Mariposa's original daily updated online newspaper, Free and no registration required
Mariposa's original daily updated online newspaper, Free and no registration required
Letter To The Editor
Dear Friends; Most folks get used to living wherever they live. The everyday sights and sounds become routine, even boring, and one day tends to run into the next. Though I was born in the Bay Area, raised in Sonoma County, did my Naval service in San Diego, lived in New Jersey for a couple of years, back to Sonoma County, and thence back to San Diego, this has, on occasion, even happened to me. For me, though, the tendency to become bored is a rarity, and the reason is that since 1970 I have had family living in Mariposa. My visits to the Sierra foothills have not been frequent enough, but for me, the place feels more like home than the place where I grew up. I was in town just this last Friday, and was struck all over again by the beauty of the place. Visiting my family is always a special treat, life has been such that we don't get to see each other nearly enough. Interestingly, though, I could smell home before I saw it. A fall shower or two had wandered through the hills before I arrived, and the smells were complex and special. Having been a smoker (until a year ago) for over 30 years, working with caustic chemicals in my career as a mechanic, and doing it all in the cesspool of environmental catastrophe that is Southern California, you would think my nose would long ago have given up the ghost. I certainly thought so. But as I rolled in from Merced, the scents of damp grass, oak, fir and pine caressed my nose. I became acutely aware that wet asphalt smells different when it is a seasoning, rather than the main course. Even steer manure smells good, when used as a scent seasoning. I came down the hill into town to a view that has changed little since I was a teenager. The faces are different, I daresay I have spoken to many more of you now than I had in years past. My life has changed, become better over the last half~decade, something that was not made less noticeable by my injuries of a year ago. As a part of that, I have been able to visit you all more frequently, though not near enough. I have made new friends, reacquainted myself with old ones, seen some pass on. Through it all, I remain grateful to you all to have been welcomed back with open arms on each occasion that I have visited. Even the forest itself seems to welcome me, by scent, whenever I am in the area. I just wanted to thank you all, and perhaps to remind you of the wonderful place in which you live. Maybe you don't need reminding.....but if you do, maybe this would be a good time to get up from the computer, walk to the door, and just take a deep breath. Man, what a ride! Bret, from San Diego Letters like the above, help remind us of why Mariposa is a special place! Editor- Sierra Sun Times / Goldrushcam.com |