Spring is springing!

Sunday, March 7, 2010:

Is it just me or does it really feel like spring is on the way? The first glimpses of spring in Santa Rosa always remind me of a colorful and chipper Disney cartoon. Trees are blooming everywhere (much to the chagrin of allergy sufferers), birds are chirping and singing, the moist ground is so active with new growth that it practically radiates heat, and the angle of the sun is finally such that things are brighter and more clear.

Days like today are perfect for getting lost for awhile in Annadel Park. I have had a long and storied history with Annadel and there are days when I can hear the park calling to me. My older brother, Ross, first introduced me to the park when I was thirteen years old. It was Christmas day and Ross decided it was high time that I take up trail running. I was athletic, but running was not my choice activity. Not surprisingly, I was completely intimidated by the prospect of going running with my brother - his athletic abilities dwarfed most anybody's, especially mine as a gawky thirteen year old. Despite my terror, we set out for our run up Schultz Trail, which, back then, was a much rougher and more desolate part of the park than it even is today. I think I made it about ten minutes before the pain of my burning muscles caused me to dissolve into tears and sit down in the middle of the trail. Like any good older brother, Ross first tried to motivate me with tough love. He tried the "no pain no gain" line and the "pain is only temporary" mantra, too. Eventually he convinced me to at least start walking again and, soon enough, I was trotting along in my big brother's footsteps. Since that first run, I have spent many hours in Annadel and have fallen in love with running. Being able to put on my running shoes and set out into our little bit of local wilderness is one of the things that I find grounding, peaceful, and just plain fun.

It's a good thing that my brother dragged me with him all those years ago, because Annadel was actually the first step in my introduction to the farm. When I graduated from college in 2004, I moved back to Sonoma County and started running a lot in Annadel. I helped myself navigate the first couple years of adjusting to adulthood by trying to get lost in the park and seeing how far I could go. One day, in the winter of 2006, I was deep in the park and running on one of my favorite narrow single track trails. I had my headphones in and my music blaring, when I heard something coming behind me. Instinctively, I jumped off the trail (probably not very gracefully) just in time to avoid being hit by this crazy guy on a single speed mountain bike. I looked up in time to catch a glimpse of him and he flashed me a big, beaming smile before he continued racing down the trail. To be honest, I didn't put much thought into the encounter. It wasn't the first time I had nearly collided with a mountain biker and it wasn't to be the last - but there was something about that big smile that stuck with me.

You've probably already figured out the sappy conclusion to my story...but for those of you who haven't...the mountain biker was Jeff and that day in Annadel was the first crossing of our paths that would lead to where we are now. So in some distant and twisty way, we can all thank Annadel for the farm as it is now and all that it is becoming. Thank you, Annadel!