Blue Moon

This morning we got up at dawn so that we could take a walk down by the river before it got too hot. The moon was setting huge and orange just above the horizon. Every three years there are two full moons in one month, and the second is known as a "blue moon" The last full moon was on August first. The next time this happens will be in 2015.

We made our way down to the bottom of the canyon behind my brother's house where the Santa Margarita River runs, hidden from view from above. This is the same canyon that ws turned into a moonscape by fire four years ago. Today the chaparral was dry and sere, burned not by fire but by the sun. As we neared the river the landscape became lush with vines and trees. A heron rose from the marsh grass, wings spread, legs dangling.
Ducks puttered just out of reach on the water and Ozie assumed a perfect retriever stance, nose up tail straight, one paw lifted. A huge boulder rose out of the water, split by unknown forces, its mirror image clearly visible in the still water.

When we got back to the house we had coffee overlooking the pool and the canyon we had just explored. OilMan and my brother went off to saw the dead fronds dangling off the palm tree by the driveway. They came back, cut and bleeding from the knife sharp fronds but, satisfied with a manly job well done. I languished on the couch reading And the Land Lay Still by James Robertson, which I bought at Lady Findhorn's favorite book store in Edinburgh and haven't had time to read.

After a glass of wine on the terrace, my brother and I repaired to the kitchen to make dinner. He made a splendid paella and I concocted a salad from some huge dried beans which I bought at the Spanish Table in Berkeley in anticipation of the paella. Our mother was a good cook and passed along to both of us an appreciation for good food thoughtfully prepared. Spending time in the kitchen together has become a highlight of our visits, topped off by eating with our spouses outside and watching the sun set where the moon had set at dawn.

Now the full moon is rising and it has truly been a Blue Moon day.