Vultures in the Trees

Yesterday morning, because of an unplanned and unexpected day off, we spent the morning hiking.

The vultures and the drought-ravaged trees made me long for the long days and wer nights of the Pacific Northwest. But, the crows there and the vultures here both speak to the ominous presence of death no matter where we are. The carrion birds, no matter what we do, no matter where we go.

I am still trying to get the sunblock out of my beard. It whitens my hair, and I am older-looking. I can't seem to get the sunblock out. Drinking coffee, I taste it in the aftertaste, a mineral and chemical bitter that will not wash away.