There is a river out here called the Yuba, and for some it is just a place to go cool off in the summer. For others it is truly a special place not only to enjoy the beauty of nature but to admire a wonderful ecosystem. The South Yuba River Citizens League is an organization that has helped protect and restore the river.
Since the river was given the status of "
Wild and Scenic" the group has put on a film festival to not only celebrate the river but also show worldwide environmentalism.
SYRCL’s Wild & Scenic Film Festival is a call to action. At Wild & Scenic, filmgoers are transformed into a congregation of committed activists, dedicated to saving our increasingly threatened planet. We show environmental and adventure films that illustrate the Earth’s beauty, the challenges facing our planet, and the work communities are doing to protect the environment.
Although the festival had been going on for nine years this was the first time I had taken part in it. The festival went on for three days starting on a Friday. I decided to volunteer my time for Saturday morning. The bonus is that if you volunteer you get a free day pass to see the movies. I ended up at the popcorn concession stand in the Miner's Foundry.
To do this volunteer job I had to wake up early Saturday morning (around 6:30am) to get to the meeting point in time to sign in.
Despite a bit sleep-deprived and a little hungry I embraced my popcorn duties with full passion and positivity.
Of course, the popcorn and oil used was organic. I suppose the little paper bags we put it into weren't that Green. The morning time was slow for popcorn buyers as not many people seemed hungry yet. So during this lull I got to know other volunteers, which was good as it felt like a community gathering.
There was a bit of a snafu at the end of my shift, since the person who was suppose to take over didn't show up. So I stayed a little bit later until they figured it out and I was relieved of my popcorn shoveling duties.
I grabbed a bite to eat and went home to get some rest. The next day I went out around noon to catch a couple of films. I decided to plant myself in one of the theaters that would eventually play a film that I had interest in.
After waiting in line for a little bit we were let in to the theater. There I watched films with such titles as, "Dear & Yonder", "Alexandra's Echo", and "Eagle Among the Swarm". But I really wanted to see the film, "Redwoods: Anatomy of a Giant", because I had spent some time in Humboldt country where redwood trees grow tall and abundant.
It was a really well pieced together film, which is something you expect from National Geographic. It touched on the political aspect of the redwood forests and how they need to be more protected, but mostly it was a showcase of it's diverse biology.
After the movies I headed back home, first stopping at a Mexican restaurant for dinner. This place had outdoor seating so I got to sit nearby the creak. I felt a little lonely without JH there and knew it would have been a nice romantic dinner.
Coming back home I was greeted by my dad's cat, "Henry" who likes to follow you up to the house.
That evening, after grocery shopping and while in the parking lot, I caught site of a lovely sunset. Certainly it created a peaceful ending to my very interesting weekend.
