California has its pretty spots

All my life California has been mostly large cities in my mind, because that was all I read about. Between earthquakes and fires, when my daughter said that they were moving to a town about 1 hour from LA, my heart sunk. But here I am. Last night, we went looking for land for their future. I was amazed that 10 minutes out of their town, we were in the mountains and it was beautiful.
The trees and flora are interesting and appear in spite of the dryness to be flourshing. (Must be from spring thaw.) When I got out to walk, the feel of the land was soft from mounds of decaying pine needles. I love the conifers here. [There were shrubs I must look up and perennials that worked great in the dry climate. I can tell I have some homework to do in California flora, if I am to help my daughter landscape when they build.] I could tell that the land has never been worked where we were. However, my son-in-law felt it too far and too primitive for them to achieve a home before their lease ran out, so it was back to looking for them. It was helpful to me to drive around with them looking at the surrounding area. The area is nice and with more flora will continue to be prettier. Definitely, it is not what I expected from all the newspaper and news media information. Interestingly, the people in the mountain area were all fire conscious. They had firebreaks and store a certain amount of water for fire fighting. They appear to be provident in their planning. There is wind energy used for most of the area. I love the wind mills they use for energy. They fascinate me with their size, movement, and utibility. Many though use solar energy for their homes. If it weren't for the earthquakes, I would consider coming here. But for now...a week visit with my sweet granddaughter and her parents will do. Plus, I don't feel so bad about where they live.
More later