While I have no lord to thank, I did again feel fortunate to be alive and witnessing the beauty of this world on a trip through northern California. We drove up to visit friends in Ft. Bragg, an army base and logging boom town in the 19th century, now a haunt of ex-hippies, organic farmers, and environmentalists, some of whom we met, including a Peace Corps volunteer with fond memories from rural Bihar of the 1960s, who also gave birth to her first child there. We passed redwood forests, vineyards, and places with names like Sonoma, Mendocino, Willits, Clear Lake, Calistoga, and Napa. Here are some pictures from this beautiful part of the world.