C. Lee McKenzie

Young Adult and Middle Grade Author

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Thanksgiving and Then What?

November 28, 2016 By C. Lee McKenzie 60 Comments

What comes after Thanksgiving? A hike, of course. If I’m thankful for anything is the chance to be out in a forest on a trail. And today was a perfect day for it. 

This is early with some overcast. No one on the trail this morning, except me.

I’m always on the lookout for poison oak and I never fail to find it. This little guy looks so sweet, but does it ever cause me suffering and itches galore if I touch it.

My shadowy selfie.

Rattlesnake grass. On a windy day, it gives you plenty of warning.

A bit sunnier as I head toward the coast.

A new pine sunning itself.

Dandelion looking up.

“The unquiet spirit of a flower
That hath too brief an hour.” Ellen Mackay Hutchinson Cortizzoz

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Along the trail there are always metaphors. Here’s life’s grand circle. Out of the dead stump a beautiful green bush thrives.

This is my last post about Gadget Girl and my November Featured Follower. It has been wonderful to share this author and her work with you. I hope you enjoyed meeting Suzanne and I hope you’ll read and enjoy her books. Check out her AUTHOR’S PAGE

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Congratulate the winner of Gadget Girl! Nicola at Burggraf’s Blog is the lucky Email Connect follower.

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Check back to find out who will be my December Featured Follower! Wow. The last author of the year already. 



Quote of the Week: “Trails are like that: you’re floating along in a Shakespearean Arden paradise and expect to see nymphs and flute boys, then suddenly you’re struggling in a hot broiling sun of hell in dust and nettles and poison oak…just like life.” 

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― Jack Kerouac, The Dharma Bums

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Email Connect, Monday Moods

Comments

  1. Nicola says

    December 7, 2016 at 5:00 pm

    WOW!! I'm thrilled to bits to have won a copy of Gadget Girl! Thank you.

    That looks like my kind of hike, Lee – wandering through the woodlands and photographing the natural surroundings (and anything that looks supernatural :)). Glad you enjoyed a happy Thanksgiving. Wishing you a wonderful December.

    Reply
  2. Nasreen says

    December 4, 2016 at 9:33 pm

    Gorgeous photos. I loved going through this post!

    Reply
  3. DMS says

    December 1, 2016 at 3:47 pm

    Beautiful pictures! I love hiking in the woods and your photos took me right on the journey with you. 🙂
    ~Jess

    Reply
  4. Crystal Collier says

    November 30, 2016 at 5:57 pm

    Oh goodness… I need to get out hiking. It's been FOREVER. (Well, about 1.5 months. That's forever, right?)

    Reply
  5. Karen Lange says

    November 30, 2016 at 2:05 pm

    Thanks for sharing your walk with us! I'm always up for a walk in the woods, and Thanksgiving is the perfect time to do so. Plus, I burn extra calories. Need I say more?

    Reply
  6. Cathrina Constantine says

    November 30, 2016 at 11:51 am

    I love wandering in the woods. Your pictures are beautiful I wish I was walking with you.

    Reply
  7. Annalisa Crawford says

    November 30, 2016 at 11:14 am

    Beautiful photos!

    Reply
  8. Juneta Key says

    November 30, 2016 at 1:39 am

    Wonderful pictures. Enjoyed taking a walk with you.
    Juneta @ Writer's Gambit

    Reply
  9. Mich says

    November 29, 2016 at 9:48 pm

    Beautiful photos!

    Reply
  10. J Lenni Dorner says

    November 29, 2016 at 8:04 pm

    Those are fantastic pictures! It looks a lot like where I spent a few days after Thanksgiving. Thanks for sharing your hike.

    Reply
  11. Tyrean Martinson says

    November 29, 2016 at 7:02 pm

    Hey, I'm not sure my comments are showing up on anyone's blogs, but if this one does – just going to say again, I love your photos and it looks like your hike was wonderful!

    Reply
    • C. Lee McKenzie says

      November 30, 2016 at 1:44 am

      I see your comment, Tyrean! Sorry you're having so much trouble.

      Reply
  12. Lexa Cain says

    November 29, 2016 at 6:51 pm

    With all those needles on the ground, I'm guessing there are a ton of evergreens where you live. Great trail and pics!

    Reply
    • C. Lee McKenzie says

      November 30, 2016 at 1:44 am

      This is the Monterrey peninsula and in this area the forest is mostly Monterrey Pines. They don't live long, but they sprout and grow like mad.

      Reply
  13. Shady Del Knight says

    November 29, 2016 at 6:01 pm

    Hi, Cheryl Lee!

