Nevermore, quoth the Raven

I'm spending a few days at a lovely cottage on Tomales Bay, called Ravensview Cottage. I have been here all of two hours and feel I have been here forever. It is quiet except for the sound of birds -- including some rather vocal crows -- and the sound of the wind rushing through the trees. From the front deck I can see Tomales Bay shimmering nearby. I'll take pictures while I'm here and perhaps I'll be able to post one of them here, provided the new photo card reader thingie I bought works.

The drive from SF was a relaxing one as there was no real traffic (I left mid-day). The directions had me take Lucas Valley Ranch Road west, which proved to be a lovely winding ride. Most of the roads that head west from the 101 shift between being open to the hills to being covered with a canopy of trees. On a sunny day as today, those moments driving through the trees were sublime with bits of sun peaking here and there, with bursts of bright green intermixed with the dark browns of the trees and branches. I drove slower than usual, not wanting anything to cause me any unnecessary stress or anxiety. I didn't even allow myself to get aggravated with drivers going ridiculously slow.

The cottage is in the little town of Marshall. There isn't much here, but as the bay dominates the area, I can only that thank you that there are only a few buildings making up the town. I'm within walking distance of the town store and within driving distance of some of Northern California's most beautiful outdoors areas, Pt. Reyes National Seashore. While I am no big outdoors man, I do like the beaches and the ocean and expect to spend some time exploring some of the beaches around here. My first goal will be Drake's Beach and then, perhaps, Kehoe Beach. As long as I have water and wind I will be a happy person.

Once at the cottage, I spent time on the deck reading the rest of Oracle Night. All I have to say is wow. Paul Auster once again blows me away. The pace of the book, the growing tension. I sat there on the deck and at moments had to put the book down. While I was drawn into the book from the very beginning, the second half really takes the story to another level when the depth of the characters and the events that interweave their lives and experiences start to become more revealed. The story flows beautifully, but as I noted in my previous blog there is this notebook that has a sort of mystical quality about it that is pulling at my mind right now. I will need to think about it more before I can articulate its significance, but it is a weird twist to the book, as is the shopkeeper where the narrator finds the notebook.

I will leave it there for now. Perhaps tomorrow I shall have some insights worth sharing. In the meantime, I must decide which book to move on to next.