SNOW
isn't something you think of when people mention the central California coastal area, and the Santa Cruz Mountains aren't that high either, but we do get snow here nearly every year. True, it's usually only a few inches, and only lasts for a day or so before it's melted away, but for that brief time the mountains are transformed and it looks like a real winter has happened. Sometimes, though, we do get a serious snow here. In 1974, for instance, we had two feet of snow on the ground and it stayed for a week or so. It was pretty at first, but then the trees started breaking, and once that started it continued for days, and in the end many of the roads wer shut down for a couple of years in this area. I got this land as a result of that snowstorm, as the trees that fell from the ridgetops cascaded downwards, taking more and more trees down as they dropped, with the whole mess finally coming to rest here at the bottom of the valley. When I first moved here I had to cut wood out of the way for months just to get a small place cleared to lay out a sleeping bag, and then I started burning the junk wood as I made further progress. I had a bonfire going 24 hours a day for two years before I could finally feel like I'd gotten the bulk of the mess out of the way.
Anyway, that's long past and now I can enjoy the snow and the beauty of it's crystal whiteness. The pictures you see here are just representative shots I took after a few different storms, and in time this page will fill up. I just wanted to share what I have ready now so people could see that we really do have winter here in sunny California.
The picture above is called "Shear Snow" and is looking up the creekbed near the studio.
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