N is for Nature

Theme ~ Good Things:

Swedes are very closely connected to nature, one reason I'm grateful to have grown up there. We lived in a Stockholm suburb that at the time, 1940s and 50s, was a nature haven. 

The Stockholm archipelago, with its tens of thousands of islands, was our summer playground. Mixed up with visits to different inland farms that rented out summer cottages, all across Sweden. There we swam in cold lakes, explored deep dark forests, and learned about life on a farm. Not always idyllic: I will never forget being traumatized by chickens running around bleeding after their heads were chopped off. On the other hand, I still have wonderful memories of the smell of freshly cut timber and the sweet taste of wild strawberries.

And blueberries, seen in the picture above among mossy granite rocks and old pine tree roots.

Beverly Hills, CA ~ I drove down this street on my way to work for over 30 years. I took this picture on my last day of work at UCLA.

Nature was one reason I liked our life in Los Angeles, a city where most everyone has a house and a garden, where trees line the streets, and ocean and mountains are nearby. 

Nature is very different here in the canyon, a high desert environment that I have had to learn about and get used to. 

A landscape that I have come to love.