Day 157 of Self Quarantine             Covid 19 Deaths in U.S.:  170,000

One of my favorite book titles is from C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy.  The book was a joy as well.

Yesterday, I was “surprised by joy” on my regular hiking trail on Bainbridge Island.  One of my favorite nature trails runs along our bluff on the east side of the island.  Three years ago, a tree sprouted a set of large fungus.

Somebody named Tim carved his initials into the top trio  of fungi.   I usually stop and acknowledge the presence of this delightful tree.

Yesterday, I did more than stop.  I was gobsmacked at the new addition to the tree – a gnome home.

As I drew closer, I  noticed the carving above the door “Black Lives Matter.”

I pause for a few minutes and thank the local craftsman for making this shrine and helping me remember that “Black Lives Matter.”

Thank you.

On a more trivial note, I was surprised by the joy that Google Photos brings to my life.  I wanted to find a before photo of my fungus tree.  I just typed “fungus on tree” in the search bar of Google Photos and immediately the photos appeared.

How cool is that.  I never know if a search term is going to work, but I always try given the tens of thousands of photos I have stored.  The date pops up as well.  I was going to write that I first came across my fungus tree a year ago.  It was three years ago.  My how time flies in a pandemic.

Thank you anonymous craftsman.

Thank you anonymous software product developers who evolve Google Photos.