At Shasta Abbey from Mugo on Vimeo.

During one night in January a huge amount of snow fell at Shasta Abbey which is located in Northern California, USA. The particular quality of the snow had it clinging to the trees creating a huge burden of weight. Very many of the trees simply fell over causing damage to buildings and other trees. Saplings bent under the weight and remained bent over after the snow had gone. Fruit trees and broad leaf trees shed limbs and tops snapped off in many cases. A sad event for trees. Now in the aftermath there is much clearing up to be done. This evening I helped one of the monks to collect kindling before the relentless wood chipping crew sweep through munching everything in its path.

For those not able to watch the video there is a message towards the end of the clip which is basically a plea to exercise compassion - for the trees and for oneself and towards others. More photographs on the way.

This post was edited soon after I put it up because what I'd written might have been interpreted as I had not intended. And that would have been a great pity.