    I really enjoyed this post. Thank you for taking us along on your stroll through the forest. It looks like a lovely, tranquil spot. Your words and pictures brought back happy memories of going on weekend hikes with my dad when I was a boy. It also brought back not so happy memories of getting bad cases of poison ivy. I remember one time I was downwind from a brush fire and was exposed to the smoke for a brief time. Some type of poisonous leaves were burning because the next day I found myself covered with red, itchy patches, even around my eyes. It was the worst ever.

    Thanks again, dear friend C-Lee, and enjoy the rest of your week!

    Reply
    • C. Lee McKenzie says

      November 30, 2016 at 1:42 am

      We don't have the "ivy" here. That's one good thing. And you were so lucky not to have issues with your lungs after inhaling that smoke. That can really cause so many serious problems. Anyway, thanks again for the wonderful visit!

      Reply
  14. Sherry Ellis says

    November 29, 2016 at 3:41 pm

    Looks like you had a lovely hike. I did something similar and climbed a mountain. It was so pretty with all the colorful leaves.

    Nice shadowy selfy. It looks like something that can spark an idea for a mystery story.

    Reply
    • C. Lee McKenzie says

      November 29, 2016 at 5:01 pm

      Glad you got your hike in, Sherry. Love the idea of a mystery shadow selfie. Have to tuck that away for later.

      Reply
  15. Barbara Fisher says

    November 29, 2016 at 11:17 am

    Walking (and reading) are two of my favourite pastimes and your walk looks amazing. I would love to meander along that forest path. Thank you for sharing the photographs.
    Congrats to Nicola. Can you believe it is almost the end of the year? The months are just racing past. We will soon be wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

    Reply
    • C. Lee McKenzie says

      November 29, 2016 at 4:58 pm

      I remember vividly when Jan. 2016 swooshed in. I thought, "This is going to be a great year." It was. It was just too short.

      Reply
  16. nashvillecats2 says

    November 29, 2016 at 9:55 am

    Loved the photo's Lee, hope your hike was enjoyable.
    Yvonne.

    Reply
    • C. Lee McKenzie says

      November 29, 2016 at 4:56 pm

      It was, Yvonne. Thanks.

      Reply
  17. Susan Gourley/Kelley says

    November 29, 2016 at 4:19 am

    I wish I had somewhere off-road to hike. My walks have to be either along dangerous country roads or the sidewalks of town. Hope your Thanksgiving was happy.

    Reply
    • C. Lee McKenzie says

      November 29, 2016 at 4:56 pm

      Good trails have always been a prerequisite for where I choose to live. I tried living in San Francisco when I was out of college, but that worked about one summer.

      Reply
  18. Liz A. says

    November 29, 2016 at 3:19 am

    What a perfect conclusion to a holiday weekend. Get out in nature. Lovely.

    Reply
    • C. Lee McKenzie says

      November 29, 2016 at 4:51 pm

      It does shake off the lethargy from all that eating.

      Reply
  19. Shooting Stars Mag says

    November 29, 2016 at 2:09 am

    Beautiful photos – I'm glad you had a nice hike. Seeing this makes me think of wandering in the woods, reading Wordsworth. hah!

    -Lauren

    Reply
    • C. Lee McKenzie says

      November 29, 2016 at 4:49 pm

      I should take a book along one of these days and find a place to stop along the way.

      Reply
  20. Jacqui Murray says

    November 29, 2016 at 1:56 am

    My visiting kids persuaded me to take long walks with them. 2.6 miles at the longest. I know–that doesn't sound so long, but I usually quit at under a mile!

    Reply
    • C. Lee McKenzie says

      November 29, 2016 at 4:47 pm

      Yay for your kids. They'll keep you young even if you resist!

      Reply
  21. Beverly Stowe McClure says

    November 29, 2016 at 12:27 am

    I like your quote. And what a lovely trail to walk. Nature is fantastic. There's always something beautiful to see.

    Reply
    • C. Lee McKenzie says

      November 29, 2016 at 4:45 pm

      A good hike clears my head like nothing else.

      Reply
  22. Patricia Lynne says

    November 28, 2016 at 11:58 pm

    Lucky! It's cold, wet, and ugly out here. It keeps snowing then melting.

    Reply
    • C. Lee McKenzie says

      November 29, 2016 at 4:42 pm

      Hope you get a snow for Christmas. I always wanted that when I was a kid. Never happened!

      Reply
  23. Lynda R Young says

    November 28, 2016 at 11:21 pm

    I love that new pine pic in particular. Your hike looks awesome. I want to find a nice trail somewhere around Brisbane…on a cool day.

    Reply
    • C. Lee McKenzie says

      November 29, 2016 at 4:14 pm

      I'll bet you have some beautiful spots to hike, Lynda.

