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Arboreal Correspondent August 11, 2014

Greetings from the Great North Woods (Lassen National Forest), wherein I enjoy respite from the soul-sucking drudgery that is software testing. I have hardly touched technology for days, and seem the better for it.  And, surrounded  as I am by the sounds of nature, I love life more than in many recent months.  We’re staying here:

Miles from people, it’s a deserted campground probably used last in the sixties.  As such, the most frequent visitors are deer, who nightly come out and lick whatever is left lying around, like the tablecloth(?), the dishes from each night’s feast (on the plus side, the trays and dishes are clean as a whistle down as far as a deer’s tongue can reach) and the shower bag (?).  They aren’t much frightened by us, but mostly because we try not to startle them. They are not afraid of green lasers.

Another nice thing about the campsite is the lack of visitors means flora are largely undisturbed.  A mushroom growing from a tree stump can reach its full size (except where licked by deer):

That’s a Men’s size 11 mushroom, friends.  Has a smaller companion, too:

I really should start carrying a ruler for comparisons like this.

The sunsets have been spectacular too, since the fire got so big:

Our camp is by a stream emanating from a spring couple of hundred yards up the hill.  Here is our view at night:

I’m sure the lights are just fae visiting.