There is a city in China, Hanzhow, where the saying is, “If you can’t go to Heaven, go to Hanzhow.”
Apparently it is the next prettiest place. I have not been to either, yet. However, I would like to tell you about another place here on earth. I am not yet sure that I will tell you where it is. Normally, I spend my time with people. This is to assure you that I sometimes look at the land.
The state has the largest wilderness area in the lower 48 states with high mountains, forests and many white water rivers. It also has Grizzly Bears, Black Bears, cougars, wolves, deer, elk, moose, coyotes, and much fish. It also has hills that are very high, very steep, with no trees, and no fences perfectly rounded without any sharp edges. These hills are white, green, brown or golden. It is possible to spend days looking at them. It is like looking at the ocean. The towns and small cities are beautiful. In a half hour’s walk there are probably fifty different kinds of trees, including weeping birch, hawthorn, cedar, maple, oak, elm, and Douglas fir. The tulips are fading, so is the plum. But the apple, the lilac (white, dark purple, and lavender) bridal wreath and many colors of iris are in full bloom.
I haven’t yet talked about the weather. There is no severe weather. It is a four season climate. There is snow. It comes down vertically, 2 to 4 inches at a time. There are no blizzards. The snow sticks to every twig on every tree, so the whole city is white. If not snow, there may be rime frost on every twig of every tree. Again, the city is white. The temperature might get down to 20 degrees Fahrenheit with an exception every twenty years. The summers are also mild. It may get to be 95 degrees Fahrenheit in the daytime. It will be 65 degrees Fahrenheit every night. The humidity is low. There may be a mild thunderstorm, but no violent ones. Certainly, there are no tornadoes, nor hurricanes. There has not been a crop failure in the 130 years the land has been farmed.
It is a very pleasant land.
Apparently it is the next prettiest place. I have not been to either, yet. However, I would like to tell you about another place here on earth. I am not yet sure that I will tell you where it is. Normally, I spend my time with people. This is to assure you that I sometimes look at the land.
The state has the largest wilderness area in the lower 48 states with high mountains, forests and many white water rivers. It also has Grizzly Bears, Black Bears, cougars, wolves, deer, elk, moose, coyotes, and much fish. It also has hills that are very high, very steep, with no trees, and no fences perfectly rounded without any sharp edges. These hills are white, green, brown or golden. It is possible to spend days looking at them. It is like looking at the ocean. The towns and small cities are beautiful. In a half hour’s walk there are probably fifty different kinds of trees, including weeping birch, hawthorn, cedar, maple, oak, elm, and Douglas fir. The tulips are fading, so is the plum. But the apple, the lilac (white, dark purple, and lavender) bridal wreath and many colors of iris are in full bloom.
I haven’t yet talked about the weather. There is no severe weather. It is a four season climate. There is snow. It comes down vertically, 2 to 4 inches at a time. There are no blizzards. The snow sticks to every twig on every tree, so the whole city is white. If not snow, there may be rime frost on every twig of every tree. Again, the city is white. The temperature might get down to 20 degrees Fahrenheit with an exception every twenty years. The summers are also mild. It may get to be 95 degrees Fahrenheit in the daytime. It will be 65 degrees Fahrenheit every night. The humidity is low. There may be a mild thunderstorm, but no violent ones. Certainly, there are no tornadoes, nor hurricanes. There has not been a crop failure in the 130 years the land has been farmed.
It is a very pleasant land.
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