      Reply
  24. Jemi Fraser says

    November 28, 2016 at 9:26 pm

    Love that Kerouac quote – so true!
    Great photos. We had about 6 inches of snow the other day with fabulous snow people, but today's rain wiped it all out.

    Reply
    • C. Lee McKenzie says

      November 29, 2016 at 4:13 pm

      I love his style. He says things the way I want to.

      Reply
  25. Elephant's Child says

    November 28, 2016 at 7:36 pm

    Time outside is a gift isn't it? Loved wandering with you.
    No poison oak over here – for which I am thankful.

    Reply
    • C. Lee McKenzie says

      November 29, 2016 at 4:12 pm

      We're surrounded by the stuff. Maybe I should become your neighbor. 🙂

      Reply
  26. Mark Noce says

    November 28, 2016 at 7:05 pm

    Looks like a lovely hike:) Minus the Poison Oak, of course;) Happy Thanksgiving, Lee!

    Reply
    • C. Lee McKenzie says

      November 29, 2016 at 4:12 pm

      Yes. Must beware that stuff! Hope your holiday was great.

      Reply
  27. Chrys Fey says

    November 28, 2016 at 6:29 pm

    I would love to hike that trail. 🙂

    Reply
    • C. Lee McKenzie says

      November 28, 2016 at 6:35 pm

      This is kind of a regular one for me. I do it when I only have an hour, but need to be outside and moving.

      Reply
  28. DEZMOND says

    November 28, 2016 at 6:08 pm

    We do love sylvan landscapes!

    Reply
    • C. Lee McKenzie says

      November 28, 2016 at 6:35 pm

      Indeed we do!

      Reply
  29. Christine Rains says

    November 28, 2016 at 3:37 pm

    Fantastic pictures! We took a hike over the Thanksgiving break too.

    Reply
    • C. Lee McKenzie says

      November 28, 2016 at 6:03 pm

      Breaks are absolutely necessary! Filling them with activities like hikes, perfect.

      Reply
  30. Natalie Aguirre says

    November 28, 2016 at 3:13 pm

    What a great idea to take a hike on Thanksgiving. I got a walk in too, but it was just in my neighborhood.

    Reply
    • C. Lee McKenzie says

      November 28, 2016 at 6:02 pm

      Neighborhood walks are wonderful.

      Reply
  31. Yvonne Ventresca says

    November 28, 2016 at 2:22 pm

    Love the selfie!

    Reply
    • C. Lee McKenzie says

      November 28, 2016 at 6:01 pm

      It made me look quite large, didn't it?

      Reply
  32. Julie Flanders says

    November 28, 2016 at 2:16 pm

    I'm right there with you! I went for a long walk on the nearby trails after Thanksgiving dinner and it made me feel so great. Nothing relaxes me like a quiet walk in nature.

    Reply
    • C. Lee McKenzie says

      November 28, 2016 at 5:49 pm

      Absolutely. I sleep so much better a night after a good hike.

      Reply
  33. M.J. Fifield says

    November 28, 2016 at 1:28 pm

    Boy, I just sat around and watched football after Thanksgiving dinner. Should've gone hiking.

    I'm always on the lookout for poison oak on a hike, too. It doesn't bother me at all, but it does my significant other. Once, he got it from our dogs after they had been in the woods. It wasn't pretty.

    Reply
    • C. Lee McKenzie says

      November 28, 2016 at 4:57 pm

      I used to handle our laundry with rubber gloves because we always came home with poison oak oils on our clothes. Not a happy two weeks, I can tell you.

      Reply
  34. sage says

    November 28, 2016 at 1:26 pm

    Nice hike. I did a long walk around the neighborhood and down to the south marina (about 3 miles) on Thanksgiving. I like the Dharma Bums quote–it's been decades since I read that book, but I still remember his description the Atlantic Coastline train when he was visiting his mother in North Carolina. This morning I posted a review of "Sliding on the Edge"

    Reply
    • C. Lee McKenzie says

      November 28, 2016 at 4:56 pm

      I need to reread Dharma Bums. I remember it as a book that I couldn't forget, but now I have. . .at least a lot of it.

      Thanks so much for the review. Writers can never have enough of those!

      Here's to more great hikes.

      Reply
  35. Pat Hatt says

    November 28, 2016 at 1:25 pm

    Sure looks like a nice place to go for a stroll. Avoiding the poison oak is sure a good goal.

    Reply
  36. Alex J. Cavanaugh says

    November 28, 2016 at 12:41 pm

    Nice place for a hike. Definitely needed after the Thanksgiving feast.

    Reply

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