madrone

I went to Oregon last weekend and visited the place I grew up. 40 years ago my parents "dropped out" and moved to the country, formed a commune and lived without electricity or running water. This was our 40 year reunion. Naturally seeing all the people was amazing but I'm not going to say much about that. What struck me was the place, the land, the smells, colors, sounds. All those feel stitched into my body at an almost cellular level. Each smell of flowering plants or pine was an olfactory reminder of my younger self. The soothing sound of creeks and streams heard everywhere on the land, the icy cold water on skin. The heat of the August sun. The greenish flaky serpentine rocks, deep purple blue oregon grapes, white queen anne's lace, orange red earth, red poison oak. Bird song, cedar tree, doug fir, madrone. Madrone bark peeling in layers, dropping down, red bark, brown bark, green. All of it soothing me back to my childhood summers and singing in the voice of the sweetest mother I have ever known.