Rain fell over the Sacramento River, in northern half of the state, as I made my way home from a quick visit to my college town, Chico, California. As my spiritual lodestone, the place I consider my heart's true home, Chico is my Paradise Lost, my nostalgic past and my occasional present, the place where my inner compass will always point.

This visit to Chico was spent with friends old and new, as I explored places I had been to long ago, as well as places I've never been. It was the journey I wanted, a holiday gift to myself like no other.