The California foothills are so beautiful. Rolling hills layer by layer, leading up in elevation to the higher hills and finally to the high Sierra mountain crests, peaks and summits. I hunkered down in the back seat of the family car as a child with my brother, watching the scenery change. At some elevations on some roads the soil is very red. We learned to tell where we were by observing the soil, the vegetation and the trees. There was an altimeter mounted in the car, and we watched the needle move, marking elevations. We also had a compass mounted there which taught us to be acutely in tune with our bearings. It made travel more of an adventure. There was no Map Quest or GPS. But we always got to our destinations..
How life has changed. Now children are texting and watching videos wherever they are. How much they are missing.
This is a painting I started showing the rise in lower foothills. I love when the road disappears and then you drop down again, and there it is. It totally delighted me as a child, and still makes me smile. Its like a peek a boo road. Now you see it, now you dont.
Then there is the joy of roads curving off around a hill. What will you see there? Will it be straight, or will it wind around another hill? Like life.........
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