(no subject)

Camping was a bust in some ways, and a success in others.

The directions to the place were pretty messed up, which meant that we drove over Mt. Hamilton to get to an area near Livermore. That part of the world is kind of a maze, and it doesn't let up in Livermore as it turns out. For instance, I finally got to see (the outside of) Sandia, but I didn't head there intentionally. Add to that some 100 degree plus heat, some dehydration, and some health issues and we took the grueling-but-not-as-much-as-crossing-Mt.-Hamilton route back home.

The good side of this though; I guess I emotionally carry, or carried, an emotionally simplified idea of California ecotypes, that you're either along the coast, or you're headed right towards increasingly brown, barren country. There are at least two or three different general types in that part of the interior and while some of it is scrubby, brushy, or grassland it's not barren at all. The same geology that you can see underpinning some of the coast and the valley is definitely there, but weather and dispersion coats it with different plant life. Small creeks and some sort of moisture entrapment system probably provide water for some fairly thickly forested areas, there are a lot of larger flattish areas which probably really flood during heavier rainfall, and the patchiness probably makes the whole thing very hospitable.

I spotted deer, two varieties of grouse or quail, squirrels, ground squirrels which I couldn't identify better, lizards, a snake I couldn't identify, a flock of wild turkeys, pinyon jays, at least three types of birds which I couldn't identify better, buzzards or condors occasionally right next to the road, what I am fairly certain was a hare rather than a rabbit, and what I am fairly certain was a coyote. I don't believe I saw a woodpecker, but definitely heard them. There's a lot of stuff living out there, and it's possible that I need to get an Audobon guide or something at some point.

It'd be an area worth daytripping through again at some point, probably - but definitely in cooler weather!

(no subject)

1. I'm vaguely interested in Athapaskan speaking cultures and have been rereading Make Prayers to the Raven, which points out Athapaskan speakers through Oregon and California which I hadn't known about before; Kato, Chilula, Tolowa and some people around the Eel and Rogue rivers. Even more interesting some of them seem to have been studied by Alfred Kroeber.

2. Make Prayers to the Raven includes a glossary with words for "fox" and "wolf" but unsurprisingly given species distribution and competition, doesn't include "coyote." It does have a kenning to avoid mentioning lynx out loud and thereby inviting poor hunting luck, "nodooya," something-going-around. It's occured to me that Dene as other Athapaskan speakers might be using "yenaldlooshi," he-goes-on-all-fours, as a similar kenning to avoid mentioning shapechangers.

3. I've in the middle of reading Primitive Mythology. Fairly early on you get to reading about this central Australian aboriginal circumcision ceremony which is this big long involved crunchy thing with all sorts of little Freudian and Jungian details. You can imagine Campbell having pedantgasms over it. Part of the week long ceremony is a part in which the youth lies down, and watches as different adults embody central cultural concepts and heros, and then lay on top of the kid to convey the magic of the idea. Reading this in 100 degree heat, all that I could think is that, if I were a 13 year old Aborigine, about the last thing I would like is for some big, heavy, warm, bearded guy to sit on me to convey wisdom.